little pleasantries

four square birthday

2009-09-30T07:37:00.001-04:00

I whipped up a quick card for my cousin's birthday (well, actually my cousin's wife... but that just gets complicated to say so she's my cousin from here on out). I hope she likes it!

I thought the card base looked a little too plain, so I used an embossing plate to add some texture. It almost looks quilted! After stamping the inside sentiment, I also repeated the flowers on the inside panel...

supplies used:
...............
stamps: birthday basics, (PTI); botanical blooms (SU!)
ink: purely pomegranate (SU!);
paper: whisper white, groovy guava, sage shadow (SU!)
other: 1-1/4" square punch, 1-3/8" square punch (SU!); medium corner rounder (EK Success); embossing plate (Fiskars); sage ribbon (Michaels); rhinestones (Studio 18)

moxie fab/embellish combo card

2009-09-25T07:13:00.004-04:00

This card meets the challenges posted over at Embellish magazine and also at Moxie Fab World. It was completely by chance that I was able to cover two challenges with one card -- what luck!

The colors in the Embellish challenge inspired me to make a card for a fall wedding. I've been wanting to try the emboss resist technique so the leafy image was clear embossed after I stamped the small polka dot background. I also clear embossed the large polka dots on the burgundy card base and the sentiment after it was stamped in burgundy.

This was my first time sponging ink on a card and I think it turned out close to what I envisioned.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: mega mixed messages, polka dot basics, polka dot basics 2 (PTI); kind and caring thoughts (SU!)
ink: pumpkin pie, bravo burgundy (SU!); versamark
paper: very vanilla, bravo burgundy (SU!)
other: clear embossing powder (SU!); classic rectangle die (Spellbinders); orange ribbon (Michaels)

polka dot monogram

2009-09-18T10:41:00.006-04:00

I've got a real weakness for polka dots. It might aptly be labeled a sickness. I love them big or small, multi-colored and playful or monotone and modern. This card by Kristina Werner had me sketching polka dot possibilities in my idea book for days. Combine my polka dot love with my monogram obsession and this is the result:

supplies used:
...............
stamps: polka dot basics (PTI); defining alphabet (SU!)
ink: old olive, pink passion (SU!)
paper: very vanilla, pink passion, bravo burgundy, old olive (SU!)
other: label 1 die (Spellbinders); medium corner rounder (EK Success); Scor-Pal

raspberry suite color challenge #16

2009-09-07T19:20:00.009-04:00

I couldn't put away that Darcey stamp set from Anna Griffin! This time I paired it with some layered butterflies on a 5 1/2" square card base.

I have multiple rolls of tracing paper left over from my studio classes in college so I used that as the top layer on the butterflies. I was aiming for a very lightweight layer that would be fluttery and give some dimension to the card. This translucent layer was punched with 1/8" holes and then attached to the cardstock butterflies by simply wrapping the floss around both components and tying it off on the back.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: darcey collection (Anna Griffin); hello stamp (Studio G/Hampton Arts)
ink: versamark; chocolate chip (SU!)
paper: cream, goldenrod (DMD Industries scrap pack); kraft (SU!); tracing paper (my stash)
other: 1/8" hole punch (Making Memories); bigz beautiful butterflies die (SU!); dark brown embroidery floss (DMS); upper crest border punch (Fiskars)

spcc #13

2009-09-06T23:52:00.012-04:00

Phew! I was frantically uploading pics late, late last night to get this one linked in time for the challenge.

I found this stamp set by Anna Griffin in the clearance section at Michael's and have been anxious to get it inked up. The background pattern made me think of a trellis, so I pulled out all my flower punches to see what I could pair up.
The larger flower in the bunch is made from SU!'s 5 Petal Flower punch. I punched it out once and stuck the shape to a sticky note. Then I inserted the paper back in the punch making sure to rotate the shape so that the "valleys" of the punching mechanism were centered along the middle of the the petals on the already punched-out piece. Then I compressed the lever and hoped for the best! The flower centers were also punched using this technique and the Flower Trio punch and the Boho Blossoms punch. If that description was more confusing than helpful, leave a comment and I'll put together a little show-and-tell.

I fancied up the inside of the card with a little trimming of the background paper and another leaf punch. I had originally thought this would be used for a general purpose congrats card, but now I'm thinking it would do nicely for an engagement or wedding...

supplies used:
...............
stamps: darcey collection (Anna Griffin); polka dot basics II (PTI)
ink: versamark; pigma micron pen (Sakura)
paper: yoyo yellow, basic black, old olive, regal rose (SU!)
other: boho blossoms punch, flower trio punch, 5 petal flower punch, ticket corner punch (SU!); 1/4" yellow grosgrain ribbon, black brads (Michaels); upper crest border punch (Fiskars); leaf punch (MS)

pti's august blog hop

2009-08-25T17:45:00.003-04:00

Hello! I'm so happy to have a new post to share! I took a little break from blogging this summer... Many thanks to those who continued to check in on me here even though I didn't have anything new to share!

Enough about that -- on to the card details! For the autumn theme for this blog hop, I chose to focus on autumnal colors.

I created the flower stems by curving a Faux Ribbon component into a gentle arc before sticking it onto the acrylic block and stamping. The flower stems and leaves are stamped on kraft and then cut out so they could be threaded through the slot on the die cut tag. The stems were threaded through the slotted end of the tag first, then the ribbon was attached.

After laying everything out on the kraft card base, I decided it looked too plain so I pulled out my canvas background stamp and used versamark ink to give it some subtle texture.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: canvas background (SU!); faux ribbon for the stems, everyday button bits for the leaves, first fruits for the sentiment (PTI)
ink: chocolate chip (SU!); versamark
paper: very vanilla, kraft, chocolate chip, more mustard, really rust (SU!); scarlet jewel (PTI)
other: 3/4" dia. circle punch, 1" dia. circle punch, 1-1/4" dia. circle punch (SU!); ribbon, rhinestones (Michaels); upper crest border punch (Fiskars); ribbon tag die (Spellbinders)

raspberry suite color challenge #8

2009-06-07T14:17:00.004-04:00

It's definitely baby season around here so I'm trying to increase my stock of baby cards. Here's my interpretation of RSCC#8:

The entire front panel is raised up on dimensionals. I'm still not sure about the embossed card base... should I have just left it plain?

supplies used:
...............
stamps: beautiful baby (SU!); polka dot basics (PTI); icon stamps (Marcella by K&Company)
ink: chocolate chip, pink passion (SU!)
paper: very vanilla, kraft, naturals ivory (SU!)
other: ribbon (Hobby Lobby); embossing plate (Fiskars)

moxie fab world citrus color challenge

2009-05-31T14:32:00.006-04:00

Now that I've started playing in these color challenges, I'm addicted! This card is for the Moxie Fab Citrus Color Challenge and I designed it with my mom in mind. Look for it in your mailbox soon, Mom!

I started with the large leafy image and figured out a card size from there -- this card is 5" square.

The flower stamp was inked up with the yellow first and rolled in the celery at the base. Then I cut out the stamped image and mounted it on dimensionals.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: brocade basics (SU!); background basics: retro, background basics: text, faux ribbon (PTI)
ink: yo-y0 yellow, wild wasabi, certainly celery (SU!)
paper: white (Georgia Pacific); yo-yo yellow (SU!)

celebrate today

2009-05-29T07:28:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to my wonderful sister-in-law!

For some extra detail, the flowers are scored down the middle of each petal. The flower centers are embossed with small dots. To show that embossing a little more, I swiped some saffron ink over the raised surface to highlight it. The leaves (which are snippets of the 5 petal flower shape), were folded in half and then run through the crimper for texture.

I heat embossed the sentiment on the outside and the inside for a little more oomph.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: mega mixed messages, birthday basics (PTI)
ink: groovy guava, so saffron, versamark (SU!)
paper: white (Georgia Pacific); wild wasabi, groovy guava, so saffron (SU!)
other: 5 petal flower punch, texturz plates, clear embossing powder, 1/2" dia circle punch (SU!); crimper (Fiskars); ribbon (MS); Scor-Pal

monogrammed cards for baby

2009-05-28T10:08:00.003-04:00

After I had made this card for our friends to congratulate them on the arrival of their son, I decided to also send along a few cards monogrammed with his first initial (three each of the red and chocolate). I hope they enjoy using them for thank you notes or to send a cute picture to the proud grandparents.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: defining alphabet, cute and curly (SU!)
ink: real red, chocolate chip (SU!)
paper: ivory (my stash); patterned paper from American Crafts Christmas pack
other: curly label punch (SU!); Scor-Pal

raspberry suite color challenge #7

2009-05-27T13:21:00.010-04:00

Dawn's color challenge this week was perfect for a card to send to some dear friends who welcomed a little girl into their family a couple of days ago.

To make sure I would have enough room for all the ducks, I started with a 3-3/4" x 6" card base and built up the rest of the card from there. The patterned ducks are popped up on dimensionals as is the sentiment.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: background basics: retro, mega mixed messages (PTI); beautiful baby (SU!); clear pattern (MS)
ink: almost artichoke, pink passion, versamark (SU!); spring moss (PTI)
paper: white (Georgia Pacific); almost artichoke, pink passion (SU!); spring moss (PTI)
other: duck punch, small corner rounders (EK Sucess); ribbon (Michaels); ribbon tag (Spellbinders)

kwerner color inspiration #52

2009-05-20T16:22:00.008-04:00

Two posts in one day -- can you believe it?! I'm not getting ambitious, I owe it entirely to the fact that there were two color challenges closing today!

My first inclination when I saw these colors (and this photo) was to create a beach-themed card. Then I realized I do not possess any beach-themed stamps... so that idea was tossed aside. These colors also made me think of a modern palette for a baby card. Here's my resulting creation:

The plaid in the background is all stamped. I love PTI's stamps for this kind of thing! I didn't have a Baja Blue ink, so I improvised and inked up the stamp with Tempting Turquoise, stamped it off on a scrap and then stamped on the plaid. The birdie was from my own little sketch. I didn't want his stamped pattern to compete with the plaid so I used Versamark ink for a watermark effect. The sweet lil' guy is raised up with dimensional tape as is the little sentiment tag. I had a heckuva time getting it to look like he's holding the string for the tag in his little birdie mouth! I'm not really satisfied with it yet, but I didn't want to accidentally ruin anything else on the card by continuing to fuss with it.

supplies used:
...............
stamps: faux ribbon, background basics: retro, mega mixed messages (PTI); fundamental phrases (SU!); clear pattern (MS)
ink: tempting turquoise, so saffron, more mustard, versamark (SU!)
paper: white (Hammermill); sahara sand, so saffron, more mustard (SU!)
other: ticket corner punch (SU!); 1/16" dia hole punch, button hole punch (McGill); embroidery floss (DMC)

raspberry suite color challenge #6

2009-05-20T14:22:00.010-04:00

When Dawn McVey started posting her own color challenges a few weeks ago, I was anxious to play along but life somehow got in the way.... until now! Here's my submission for her latest color challenge:

I ran the top note diecut (cut out of copy paper, not cardstock) through the crimper to get the herringbone pattern. I've been itching to try that technique and a challenge card seemed like the perfect time to attempt something new. The chocolate portions of the flowers were punched from cardstock that had been embossed with the small dot Texturz plate. To make the embossing more apparent (and to add a little shabby chic to the card), I lightly brushed a chocolate chip inkspot over the cardstock. I also altered some the brads in my stash with a brown Sharpie to meet the color restrictions for this challenge. (Note: if you attempt this kind of alteration, be patient... it takes a few coats to get solid coverage).

Here's a peek at the inside of the card:

supplies used:
...............
stamps: polka dot basics (PTI)
ink: chocolate chip (SU!)
paper: white (Hammermill); chocolate chip (SU!); berry sorbet, aqua mist (PTI)
other: boho blossoms punch, scalloped circle punch, texturz plates, top note die, rub-on sentiment (SU!); 1/8" dia hole punch (my stash); brads (Michaels); paper crimper (Fiskars); white gel pen (Uniball); brown permanent marker (Sharpie)

textures galore

2009-05-18T16:11:00.015-04:00

I really liked all the textures I used on one of the cards that I designed for my "crafting night with friends", so I adapted it for a birthday card for my father-in-law. I added texture to the cupcakes by using a crimper for the bottom half and the piercing tool for the frosting. Note: I "texturized" the paper first and then used the punch on the paper. The inside of the card had the sentiment:

supplies used
...............
stamps: birthday basics (PTI)
ink: chocolate chip, sage shadow, really rust (SU!)
paper: river rock, really rust, sage shadow, chocolate chip, very vanilla (SU!)
other: 1-3/8" dia circle punch , 1-1/4" dia circle punch, texturz plates (SU!); cupcake punch (MS); piercing tool (Cutter Bee); medium corner rounder (EK Sucess); crimper (Fiskars)

plans change

2009-05-17T22:12:00.009-04:00

This design had not been the one I intended to use for Mother's Day this year, but the two cards I had set aside for the occasion had not been safely put away and they were accidentally damaged (confession: I am not a tidy crafter). Oops. I didn't discover the offending damage until I was getting ready to drop the cards in the mailbox. Double oops! I immediately went into panic crafting mode and wracked my brain for a quick but elegant design (we were leaving early the next morning for a long weekend trip and I still had to pack!). Remembering how in love I was with this card by Heather Pulvirenti, I pulled out my punches and got to work.

The butterflies were scored on either side of their bodies (where the wings connect to the abdomen) and then I slightly bent the wings up to give the butterflies more dimension. Then I decided they needed some little antennae so I trimmed little slices off of a scrap of the guava paper. I gently bent the trimmings to give them a little bit of a curve at the top and then adhered them to the backs of the butterflies. Once the butterflies were adhered to the circles, I bent the top tips of the wings so that they lifted off of the card.

And I even remembered to photograph the inside of the card this time! I love this sentiment!

supplies used
...............
stamps: mother, polka dot basics (PTI)
ink: wild wasabi, certainly celery, chocolate chip (SU!)
paper: white (Hammermill); chocolate chip, wild wasabi, certainly celery, groovy guava (SU!)
other: 1-3/8" dia circle punch, 1-1/4" dia circle punch, 1" dia circle punch (SU!); butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); medium corner rounder (EK Success); Scor-Pal

Kristina's CI#50

2009-05-02T17:16:00.023-04:00

This is Kristina Werner's 50th Color Inspiration challenge -- and the first time I've completed a card before the deadline. Here's the inspiration picture with the colors:

And here's my creation:

Sometimes cards come together quickly, but this was definitely not one of those cards! I think I worked on this one for almost 4 hours before I finally got a combination that I liked. I think my husband thought he had lost me to the crafting dungeon forever!

I'm still not sure about the focal point being off-center, though. The engineer in me really likes symmetry, so I challenged myself to try out a different layout in addition to using all those colors. I'd love to hear what you think...

supplies used (SU! unless noted otherwise):
...............
stamps: defining alphabet, eastern blooms
ink: whisper white craft ink, so saffron marker, real red marker, chocolate chip marker
paper: whisper white, so saffron, real red, tempting turquoise, chocolate chip
other: medium corner rounder (EK Success); texture plate (Fiskars); yellow seam binding (MS)

birthday wishes

2009-04-17T10:18:00.005-04:00

My mother-in-law's birthday was last week and I was excited to make her a card. She should have received it in the mail by now so I can show it here without ruining the surprise.

I absolutely love this stamp set from Papertrey Ink! Once I stamped the blue flowers onto the branch, I thought they needed a little bit more oomph so I used the Night of Navy marker to accent the middle of the flowers.

On the inside of the card (no picture of that, oops!), I used one of the sentiments from PTI's Birthday Basics and surrounded it with the flowers and leaves that coordinate with the ones on the front of the card.

supplies used
...............
stamps: out on a limb revised, mega mixed messages (PTI)
ink: chocolate chip, river rock, bashful blue, night of navy marker (SU!)
paper: white (Hammermill); light olive green, light blue (DMD Industries scrap pack)
other: dark chocolate bitty dot ribbon (PTI); swiss dots embossing folder (Provo Craft)

with deepest sympathy

2009-04-16T15:18:00.008-04:00

supplies used
...............
stamps: out on a limb revised, everyday classics (PTI)
ink: chocolate chip, night of navy marker, whisper white craft (SU!), versamark
paper: very vanilla, kraft, not quite navy, chocolate chip (SU!)
other: clear embossing powder (SU!), double ended ribbon tag (Spellbinders), ribbon (Martha Stewart)

let's get crafty!

2009-04-16T15:17:00.017-04:00

I love creating cards and I thought it would be fun to have some of my gal pals over for a crafting night. These are the four cards I designed for them to make:

I was really nervous about this get-together because I hadn't ever taught anyone else how to make my cards and I wanted it to be an enjoyable experience for everyone. I think the evening was a success because they all said they'd be interested in doing it again! Phew!

A few tips for the cards...

birthday card: Since the scalloped square is virtually the same size as the largest SU! square punch, I used my paper cutter to cut a larger square to mat it.

thank you card: I cut the pink, chocolate and patterned red papers to be slightly wider than the card front. Once the pieces were adhered together and to the card, I flipped over the card and CAREFULLY trimmed the excess off with scissors.

one of a kind card: The Really Rust strip is textured using the Cutter Bee piercing tool. Maybe I just don't know the tricks for this tool, but I have yet to have it make clean, uniform holes through the paper. Sometimes it punches through, and other times it just indents the paper. For this card, I like the backside of the "pierced" paper, so I turned it over and adhered it so the back was facing up. (I was inspired by this card on SCS for my creation.)

everything card: To use the Stamp-a-ma-jig on small pieces of cardstock, I suggest using some removable adhesive on the back of the pieces to temporarily stick them to your work surface. Then line up the image and stamp away! (I was inspired by this card on SCS for my creation.)

supplies used (SU! unless noted otherwise):
...............

birthday card
stamps: pocket silhouettes
ink: versamark, so saffron, certainly celery
paper: white (Hammermill), so saffron, certainly celery
other: certainly celery twill ribbon, chocolate chip rub-on sentiment, clear embossing powder, 1-3/8” square punch, scallop square punch, scallop edge punch

thank you card
stamps: say it with scallops
ink: real red, chocolate chip marker
paper: white (Hammermill), pink pirouette, chocolate chip, real red DSP
other: scalloped square punch

one of a kind card
stamps: one of a kind
ink: chocolate chip marker, really rust marker
paper: river rock, really rust, sage shadow, chocolate chip
other: word window punch, texturz plates, 1-3/8" diacircle punch, silver brads (Making Memories), 1-7/8” dia metal edge tag (Avery), piercing tool (Cutter Bee)

everything card
stamps: always, mistletoe standard wheel
ink: chocolate chip, old olive
paper: white (Hammermill), groovy guava, wild wasabi
other: small corner rounder (EK Success), eyelets (Making Memories)

little onesie

2009-04-06T14:30:00.002-04:00

No stamping on this card -- just punching and embossing! (I cased Lauren Meader for the shape of this card. She's so clever!) Friends of ours just had a little baby boy and I thought this would be a fun card for them to receive. They decorated his room in shades of green so that influenced my color choice. I used the new Texturz plates from SU! to emboss the dots on the green paper before punching/cutting it.

supplies used
...............
paper: whisper white, old olive (SU!)
other: 1 3/8" dia circle punch, large star punch, texturz plate (SU!)

choo-choo!

2009-04-01T22:27:00.009-04:00

This card is for our niece's 2nd birthday. She loves trains so I knew a Thomas-themed card would be perfect for her. I should have made two of these cards because as soon as my daughter saw it, she tried to keep it for herself! I love that these two little girls love trains!

To make Thomas' face, I printed his picture onto white cardstock and then punched it out.

supplies used
...............
paper: pacific point, basic black, real red (SU!); white (Hammermill); yellow, gray (my stash of scraps)
other: 1/2" dia circle punch, 1/4" dia circle punch (my stash); small and medium corner rounders (EK Success); 1 1/4" dia circle punch (SU!); giga circle punch (Marvy Uchida); Scor-Pal

stationery sets

2009-03-22T06:10:00.004-04:00

I've been busy creating more monogrammed thank you gifts for the college women that I advise! These are sets of single panel cards (4.25" x 5.5") , four of each pattern, and their coordinating envelopes. The stamped pattern is only on the top inch or so of the cards, leaving plenty of room for writing. Here are the components to the set:

supplies used
...............
stamps: simply stationery, background basics: retro, polka dot basics, fresh alphabet (PTI); alphabet (Inkadinkado); sans serif alphabet (MS)
paper: chocolate chip (SU!); white (Hammermill); white envelopes (my stash)
ink: sage shadow, chocolate chip, pumpkin pie (SU!)
other: small circle die (Spellbinders); 3/4" dia circle punch (SU!); sage grosgrain ribbon (Michaels)

spring-y stationery

2009-03-18T23:31:00.001-04:00

I find myself drawn to creating monogrammed items when I need a special gift. This set of notecards (three of each color) was created for one of the college gals I advise. The embossed lines remind me of a trellis or a garden gate and the pink and green remind me of the colors that appear in the blooming bulbs this time of year. Could it be that I've got Spring Fever?

supplies used
...............
stamps: alphabet (Inkadinkado)
paper: wild wasabi, chocolate chip (SU!); pink (DMD Industries scrap pack); white (Hammermill)
ink: wild wasabi, chocolate chip, pink passion (SU!)
other: Scor-Pal

little notes of thanks

2009-03-12T21:37:00.002-04:00

During one of Michaels' sales on their punches, I picked up this envelope punch on clearance. At first I was disappointed at how small the folded up envelope was, but then I realized that I just needed to make smaller cards! These thank you notes are 3.25" square.

supplies used
...............
stamps: thank you kindly (SU!)
paper: sage shadow, whisper white (SU!); pink (DMD Industries scrap pack)
ink: chocolate chip (SU!)
other: envelope punch (Marvy Uchida); scallop edge punch (SU!); crimper (Fiskars)

classic congrats

2009-02-18T15:33:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine recently was appointed to a high level volunteer position so I HAD to make her a card to let her know how proud I was of her accomplishments. I was inspired by all the stationery samples made for the release of the Simply Stationery stamp set from Papertrey Ink. I love their combination of classic and modern images in this set! I only wish I could have figured out how to get a good photo of the subtle sheen of this gold cardstock .

supplies used
...............
stamps: simply stationery, fresh alphabet (PTI)
paper: basic black, whisper white (SU!); gold (Archivers)
ink: black (Colorbox)
other: gold ribbon (Michaels)

quick thanks

2009-02-17T20:33:00.003-05:00

I needed a quick thank you card to send to a thoughtful relative, so I took a card from my stash with a modern design printed on it and added a quick sentiment. The double ended tags from Spellbinders really dress up cards so quickly! I matched my eyelets that affix the sentiment tag to the eyelet that already existed on the card.

supplies used
...............
stamps: thank you kindly (SU!)
paper: whisper white (SU!); printed card (Gartner)
ink: chocolate chip (SU!)
other: silver eyelets (Michaels); double ended tag die (Spellbinders)

card swap

2009-02-15T14:48:00.001-05:00

Here's another card from the beginning of my stamping career. After making that stack of butterfly cards for a multitude of occasions, I guess I had butterflies on the brain and used the same theme for a SUO card swap. I cased Michelle (sf9erfan) on SCS for this card. I didn't have any SU! embellies at the time, so I created my own using punches and cardstock.

supplies used
...............
stamps: perennial favorites, polka dot background (SU!)
paper: bashful blue, chocolate chip, whisper white (SU!)
ink: bashful blue, chocolate chip (SU!)
other: pastels, 1-1/4" dia circle punch, scallop circle punch, boho blossoms punch (SU!); 1/8" dia hole punch, 1/4" dia hole punch (my stash)

first time for everything

2009-02-10T06:10:00.000-05:00

While I've been a papercrafter for many years (I began creating and sending handmade Christmas cards 15 years ago!), I just started stamping about a year ago. This card was one of the first set that I made after I got my initial SU! order. I needed a few graduation, birthday and congratulation cards so I decided to leave the sentiment off until I knew what occasion would be celebrated.

supplies used
...............
stamps: perennial favorites (SU!)
paper: pale lavender, purple, eggplant (DMD Industries scrap pack); white (Hammermill)
ink: black (Colorbox)

beginning

2009-02-07T19:43:00.000-05:00

Just a few short months ago, I would have never even considered that there were blogs out there focused on papercrafting. And now I'm starting one of my own! Welcome to this grand adventure -- I hope you enjoy this ride with me!