Cheery Friend Card

I used the With All My Heart set quite a bit around Valentines Day, but it's so much more than a Valentine set. By choosing a different color scheme or sentiment this set is quite versatile.

Stamps: With All My Heart
Card stock: Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Whisper White
Ink: Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Bermuda Bay Polka Dotted Grosgrain, Scalloped Oval & Scallop Trim Border punches, Movers & Shapers Scalloped Oval die, Soft Subtle Brad

Thanks for all the nice comments and emails regarding my vacation to Hawaii (last post). You all are so nice! Enjoy your day!

It's paradise!

We have returned home safely from our Hawaiian vacation. We had the BEST time!!! It truly is like paradise! Gorgeous scenery everywhere you look...lush green vegetation, colorful flowers, all the beautiful shades of blue of the ocean were amazing...and the people...soooo nice! I already want to go back! Especially coming home to Michigan, when right now everything is drab...not a green leaf in sight, unless I count pine trees, but you know what I mean. Now I am really looking forward to spring when everything will come back to life and seem to turn green over night. Hurry spring!!! I don't have any new stamped creations, but I do have a few photos to share. I took almost 800 photos while we were there! These are a few of my favorites.

Sunset on Poipu Beach, Kauai

Rainbow over Wiamea Canyon, or the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" in Kauai

Wanini Beach, near Hanalei, Kauai

Kilauea Point Lighthouse

Me at the beach ;-) Actually this is a Hawaiian Monk Seal on Poipu Beach...they come up to rest during the day. We saw several of them while we were there.

We saw so many whales while we were there...it was so cool!

We saw lots of dolphins too...they are so cute and fun to watch!

Beautiful lava rock formations and arches...somewhere along the Road to Hana in Maui.

Me & my wonderful hubby on our lanai before we went to a luau. This trip was to celebrate our upcoming 25th wedding anniversary. (which isn't til August, but we wanted to go while we were having bad weather in Michigan.) With the 6 hour time difference between Michigan and Hawaii, I'm just getting back into my regular routine...boy that's been tough! In the next couple days I should have something stamped to share with you. Thanks for stopping by!

Vintage Medallion Trio

Here is another trio of cards we made at my last card class. This set uses one of my favorite stamps...the Medallion Background.

Creating a beautiful card with the Medallion stamp is so easy. Combine it with the Vintage Label set available during SAB and the Very Vintage Jumbo wheel from the Occasions Mini for a winning combo. Its shown here in three different color combos: Perfect Plum & Vanilla, Close to Cocoa & Pretty in Pink and Sage Shadow and Blush Blossom.

Enjoy your day!

Fox & Friends Trio

Here's another set of cards we made at my card class last Sunday using the adorable new set Fox and Friends stamp set and Sweet Pea papers.

The ice cream & cake sentiment is from the Birthday Bliss which is a FREE selection during SAB. These cards are perfect for a childs birthday or to welcome a new baby. Images were stamped and punched out using the 1-3/8" Square and the 1-1/4" Circle punches.

Thanks for stopping by!

Balmy Breeze Travel Journal

Today is the big day! We are leaving on our long journey to Hawaii! I am not crazy about the idea of such a LONG flight, but I am sure it will be worth it! I made this little journal so I could keep track of where we go and things we do while we are on vacation.

I started with a little notebook I bought at Target a while back. (not sure if they still have these?) I used one of my favorite old retired sets, Balmy Breezes. I stamped the palm tree image using Basic Brown ink and watercolored it. Then I added a few more images, also stamped in Basic Brown, for a collage type feel. I inked the edges and then inked the whole thing in VersaMark. I embossed it with Glassy Glaze, and repeated this two more times to do the cracked glass technique. Once it has been embossed with the Glassy Glaze, stick it in the freezer for about 5-10 min. After your image has been chilled, remove from freezer and quickly bend your image until it cracks the glaze. You may need to chill and repeat to get the desired effect.

I like using this technique on 3D items that I know will be handled quite a bit because it protects the image and it looks really cool besides. Inside the Antique Brass Hodge Podge Hardware label (retired), I used the "journey" stamp from the Define Your Life set. I used a couple coats of Glassy Glaze over this as well, but did not crack this piece. On the background of my book I used French Script and more images from Balmy Breezes, and then inked the edges of my book for an aged look. I attached my finished pieces with Sticky Strip so they will hold well.

Aloha!

A Trio of Flowers for All Seasons

Yesterday I had one of my All Occasion Card Classes and it was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came...I enjoyed seeing you all! At my All Occasion Card Classes we do twelve cards - 3 each of 4 different designs. I try to change up the colors or stamps a bit for each set so that there is a nice variety. Participants can choose which sentiment stamps they want so that they walk away with cards perfectly suited for their needs. My next All Occasion Card Class will be on March 28th, so if you missed out on this one, maybe I'll see you at the next one! I'm also considering offering it as a Class by mail, so let me know if you are interested. Here is the first set of cards.

I just love these sweet little images from A Flower for All Seasons set. (available FREE during SAB!) They punch out perfectly using the 1-3/4" Circle Punch. I paired this up with a couple of my fav new Big Shot accessories available from the Occasions Mini...the Perfect Polka Dot Textured Folder and the Beautiful Wings Embosslit. Sentiments stamped in a coordinating ink using Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched out with Word Window punch and matted on the Modern Label complete this first set of cards.

I'll be sharing more cards we made at my class in the next couple of weeks while I am gone on vacation. Being that I scheduled these posts in advance, I will not be able to answer any questions until I am back home. Thanks for stopping by!

More Inspired Pizzazz

Scroll on down to my previous post if you want to hear the story/inspiration for this card. This was my first attempt to try to match the inspiration fabric of my new dress.

Even though I liked the way this card turned out, I felt that it would look more like my inspiration piece if I could manage to get the right colors on a black background...that's when it hit me! Try using the poppin' pastels technique. (shown below)

I used the damask looking stamp from Framed With Love to create the border at bottom similiar to the band at the bottom of my dress. Other stamps used are: Petal Pizzazz & Baroque Motifs. Colors used are: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Bermuda Bay & Rich Razzleberry.

Thanks for the well wishes and ideas on things to see/do while in Hawaii. Only four more days now!!! I'm really getting excited! Enjoy your weekend!

Inspired Pizzazz

I am so excited, I have been counting down the days! Just one more week to go! Next Wednesday my hubby and I will be leaving this cold, snowy Michigan tundra for two weeks in the tropical paradise of Hawaii!!! Naturally, I've had to go out shopping to buy some cute new outfits for our trip, right??? I found this cute little black dress with a fun & funky pattern while shopping the other day (it was even on sale...YES!!!) It's been hanging in my closet and I keep looking at it and thinking of this years In Colors...it has several in the pattern, so I decided to make a card inspired by my new dress.

This is a close up of the pattern...it has Bermuda Bay, Dusty Durango & Crushed Curry. Here's what I came up with based on those colors.

I stamped the flowers from Petal Pizzazz and the swirl from Baroque Motifs onto the Basic Black cardstock using White Craft ink. Then I used my Stampin' Pastels and sponge applicators to add the color. I was wishing I had an aloha stamp, but I don't, so I had to settle for hello...found in the Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

This card is actually my second attempt. The first card I made was stamped using the same images and colors, but on Whisper White card stock. I'll share that card with you in the future. (I am going to schedule some posts to appear while we are gone on vacation so that you all will hopefully continue to visit me.)

If any of you have any suggestions on places to visit and things to do while we are in Hawaii I'd love to hear from you. We will be staying on Maui and Kauai. Have a great day!

Wedding Medallion

Today my card reflects a little of what I am seeing out my window...lots of sparkling white! It's been snowing non stop since around midnight last night. This is a wedding card I made for my cousin who recently got married.

The beautiful Medallion image was embossed in Winter White EP on Shimmery White cardstock. Then using a sponge dauber I added a little Sahara Sand ink. The center of the Medallion was stamped and embossed a second time and punched out using the 1-3/4" Circle Punch and popped up with dimensionals. The bottom third of the panel was dry embossed using my Big Shot and the Perfect Details Texturz Plate. I added some Whisper White Organza Ribbon and adhered it to a Very Vanilla base. The sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

Thanks for stopping by.

Good Time Monkeys

I finally got a chance to play with the adorable new set Fox & Friends found in the Occasions Mini. I just love that cute little monkey, so that was the first stamp I inked up. I combined it with the Great Friend set to create this card.

The patterned paper is from the Sweet Pea pack. I also used a couple pieces of the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt...aren't they cute?! The felt pieces and the background embossed with the Perfect Polka Dot Impressions Folder adds nice textures and dimension to this card. The little label from the Great Friends set layers perfectly on one of the tags from the Matchbox Die.

We will be using this set to make a trio of cards perfect for children/baby at my upcoming All Occasions Card Class, so if you haven't registered yet, quit monkeying around...the deadline is soon approaching! ;-) Have a great day!

I Only Have Eyes For You!

That's what the crazy looking potato in a tutu said! I couldn't help myself, I just had to use this retired set called Stew Pot Pals for my hubby's valentine. He's the manager of the produce department at a large grocery store and is always making us groan with bad puns, so this was perfect for him! Plus, I really do only have eyes for him and probably look about as good in a tutu as that potato!

He commented on how cool he thought the tri-shutter cards I've made recently, so I had to make another. I used the Sending Love papers and the I {Love} Love jumbo wheel for the background.  I was wishing I had some heart brads or some other heart embellishments when I got a good idea...I punched out some hearts from Real Red card stock, covered them in Crystal Effects, let them dry and then adhered them to my card front. They look like epoxy hearts or heart brads, don't you think?

I recently got a new toy for my Big Shot to play with...the Mini Milk Carton Bigz die. They are so cute! I made a few to decorate to give away for Valentines Day. I created the window in the front by using my 1-1/4" circle punch and adhering a small square cut from a window sheet inside.

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Step It Up Neighbor

When creating cards I plan to use as make & takes I really try to keep them fairly simple. I struggle with keeping things simple because I love so many products and the nice detail they create. Today I want to share two cards...on the left  is a card that I used for a make & take at a recent event. It is cute, but simple and quick to make. On the right is the same card, but by taking a little more time and using a few more products it is stepped up into a more detailed card.

As you can see, both cards use the same stamps and color scheme, but the second card uses more layers and textures.

Stamps: Good Neighbors & Vintage Labels
Card stock: Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Taken With Teal and Sweet Pea DP
Ink: Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie & Taken With Teal
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder, Curly Label, Word Window, Boho Blossoms & Scallop Trim Border Punches, Rich Regal Brads & Rose Red grosgain

Have a wonderful day!