Super Simple Thank You

I made this card (well, another one like it, without the pearl) for a friend in my Yahoo! group who sent me lots of cardstock that she got at a store that was closing.  Thanks again, Andrea!

You can't really tell, but the card base is a very pale textured blue.  The stamp is from the Take Three set from Stampin' Up!  I used SU! markers (Old Olive, Always Artichoke and Brocade Blue) to color the leaves and sentiment.  Super simple, but I really like the way it turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Lacy Birthday

 

I made this card for the SplitCoastStampers Ways to Use It Challenge #259.  The challenge was to include lace on your card, and it was flexible!  My lace is the vellum punched with a Martha Stewart lace border punch.

The main panel is stamped with Rich Razzleberry and my Stampin' Up! Romance wheel. It's matted with Rich Razzleberry, also. The sentiment is from SU!'s Sincere Salutations set. The butterfly is double - one layer of Rich Razzleberry and one layer of vellum which I embossed with my Swiss Dots folder and added a couple pearls.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Simple Sympathy

I needed a sympathy card to get in the mail today.  This is what I came up with.  It was for a male and his family, so it needed to be not "frilly."  And it needed to be quick.

The image and the sentiment are both from the Stampin' Up! set called Thoughts and Prayers.  I love that set.  (Except for the fact that it's double-mounted.  I don't like that at all!)  I stamped both with Versafine Vintage Sepia ink.  The patterned paper is from "The Slab III" which I got a few years ago at Michael's.  It would take me MANY years to use all the paper that I have!  The bottom layer of matting is Soft Suede, from SU!  I thought it needed just a little something more, so I did a  little piercing.  I also misted the image panel very lightly with gold Perfect Pearls mixed with water.  I love the subtle shimmer.

I may not be posting again for a week or so.  But, I shall return!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Best Wishes Butterflies

I usually don't know where I'm headed with a card when I start.  Sometimes I start with a stamped image, sometimes I start with a certain piece of paper, sometimes with a partially finished item from my "card parts" box, etc.

Today's card started with the die cut piece.  It is from the same Cuttlebug die set that I used a few days ago, so it was sitting on my table.  I ran it through my Xyron and stuck it to the card front.  Then I decided to add the pearls to the centers of the squares.  I had taken the Take Three stamp set (from Stampin' Up!) a few days ago to remind me to use it.  So, I used it on this card:)  I colored the butterflies with a Taken With Teal marker and the lines and sentiment with Basic Black.  That's it.  So simple.  I think I'll link it to Danni's Flutter By Wednesday, since it's Wednesday and there are butterflies on it! :)

Edited to add:  Thanks for the comment, Robin!  The card also qualifies for the Creative Belli Blog challenge to use a butterfly or dragonfly.

Thanks so much for looking, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Fall-To Layout Baby Cards

I have two cards to share with you today.  They both use Natasha Trupp's (Clean & Simple Stamping) Fall-To Layout #79.  They both also use Die Cuts With a View Nana's Nursery decorative cardstock - one from the "boy" pack and one from the "girl" pack - and a stamp from a Studio G set.

The bunny stamp for this first one is from a Stampin' Up! set called Forest Friends, stamped in Baja Breeze.

For this card, I stamped the image - from Rubber Stampede - with Versafine Onyx Black ink and colored it with Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Sixteenth Birthday

I made this card for a "customer."  She wanted it for "Krystal, who was turning 16 and likes basketball." :)

I cut the circle out with a Nestability, and used other Circle Nestabilities to draw the lines.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Birthday Basics set.  Have I mentioned how much I like that set? LOL!  Then I embossed it with a "Bubbles" Cuttlebug folder.  Her school colors are blue and white.  I scored the blue cardstock with my Martha Stewart scoring board at eighth-inch intervals.  Her name was printed on the computer, and the numbers were stamped with an alphabet set from Susan Branch.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Rich Razzleberry Birthday

I rarely make a card with a cardbase of anything other than white, ivory or kraft, but today's card is an exception.

I started with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock.  I misted it with a mixture of Perfect Pearls (in the pearl color) and water.  Of course, you can't see that at all in the picture.  Trust me - it's very shimmery in real life!  I embossed it with a Spellbinders Butterfly Impressability.  I sponged Rich Razzleberry ink (from Stampin' Up!) on the edges and matted it on a cardbase of Rich Razzleberry.  The sentiment frame is cut with a Sizzix die.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Birthday Basics set.  I got that set for Christmas, and I sure have used it a lot!  I LOVE all the different "Happy Birthday" fonts.  I added some gold brads to the hearts (the die cut includes the holes) and mounted the frame on Pop Dots.  Before I added the frame, though, I added a thin strip of cardstock.

EDITED TO ADD:   I've had a couple questions about how I emboss.  I don't have any "secrets," but this is what I do.  I have a BIGkick that I do my embossing on.  I use a piece of rubber from Home Depot called "plumber's gasket" for my embossing.  I also have the rubber mat from Sizzix, but I find the plumber's gasket embosses a bit deeper.  I sometimes mist my paper before using texture plates, to get deeper embossing.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Cuttlebug Birthday

Here is a card I made yesterday morning.  I have one more from Wednesday night, and then I'm out of new cards again!  Maybe I can get something done today, but it's not looking good.  I actually get to go to a craft fair of sorts and try to "peddle" my cards. :)  So, I need to make sure they're ready.  For those of you asking for pictures of my kitchen when it's done, I can surely do that.  But, don't hold your breath!  We are so slow!  We got new countertop last June and are just getting around to doing the backsplash.  And one thing leads to another - under-the-counter lighting (new and also replacing what was there), new outlets and switches, etc.  That meant cutting into the sheetrock, so patching that up.  We had to remove the microwave to remove the backsplash that was behind it, etc., etc.!  Some day it will be done.  We're making progress, so that in itself is a good thing.

Anyway, not much to say about the card.  The colored papers are from a scrap pack I got at Target a few years ago.  I love these papers with their texture, and I love the way they go together.  I embossed the top and bottom of it with a Cuttlebug folder, added scored lines with my Scor-Pal, and added a piece I cut with a Cuttlebug die.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's set called Birthday Basics and is stamped with Versamagic Turquoise Gem ink.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Silver Best Wishes

Yay - I got to stamp!  I got a lot accomplished around the house yesterday, so I treated myself to some stamping last night.  First, of course, I had to tidy up a bit:)  But then I stamped.  I only got two cards done, but it was fun.

The silver embossed piece here is more "recycling."  It is a chocolate wrapper.  I love the texture in it.  I adhered it on a piece of cardstock and then used a Tapestry Cuttlebug folder to emboss it.  I mounted it on a piece of navy blue cardstock.  The sentiment is from a set by Stampin' Up! called Take Three.  The card base is from Die Cuts With a View.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Simple Sympathy

 

Gosh, I haven't stamped a card in nearly a week!  I sure hope I can get some stamping time today.  We went to Chicago early Friday morning and got home late Monday night.  We had a wonderful visit with our daughter, son-in-law and grandson.  Next time we see them, our granddaughter will have arrived!  We are supposed to go out of town this weekend, too, but we had to cancel to try to get a few things done around the house.  We are working in our kitchen, and it's moving along VERY slowly, but we are making progress.  Sure will be nice not to have to go into the living room to use the microwave!  And at least we plugged the stove back in and got it out of the middle of the kitchen:)  Baby steps! :)  But, enough about that!

I have photographed this card several times in different lights, and can't seem to get a good picture of it.  So, I'll just go with the best I've got.  The image is stamped on a paint sample from Home Depot.  We need a new backsplash in the kitchen and have decided to go with a paintable wallpaper that looks like a tin ceiling, and we'll paint it a metallic silver.  We got several different color samples and I thought instead of throwing them out, I would incorporate them into cards.  I stamped the flower, stem and leaves using Gina K's Tropical Flowers set.  The sentiment is from Papertrey's Wishing You set.  I used a corner slot punch and then rounded the corners of opposite corners.  The paper is from a large pad from Michael's (The Stack?  The Slab?) from a few years ago and is matted with black.  The pearls were originally white, but I colored them with a black Sharpie marker.

Thanks so much for stoping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Simple Thanks

I haven't had any time for card-making lately, so I'll just share this super-simple thank you card.

While digging through my drawer full of stickers and things, I came across some glittery rub-ons.  I can't tell you the brand, but I'm pretty sure they came from Michael's.  The leaves are one large rub-on.  The lines are embossed with my Scor-Pal.  The "Thanks" sentiment was a single stamp that was a bonus with my Verve order.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.  I hope you all have someone special to spend the day with.

This is the card I made for our son and daughter-in-law.  The stamps were a gift from a friend a few years ago.  I do believe they came from the dollar spot at Target.  I stamped them with Versamark and embossed them with silver detail embossing powder.  They are mounted on Real Red and then shimmery silver.  The lines are scored with my Scor-Pal and the ribbon is from a Christmas gift.  The image panel is popped up on Pop Dots.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Valentine for Andrew

This valentine is for our grandson.  

The image is from the Cuddly Buddly website.  I colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended with Gamsol.  The heart is printed on a separate sheet, cut out, and covered with red Fun Flock.  I used a scalloped square Nestability for the matting.  The background is embossed with a Cuttlebut folder and matted with red.  The ribbon was from a Christmas gift:)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon! 

Happy Birthday, Dylan!

This card is for my neighbor who turned 12 yesterday.  I babysat for him from the time he was born until he was four.

I stamped the letters with an alphabet set from Inkadinkado and four different colors of Versamagic chalk inks.  I distressed the edges and mounted them on Stampin' Up! cardstocks.  The "brads" are actually from the jewelry department at Michael's and, I believe, are called "studs."  The scoring lines are done with my Scor-Pal.  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's set called "Around and About."  the card measures 8.5 x 3.5 inches - to fit into a business size envelope.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

CAS Thinking of You

I haven't had time to stamp for quite a while, so I'll share a quick card I made last week.

I punched the border with a Martha Stewart punch.  I did the scoring with my Scor-Pal, then sponged a little green on the edges.  I used Stampin' Up! markers to color through the holes in the border.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up! (All Year Cheer I) and the butterflies are punched with a Martha Stewart punch and have pearls for their bodies.

I'm not sure how much posting I'll be doing for a while.  Seems we have a lot going on!  But, I'll do my best:)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

2RedBananas Banana Split Sunday Challenge - Valentine

This week's challenge on the 2RedBananas blog is to make a Valentine.  I got this sweet House Mouse image from 2RedBananas, but I'm not sure if it's still available there or not - sorry!  There are other House Mouse stamps available, though.

I stamped the image on Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Select white cardstock with Versafine Onyx Black ink.  I colored it with Prismacolor pencils and blended with Gamsol.  I added tiny pearls for the flower centers and matted it on Real Red cardstock.  The sentiment is from an Inkadinkado set.  I punched the little red hearts and "sprinkled" them on the card.  Then i glued them down wherever and in whatever orientation they landed.  That is so not me! :)  I like it, though.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Super Simple CAS

This is one of the two cards I made a few days ago when I was doing the SCS Clean and Simple Challenge.  I promised I would share, but I sent one out before I took a picture of it.  Oh well, it was the same as this one except it said "thanks a bunch."

I brayered the embossing folder with So Saffron ink.  I added the flower centers with a stamp from Papertrey Ink.  I scored lines on both sides of the So Saffron.  The sentiment and butterflies are both rub-ons from an older SU! Sale-a-Bration set.  That's it!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

JustRite Stamper Anniversary

I made this card as a special order for a "customer."  (Thanks so much, Nancy!)  I was going to ask if she minded if I posted it, but I forgot, so I'm just going to upload it.  I hope it's all right.:)

The sentiment was done with my JustRite Stamper.  The flower is an Inkadinkado stamp that I colored with Stampin' Up! markers.  I did the cutting with Circle Nestabilities.  The image/sentiment panel is mounted on Pop Dots.  I embossed the background piece with a Swiss Dots folder.  The scoring is done with my Scor-Pal and the border is done with a Martha Stewart punch.  The blue matting is SU!'s Pacific Point.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Paper-Pieced Flowers Birthday

I came across this stamp when I got out the lighthouse stamp for the card I posted yesterday, and thought I should use it.  Paper-piecing seemed like a good idea:)

The stamp is by Whipper Snapper and I stamped the image on patterned paper.  I used all patterned papers, but it's really hard to tell.  Both of the flowers and the flower centers are pieced.  I used a Certainly Celery marker to color the leaves.  The patterned paper is from an old "The Stack" from Michael's.  I matted the image with black and Certainly Celery.  I also used the patterned paper on the card base, matted with black.  The ribbon is Certainly Celery from Stampin' Up!  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink - called Wishing You.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

SCS Featured Stamper Challenge - Masculine Card

This card is for this week's SplitCoastStampers Featured Stamper challenge. The Featured Stamper this week is Nicole, and here is the card I chose to case from her wonderful gallery.

I stamped the image (by Impression Obsession) with Soft Suede on shimmery ivory paper, and then embossed with clear embossing powder. The sentiment (from Papertrey Ink's Birthday Basics) is done the same way. I matted it with Soft Suede and added the black decorative border, punched with an EK Success fleur-de-lis punch. The background is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder which I had brayered with Soft Suede. It's matted on Basic Black. The ribbon is from Basic Gray. The card base is Very Vanilla.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

SCS Clean and Simple Challenge - Daisies

This card is for Clean and Simple Challenge #52 on SplitCoastStampers, which is a sketch. I had an idea of what to do, and I changed most of it along the way:)  I did make a couple super quick cards with the pieces I didn't use, but I haven't taken pictures of them yet.  Maybe I'll share them with you another day.  I did the embossing with a Cuttlebug border folder. I stamped the flower centers with Stampin' Up!'s So Saffron ink and a stamp from Papertrey Ink's Paper Tray set. I sponged a little bit of Pallette New Leaf ink from PTI on the edge. The ribbon is from JoAnn's. The sentiment is stamped with New Leaf and the stamp is from PTI's set called Wishing You. The daisies are from Martha Stewart. I got them at a Big Lots when we were on vacation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last summer. Sure wish I had picked up several more packages! Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

February Calendar Page

Here is February's calendar page.  And the details:)  Can you believe it's February already???  I sure can't!

The background is shimmery light pink paper embossed with a heart Cuttlebug folder.  The hearts stamp is from Michael's from the dollar area, stamped with Real Red from Stampin' Up!  The heart frame is cut with a Sizzix die.  The sentiment stamp is from Inkadinkado.

If you would like a copy of the Excel file I created for the blank months, just send me an email at LJNeus@hotmail.com.  For those of you who have already received it from me, I would love to hear from you and see if it printed out correctly for you.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!