Hoppy Birthday

Here's a fun birthday card featuring the adorable Sale-A-Bration set So Hoppy Together. When I was creating the Bella & Friends shaker card that I shared earlier this week I thought this cute froggie would be perfect holding a bunch of balloons, so I used the puppy and balloon image from that set...obviously just inking the balloon.

The Buffalo Check background inked in Bermuda Bay was perfect for this guy card.

I used some Crystal Effects over the balloons for some extra detail. As you can see, I'm already getting a lot of use out of my Stitched Rectangle Framelits...I seem to grab them for every card since I got them! Here's a look at the inside of the card and the coordinating envelope.

This set is so cute! It can be yours for free with any $50 order you place during Sale-A-Bration! Visit this link to see all your choices: 2019 Sale-A-Bration

Peaceful Place Birthday

Last week I spent a very enjoyable afternoon stamping with a dear friend. We had fun sharing all of our new SU! goodies. She had recently ordered the gorgeous set Peaceful Place. It is on my wishlist so I was excited to ink it up and create a masculine birthday card for my Uncle.

I enjoyed watercoloring this with mainly new and returning colors...Mossy Meadow, Granny Apple Green and Balmy Blue.

After watercoloring the image I adhered it to the panel of Mossy Meadow Cardstock and ran the two layers through the Big Shot using the Subtle Embossing Folder. I just love this nice bit of texture it gives to my watercolored images! It doesn't show up really well in photos, but take my word for it...the Subtle EF really is a must have!

I finished off my card with a sentiment from the Very Vintage stamp set rather than one of the great sentiments that came with the Peaceful Places set because I didn't think about stamping any of the sentiments while stamping with my friend.

Colorful Seasons Father's Day

I'm late to the party this year...not only in sharing my Father's Day card with you, but getting new products from the newly released SU! Annual Catalog. I didn't do a pre-order this year like I always do because I knew I didn't have the time to actually use it last month, so figured I would wait until I could order anything I wanted. My birthday is at the beginning of June, so I always have a built in excuse for placing a large order! ;-)

This card uses a few new items along with the Colorful Seasons stamp set. The leaves are stamped using one of my favorite new colors...Granny Apple Green with Old Olive. The lighter small leaves are also Granny Apple Green just stamped off once.

This year, some of my favorite new products are the embossing folders. Check closely to see the beautiful texture added to this card using the new Subtle Embossing Folder. It gives the effect of linen cardstock...and I just love this one! Don't overlook this one in the catalog just because the texture is hard to see...trust me, you NEED this one!

The little label is from the Stitched Label Framelits...which is my pick for favorite new dies. It is stamped using Timeless Textures and Thoughtful Banners stamp sets.  I layered it on top of Linen Thread and Copper Trim.

This masculine card could be used for any occasion, not just Father's Day. I hope that yesterday you all had a GREAT day celebrating the fathers in your life!

Colorful Seasons Autumn Leaves

The change of season inspired the cards I have to share today. It seems like just overnight many of our trees went from having lush green foliage to leaves the shade of golden yellow. Our maple and oak trees are still holding onto their green leaves, but when they do start to change, the maple are my favorite...with beautiful vibrant oranges and reds. The Colorful Seasons stamp set and coordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits have some great maple leaves included, which is what I used here.

To create this autumn branch, I first cut out the large branch from Soft Suede card stock using the Seasonal Layers Thinlits.  I placed the branch onto my Very Vanilla panel and lightly traced the outline of the branch to help with the leaf placement.

I stamped the leaves using the Wet Wipe Technique...which is perfect for creating the look of fall leaves. If you've never tried this technique it's really fun and super easy to use with any bold, solid image to get a multicolor look. Simply fold  a wet wipe to increase thickness and create a more manageable size...roughly the size of an ink pad. Place wet wipe onto a flat plastic surface that you don't mind getting inky. The image sheet from your Stamp-a-ma-jig works well for this. Use several colors of Ink Refills to ink up the wet wipe. Colors will mix together to create new shades, so try and use colors that look good mixed or you will end up with brown, muddy colors.

After stamping leaves, I lightly sponged the background with Dapper Denim and the edges with Soft Suede, adhered the branch and added my sentiment. Then I ran the piece through the Big Shot using the Pinewood Planks Embossing Folder.

I thought it made quite a nice masculine card so I made several since I had my wet wipe "ink pad" all made and I needed to send out some guy cards. This one gets an extra pop with the intricate Copper Foil die cut leaf. Here's a look at the group of cards I made...just like in nature, they all turned out a little different. As you can see, its a card suitable for all different occasions.

Have a wonderful day!

Stepped Up Masculine Colorful Seasons

Hope you had a great weekend! Today I have a couple cards to share using the Colorful Season Bundle.

The card on the left is a little more simple to create and the other has a few more details.

Both cards use Thick Very Vanilla cardstock for the base, Old Olive for the main panel and a die cut square using the Stitched Shapes Framelits. The intricate leaf cut from Copper Foil using the Seasonal Layers Thinlits shines beautifully. 

The stepped up version has added texture to the Old Olive background piece created using the Pinewood Planks Embossing Folder. The die cut sentiment piece also has a subtle texture created using one of the stamps from the Timeless Textures stamp set inked in Crumb Cake. 

1/4" Copper Trim layered over Burlap Ribbon along with a bow tied in Linen Thread finish off the card. Stepped up or clean and simple, both cards are sure to be well received by whoever you are to send them to. 

Flashback Friday - Noble Deer

Happy Friday! Today I would like to share a retirement card I made using, appropriately enough, a retired stamp set...Noble Deer. I remember purchasing this great set on my first order as a new demonstrator. It is still one of my favorite stamp sets.

My hubby's friend and co-worker is retiring after 40+ years on the job and he's an avid hunter, so I thought this card would be perfect for him. I watercolored the beautiful image using my Aqua Painter and die cut it using the largest square die in the Stitched Shapes Framelit set.

The "congratulations on your retirement" sentiment is from another great set, which is current...Wild About Flowers. I used my favorite new embossing folder - Pinewood Planks to give some texture to the Crumb Cake layer. The image and the base layer are both matted onto Always Artichoke.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Dad's Pocket

The Pocketful of Sunshine stamp set with the coordinating Pocket Framelits is super fun and makes creating pocket cards super easy!

I stamped the stitching onto Marina Mist cardstock using Dapper Denim Ink. One pass through the Big Shot cuts and scores the pocket...so easy! Then I used a longtime retired favorite background stamp...Linen, to create the look of denim on both the pocket and the background panel. The cute little "DAD tag" was stamped onto Smokey Slate using the Thoughtful Banners stamp set. "You Rock" across the bottom is from the retired Crazy About You set.

This pocket was to hold concert tickets so I used a non SU! set I have in my stash that features a guitar and other rocker style images.

I think the Pocketful of Sunshine set is going to be a lot of fun for both cards and scrapbook pages.

Hope your weekend ROCKS!

Colorful Seasons Father's Day

Such a busy time of year! My first new catalog order came many days ago and I've just been so busy I haven't had time to be creative. I had to make a card for my Dad for Father's Day so I grabbed the very versatile Colorful Seasons Bundle and created this relaxing beach scene.

The watercolor look background was created easily using the Watercolor Background Technique I shared in this free tutorial. Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay & Soft Sky were used to ink my block.

The Thoughtful Banners set was used for the sentiment and Linen Thread added just the right finishing touch.

I've been watching my sweet little grand daughter a few times a week so that is one of the reasons I haven't had much stamping time recently. I am really enjoying every minute of my time with her! I make sure to take lots of photos and hopefully I will have some scrapbook pages to share soon! Here are a couple photos I captured for my son for his first Father's Day.

We enjoyed a beautiful day yesterday...here is my handsome son and his baby girl.

I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating the Fathers in your life yesterday as well.

Lift Me Up Masculine Birthday

Here's a quick and cheery card using the Lift Me Up Bundle that is perfect for a guy or girl for any occasion. This great stamp set and it's coordinating dies will be available in the upcoming annual catalog, but they will no longer be featured at a cost saving bundle.

I used the retired Sleigh Ride Edgelits to cut the hill and pine tree out of the soon to be retiring Cucumber Crush cardstock. This color wasn't really one of my favorites, but I've been trying to use up my stash and have grown to really like it. For some added interest I stamped it with the line stamp from Gorgeous Grunge...one of my most used sets. How will I resist grabbing it all the time now that it's retiring?

The background is stamped with balloons and some clouds and then sponged. The largest balloon was stamped, diecut and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Have a beautiful day!

Cake Crazy Balloon Adventure Blues

Now that the retirement list is out, we know which stamp sets and accessories will not be carried over from the current Occasions Catalog  to the upcoming new Annual Catalog. Two such sets are used on the card I have to share with you today.

Funny thing...up until today I've had the name of this stamp set backwards! I've been calling it Crazy Cake when it's really named Cake Crazy! This card is for a guy, so I went with a masculine color combo and minimal embellishments. For added texture I popped up the banner and used the Confetti Embossing Folder on the main panel. This EF is one of the items that has been discounted on the Retirement list by 50%...so it's only $3.75!

Colors used: Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Bermuda Bay & Emerald Envy.

The outside is fun and festive, but the inside really pops...literally!

I used the Balloon Adventures stamp set and the coordinating Balloon Pop-Up Thinlits Dies. Those are also a real bargain right now at 1/2 off...thats only $16.50 for the set of 8 thinlits that both cut and score to create this unique pop up for the inside of your card. One of the dies in this set creates a slot, shown on the left panel of the card. It easily creates a pocket for a tag or in this case a gift card.

I love the sentiments and the fonts used in the Balloon Adventures set as well. I've had a lot of fun combining these two stamp sets  to make fun birthday cards. I have not used them on any scrapbook pages yet, but I hope to do that soon. If you have not yet ordered these items, I'd suggest to do that soon as well! Especially with them being on sale, they could be gone quickly at that price.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Birthday Balloon Adventures

Using the Balloon Adventures Bundle it is really easy to create a total WOW card in no time at all!

I die cut the 3 detailed balloon overlays using the balloon dies from the Balloon Pop-Up Thinlits. The Silver Glimmer Paper was punched out using the Balloon Bouquet Punch. These two tools work hand in hand to create some really fun projects! The DSP I used is from a retired stack called Cherry On Top. I think the ribbons and confetti coordinate wonderfully with these images, so I went with it. There is also a great new Designer Series Paper in the Occasions Catalog that coordinates with this suite of products called Party Animal...so the possibilities are limitless!

While the outside of my card is fun & festive, it's the inside of the card that really steals the show!

I just love this cool pop-up feature! Since the stamps in this set are photopolymer it is super easy to line up the stamps on the die cuts. I stamped the Cucumber Crush card base behind the balloons with the confetti image before adhering the die cut pop-up feature. Along with Cucumber Crush I also used Bermuda Bay & Crushed Curry to create this masculine birthday card.

Have a happy day!

Lift Me Up Z Fold Birthday

Recently when showing my husband some of my creations using items from the new Occasions Catalog, he remarked on a card using the Lift me Up Bundle, saying he hoped I made him a card using the hot air balloons for his upcoming birthday. His birthday was on Monday, so I came up with an extra special card for him.

Above is how it looks coming out of the envelope...but when it unfolds it looks pretty special.

The base of the card is Pacific Point cut to 4-1/4 x 1" and scored at: 2-3/4" & 5-1/2" The Whisper White layer measures 4 x 10- 3/4" It is sponged to create the cloudy sky background. I used cloud shapes die cut from post-it notes using the Up & Away Framelits. These are used as masks before I started to sponge on various shades of blue ink. I also sponged some Old Olive along the bottom to create a hillside.

The die cut hillside was created using 10-3/4 x 2-1/4" Old Olive cardstock and a retired set of dies called Sleighride Edgelits. I then stamped it with the nice cross hatch background stamp included in the You've Got This stamp set. It is then scored at 5-1/4" & 8".

Here's another look at the card from another angle.

As you can see, I cut down the sponged background layer so that it just fit inside each scored section of the card so that it will fold open and closed easily.

We celebrated his birthday a day early, on Sunday, when our family could be here. Besides the birthday boy, we had another guest of honor who stole the spotlight the entire evening...

our 5 day old granddaughter! Isn't she adorable all dressed up in her party dress for her very first party? As you can see, Grandpa didn't mind a bit sharing the spotlight! Our little sweetheart made his special day all the sweeter.

Thanks for visiting today!

Celebrate Today Birthday Balloons

Seeing a bunch of colorful balloons makes me happy. This is the perfect card that can be used for a guy or gal of any age...just change up the colors accordingly.  

I cut a stencil out of a transparency using my Balloon Framelits. Then I sponged on the colors:

• Crushed Curry
• Tangerine Tango
• Cucumber Crush
• Bermuda Bay

Sponging vs stamping made the balloons more transparent so that you could see the colors of the overlapping balloons. After I had my balloons sponged I added some stars to two of the balloons using the stamp from Celebrate Today stamp set inked in Bermuda Bay. Next I stamped my sentiment in a bold, masculine font using Black Archival Ink. The HB stamp is from the Perfect Pairings set which was from this years Sale-a-Bration. The cluster of three stars is from the Merry Mice stamp set. If you don't already have this set I recommend adding these adorable little mice to your collection this month while it's on sale.

Inspriation for this card came from this awesome card created by Maura. I just adapted it using the products I have on hand. Thanks for visiting today!

Serene Starfish

I just received the Serene Scenery 6x6 stack of papers in my last order and these are all just so beautiful! By simply stamping this starfish from Picture Perfect and adding some Burlap Ribbon you can create a card in a snap!

If you don't already have the Serene Scenes DSP I highly recommend getting this paper! I also stamped the word "love" from the Jar of Love stamp set in the sand along the bottom. I think this is perfect for this masculine anniversary card.

For the inside of the card I used a couple sentiments from Flourishing Phrases. The sandy sea shell border is from a retired set called Beautiful Beach.

Thanks for visiting today!

Foxy Father's Day

I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day weekend honoring those Dads in your life. I shared the card I created for my Dad in my last post, and today I'm sharing the card I created for my husband using the same stamp set, colors and technique.

Wilderness Awaits is a great set to create masculine cards, and this fox image is my favorite! He looks especially foxy with the copper embossing doesn't he!? This image also works well with the new Layering Oval Dies. I used the faux patina technique to create the background and love the look with Copper Embossing Powder.

I also used a couple other retired copper products...the Vintage Brads along the top as well as the Brushed Copper Cardstock I used for the mat on the fox image. I'm hoping for some new copper accessories in the Holiday catalog in time for Fall projects.

The "Happy Father's Day" label was created with the Thoughtful Banners stamp set and the Duet Banner Punch. The new 5/8" Burlap Ribbon works great for masculine cards. I really like it's loose weave as it allows the background to show through.

If you like this card, you may be interested in purchasing my Artistic Wilderness Card Set Tutorial. It  is a step by step 17 page tutorial with detailed instructions and lots of photos using the Wilderness Awaits stamp set along with the faux patina technique, lots of great tips on watercoloring and more.

Have a great day!