Vintage Vogue cards

By popular demand... :)

For my return to stamping, I thought I'd start fairly simple, didn't want to tax my brain too much:




Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede (09/10 In Color)
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, Whisper White
Accessories: um...dimensionals?


For my next card, I thought I'd kick it up a notch. I actually got the idea for the layout from somewhere (PaperCrafts magazine?), although mine has completely different colors and images and whatnot.




Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Pale Plum, Pretty In Pink, Very Vanilla card stock; Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (I love that it has glitter already on it!)
Accessories: scalloped edge & corner rounder punches; black button, gold cord, glue dots


So there you go. It's a start. :) I even made a different card today, but I wouldn't want to overwhelm you (or me) with TOO much all at once!

oh hai

You know, I actually made a card a couple of days ago. I ought to take a picture and document it. For all of my readers. Heh.

Sock Monkey!

In addition to stamping, I also knit and crochet, and because of that I really love the new Sock Monkey set! I made this card for a friend of mine. She loves monkeys, and this was for her baby shower:



I also know that Mary likes purple, and the baby was going to be a girl. I'd crocheted a pink and purple blankie, and those colors were pretty close to our Perfect Plum and Regal Rose, which led to the card's color scheme.

Stamps: Sock Monkey
Ink: Basic Grey, Regal Rose, Perfect Plum stamp pads
Paper: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Watercolor Crayons (Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Pale Plum, Regal Rose), Blender Pen, Crystal Effects, rose glitter (SU!, but retired), Elegant Eggplant and Pretty in Pink narrow grosgrain ribbon

Oddly enough, I remembered to take a picture of the card, but completely failed to get a picture of the blankie. Heh.

okay, another Convention swap

I've been almost too excited to stamp this week, because I'm waiting for my Big Shot! I just know that as soon as it comes, I'll want to break it out and play with it, and I don't want to get started on anything and have to pull myself away from that. Oh yeah, and watching Olympics coverage.

So, how about another of the cards I swapped at Convention?



Like I said, I made fairly simple cards to swap, but I just loved the bright colors on this one!

Stamp sets: A Beautiful Thing
Ink: Barely Banana, Summer Sun, Green Galore, Gable Green, Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise classic stamp pads
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

I crumpled up the Lilac card stock, then flattened it out before adhering the white layer on top, to give it a little extra dimension. The other thing I did to make this go a bit faster is to take a whole sheet of Whisper White card stock, cover it with the flowers and swirls, and then cut it into strips. It means that each card comes out random, but I think that's part of the fun! :)

convention swap!

Quick post, or else it'll NEVER get done...I guess it's been a couple of weeks since I was in Salt Lake City for the Stampin' Up! Convention, and boy, did I have a great time! Lots of new stuff learned, I'm so excited about our new products (especially the Big Shot!!!), and I got some great ideas from swapping there too!

Now, those of you who know me may know that a couple of years ago, faced with the daunting task of making hundreds of swaps, I just said no. I wasn't going to do it, it was too much pressure, I'd let my friends swap and hopefully they'd let me see some of the samples they got, but I just couldn't do it myself. So I didn't. And I have to say, it was a little sad to not participate in all the fun, but at the same time, it was GREAT. No pressure to make the Best Cards Ever, no worrying whether someone would turn up their nose at mine, or whatever. I still had a great time learning stuff in the classes, and I did get to see swaps from my friends, but I didn't have that added stress.

But then this year, I couldn't resist the temptation, and I made 4 different card(fronts), and just a few of each, for a total of about 85 swaps. That was it, it wasn't too much work, I didn't get a repetitive stress injury from too much stamping, I had fun working on them and on swapping, and it was great. Maybe I'll keep doing that, just make a hundred or so and not let it take over my life. Stamping is supposed to be fun, right? :)

Anyway, after all of that, here's one of the cards I made. It was the first one that ran out, so I guess that means it was the one that people liked the most.



Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive Classic Pads; Very Vanilla Craft Pad
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, More Mustard, Old Olive, Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories: clear embossing powder, sponges

The word at the bottom was stamped in Very Vanilla Craft ink, then I embossed it with clear embossing powder. I felt like it needed a little more something, so I rubbed in Elegant Eggplant ink around it, to help highlight it a bit more.

Picture taken in my hotel in SLC, because I completely forgot to do it before I left home! I'd even started swapping, and then realized I didn't have pictures of these, so I needed to hold back a few to make sure there was a record of them.

more Time Well Spent

I like this hostess set, and am a little sad to see if go. This time, I went for a simpler look with just one color and some glitter:



I know, I know, I should have adjusted the ribbon before I took the picture, so you can see the WHOLE greeting. Ah well. :)

Stamp Set: Time Well Spent
Ink: Basic Black classic pad; Real Red marker
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 2-Way glue pen, Black gingham ribbon, Ticket Corner punch

hmm, another easy one

Same stamp set, also an easy card, but a different look. I'm a big fan of cups and mugs, you see, so even though it's a simple image, it just speaks to me:



Stamps: Pun Fun; Sweet Stars Jumbo Wheel
Ink: Basic Black, Lavender Lace, Chocolate Chip Classic Stamp Pads
Paper: Lavender Lace, Whisper White card stock
Accessories: silver eyelets, Crop-A-Dile, white narrow grosgrain ribbon

Tip: The jumbo cartridge doesn't come in the color you want, and you're not quite ready to commit to inking up a blank cartridge just yet? No worries - roll the wheel over the stamp pad, and then roll that across your paper. The jumbo wheels are long enough to go across the long side of a standard size card.

lazy stamper with Pun Fun!

I am a big fan of quick projects, and the idea of using "templates". What is a template? Simply put, it's kind of like a sketch - take the shape of a card, and make substitutions as desired.

Take a look back at this card. It's a landscape-oriented card, with an image in the middle, and a horizontal band, halfway down, across the card. This card takes that same template, but changes it up a bit:



Different, but the same, yes?

Stamp sets: Pun Fun; Sweet Stars jumbo wheel
Inks: Basic Gray classic stamp pad; Pretty In Pink and Almost Amethyst Markers; Ballet Blue jumbo wheel cartridge
Paper: Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Whisper White carad stock
Accessories: Twill Tape, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-A-Dile, Jumbo Stampin' Around Handle, Blender Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

Quick little card

Need a way to jazz up a little gift? Our Scallop Notes are a way to add a fast note to a gift. You can easily whip up a pile of them and have them ready for last-minute gifts...you know the ones, where husband comes home and says "hey, we're having dinner with the Smiths, and did you know it's his birthday next week?" Grab a nice bottle of wine, or pick up something on the way to the restaurant, add one of these, and they'll never be the wiser!



Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Soft Sky, Certainly Celery classic pads
Paper: Chocolate Chip cardstock
Accessories: Scallop Notes, 1" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, Paper Snips, Twill Tape, Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon, Mini Glue Dots

one more Heartfelt Thanks

I don't know what I'm going to do when this set retires!



The colors won't be available for long though - they're part of SU!'s current In Colors, and after August 10th, it's out with the old, and in with the new!

Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks, Everyday Flexible Phrases
Ink: Wild Wasabi pad; Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke markers
Paper: Bayou Blue, River Rock, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Accessories: Word Window punch, Pomegranate double-stitched ribbon

Tip on the Word Window punch - the opening on that is actually about 2" wide, I think. To make it smaller, just punch out the piece, then align that within the opening and punch a second time, making a custom-sized smaller oval.

Heartfelt Thanks

Hey, look - a purple card!

Okay, I honestly have no idea where this card came from, but I'm pretty sure it's not mine. I just found the picture when looking back in my images, and thought I'd post it. It's definitely my colors though!



Stampin' Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace, Whisper White
Accessories: Vintage brads, Elegant Eggplant 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Time Well Spent

Really, I need to start stamping every day.



Stamps: Time Well Spent (level 3 hostess set - soon to be retired!)
Ink: Basic Brown, Ballet Blue, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Ballet Blue
Accessories: Crafter's Tool Kit, Stampin' Sponges, Natural Hemp Twine, 1" and 1-1/4" Circle Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

The most difficult thing on this card is probably the assembly - lots of pieces all put together, Tip for the circle piece in the lower right corner - stamp the image, then flip the punch upside down to center it in the circle.

Sending happy thoughts!

I bet you thought I'd forgotten about this blog, huh? The truth is that I haven't, I've just been busy with a lot of stuff, and had hardly any time for stamping. I dusted off the ink pads today though, and have two treats for you. I started with SU!'s Simply Sent kit, Sending Happy Thoughts:

The materials are easy to list in this one, because it's just that kit! ;-) In case you're curious about the specifics, we've got Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive card stock and ink, plus a little Very Vanilla card stock. There's a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter in the middle of the flower, and the brad is a pewter one, which is also available in the Vintage brads set, or as part of a Hodgepodge Hardware. The ribbon is also available in the Jersey Ribbon Originals.

But if you know me, you'll know that those aren't really my favorite colors. So what happens if we pull out some other cardstock and inks?

Ah, much better! I'm not sure I've ever made a card with this color combination, but I gotta say, turquoise has really caught my eye a lot lately, and I love it with purple! So, Lovely Lilac and Tempting Turquoise card stock and inks, and of course Whisper White works a little better than vanilla here. Tie a little Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, and that's a card I'd probably make a BIG pile of, just to have on hand.

I'm pretty confident that the Simply Sent kits will all get switched out when the next catalog comes out in a couple of months, so if you love this idea, be sure to order one now!

I'd also say that I'll post more frequently, but whenever I do, it seems to have the opposite effect. So...see you in a few months? ;-)

oh, just post already!

This is a card I did a while back for my friend Lorraine - she loaned me something, so of course I had to make her a thank you card! Thanks, Dude! :)




Stamps: Year After Year, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip classic pads, Versamark
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie card stock; Watercolor paper, Prints Designer Series Papers (So Saffron)
Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons (Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron), Corner Rounder punch, clear embossing powder, sponges

where has the time gone?

How is it that a month always seems to pass between my posts? I really am stamping, I'm even sometimes taking pictures of my creations, I just seem to fail to write them up for some reason.
:P

Well, here's something:



Thank YOU for being patient! :)

Stamps: All About U
Ink: More Mustard, Not Quite Navy
Paper: Close to Cocoa, More Mustard, Not Quite Navy, Confetti White card stock
Accessories: Dimensionals, Spiral punch, Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon

I love that spiral punch! It's great as used here, to make it almost look like you've torn a bit of paper out of a notebook to add the greeting, but did you know that you can also make custom covers for most spiral-bound notebooks? Of course it's great for Stampin' Up!'s Art Journal, but I've experimented with other notebooks and so far, they've all fit fine. It's a excellent way to make a custom notebook/journal, and you can change the look on a whim! Switch them out depending on the season, or to show off an interesting color combination.

a new twist on the corner rounder punch

This card shows a different way to use the corner rounder punch. If you're really careful, you can remove the guide that lines up the corner, and use the punch along one side to make a nice scalloped border:


It's also a rare day for me - a card made with background paper! I love this stuff, I buy a fair amount of it, but for some reason I'm just scared to use it. I've seen so many great cards using our Designer Papers that I just HAD to do something myself, and this is the result.

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley, Wonderful Words
Ink: Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad; Taken With Teal, Certainly Celery, So Saffron Stampin' Write Markers.
Paper: Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Whisper White, Taken With Teal card stock; Petals & Paisley Double-Sided Designer Paper
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware - Aged Copper, Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Corner Rounder punch, Crafter's Tool Kit

Thanks for looking!

using other ideas

This card is a demonstration of how you can get an idea for a card from a scrapbook page (or the other way around, of course).

First, open up your Fall & Winter 2007 Collection to page 125. If you don't have one, call me first and I'll get one to you, and then go to my web site and click the link for "Online Catalog" and use that for now. See the scrapbook page, with the adorable baby? Now, look at this card:




You should be able to see the similarities there - I lifted the colors and layout almost directly from the scrapbook page, but I used what I had on hand to make my own creation. I've still got the Old Olive base, but instead of the background paper on the left, I used Sahara Sand stamped with Very Vanilla craft ink to make my own background. The brown strip is the same deal - rather than the Close to Cocoa designer series paper, I used a 1" strip of Cocoa card stock and stamped polka dots in Vanilla, then the flower motif in Chocolate Chip classic ink. Rather than the photo as the main piece in the middle, I took the square stamp from the Baroque Motifs set and stamped that in Close to Cocoa on Sahara Sand card stock (this mimics the sepia toned photo), and layered it on Always Artichoke card stock. The small elements framing the center piece are simply that same square, stamped in Artichoke ink onto Old Olive card stock, and trimmed down with our fantastic Paper Snips.


Supplies:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke classic pads; Very Vanilla craft pad
Paper: Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla Always Artichoke card stock
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

Cherish

New card with Baroque Motifs:



Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Purely Pomegranate, Versamark
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron
Accessories: Tag Punch, Paper Snips, Gold embossing powder, Elegant Eggplant and More Mustard ribbon, Double Circle punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Now this is a card that I really love! When I saw the new Purely Pomegranate color for this year, I fell head over heels with it and I want to use it all of the time.

It's hard to tell in the photo, but for the motif on the tag, I stamped in pomegranate on saffron cardstock, and trimmed that out around the dots. Then I stamped the motif again in eggplant on eggplant and trimmed that out closer to the main part of the image. This way, you get a border around it in a totally different corner. I love the look of torn paper, and it's fun to use it as if you're revealing a little secret on the layer beneath, like the "cherish" that's on the lower right corner. And of course, ribbon is one of my favorite accessories to just add a little extra something to almost any card.

Colors from Stampin' Up!'s Rich Regal color family are a natural for a vintage set like this, and the eggplant and pomegranate might be my favorite color combination. At least for this week, until I see something different.

Next up will be an example of how to adapt an idea from a scrapbook page into a card. Stay tuned!

Thinking of You

Today I have 2 cards that are almost the same, just slightly tweaked colors and accessories. I hesitated to put these up, because to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I like them. Maybe you won't either, or maybe you will. In any case, at least I'm stamping, and maybe I can learn from mistakes. Feel free to tell me what you think about them, what you do and don't like, what I might tweak to make 'em better.

Card #1:



Stamps: Baroque Motifs (love this new stamp set), Sincere Salutations
Ink: Handsome Hunter classic pad, Very Vanilla craft pad
Paper: Handsome Hunter, Blush Blossom, Elegant Eggplant card stock
Accessories: embossing powder, paper snips, dimensionals

Technique: embossing. I just inked up the stamp with vanilla ink, poured embossing powder over it, ran heat tool over that to melt the EP, let it cool (important step - stamping injuries can be surprisingly painful!), then trimmed the edges with the paper snips. Those little scissors are great, because you can trim so closely to edges and they're super-sharp and cut all the way to the tips.


Card #2:



Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Sincere Salutations
Ink: Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow, Perfect Plum classic pads
Paper: Handsome Hunter, Blush Blossom, Perfect Plum, Sage Shadow card stock
Accessories: Metal Edged Tags - square, Crystal Effects, paper snips, dimensionals


No interesting technique on this one, but I did remove the paper from the middle of the Metal-Edged tag, then cut a square of Blush Blossom cardstock and mounted it underneath the tag with a little Crystal Effects (this stuff is so versatile). The trick to getting the paper out of the tag is to cut a big X through the middle of it. Once you pull out the first triangle, the rest are easier to remove, and then you can customize the paper. It's an easy way to give something a little extra highlight on your work, but without letting the background show through - if I'd just taken out the paper and not replaced it, you'd see the background on the main layer. Plus, the edge of the tag by itself would be harder to mount, because how do you attach such a thin piece of metal to the paper so it's popped up, but without your adhesive showing?

Actually, there is a little trick to these cards - on most of my cards, the largest layer is actually the card "base" where I'd eventually write something. If this were a "normal" card, that would be the Handsome Hunter layer, but to write on that, you HAVE to have a gel pen or something similar, or else you won't be able to read the words. For this card, I cut a piece of Handsome Hunter into a 5.5" x 4.25" rectangle - a quarter sheet of cardstock. Then I cut the Blush Blossom cardstock so that it was 5.25" x 8", folded it in half, then mounted that on the Handsome Hunter. Now when you go to open the card, you're not opening a Handsome Hunter card, you're opening a Blush Blossom one, and you can use almost any pen to write on that!

Polka Dots & Paisley

I made this card a couple of months ago, but apparently never posted it. Whoops!




Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley
Ink: Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose
Paper: Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware - Aged Copper, Certainly Celery ribbon, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals


I love to add ribbon to cards, and the Mini Glue Dots are a great way to add a little bit of it anywhere. Just tie a simple knot in the ribbon, press it to the glue dot, then stick it on the card wherever you like. This accessory really helps odd-shaped or textured pieces like a ribbon stay on a card, and ribbon is an easy and inexpensive choice for jazzing up your work.