A Masculine Birthday Card

My stepbrother, whom I do not know terribly well, has a birthday next week. He's much younger than me (still in high school) and all I really know about him is he likes to hunt and is very outdoor-sy. I wanted to make his birthday card but knew most of my normal cards were probably not so much his style! Here is a masculine card I did manage to come up with for him:

 

My card base is 4.25 by 5.5" Chocolate Chip scored at the top. I layered a 4 by 5.25" piece of Tall Tales Designer Series Paper over top. My senitment is from the Crazy for Cupcakes set and the tiny pile of presents came from my Loads of Love Accessories set. I used my blender pens and Old Olive and Crushed Curry inkpads to watercolor the presents. (See my tutorial here.) I tied my Birthday tag to my card with Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon and my card was complete. Overall I was very pleased with how the card turned out. I'd love to hear your feedback!

What I used:
Stamps
Loads of Love Accessories 115024
Crazy for Cupcakes 111618

Ink
Old Olive 102277
Crushed Curry 115659
Chocolate Chip 100908

Paper
Chocolate Chip 102128
Whisper White 100730
Tall Tales Designer Series Paper 115678

Etc
Blender Pens 102845
Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon 115612

More Wreaths...

Remember this post where I made fall and winter wreaths using the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set? Well here's another version of the same wreath except this time I used Trendy Trees. I love these little cards and they are so easy to make! Just punch a circle out of a sticky note, put it on your cardstock and stamp away! When you are finished creating your wreath, remove the sticky and add a bow! Voila!

 

What I used:
Stamps
Trendy Trees 113258

Ink
Old Olive 102277
Pumpkin Pie 105216
Crushed Curry 115659
Dusty Durango 115654

Paper
Whisper White 100730
Old Olive 100702
Chocolate Chip 102128

Etc
Chocolate Chip 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon 111367
Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon 109030
Mini Glue Dots 103683
Real Red Stampin' Write Marker 100052
Sticky Note

Two Hostess Sets

 

It's always difficult for me not to layer on my cards but this card needed a minimalist approach. I heat embossed my little bird from the Level 1 hostess set "Of the Earth" onto Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, and Old Olive. (The stamp-a-ma-jig was again my best friend for perfectly centering my image on my little squares!)

I spaced the images evenly across the upper portion of my card and then used the "Give Thanks" sentiment from another Level 1 hostess set-Holiday Best. Normally I would use markers to color the stamp to schieve a multi-colored image but wouldn't you know it, I didn't have these colors! I instead did a bit of a convoluted multi-step process. I first stamped my image in Rich Razzleberry and then used normal tape to cover everything other than the "Give" portion of the sentiment. A "huff" of air on the stamp after taping it ensured the ink was still moist beofre stamping. I repeated the process with the Crushed Curry and Old Olive portions, using my Stamp-a-ma-jig to make sure I lined the stamp up each time.

Don't forget to place your minimum $30 order soon to be entered in my contest to win one of four FREE stamp sets! Details here. Today is also the last day to place your order for the Card Kit of the Month.

*I have to add, after posting this I mosied on over to PalsPaperArts and realized today's card was a perfect fit for their current Challenge! Do you play at PPA?*

Look Ma! No Stamps!

What kind of "stamper" would dare post to her blog with project that contain nary a stamp in sight? This one! Here are two fun projects I made yesterday without stamps!

 

This first project I made for my older son. I mad e astair-step card base and then simply cut out images from the Tall Tales Designer Series Paper to create a diorama of sorts. Easy-peasy!

 

 

This second project is a cute little pumpkin card made with the Top Note Die and some scraps I had left over from my diorama...a perfect little fall card!

 

Herb Expressions and Birthday Promotion!

On a recent trip to the Farmer's Market I got into a conversation with a woman selling various herbs about the gorgeous Stampin' Up! stamp set Herb Expressions. I told her I'd be back the following week (tomorrow!) with a little something for her because I just know she'll love these stamps. So last night I whipped up these tags for her to use on her bundles of herbs.

 

 

Now for the big news....I am turning Thirty at the end of this month. I'm coming to terms with it (or at least I am trying to, it'd be easier if my husband stopped teasing me by telling me I'm over the hill!) In celebration of the big 3-0 I'm offering an awesome Birthday special for the rest of the month. For every $30 you purchase through my online store or through me directly I will enter you for a drawing to win stamps! I'll be giving away 4 retired Stamp Sets!

Remember, its for each $30 you spend, so a $60 order is two entries, a $150 order is 5 entries (plus free merchadise and a level 1 hostess set!)

Pocket Silhouettes Wreath

I'm a huge fan of Clean and Simple (CAS) designs and this one was inspired by this awesome card by Ali Watson. The moment I saw it I knew I had to make one of my own, so here is my take:

 

This card uses a technique called Masking. I punched a 1 3/8" circle from a PostIt pad and stuck it on my Whisper White cardstock. I then used the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set and Real Read to stamp around the PostIt. When I was finished I removed the center circle to reveal my perfect wreath! A Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon finished it off.

I was so pleased with the results I decided to make a fall wreath using a different stamp from the same set!

 

What do you think? Are these adorable or what!

What I used:

Stamps
Pocket Silhouettes 111672

Ink
Real Red 103133
Pumpkin Pie 105216
Crushed Curry115659
Dusty Durango 115654

Paper
Whisper White 100730
Real Red 102482
Crushed Curry 115319
Pumpkin Pie 105117

Etc
Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon 109034
Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon 109030
Stamp-a-ma-jig 101049

Blog Candy Winner!!!!

Woooooo-hoooooo! Ready to win some blog candy? I used Random.org to select the winner and the lucky number was 36! Congratulations Brittany who said:

Brittany said...
Wow you got a lot of comments on this! :)

September 12, 2009 9:30 PM

Brittany is the soon-to-be recipient of one of my Party-in-a-Box long distance hostessing kits, so I'll be adding your blog candy to your shipment going out tomorrow!

Would you like to hostess a party but aren't in the Leavenworth/Kansas City area? Email me to find out how you can get a "Party in a Box" too!

Don't forget to check out my new YouTube video on watercoloring with Blender Pens!

New Tutorial-Watercoloring with Blender Pens

Check out my newest tutorial on my YouTube Channel!

Stretchin' it out!

Today was supposed to be my Open House so while I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself for having to cancel it due to my children having the flu, I decided to use it as inspiration and create this cute Get Well Card using the "Its a Stretch" set.

 

I wanted a Clean and Simple (CAS) design and I thought "spotlighting" one of my flowers would be a cute way to get an impact with minimal embellishments or layers. I used Brocade Blue as my cardbase and stamped my flower image directly onto the base with Old Olive. I then stamped it onto Whisper White Cardstock and colored it using Blender Pens and my ink pads. I framed it with Ruby Red and added it to the card base. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped on Whipser White and matted on Ruby Red. (Hint: I think Teeny Tiny Wishes set is the must-have sentiment set from the new catalog-the 24 sentiments cover every occassion!)

What you need:
Stamps
Its a Stretch 111586
Teeny Tiny Wishes 115370

Ink
Old Olive 102277
Basic Black 101179

Paper
Brocade Blue 101166
Whisper White 100730
Ruby Red 102030

Etc
Blender Pens 102845

Pals Paper Arts Sketch Challenge

I'd like to give another big thanks to Lee Conrey for volunteering to be my guest stamper yesterday, man did I need some help! Luckily I got my boys to the doctor and some medicines which had the delightful side effect of knocking them out for an extra long naptime, and you know what that means! Extra long STAMPIN' time!!! I was finally able to get my craft area organized (it was a wreck) so that I could concentrate and make some goodies.

Here is my card for this week's Pals Paper Arts Sketch Challenge. I really liked this Clean and Simple Sketch.

 

My card is an odd shape today, to accomodate the three scalloped circles. I started with a 7.5 by 6" piece of Whisper White Cardstock and folded in half on the long side to make my final dimensions 3.75 by 6. I covered this with Pumpkin Pie Cardstock in the same dimension and then Tall Tales Designer Series Paper. A Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon adds some minimalistic flair.

My three little owls from Animal Stories were stamped in Crushed Curry, Old Olive, and Pumpkin Pie and mounted on matching scallop circles. I lined them up and my card was done.

 

For a little extra interest I stamped the Very Thankful sentiment from the turtle stamp in the Very Thankful set and punched it out with my Large Oval Punch. A crushed Curry owl pops his head in for a little hello! I mounted it on an Old Olive Scallop Oval and added it inside the card.

Hop on over to PPA and try your hand at the sketch challenge too! Challenges are a great way to help expand your creativity!

Once again, don't forget about my blog candy (winner will be chosen Sunday!), my Open House tomorrow, and the current Card Kit of the Month

Update: Unfortunately due to my children's illness I have to cancel tomorrow's Open House. You are more than welcome to swing by and pick up an Open House package containing your catalogs, free project, and small gift. Just let me know when you'd like to pick up and I'll have it ready! The Open House will be rescheduled for a later date.

Here's what I used to make today's card:

Stamps
Animal Stories 116716
Very Thankful 115338

Ink
Old Olive 102277
Crushed Curry 115659
Pumpkin Pie 105216

Paper
Crushed Curry 115319
Old Olive 100702
Pumpkin Pie 105117
Tall Tales Designer Series Paper 115678
Whisper White 100730

Etc
Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon 109030
1 3/8" Circle Punch 104401
Scallop Circle Punch 109043
Large Oval Punch 107305
Scallop Oval Punch 114889

Guest Stamper Lee Conrey!

I'm frantically trying to get ready for my Open House this weekend on top of my two boys (ages 1 and 2!) having the flu so my awesome fellow demos over at Late Night Stampers came to my rescue when I asked for a Guest Stamper.



Today I'm featuring Lee Conrey and her awesome "Sparkly and Bright" gift card tin. Check out her blog for more of her wonderful creations!

Oh, and don't forget to enter for my blog candy if you haven't already!

Open House this Saturday!

If you're in the Leavenworth/Kansas City area please join me this Saturday from 10am-12pm for an Open House! Come on over and look through the new catalog and Holiday Mini Catalog, see upcoming classes, make a FREE fun project, and enter to win some fun door prizes! Just email me for my address and directions.

Update:Due to the illness of my children I need to reschedule the Open House for a later date. I apologize for any inconvenience. Please email me if you would like to come by and pick up the new catalogs, your free project, and a small gift.

An easy card with tutorial

On of my favorite customers Lisa is new to stamping (and far away!) and asked me to make her a tutorial for how to put together a card that is simple to assemble but still looks great!

 

This card was made with the Bugs and Kisses set, which is quickly becoming one of my favorites! My card base is Whisper White, followed by a layer of Dusty Durango, then a patterned layer I made by stamping my little buggies on Whisper White cardstock with Old Olive, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, and Pumpkin Pie. (I think these colors go together beautifully!) I then added a little Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon and punched out a quick sentiment framed by a scallop circle and my easy-peasy card was ready to go!

 

(Hint: Ninety-nine percent of the time I use Stampin' Dimensionals to "pop" my punches and sentiments up from the card layers...this is a very easy way to add some pizazz to your card!)


Here is the YouTube video with an easy tutorial for beginning stampers on how I created this card:



Don't forget to enter for my blog candy by leaving a comment on yesterday's post, the winner will be drawn Sunday!

Here's what I used:

Stamps
Bugs and Kisses 116580

Ink
Old Olive 102277
Dusty Durango 115654
Crushed Curry 115659
Pumpkin Pie 105216

Paper
Whisper White 100730
Dusty Durango 115321

Etc
Scallop Circle Punch 109043
1 3/8" Circle Punch 104401
Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon 115609
Stampin' Dimensionals 104430

Blog Candy Time!!!

As I promised, I'm giving away some super-fab Blog Candy to celebrate my one month Blog-o-versary this week! And what a month it has been: we're just shy of 3,500 visits (can you believe it?!), I just launched my new YouTube Channel, offered my first Card Kit of the Month, and there is so much more to come!

 

Up for grabs is a selection of Delightful Dots Designer Series Paper (cut down to 6 by 6), So Saffron and Certainly Celery Ribbon Bundle, and the Botanical Blooms Two Step Stampin' Set, all from last year's Sale-a-bration. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment! The winner will be chosen at random next Sunday, September 13th! Good luck!

Meet my Best Friend....the Stamp-a-ma-jig

Do you have a Stamp-a-ma-jig? No? You need one. This is probably the most essential stamping tool I have. (Big statement, huh!) I use it for almost every card, it make sure my sentiments are placed just right, and is non-negotiable for my Two Step Stampin' sets like the one in this card, Trendy Trees.

 

I saw Mary Ann McKay's card with this layout and thought it was very unique.

I started my card with an Orchid Opulence cardbase. I topped this with a layer of Old Olive and a sheet of Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, punching the corners of both with my Ticket Corner Punch. My Trendy Trees were stamped on three different Whisper White diamonds in Old Olive and Soft Suede. They were then mounted on more Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper.

 

I stamped my sentiment from Great Friend in Rich Razzleberry on a slightly larger diamond. This large diamond was matted on Rich Razzleberry and then Orchid Opulence and Old Olive, skewing off to the side. I arranged them all in a diamond pattern and that finished it off. I really like the way this card turned out.

I would not have been able to make this card without my Stamp-a-ma-jig. I realize some people don't have one, or have one and don't know how to use it so I made this video tutorial to help explain. Once you get the hang of it, it is fast and easy and for myself, it improved the finished products of my stamping ten fold. Here is my tutorial, which you can also find on my new YouTube channel.



Don't forget, blog candy coming up this week to celebrate my one month Blog-o-versary!

Here's what I used:

Stamps
Trendy Trees 113258
Great Friend 113792

Ink
Soft Suede 115657
Old Olive 102277
Rich Razzleberry 115658

Paper
Whisper White 100730
Rich Razzleberry 115316
Orchid Opulence 100969
Old Olive 100702
Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper 115671

Etc
Ticket Corner Punch 107214
Stamp-a-ma-jig 101049

Cute and Easy Anniversary card!

How cute of an idea is this?? The idea for these His-and-Hers towels came from Lorri Heiling. When I saw it I just knew I'd have to make my own version!

 

I started with two rectangles of Whisper White carstock to act as my "towels." I embossed them using my Big Shot and the Flourishes Texturz Plate from Stampin' Up! Backgrounds 1. I then added an Always Artichoke Scallop Border and band on each towel.

 

My towel rod is made of a strip of Brocade Blue and two silver brads from the Filigree Designer Brads. This was all mounted on Whisper White over an Always Artichoke card base. My sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, stamped in Old Olive.

 

This was literally a 5 minute card, and I think the results are awesome!

Here's what I used:

Stamps
Teeny Tiny Wishes 115370

Ink
Old Olive 102277

Paper
Always Artichoke 105119
Whisper White 100730
Brocade Blue 101166

Etc
Filigree Designer Brads 112577
Big Shot Die Cutting Machine 113439
Stampin' Up! Texturz Backgrounds 1 114512

Don't forget to check out my September Card Kit of the Month...get started on those Christmas Cards now!

New! Card Kit of the Month!

Remember this card?

 

 

How do you like this version of it?

 

Now you can get all of the consumable supplies to make this card in my September Card Kit of the month! This includes precut Paper, Ribbon, and detailed instructions to make 6 of each of these cards! Better yet, if you need the Dasher or Snow Swirled Stamps to make the card, you get 10% off when ordering the kit! The kit is $15 which includes shipping. To purchase click the Buy it Now button below. Kit orders will be taken through September 17th and you should receive your kit by the end of the month. Standard tax and shipping applies to accessories.

*If you would rather make 12 of one design rather than 6 of each, please just send me an email when you purchase your kit and I will be sure to customize your kit*

If you would like to purchase some of the accessories or stamp sets at 10% off, please email me with what you would like and I will send you a personalized invoice through Paypal.


Optional Accessories
Dasher Stamp $8.06 with purchase of card kit
Snow Swirled $22.46 with purchase of card kit
Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad $5.95
Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad $5.95
Versamark Pad $7.50
White Stampin' Emboss Powder $4.75
Heat Tool $29.95

A Cute Duet

Whew! I didn't know if I was going to get this posted today! It has been a whirlwind. I had a project all ready to post and upon waking this morning I just wasn't happy with it...not quite "Saucy Stamper" worthy.

Sooooo...I had to wait until my boys napped so I could whip up something new and this cute little duet of Thank You Notes is what I came up with.

 

These are 3 by 3 inch cards, perfect for a quick "Thank you" note. I started both with a Whisper White base. I was dying to break out my new Animal Stories set so I began by stamping the whale in Brilliant Blue on Whisper White and then using the scrap piece from my scallop edge punch, I gave this little whale some Bermuda Bay waves. (We'd all like some of those, huh?) He was framed in Night of Navy and then matted on a Bermuda Bay square. I used my Stay Put Bow technique (tutorial here) to tie a Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon to my card and then mounted on my card base. The "Thank You" sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, a must have set of 24 different sentiments. (Hint: I like to use my Stamp-a-ma-jig to perfectly place my sentiments, it's fast and easy and helps avoid "crooked" images with wood block stamps. It is seriously one of the best investments I have made!)

 

My owl card was very similar, also a 3 by 3" Whisper White card base topped with Old Olive cardstock to which I attached some Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon. The tree branch was cut out free-hand from Chocolate Chip cardstock. My owl was stamped in Dusty Durango on Whisper White cardstock and then clipped out with my Paper Snips. Again the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped, this time in Chocolate Chip.

 

Here's what I used:

Stamps
Animal Stories 116716
Teeny Tiny Wishes 115370

Ink
Chocolate Chip 100908
Dusty Durango 115654
Brilliant Blue 100691

Paper
Whisper White 100730
Old Olive 100702
Chocolate Chip 102128
Bermuda Bay 115317
Night of Navy 101722

Etc
Dusty Durango Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon 115609
Night of Navy Grosgrain Ribbon 109036
Paper Snips 103579
Stamp-a-ma-jig 101049

A simple card and a surprise around the corner....

I wanted to share a card I made for a Clean and Simple Challenge I recently did. This was a major challenge for me as I had to make a card with NO LAYERS! I decided to use a Chocolate Chip card base scored at the top. Using my Versamark Pad and Stampin' Embossing Powder in White, I heat embossed my Medallion background stamp in the lower right corner. A simple bow from my Chocolate Chip Striped Grosgrain Ribbon topped it off. It really doesn't get more "Clean and Simple" than this! What do you think? Are you a fan of the Clean and Simple look?

What I used:

Stamps
Medallion 115223

Paper
Chocolate Chip 102128

Ink
Versamark Pad 102283

Etc
White Stampin' Emboss Powder 109132
1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon Chocolate Chip 115617
Heat Tool 100005

Keep checking back, next week is my one month Blog-o-versary and we're over 3,000 hits already! I'll be offering up a little blog candy to celebrate! And be sure to see my side bar for current specials, right now with every order over $50 I'll give you one FREE under $10 stamp from page 208 of Idea Book and Catalog or page 31 of the Holiday Mini Catalog! That is an exclusive Saucy Special only available through me so click on my Shop Now button to the left to get started!!

Exciting News!!

The Holiday Mini Catalog goes live today and you are going to be so impressed. You can view it and all our other catalogs here or download it on my left sidebar! Want a hard copy? Email me and I'll have one out in the mail to you in a jiffy!

 

To celebrate the arrival of these awesome new stamp sets and product lines I made this non traditional Christmas card using the Delightful Decorations set available today! My colors for this card were inspired by Ann Schach-Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, and Bermuda Bay blend just beautifully I think! A very mod look!

I started my card with a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2" Rich Razzleberry card base scored at the top. I then added Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, and finally Old Olive that I ran through my Big Shot using my Flourish plate from Texturz Backgrounds 1. All pieces were hit with my Corner Rounder Punch! A piece of Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon was looped around my Old Olive.

I stamped out two gorgeous ornaments from Delightful Decorations in Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay and Punched them out with the oh-so-cool Brand New Ornament Punch available today! I popped them on top with Stampin' Dimensionals. My greeting is from Snow Swirled (I love the sentiments in this set) and is stamped in Rich Razzleberry and matted on Bermuda Bay and placed over my ribbon with, you guessed it, more Stampin' Dimensionals! (I find that using Stampin' Dimensionals on my projects gives it depth and interest.)

 

On the inside of my card I have Whisper White cardstock again mirroring the edges with the Corner Rounder Punch. I stamped another sentiment from Snow Swirled in Rich Razzleberry and added a pretty little Old Olive ornament for decor!

I'd love to hear what your favorite part of the new Holiday Mini Catalog is...is it the new Holiday sets? The Ornament Punch? How about the Build-a-Bear line of stamps, die cuts, and Designer Series Paper? Could it be our new line of jewelry, Simply Adorned, that you can decorate with your stamping supplies? Or last but definitely not least, the totally awesome My Digital Studio electronic scrapbooking and cardmaking software that will be available for ordering October 1st? There's so much to choose from-can you pick just one, let me know!!

Here's what you need:

Stamps
Delightful Decorations 116517 Available TODAY!!!
Snow Swirled 111690

Paper
Rich Razzleberry 115316
Whisper White 100730
Bermuda Bay 115317
Old Olive 100702

Ink
Rich Razzleberry 115658
Old Olive 102277
Bermuda Bay 115655

Etc
Ornament Punch 116794 (Available TODAY!!)
Big Shot Die Cut Machine 113439
Texturz Stampin' Up! Backgrounds 1 114512
Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosprain Ribbon
Stampin' Dimensionals 104430
3/16" Corner Rounder Punch 109047