Sparkly Purple Birthday

 I actually found it hard to make a birthday card for our soon-to-be six-year-old granddaughter! I wasn't sure what she was "in to" these days. So, I went purple and sparkly. How could I go wrong?

I had actually already started this card, because I used a large stamp from my next Stampin' Up! set. The set is called "Baroque Motifs." I used Versamark to stamp the background stamp multiple times (well, one full stamp, and then several partials.) I used my Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder. That is the one jar of embossing powder that is almost empty! I didn't realize I had used it so much. Then I didn't know what to do, and I let it sit for a while. I ended up cutting a tag with a fancy tag Spellbinders die. I then stamped the sentiment (from The Paper Studio) and the little flowers/designs and used the same embossing powder. I added a couple layers of cardstock underneath to give it more substance, and then mounted on foam squares. I hope she likes it!

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

Color Swap Birthday

I made this card for the Color Swap with my stamping group. The colors are "purple, white and one other color." My "other color" is green. (Oops, I just realized that I added slight blue and gray shading! I guess I forgot that part when I was coloring.)

I cut the doily using a Darice die. It's new (to me) and I'm disappointed that I didn't check the size before ordering it. It's too big to fit on a standard card. I was also thinking that it had more cut out of it, but most of it is embossed. I still like it well enough, though. So, I cut it, embossed it, and trimmed it down to fit on the card. The image is from an Inkadinkado set and it's colored with Copics. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and I embossed it with Detail White embossing powder.

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

Simply Patterned Paper Birthday

A simple, but I think very pretty, birthday card for today's post. It was nice to have a little time in my stamping room yesterday.

Again I say - I could never use up my patterned paper in a million years! (That might be a slight exaggeration, but maybe not, since I would probably buy more along the way. LOL!) At any rate I actually used up another piece. I love this flowered print. I simply cut a piece to nearly cover the card front and matted it with a beautiful brown cardstock. I'm thinking a lot of people don't like brown, but I happen to like it a lot. I used a scrap from cutting that piece for the sentiment panel. I stamped the greeting with a stamp from Impression Obsession, matted it with the same brown, and popped it up on foam squares. Done! Hopefully I'll have another card before too much more time passes.

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

"Cracked" Image Birthday

An "oldie-but-goodie" technique for today's card. I'm not sure what made me think of it, but here it is. I stamped the image (from Inkadinkado) and colored it with markers. Then I inked up the entire panel with Versamark and covered it with Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder and heated it. Then I stamped again with Versamark and covered it with Deep Impressions embossing powder. (Different brands have different names.) I added two or three more coats of the thick embossing powder. It was perfect - just the way I wanted it. But, then when I came back to it a while later, I somehow managed to crack it:( However, there is a technique called "cracked glass," so that is what this turned into. I just added lots more cracks and then sponged with distress ink. I matted with green cardstock and mounted on foam squares. I used the same green cardstock for the bottom layer. The sentiment is from Kaisercraft. I cut it out with a new-to-me Darice die and embossed with an old Cuttlebug embossing folder. The cardbase is ivory.

A closer look at the image panel. You can see the sparkle a little better in this picture.

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

Easter Cards

A year ago when I was in Omaha stamping with friends, I stamped and cut out these images and sentiments. I came across them about a month ago and decided I better get them made into cards soon. Some of the images were colored and some weren't done yet. I'm sharing both of them only because one basket has smiley faces on the eggs and one doesn't:) The inside has more stamped, colored and die-cut images, but I didn't take a picture of them. The images and dies are from Lawn Fawn.

Edited to add: The background was embossed with a Darice "Basket Weave" folder. Thanks to Sheri for the use of her stamps and dies! The sentiment is mounted on foam squares. I guess I was in a hurry when I wrote this post last night!

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

All Occasions #4

The last card using the Stampin' Up! set called "All Occasions." (And the last set in that stack. On to another stack!)

Again, colored with Copics. I matted with red and mounted on foam squares. Added the sentiment. Both the image and sentiment are from the set. I added them to a white panel and glued to the card front.

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

All Occasions #2 and #3

Here are cards #2 and 3 using the Stampin' Up! set called "All Occasions." I have two stamps left to use.

This first one uses the flowers and the sentiment "Thanks to you." I embossed a piece of cardstock slightly smaller than the card front using a Cuttlebug folder. I stamped the image using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and colored it with Copics. I added the sentiment under the image and added the panel to the card front.

Same card - different image and sentiment. This sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

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

All Occasions #1

This card uses the next set in my quest to use all of my old Stampin' Up! stamps. It's called "All Occasions." I am about half done with that task. (I started over a year and a half ago! It's a slow process. :) )

Today's card uses three stamps from the set - the frame, the image and the sentiment. There are three more images and two more sentiments. I colored the image with Copics, matted the image panel and mounted on foam squares. The background was embossed with an old Cuttlebug folder. Hopefully it won't be TOO long before I will get the other stamps used.

This is in response to Belinda who commented on this post. The embossing folder that I used is from the set of "Small Flowers" embossing folders from Cuttlebug.

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

Watercolor Sympathy

Not the most creative card I've made, but I still like it. I dug out this Inkadinkado set and remembered how much I love the images. 

I used watercolor paper for the image panel. I used a brush and water and ink to color the leaves. They look a little more "watercolored" in real life than they do in the picture. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I matted with black and added to an ivory card base.

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

Wonderful Words Thank You

One more card using the Stampin' Up! set called "Wonderful Words." This makes three of the four stamps that I have used. The fourth says "friendship" but I just don't think I would use that card, so I don't plan on using it.

I tried something different on this card, but an artist I am not! I used a piece of watercolor paper and wet it thoroughly. I smooshed three colors (an ivory, a blue and a purple) of distress ink onto my craft mat and used a brush to add them to the watercolor paper. It's not the best background, but it's acceptable. The flower stamp is from an Inkadinkado set. I colored it with Copic markers. I matted the image panel with black and added it to an ivory card base. This completes my use of the two smallest sizes of Stampin' Up! sets - on to the next size!

Edited to add: Sandy - I am just about half done with my project. It's been a long one so far! I really am committed to finish it, though, no matter how long it takes. :)

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

Vivid Greetings #5 and #6

OK. I decided I needed to use the last two little stamps of the Stampin' Up! Vivid Greetings set. I wasn't sure I would, but a tiny bit of inspiration came to me, so here they are. The little candle and the little heart are the ones from the set. Another set done! :)

I was thinking these stamps would make nice teeny tiny cards, but who makes teeny tiny cards??? But, that made me think of my teeny tiny envelope punch. Well, the punch is big, but the envelope is teeny tiny! The punch is from Marvy. So I punched out the envelope from yellow cardstock, folded it up and glued it together. I inked up the candle stamp with markers and stamped it on a small piece of cardstock which really IS a card, as it's folded in half. I cut a piece of white cardstock, matted it with the same yellow, mounted it on foam squares and added it to a card base. I glued the envelope to it, but the little "card" is simply inserted a little bit. I may decided to glue it in later. I also added Star Dust Stickles to the flame. 

This card was done the same way, except I forgot to mount the panel on foam squares. I added Star Dust Stickles to the heart. The little greeting stamps are from a set from Papertrey Ink. I love the sentiments and the fonts, but they are SO SO tiny that they have rarely been used by me. (I think they later came out with the same set, but bigger stamps.)

Edited to add: Bea - this set from Inkadinkado is called "Beauty Stems." Here is a link to Amazon so that you can see what it looks like. I think it's a beautiful set!

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

Retirement Flowers

A friend of ours is retiring on Friday after 39 years at the same job. Good for her!!! We wish her the best, for sure!

This is the card I made for her. The flowers stamp is from Inkadinkado. I stamped it on watercolor paper and used die inks and an aquapainter. The sentiment is from Repeat Impressions. I added a bit of embossing on the bottom (Darice embossing folder) and then scored a line above it with my ScorPal.

I'm linking this up to the CropStop challenge - Anything Goes. They carry Darice embossing folders, although I don't see this one on the site.

Edited to add: Bea - this set from Inkadinkado is called "Beauty Stems." Here is a link to Amazon so that you can see what it looks like. I think it's a beautiful set!

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

March Calendar Page

Oh my - it's March already! Here is my calendar page.

I used a Tsukineko multi-color pad to brayer the color on the background. The little girl and the sentiment are from a Stampin' Up! set that I borrowed from a friend. I didn't write it down in my notes, but I bet the butterfly is from Inkadinkado. I added a bit of color on the eggs in the basket.

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

Vivid Greetings - Part Three and Four

Here are cards #3 and 4 using the Stampin' Up! set called Vivid Greetings. I had this rose-colored piece of cardstock sitting on my table that had been cut with a Memory Box Stitched Rectangle die, so I used it for this card. One less piece to put in my Card Parts box:) I stamped the "For my Friend" with black near a corner. Then I masked it off and stamped all around it with an Inkadinkado stamp. I matted with black and added it to a white card base. I also added a black enamel dot to the flower center.

A Thank You card using the last sentiment stamp of this set. I still have two small stamps to use. (A heart and a candle. I'm not quite certain I will use them.) I stamped and matted with SU! ink and cardstock. The background is some patterned paper I've had for years. (I have SO much, and I really do love almost all of it, but it never seems to work out to use it!) I matted it with the same color cardstock as the sentiment. The sentiment is mounted on foam squares.

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

Color Swap Hello

I made this card for a swap in our stamping group. It's a color challenge and the colors are two shades of pink. I stamped the "hello" (from Stampin' Up!'s Vivid Greetings) with a lighter pink. I mounted on foam squares. I cut the layered panels with Memory Box stitched dies. The swirl was done with a Memory box die, also. I used a Darice embossing folder on the white layer.

I am linking this up to the CropStop challenge, which is "Anything Goes."

Edited to add: Suzy - this card is standard A2 size - 5.5 x 4.25.

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

A Two-Fer

Two cards for the price of one today:) This first one is using the next set in my Stampin' Up! stack. It's from the set called "Vivid Greetings." It consists of four sentiment stamps like this one, and two small stamps. This first card is a guy card. Well, really they both are, I guess. I stamped the greeting, then cut it out with a Memory Box Stitched Rectangle die. The background (which is really the foreground!) is a piece from a Die Cuts With a View matstack. I cut the opening with the same Memory Box die. I mounted the wood-grain piece on foam tape to frame the image/sentiment.

Of course I had to use the piece that was cut out, too. Didn't want to add it to my card parts, so I made this card right away. I die-cut a frame for it and added both pieces to a piece of scrap cardstock. I mounted this on foam squares. The sentiment is from Heidi Grace. The background piece was cut with a stitched rectangle die, also, and embossed with a Darice embossing folder.

Edited to add: I am submitting these cards into the CropStop.com challenge. The challenge is Anything Goes. I purchased my Stitched Rectangle dies from CropStop, and have ordered other things from them over the years, also!

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

Vertical Greetings

One more small step on my journey to use all of my Stampin' Up! stamps. The set I'm using today is called "Vertical Greetings." It consists of ... surprise!! ... four greetings that go up and down:) These cards are all the same. I stamped the sentiment, colored with Copics, added some Stickles or Diamond Glaze, matted and mounted on foam squares. Then I added ab embossed bottom layer. This embossing folder is from Darice.

 This embossing folder is from Darice.

 This is an old embossing folder from Cuttlebug.

This embossing folder is from Darice, also.

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

Watercolor Minis

Well, I finally have returned to my project of using all of my retired Stampin' Up! sets. I think I am about half done, but I had put it on hold for several months. We'll see how long I can keep it up this time. I feel "stifled" by it.

The set I'm using today is called "Watercolor Minis." It consists of twelve small, two-step stamps. For this first card, I used four of the stamps - two for the leaves and two for the roses. I randomly stamped them on the cardstock. It looked a little plain, so I added the "bling." The "Celebrate" is from the set called "Wonderful Words."

For this card, I used the other eight stamps. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I matted with olive cardstock and mounted on foam squares.

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

With Sympathy

I should have posted this card with these cards, but it wasn't finished yet.

This little piece of patterned paper was left over after making those cards. I couldn't just toss it, of course:) So, I trimmed it down a little bit, added the sentiment (from Papertrey Ink) and matted it with black. Then I took some white cardstock and embossed it with a Darice Brick Wall embossing folder and matted that with black also.

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

Ferny Birthday Wishes

This card uses the last of the "card parts" that were still laying on my table waiting to be used. The "tablecloth" is left over from this card. I just can't throw away those little pieces! I added it to a piece of lavender textured cardstock. The tiny sentiment piece was a card part, too. I would guess the die-cut piece was cut using a die from Spellbinders, but I'm not 100% certain. The sentiment is from a set by Papertrey Ink. I mounted the little panel on foam squares. I stamped the vase (from Gina K) on patterned paper, then strengthened it with cardstock underneath it. I stamped the ferns (from the same Gina K set) and then added the vase, mounted on foam squares, also.

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