Greetings in Green and Cream

Hi, everyone.

Last Thursday, a cold kept me from our stamp club card kit meeting. Bernadette was kind enough to send home my kit with a friend. So, I took some time last night to put together the cards -- with one twist.

The cards were supposed to use our newly purchased monogram stamp. Now, I have some definite plans for my stamp -- "S" is a pretty common letter to use for cards. Hmmm... words that come to mind are sorry, spring, snow, and Santa... to name just a few. Using my monogram to make note cards featuring the letter "S" was not my original plan when I ordered the stamp.

So, I used the materials in the kit to make some "Hello" and "Hi" cards for Operation Write Home -- adding a few embellishments of my own. Two of the cards are green and cream, which is probably as close as I'm going to get to this week's Throwdown Challenge of a non-Christmas card that is red and white or green and white.

Stampin' Up papers; TPC Studio sentiment in Distress Ink walnut stain
Cuttlebug ef; stash ribbon from OWH; Tombow foam adhesive; Marvy circle punch

Parting Thoughts

Really looking forward to a new blog starting up on January 1. Be sure to stop back here for details. :)

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Christmases of Days Gone By

Hi, everyone.

Boy, what a difference a day makes. Hope everyone is safe and sound following yesterday's weather.

The card below is inspired by two separate posts: this month's OWH Design Bootcamp lesson from Paula about using texture and this week's CAS-ual Fridays and Curtain Call's combined challenge. (Luckily, this digital camera pic turned out much better than my last few efforts! Maybe there's hope for me yet...)

Distress Ink core, Bo Bunny Father Christmas, Bazzill or AC cardstock
Stampin' Up! stamp and punch
dry embossing with Cuttlebug folder
heat embossing with Inkadinkado gold powder
Martha Stewart branch punch; Creative Memories oval cutting system
Really Reasonable Ribbon lace; Paper Studio brads
Tombow foam adheaives

The CAS-ual Fridays inspiration photo reminded me of a Currier and Ives or Norman Rockwell Christmas. So, it just felt right to pull out my remaining Bo Bunny Father Christmas papers and new Stampin' Up! old-fashioned ornament stamp set to create this holiday card.

Love the richness of the colors, the simplicity of the design, and all of the texture. (I know there's a  lot of tactile texture, not so sure about the visual texture.)

This card is going to OWH to send some holiday cheer to one of our deployed troops.

Parting Thoughts

Thanks again, Paula, for another wonderful Design Bootcamp. Your posts have been fabulous!

Looking forward to Wednesday's craft show at work. Hoping for lots of sales. After all,  girl's gotta do something to support her card-making hobby...   :)

Have a great rest of the week. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Holiday Wishes for Our Troops

Hi, everyone.

This week's OWH Midweek Throwdown is to make an Any Hero Christmas Card or two. And, last night was Bernadette's Christmas Card class. Perfect timing!

All Stampin' Up! products

In the class we made 15 cards, 3 each of 5 designs. A pennant card and the card shown above were my two favorites. Since the card above is the "sturdier" of the two, it will most likely be the safer bet to make it across the miles safe and sound. So, at least one of these -- and probably all three -- will become Any Hero cards. :)

I loved the message shown in the blog post. So, I think I will tweak it just a little to write inside this little card.

Parting Thoughts

Thanks again, Bernadette, for another fun evening.

The 90th birthday celebration for my father-in-law continues this afternoon with an open house being hosted by a neighbor.

Think that's it for now. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

SU Word Window Punches...

... They're not just not for polar bear arms anymore!

Hi, everyone. Hope the work week is off to a good start.

Okay, so I was making some polar bear cards for a couple of upcoming craft shows. I was in quick need of a word window punch. My fabulous Stampin' Up! demonstrator Bernadette offered to loan me hers. And, it seemed only right to purchase one from her -- although I was so polar-beared out that I couldn't even think about punching out any more bear legs anytime soon. :)

Imagine my surprise when I looked at my new punch and saw.... birthday candles. Yep, little tiny birthday candles!  :)

Distress Ink core, candles lightly sanded; Bazzill brown
Stampin' Up! word window punch; EK leaf punch
computer-generated sentiment (Andy) on watercolor paper
Creative Memories corner rounder; Fiskars scissors

I trimmed the tops of the candles with the Fiskars scissors, and I used a piece of removable tape to line up the bottoms of the candles.

Parting Thoughts

Had to smile when Jen said that she'd take a beach vacation over card making. So, what does that say about me that I worked on craft show polar bear cards in the evenings? Thanks to Donna and Paula for 'fessing up to remembering that "Less Filling, Tastes Great" commercial.

Speaking of that commercial... Eons ago -- back when my brother and I still rode roller coasters, we were waiting for a ride to begin on the Racer, which was a two track coaster that ran racing roller coasters. My brother looked over at the other track of riders and hollered, "Less filling!" Their response... nothing but blank stares. I laughed so hard. My brother, as I recall, was not quite as amused. Must say it was one of those classic family memories.  :)

Nearing the home stretch on craft show cards. I'm looking forward to checking the last cards off my list for several reasons, one of which is getting back in the swing for OWH. Need to make this month's ODBD card and want to try that scratch-off card in today's tutorial.

And, can't wait for my father-in-law's 90th birthday festivities to begin!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A Birthday Card Fit for a Princess

Hi, everyone.

Wednesday night, we had another fun Stampin' Up! class with Bernadette during which we made a really cool tri-fold card. So, I decided to try out the technique on a princess-themed birthday card.

Outside of Card
computer-generated sentiment
Stampendous vintage crown stamp, scanned and resized
Distress Ink core, Bazzill white; stash gems
Martha Stewart butterfly punches, sponged with Distress Ink
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Creative Memories cutting system

Inside of Card

The card base is 5.25" by 12" with scores at 2", 4", 8", and 10". Pretty easy card. Thanks, Bernadette!

Parting Thoughts

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Shaving Cream... It's Just Not for Faces Anymore

Hi, everyone.

Last night was another fun Stampin' Up! technique class with Bernadette. One of the new techniques she taught us was creating a really cool background with shaving cream. Think this would be lots of fun with kids.  :)

The cards below, a card for a friend at work who is leaving the company for a great opportunity and a Thanksgiving card for my brother's family, were both made using the technique featured in these videos.

• Tutorial #1 
• Tutorial #2 

In class, we used a paper plate as shown in Tutorial #1. I used a baking pan at home, as shown in Tutorial #2 -- and thought the baking pan was less fussy/messy. But, I think the size of the baking pan resulted in too much foam and not enough ink... which created a more subtle marbling effect.

Rockin' It Out with Shaving Cream
Kids' Quotes sentiment from Inkadinkado on watercolor paper
cardstock: AC pink, Bazzill black; Paper Studio brads
Tombow foam adhesives
all other materials: Stampin' Up!

Falling for Shaving Cream
photo paper marbled with shaving cream and Ranger butterscotch alcohol ink
Distress Ink cardstock; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
Craft Smart image heat embossed in Distress Ink walnut stain
edges inked in Distress Ink vintage photo and wild honey
leaf colors sponged on with Distress Inks using cotton swabs

Wish the colors in the second card showed up closer to their real colors. The background is much more golden than yellow. Regardless, think I'll post the second card for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to make a card featuring fall colors and at least one leaf. Love this yummy ribbon and the real-life autumnal Distress palette. :)

 Parting Thoughts

Looking forward to tomorrow's cardmaking party for Operation Write Home at Scrapbook Art. It'll be great making holiday cards for our deployed troops to send home to loved ones, as well as catching up with some friends. 

Thanks for stopping. Happy scrappin' and happy weekend!

A Special Delivery

Hi, everyone.

Today's card was made for this month's OWH ODBD challenge to make a card with wheels.  So I asked myself what could I do to make a holiday card with my Stampin' Up! truck stamps...

snow, snowflakes, snowman, sentiment paper: watercolor paper
dp: Doodlebug; cardstock: Distress Ink core
punches: Recollections snowflake, Stampin' Up! snowman, ??? corner punch for stars
stamps: Stampin' Up! I Dig You, Hero Arts Season's Greetings for tree
images heat embossed with clear powder
original sentiment, computer-generated (Andy)

I used a similar design as with Happy Dirtday! When I started to put a little bear in the truck cab, I thought why not try a snowman? Why not, indeed?! And, while I was at it, why not use a couple of stars for hubcaps?

Parting Thoughts

Thanks again to everyone who made a Card 4 a Kiddie during last weekend's VCMP. The linked cards are just adorable... and are sure to bring lots and lots of smiles.

It was great to see so many new cardmakers -- not to mention an increase in the total number of cardmakers -- at this year's VCMP!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

Hi, everyone.

I was so excited when I saw this stamp and punch bundle in the Stampin' Up! catalog and am THRILLED with the way the card below turned out. Never mind that it only took four tries for me to achieve this look.

Previous attempts were too busy (patterns for top and bottom papers), too symmetrical of a layout, and too symmetrical of an arrangement of ornament and branches).  The second attempt was so bad I didn't even show it to hubby!  :)

dp: We R Memory Keepers Winter Frost; cardstock; Distress Ink core
Stampin' Up! ornament, heat embossed in Distress Ink, and punch
Martha Stewart branch punch; Cuttlebug embossing folder
Really Reasonable Ribbon lace; Queen & Co pearl
Creative Memories oval cutting system and pen

I really do LOVE this card. My only regret is that the scan doesn't begin to capture its beauty. And, I have no idea why the paper looks discolored around the ornament. It is a pretty white with soft, blue snowflakes.

Tips:  On the back of the card, I drew a vertical line down the center to help line up the oval template. Because of the size of the oval, I was able to trim a 6" by 6" paper to two pieces of 3" by 5.25" -- and get two cards from each of the patterned sheets.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Hey L'il Monster

Hey, everyone.

For today's OWH Midweek Throwdown challenge to make cards 4 kids, I went bright, bold, and busy -- inside and out. Hope some little guy or gal will smile when they get this one.  :)

BTW  The tiny orange circles in the corners were inspired by a torn edge. The trimmer took a little bite out of the top right corner. So, I added a few circles to cover it up.

dp: Recollections Monsters; Creative Memories
cardstock: green and orange: AC; purple: Distress Ink core
Stampin' Up! Make a Monster image, heat embossed in Distress Ink black soot
conputer-generated sentiment
Creative Memories cutting system; Marvy, Paper Shaper and EK punches
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon-a-month club ribbon; Tombow foam adhesives
Dixie's awesome ribbon-tying technique

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Have a ROARing Good Day!

Hi, everyone.

The card below was in the box that I mailed to Kris just yesterday. It is a perfect fit for today's OWH Tuesday Tutorial to get punchy.

Stampin Up! products
Please click here for product details.

Can you believe the mane and legs of this little guy are made from a flower punch? We started the card in Bernadette's technique class. I finished him at home to add the computer-generated sentiment and Baker's Twine. 

  Parting Thoughts 

Thanks, Nancy, for a great tutorial.Thanks to Lauren for a great sample card.

And, thanks to everyone for stopping. Happy scrappin' to all!

A Cupcake Fit for a Princess

Hi, everyone.

Back from an anniversary/birthday family celebration -- our 29th wedding anniversary and dad's 79th birthday. Getting in a little cardmaking while the men are taking recovery naps. :)

And, what's a celebration without a cupcake?

DCWV Sweet matstack, American Crafts brown cardstock
(cupcake papers heat embossed with clear powder)
Stampin' Up! cupcake builder punch
OWH fundraiser ribbon: Martha Stewart sticker gem

The card above was made for this month's OWH Our Daily Bread Design challenge to make a card featuring pink, green, and brown. I have to admit I was first stumped by this since my thoughts have turned to autumn and Christmas palettes. So, the pink really through me for a loop. Then, I remembered this sweet collection of DCWV papers. :)

card with added Stampin' Up! brads

I like the overall look of the card. I'm just a tad ambivalent about the green in the ribbon and the green in the paper. In some lights, they look great together... and, in other lights, not quite a perfect match. Hope they match well enough. Think I need to add a few sprinkles (aka brads) to the icing.

This is the second straight card I've made from my OWH ribbon fundraiser package. All of these ribbons are quite nice. Hoping I can find a good use for all of them.

Just a quick note about the glitter. It is baked into this DCWV paper and seems to be passing the sweater test just fine. DCWV seems to make really quality glittered paper, but that's always a good thing to check before sending in the cards.

Parting Thoughts

Hoping to get time to work on a card for today's sketch. But, that might have to wait a day or two.

Have a great week! Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Season's Greetings... a few months early

Hi, everyone.

Today's card is for this week's OWH Midweek Throwdown challenge to use die(s) and/or punch(es) in a card for our troops. Perfect timing since I've been chomping at the bit to try out a new Stampin' Up! punch. :)

Doodlebug north pole; black cardstock
??? sentiment -- from the $ bin???, heat embossed in Distress Ink black soot
Stampin' Up! hexagon punch; Mark Richards rhinestones
OWH fundraiser ribbon; Zots 3D glue dots

Picked up a couple of packs of this paper last year and really, really like it. And, when my OWH ribbon package came this week, I never dreamed I would use this gray ribbon on a holiday card. But, it's such a perfect fit for this paper. Thanks, OWH!

Parting Thoughts

Have a great rest of the week! Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

[Just Because] It's Design Bootcamp

Hi, everyone.

A couple of days ago, I posted version 1 of the card below. The revised card shown below was inspired by this month's OWH Design Bootcamp lesson on using three colors in a 60:30:10 ratio.

In the original version, I actually used 4 colors, instead of 3. Also, the 60:30 balance was probably closer to 50:40.

In the revised version, I stuck with just 3 colors. And, I tried to be truer to the percentages that Paula talked about in her lesson. For this card, I went with 60% white, 30% brown, and 10% green.

Stampin' Up! Off the Grid stamp, heat embossed in Distress Ink walnut stain
computer-generated sentiment in Franklin Gothic Book (40 red, 20 green 0 brown)
Hero Arts white paper: swiped with bundled sage using baby wipes
Distress Ink core paper: bundled sage; Paper Smooches twine, pressed in walnut stain

There is actually a tad more green than shows in the scanned image. I took a baby wipe and swiped small patches of bundled sage around the card. If you look closely at the scanned image, you can see teeny, tiny bits of green. These little swipes of green actually bring the percentage closer to 10%, rather than the lesser ratio that shows on the screen.

In addition to concentrating on the 60:30:10 color ratio, I tried to incorporate the rule of thirds. The sentiment and stamped image were placed in the top one-third and bottom two-thirds of the card, respectively.

Think I need to trim the twine just a tad. Then, this little card should be ready to go.

Parting Thoughts

Thanks, Paula, for another wonderful lesson.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Hi, everyone.

Today's card is for a friend who lost her husband to cancer a couple of months ago. It's sure to be a tough day for her. So, I wanted to send her a card that wasn't overly celebratory, but... just something sweet to let her know she was being thought of on her special day. Hope this card will do that.

bubble wrap background, heat embossed with clear powder and inked with Distress Ink
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon-of-the-month ribbon
Inkadinkado sentiment, heat embossed in Distress Ink
Distress Ink core paper; Stampin Up! cupcake punch
Creative Memories corner rounder
Zots 3D glue dots, Glossy Accents

I'm kind of ambivalent about this little card. At times I really like it; at other times, well....

Please click here to see original post.

One thing I do love is the background. The polka dots were created using the same technique that was used on The Sky's the Limit card at the right. I then inked the background in Distress Ink tattered rose.

I also like the ribbon itself. I placed a narrow strip of tattered rose under the ribbon so that it coordinated with the background and the sentiment paper. As it turns out, this is one of the elements about which I am ambivalent. I like the effect of the ribbon and paper, but am wondering if I should have chosen a contrasting color of paper. But, then again, I was trying for sweet and not jubilant...

Speaking of the ribbon, it is from Really Reasonable Ribbon -- one of the ribbons in the June Ribbon of the Month pack. The ribbon on the card is so pretty -- and I so love this company!

Another element I went back and forth on was the color of paper to use for the icing. I wanted it to pop, but not pop too much. It actually blends in much better on the card itself than it appears to blend on the screen. I think the color is Distress Ink barn door.

Two other quick notes: I rounded alternating corners because of the arcs of the cupcake icing and the straight lines of the cupcake base. Lastly, the sentiment was from a birthday set of Inkadinkado stamps that was $2 at a garage sale. :)

Parting Thoughts

It's a really rainy day here. Sounds like a perfect day to go to an afternoon movie and make some cards in the evening. :)

Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Got Sunscreen? -- Take Two

Hi, everyone!

Let me start by thanking everyone for the comments you've left the last couple of weeks -- and apologize for not reciprocating with comments of my own. All of your comments have been so kind and very appreciated.

One of my New Year's Resolutions has been to leave comments. And, I've done a better job of that this past year -- culminating in the OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop, where I left tons and tons of comments. Then life got in the way just a little, and I dedicated the time I had to make and post cards. So, please accept my apologies for neglecting the blogs of my cardmaking friends.

Got Sunscreen?

For card details, click here.

Today's card has two inspirations. The first inspiration is this week's Tuesday Tutorial about making window cards. The second is taking another stab at a card I made for last week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to make a theme-inspired card. The card at the right was made for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.

While I liked the idea for the card at the right, it felt like it could be better. Then, I saw the Tutorial challenge. The window idea rolled around in my brain a couple of days. The light bulb didn't come right away, but when I made the connection between the challenge and the sunscreen card... Well, the card really came together quickly. And, I have to say that I am really pleased with the results.

tree: negative of image cut out from DCWV travel stack
tree: sponged in Distress Ink black walnut
sentiment: computer-generated (Lucida Handwriting)
Distress Ink core paper; blue paper sponged in Distress Ink milled lavender
gems, including Hero Arts Hues; Tombow 3D foam tabs
Stampin' Up! trimmer and sponge daubers
Creative Memories corner rounders

This card would never have been possible without my Stampin' Up! trimmer. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this trimmer! If you're in the market for a new trimmer, this one is definitely worth checking out.

The only thing I would change on the card is replacing the larger gems with a few smaller ones. But, this was the best I could do with my available stash. DONE!  Added a few Hero Arts Hues after a trip to JoAnn's. :)

That said, one of the added bonuses of a window card is being able to use larger gems without adding extra bulk -- which is always a nice thing. :)

Parting Thoughts

My brother's in town one last day. Waiting for a call to meet them for breakfast. :)

Enjoy your weekend. Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Happy Dirtday!

Hi, everyone!

Today's Midweek Throwdown challenge is to make Cards 4 Kids. Sounded like a perfect opportunity to ink up my new Stanpin' Up! I Dig You stamp set. So, between a morning walk with hubby, a trip to the neighborhood pool with nephews, and a dinner of steaks on the grill, I'm making and posting the card below. (Aren't vacation days the best?!)

truck and sentiment: Stampin' Up! I Dig You stamp set
clouds: Stampin' Up! cupcake punch; Distress Ink core paper
truck and clouds: heat embossed with embossing ink and clear powder
sentiment embossed in Distress Ink black soot
garage sale brads

A few Tricks of the Trade:

• I used a bendable ruler to create the shape of the dirt hill before tearing the core paper.
• Clouds were created by pressing a section of white cardstock into an embossing pad and heat embossing with clear powder before punching out the top of a cupcake.  [Thanks to Stampin' Up! demonstrator Bernadette for the suggestion to use the punch to make clouds. :) ]

Having major second thoughts about the brads -- going to replace them with hole-punch-size circles, embellished with Glossy Accents. I almost never use any gems or brads on kid cards. While I like the look of the brads, my concern is that the card might get in the hands of an itty, bitty kiddie. So, I'm going to err on the side of safety here -- not even sure what I was thinking in the first place.

Parting Thoughts

Brads or no brads, I'm REALLY loving the way this little card turned out -- liking the bright colors and the design itself. Hoping one of our hero's little one will love it as well. :)

Hubby's getting ready to fire up the grill. So, looks like it's time to sign off.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Hello, Honey!

Hi, everyone.

Update on 7/8/2013: Just came across a guest designer challenge on the Paper Smooches site. Think I'm going to go out on a limb and post this little honey of a card. 

Well, brother and family got a late start and their arrival is later than originally planned. So, what's a gal to do with a couple of bonus hours? Make a card!

This bonus card is made from another one of those fabulous Paper Smooches blog candy stamp sets. The set I used for this card is Bee Mine, paired with a great Stampin' Up! embossing folder.

Paper Smooches Bee Mine stamps and ribbons
Stampin' Up embossing folder and neutral brads
Distress Ink core paper (scattered straw and fired brick)
Distress Ink, heat embossed with clear powder and sponged
Zots 3D glue dots, Elmer Craft Fabric Glue

The inside of the folder was inked up with Distress Ink vintage photo. After running Distress Ink scattered straw through the embosser, the paper was heat embossed with clear powder. Then, I sponged on wild honey and antique linen with SU sponge daubers. The heat-embossed bee, heart, and sentiment were
stamped in vintage photo and/or fired brick.

Since this is a thing with wings, I'm going to try posting this card to OWH's Midweek Throwdown. Not sure if it will work since I've already posted the card at the right. Crossing my fingers.  :) 

Parting Thoughts

Still looking forward to seeing my brother and his family. Thinking they should be getting in to Dad's right about now.

Have a wonderful Father's Day with family and loved ones.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Lil Monster

Hi, everyone!

Isn't it interesting how the excitement about something keeps you up late and gets you up early? I'm so very excited about my brother's family's visit that I had trouble falling asleep -- and even more trouble getting back to sleep!

The other thing that had my motor running was the desire to ink up some new stamps. The Paper Smooches blog candy from OWH's Memorial Day blog hop came this week. (The delay was totally mine, by the way. Once I finally decided on what to get, the package arrived within days! Kim was fabulous!!! Thanks, Kim.) I also wanted to ink up some newly purchased Stampin' Up! stamps.

So, as it turned out, I've had time to sneak in one last card before the visit begins. :)  The card below is for this month's OWH Design Bootcamp on repetition -- and variation -- and a strong focal point.

Lil Monster

Paper Smooches Alphadot stamp set and natural ribbons; 
Stampin' Up! Build a Monster stamp set
Cosmo Cricket Matilda dp; Distress Ink core paper;
Distress Ink black soot, heat embossed with clear powder
EK border punch; Zots 3D glue dots, Zig 2 Way Glue

A description of the thought process behind this card's design follows:

• The first decision was to make three lil monsters in the same shape and same color, but varied in features. There is also a slight variation in the sanding of the left and right monsters, while keeping the center monster at 100% saturation.
• The second decision was in paper selection. I didn't have any space- or monster-related dp in my stash. But, then I remembered the Matilda halloween collection had some really fun colors and patterns. Looking at the patterns I had left from the pad -- and the complementary cardstock papers in my stash, I decided to go with the orange/gold/purple plaid. The plaid seemed playful, gender neutral, and unexpected. Two other important considerations: the plaid was non-Halloween'ish and it "popped" the lil monsters.
• I repeated the monster's purple in the background of the top portion of the card and around the paper and sentiment on the bottom portion of the card. 
• A pair of natural ribbons were placed behind the monsters to connect them and make a stronger focal point without adding an additional color or pattern. I also liked the extra texture the ribbon brought to the card.
• To adhere the monsters, I used 2 Way glue on their main bodies and glue dots on their eye and leg appendages. They have to be pretty secure for little hands. :)
• This fun font from Paper Smooches was just right for these little guys. It is stamped on the reverse side of a Distress Ink core green that matched a green used in other papers in the dp collection. I chose to not heat emboss -- deciding to use that little extra shimmer for just the monsters.
• So, you'd think I would be done. Not so fast... The top corners felt like they needed something, but I never put brads or gems on kid cards. And, then I saw the cute little trio of dots in the Stampin' Up! monster set. I stamped those in the corners, heat embossing so that they would pop off the plaid paper.

Here's hoping a hero's little one will smile when receiving these little guys in the mail.

Parting Thoughts

Wow, this post got a little longer than I expected. Sorry about that! (Can you tell I'm really psyched about my brother's visit?!)

Thanks to Paula for these Design Bootcamps. They are great!

Another huge thanks to Paper Smooches for all they do for OWH. For my blog candy, I ordered three sets that would address some OWH needs: a fun alphabet, the Teen Scene images, and the Bee Mine set (to go with a honeycomb embossing folder.) Kim, the stamps are fabulous and you totally rock!

Speaking of that honeycomb folder,  a big thanks also goes to Bernadette, a central Ohio Stampin' Up! demonstrator. My stamping is getting better thanks to her help. If only I could say the same about my checking account....

Have a great weekend! REALLY looking forward to celebrating Father's Day with both dads and my brother and his family.

Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!

A Multi-Faceted Card for A Multi-Faceted Dad

Hi, everyone.

Today's card is the card I will be giving to Dad on Sunday. Dad is a retired design engineer who worked on rockets and likes to dabble in watercolor painting. So, a card with a mathematical (geometrical) feel and an artistic flair somehow seemed like a good combo.

Stampin' Up! embossing folder; Distress Inks: Bazzill cardstock
computer-generated hexagon and sentiment (Mistral); Paper Studio brads; 3D glue dots

First of all, I love, love, love this embossing folder!  :)

The first step was to ink the inside of the folder with Distress Ink black soot before embossing. Then, I cut out the interiors of a few hexagons from another cardstock and used the negatives to sponge the card's hexagons with other Distress Inks.

At this point, the card looked really pastel. So, I sponged some black on the inside of the hexagons -- heat embossing with clear powder for some bubbly texture. 

Next, I worked on creating a pair of computer-generated hexagons, and a text box in the smaller hexagon for the sentiment. I used the larger hexagon as a template to create the black hexagon. I cut outside of the shape of the smaller hexagon to mimic the look of the embossed hexagons. Lastly, I added brads (through both hexagons) and adhered the shape with 3D glue dots.

Parting Thoughts

Prayers and blessings to those military families who are without loved ones this Father's Day. Hope everyone is able to spend the day with loved ones.

My brother and his family are scheduled to arrive in town tomorrow for a week-long visit. It's been such a long time since we've seen each other. And, it's been forever since we've both been with Dad on Father's Day. To make an even merrier celebration, hubby's dad is also joining us on Sunday.

So, it sounds like I need to get on that house cleaning as soon as I sign off. And, there's not likely to be much card-making in the next week or so. (No CAS-ual Friday card tonight!) I'm actually thinking this might be my last post for awhile.... But, I am sooooo excited to see my brother!  :)

Have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!

Three Cheers for Stampin' Up!

Hi, everyone.

Our local Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Bernadette Kirk, had a Customer Appreciation Event last night. Of course, we were all soooo excited to get the new catalog in our hands.

We used some of the new products to make a card, a scrapbook page, and a birthday gift. Since I really don't do much scrapbooking anymore, I chose to make a second card. Both of my cards are shown below.

All tools and materials are Stampin' Up!

Bernadette's design, embellished with brads
stamp and embossing folder
brown sugar ink and paper
ribbon, (retired) neutral brads

scrapbook page turned into a card
embossing folder, die, punches
new cardstock and ink, ribbon, adhesive gems

Now the tough part -- what to order? So many choices and such limited funds. :)

Parting Thoughts

Have a nice weekend! Don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to 4:00 on Friday.  :)

Thanks for visiting and happy scrapping!