Busy, Busy

Will probably be back to some more regualr posting after January 7 (when life gets back to a more regualr pace)... see you then!

Another oldie...

Was going through photos in search of a good one to put onto the "ElfYourself" dealy from Office Max (hasn't everyone done that this year?!?!?) and I ran across this card that I had made a long time ago. Another simple stamping, layering and embellishing techniques... but I thought it was kind of elegant.

Cheers!

Merry Christmas!

These photos are not with my "new photography technique" try yet... but I wanted to finally share what my Christmas cards looked like this year. And I wish you a most blessed holiday!

Ahem...

Just a little announcement here (to challenge myself, mainly)...

No card to post here today... or for a while, sorry... but when I do come up with some more creations, I promise to have some better photos of my stuff. Working on a better set and technique. So... I will be here agian soon and hopefully you will be pleased with some better photography... and outstanding cards! Hee hee!

Still going...

But this is the last one from this session! Now I should get working on some new things! (I've got my mom's birthday card to make... I will have to come up with somehting grand... 'cuz she is the best!)

New Color!

Same card... new color! (Not a great photo... oh well, you get the idea.)

The same, but different...

One more card from that "Priceless" day! (Amazing what can happen when you just layer some paper! Pretty easy!)

Next on the runway...

... is a card with a mustard base, chocolate ink, and a lovely brass brad highlighting the center flower adornment! (Thanks for Michaelle for the "brad idea!" See... I just copy and gather ideas and put them together... easy!)

Next in the group...

This is another card from that night where the ideas just kept coming! (And I had all these little flower punch-outs to use up!)

Loving this set!

I am sure that I have mentioned before that my church has a "Card Ministry." First, there is a ministry that sends cards to those in need of one (i.e. a sympathy card, a congratulations on a new baby card, welcome cards for new members, cards for deployed troops, and etc.) There are people dedicated to writing those on the church's prayer list. The part I take part in is making the cards by hand that get sent out. (We have a church with over 5000 members and even more counting the regular attenders... we sure can't keep up with that kind of card demand, but we make as many as we can. They use our cards first and then rely on other resources when we can't make enough. Anyway... I am off the subject now.)

So, the other night when we gathered to stamp/make cards, I had a definite idea what I was going to make... and I wanted to use my Stampin' Up! Priceless set. Well, my idea had to evolve due to card size and paper availability and stuff... and a series of cards came out of it all.

Above is one of the many cards I will be posting that showed this explosion of ideas. They just kept coming! It was sure fun!

Cute Set!

Lots of times when I need a child's birthday card, I grab this set from Stampin' Up! (now retired, I believe... Party Animals!) Add some glitter to the design and wah-lah! It is a girl's card! Stick a small page od stickers and there is your surprise for the birthday person!

I have fun with slightly different, yet still simple, folds. I tend to do this with this set to make it more fun for a child to look at it (??? Maybe... I guess I do not know what a child prefers, I guess!) Anyway... there is one for today!

(Surprise, Jaimie!!! Not the cards from Hope Stampers yet! Hee hee!)

Goofin' Around

At my last Stampers 10 get together, I got my order... and in it was a new background stamp (Canvas... Stampin' Up!) So, you see it here... stamped with blue ink and embossed with clear embossing powder (to make is a raised impression). On top of it is a white piece of paper, torn on one end, that has been brushed on with floor polish mixed with Pearl Ex Powder (silver). Then a heat gun was taken to the silver piece to give it some rough texture (it kind of bubbles up). The next layer up is just an image plainly stamped and matted on top of a darker color paper... held on with a brad combo piece (the metal thingy you see there... what is that thing called again???) Anyway... just another one I had fun "dinking around" with and completing.

Priceless

Here is another card using the "Priceless" set from Stampin' Up! This layout is totally copied from their catalog/idea book... but with my own touches.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Finally! A New One!

Got my "Priceless" stamp set (from Stampin' Up!) and just had to try it out right away. So... this card is not THAT well thought out... but I had fun making it. The hearts are stamped on using white craft ink (Stampin' Up! again) and then I used chalks to apply the color that they are. (Thanks, Jaimie, for the technique idea!) The circles are just stamped on and then additional color was sponged on for a textured look. The words "So Kind" are raised up with a dimensional foam dot. Not much to it, really... and I felt for the longest time that it still looked unfinished... but now I think it is fine for a simple "thank you" card.

More again soon!

Here I go...

I have gotten my Christmas cards all made! And I have actually gotten some other cards made JUST FOR FUN!!! (Haven't done that in a while!) I will get pictures of those up sometime soon... in the meanwhile I found one in the ol' archives to post for today.

This card was one of about ten (all the same) that I made for MOPS. I was to be a table leader for my local group, but changes in my son's education made it so that I could not participate last year. (MOPS is a great organization for stay-at-home-moms of toddlers. I would recommend every mom to check one out.) Anyway... these cards were made to be used as introduction cards for everyone at my table. Inside I had listed (printed out from the computer) my name, address and phone number... and some other little facts about me so that everyone at my table could know a little bit about me right away. I was so excited to be a discussion leader... oh well. Helping out my bigger little guy was first priority... and it was, of course, well worth it!

What I loved about the design of this card was using a new template and paper piercer to make the faux stitching along the red sheet of paper. New technique for me at the time and I love it still!!! (For those of you maybe unfamiliar with these tools... basically I pierced the paper with a pointy tool and the holes are perfectly spaced using a small plastic template. Then, I used a white pen to create the "stitching." It is a fun effect!)

So, a sunny "hello" to you all today!

Christmas Bells are Ringing!

Just hammered out a design and got all the pieces made for my Christmas cards... now all there is to do is assembly... and to figure out what will be printed on the inside of the card. Well, and then there is the actual getting them ready to send. All by the time I want to send them out... which is the week after Thanksgiving. I think I can do it! Sorry... no other posts for now. I'm just busy stamping and having fun getting into the holiday spirit!!! Have a great weekend!

Flower Power

Here are some more of the cards that I included in the stationery gift packs that I gave friends and family. I really enjoy this Hero Arts stamp set of flower silhouettes. Those combined with the rainbow stamp pads pretty well for these more modern looking cards.


















I also incorporated some colored staples for the first time in any project. They were fun to use. (I know that I don't use any technique or supply that many cards makers are not going to already know about... but I like to share when I first started doing things.)

Stationery Gifts

These two cards were cards that I included in a gift package of cards that I handed out to family at Christmas, I believe. The adults in our immediate family do not exchange gifts anymore... but I like to give the gals just a little something. So, I make some stationery... wrap up about 5 cards with some raffia and share with moms, sister-in-laws, and really close friends. It is simple enough... and I make simple cards to do them "assembly line" style to get them done quickly. (Poor color on this photo. Sorry... I should have edited it better. The card base is actually the same as the card below. Wow! Amazing how bad this photo looks! Oh well!)


I had gotten this stamp set (who knows when... I don't) and had not used it and not used it... I think I really like the stamps that require some coloring/painting in, but then never get around to using them as much becaue they take time. Well, I finally decided to take the time last year and I think it turned out pretty cute. Also... it is amazing how just layering an image makes it stand out and look like extra special attention was paid to making the card... when it is really quite a simple effect.

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Hope y'all are having a great day!

Miscellaneous

Here again is my favorite "thank you" stamp... used with a basic background in black and matching gold embossing. (I thought that the backgorund ended up looking a bit like a leopard print!)







Here is that ol' zebra print back again (used it here, too... and then I went to look for more of this paper at the store and couldn't find any! Just goes to show you to buy at least 4 sheets of the stuff the first time! :-) Anyway... this was somewhat successfully adapted from an idea I got out of a magazine (maybe it was Scrapbooks etc.??? I don't remember.)












This is another pocket card (the one I give Jaimie, my Stampin' Up! demonstrator, credit for HERE)... for a brand new baby of a friend. If you click this photo to get a closer view of the card, you can see how I used beads on the flap of the card for some detail.

Running Out!

This card is a direct adaptation from a sample in a Stampin' Up! catalog. I just love these colors together.








This is one stamp that I really like and use a lot to make elegant "thank you" notes. The handmade paper is a favorite, too. Someday (I have have all the tools) I hope to make paper myself... just need to find the time.







I am running out of photos from the archives of old cards I have made. I am going to have to get going on making some new cards! (Actually, I am always making cards here and there... I have just been bad lately about getting them done in time so that I remember to take photos of them before I give them out!)

I will be starting my Christmas cards soon (got the paper to make them just Tuesday night) and those will monopolize much of my time until they are done. I have a pattern all picked out and the assembly should be fairly quick to some cards I have made in the past. So, it should not be too bad. (It never REALLY is TOO BAD since it is doing something I love!!!)

More flowers...

More simple constuction... layers... The top card I had fun adding beads to. The second card incorporates a wire accent (I have loved adding wire on cards for years). The last two cards follow a pattern that I like to use a lot... four color squares with an image centering over the top.

I have been scrapbooking a lot lately and have not made many cards. I will have to get "cooking" to make some new ones (and I will be starting my Christmas cards soon) so that I have some more to post here!

Wowser!

Wow! I have done some surfing this morning and there are some IMPRESSIVE blogs/websites out there (of course there are) with people stamping cards all over the place! And the cards they are making are truly works of art. I am going to start adding some of the sites I like to my new link list (see "Inspirational Sites" over to the right) and hope to add more so I can keep stock full of places to visit for ideas!

Lots of the sites have wonderful photography, step-by-step instructions, and graphics galore! Well, you are not going to see any of that here... just my cards. :-)

Here are three I made with one of my favorite Stampin' Up! sets... Watercolor Garden. It seems to always make an elegant card without much effort.

Have a great weekend!

Pretties...

The top card is totally patterned paper oriented. I just added the "HB" and "Happy Birthday" that was stamped... along with a few star brads, this card turned out to be pretty spectacular!

The bottom card was my first attempt at using some metal edged tags. These are the ones that are pre-made for you. It was a little hard to stamp the image onto the tag (slippery), but this did not turn out too badly. Also... more glitter!

A couple more...

I really had fun making these... the top one was a first for me to use a patterened paper that dictated the style of the card. I also liked incorporating ribbon, glitter, and colored staples... all NEW things for me (I tend to simple stamping and layering paper).

The bottom card was made for a friend's daughter who graduated from high school. The flap/pocket style of the card was another idea I got from my Stampin' Up! demonstrator and now use it all of the time!

Pick a card, any card...

Again, not great photos (sorry), but these cards are long gone so I cannot retake pictures of these babies. :-) But I still wanted to share some from my archives...

These are so simple... just some hand torn edges and paper layering. The most "complicated" element is that some of the stamping has been heat embossed. And, boy, was that a neat thing to learn years ago.

Once upon a time (about 10 years ago or more), I worked in a Sir Speedy Printing place. I helped take orders at the front desk and helped with other customer service tasks and some small bindery jobs. I remember taking orders for business cards that would be sent out to be done elsewhere for the thermal heat embossing to make the raised/bumpy print. When I went to a Stampin' Up! party/workshop and learned that you could accomplish a similar feat right at home, I thought this was a big deal! (My how quickly things change... for instance, when I worked at Sir Speedy, Kinko's was hardly THE place to get your printing needs taken care of. It was more just a copy place.)

Anyway... my thoughts for the day. More over at my other blog, of course. Have a great day!

Emblem Card

Not such the great photography with this one... oh well. I liked trying to come up with a different fold here. This particular card was for church again... a "Thinking of You" type of thing, but this style would also make a nice piece of stationery, too.... perhaps with a monogram instead of the emblem-type-stamp.

Fun With Flowers

Just a few made from paper scraps... very simple stamping and layering. Nothing too elaborate with these. And I actually think that I had made these for my "Hope Stampers" group at church. We make the cards that our Care Ministry sends out to people who are in need of a card and some caring words (in the case of sympathy, medical challenges, new members, new babies, weddings, deployed troops, etc.) It is a fun way to serve!

Cards, cards, cards!

The very top card was done at a Stampin' Up! workshop. (I owe a lot of ideas and inspiration to my Stampin' Up! demonstator! Thanks, Jaimie!) I really liked the Pearl Ex powders and had never used them before. I was lucky to find someone at the workshop that wanted to get rid of hers because she did not like using them... so I got some for a steal! I have loved coming back to using them time and again (i.e. the next two cards you see).

The bottom card is one I included in gift packs of stationery that I gave out one Christmas... just a background stamp I picked up at a stamping convention when we lived in Michigan and a simple ribbon made this elegant card.