MIA for Way Too Long

I'm hoping that I can get back into the swing of things with this blog.  I really love blogging but I've been crazy busy.  So for now I'm just posting some of the things I've made over the past few months.

I've done more than just these two but I either haven't taken photos or the photos are still on the camera. 

I'm currently fighting strep throat so I'm hoping to get back into some projects soon.  I've got Christmas stuff to make and will showcase it here.

Mom's Birthday Card

My mom celebrated her birthday almost 10 days ago.  This is the card I made for her.  Like I said in my last post, I am overly in love with the Top Note Big Shot die.  So here's another card made with it.

Stamps:  Crazy for Cupcakes, With All My Heart

Ink: Black StazOn, Versamark

Paper: Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Cutie Pie DSP

Other:  Big Shot Top Note die, Watercolor Crayons, retired blue ribbon (no idea what color, sorry)

Bird Punch Anniversary Card

Lane and I celebrated 14 years of marriage last week.  I always find that stamping masculine cards is quite the challenge.  I love Stampin' Up! however, they really need to work on the masculine stamps department.  In their current catalog there is absolutely nothing that appeals to me for making manly cards.  So my challenge was, "How am I going to make a masculine anniversary card for Lane?"  I sorted through my retired DSP and found the plaid paper.  From there, I went through my stamp sets and couldn't find anything that appealed to me.  Then I had the a-ha moment.  Use the bird punch.  So this is what I came up with.  On the inside I just stamped Happy Anniversary.

Supplies:

ink - Versamark

paper - Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Whisper White, River Rock, Muirfield DSP

stamps - Friends Never Fade

punch - Bird 

other - Top Note Big Shot die, white gelly roll pen, Kiwi Kiss reversable ribbon

Wedding Card

Stamps:  Wedding Sweet

Ink:  Night of Navy, Versamark

Paper:  DSP Bridal Paper, Whisper White, Night of Navy

Other:  Cranberry grosgrain ribbon, Pastels, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Iridescent Ice embossing powder

I really like the way this card turned out.  I actually stamped it in early July so I kind of went with the red, white and blue theme.  The photo doesn't do as much justice to the card as I wish it did. 

Some Recent Cards

I made these for my mom a few weeks ago.  She is not a stamper but loves handmade cards so every few months I stamp a bunch up for her.  I'm not including the recipes as there are quite a few I'm posting.  I really love the cards using the Tart & Tangy stamp set. 

The above card is a technique that was shown to me using ribbon scraps.  So I went through my own and made this card.  Thanks Mandy!

Swaps

Wanted to show some of the great cards I got in a recent swap.  I got a total of 13 (I think), but I'm not showing them all.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday - Masculine

As always, I have a hard time with birthday cards for guys.  Any cards for guys to be honest.  Stampin' Up! came out with the new catalog about 10 days ago and again, I'm disappointed in my choices.  My FIL's birthday was a few weeks ago and I made him a card using the Loads of Love set.  I love this set and will be sad when SU retires it.  But I will be hanging on to it regardless.  So here's what I came up with. 

Supplies:

stamps: Loads of Love, Teeny Tiny Wishes

ink: Basic Black, Real Red

paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Real Red

misc.: Watercolor Crayons, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, silver brads

Friend to Friend

I made this for a card swap this past Sunday.  I had to use current Stampin' Up! products for it.  Since we're almost at the official start of summer I wanted to do something bright and semi-sassy.  So this is what I came up with. 

Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise

Paper: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Island Oasis DSP

Other:  Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Temping Turquoise grosgrain ribbon.  (I can't remember what size circle punches I used.)

Happy Graduation

I made this quick card this morning.  I still have a graduation card or two to send and wanted to come up with something pretty and elegant.  So here's what I came up with:

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper:  Whisper White, Soft Sky (retired)

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Ribbon: Chocolate 

Other: Manhattan Flower Embossing Sleeve

Super simple and super chic!!

Playing Catch Up

I've been away for 5 weeks.  I know, I know.  How dare I!  Lots of traveling and then of course throw in illnesses and you get a recipe for no stamping.  Well at least none at home.  And I've only uploaded a few photos of recent cards I made at Stamp Club.  Here are the 2 that I made this month.  I really like both sets and ordered one of them.  The other one I will order next month. 

The above card was made using the texture embossing folder in the new mini called Square Lattice.  I also ordered that.  I love the embossing folders.  

The stamp set is called Sweet Scoops.

This card also used the Square Lattice embossing folder.  

The stamp set I used and ordered is called Elements of Style.

It's been a long time since I've used the spotlight technique.  I loved making this card.  It's probably one of my favorites over the past few months.

I will try and upload a few more cards when I get the chance.  It's the last week of school and it's busy! 

Father's Day

I recently participated in a swap where the theme was Father's Day cards.  I got some pretty cool cards.  A few others that weren't my style but that goes with the territory of a swap.  Wanted to show off the card I made.  I received a lot of compliments on them.

Supplies:

stamps - Trendy Trees, Teeny Tiny Wishes

ink - Night of Navy, Old Olive, Crushed Curry and Close to Cocoa

paper - Old Olive, Night of Navy & Whisper White

other - polka dot embossing sleeve, word window punch, navy grosgrain ribbon

Hoping I can get some other card making done and show some other stuff I've made at stamp club recently. 

I'm Joining in the Party - the

For the back story please click here.  I'm excited to be a part of it this year.  I've had other blog friends participate in years past and I finally decided to do it myself!!

BTW, I am expecting to post photos of cards I've done recently as well as one that I'm making for a swap tomorrow.  The pollen levels have been hellaciously high here this year.  Poor Emi is miserable.  Her nose won't stop running and she's sneezing to beat the band.  Her eyes are watering and she's coughing.  We have a nebulizer and have been giving her breathing treatments at home in hopes of getting rid of some of the junk that has accumulated in her lungs.  This is her first Spring in the US and I'm thinking her body just doesn't know what to do when the trees start to bloom.  We're praying that it will be better next Spring.  Plus we're pretty sure she's getting in the last of her eye teeth and that hasn't helped with the runny nose either.

Baby

Last week I said I was going to figure out a way to use the chick stamp from the A Good Egg set for a baby card.  Well, last night I accomplished it.  And I'm really pleased how it turned out.  It's also a great neutral card for either a boy or a girl.  I used pop dots for the baby to give the card some dimension.

Stamps:  A Good Egg, All Year Cheer II (retired)

Ink:  Lovely Lilac, Basic Black

Paper:  Whisper White, Barely Banana, Lovely Lilac, DSP Rainbow Sherbet (retired)

Other:  ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Polka Dot Big Shot Embossing Sleeve, Green Galore eyelets (retired), scallop oval punch, large oval punch

More Cards

Several of these I made at stamp club and one I received from someone else.  The other two I made here at home.  

I am seriously loving the Polka Dot embossing sleeve in Stampin' Up's Spring mini-catalog.  It really can make a difference on a card.  And 3 out of the 5 cards below used the embossing sleeve.

So the first 3 cards are ones I made at stamp club and the one that was given to me by someone else.  The one given to me is the blue & brown butterfly card.  It is really, really cute (aka more stuff I want to buy).

And here are the 2 that I made in the past couple of days.  Both stamp sets are retired Stampin' Up sets but I use them so that's why they're still around.

Happy Easter

I've been MIA for awhile - sorry.  February was a busy month.  We traveled, got sick (I did and I'm still trying to get rid of it after 3 weeks), lots of Dr's appts, etc.

So I finally got around to getting back to stamping last night.  I'm going through my stuff and finally letting go of stuff I haven't used for years.  Not sure how I'm going to sell it.  Maybe E*bay or I might offer it to other stampers in the area that might want it.  

With Spring right around the corner (I hope) I made an Easter card last night.  I love the Stampin' Up! set A Good Egg but haven't really played with it since buying it last year.  I'm trying to figure out how to use it for more than just Easter/Spring cards.  I think the hatching chick would be cute for a baby card but still playing.  Maybe in the next few days I'll have something to show.

So this is what I did last night and I love it!!  It's simple to make, just time consuming because of the steps needed to make it from sending the embossing sleeve through the Big Shot to glittering.  And of course it took me a few minutes to figure out exactly what I wanted to do because I'd do one thing and then decide that glittering would be cool, etc.

Here's a list of the supplies I used:

Inks: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Only Orange, Gable Green

Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Gable Green

Other supplies: Dazzling Diamonds (glitter), Scallop Trim Border Punch, Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, paper piercer, Small & Large Oval punches, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing folder.

Sweet Treats

Decided to make something other than a card.  I made the boxes this weekend and I made the over-sized match book treat holders a few weekends ago.  I made a total of 6 boxes (3 red & 3 pink) that I'm going to give away to my nieces for Valentine's Day.  The treats inside are heart shaped Reese's.  What's inside the over-sized match books are fun size bags of M&M's.  

 

stamps: Happy Heart Day (retired)

ink: Stazon black; colored in with SU Watercolor Crayons

paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Lovely Lilac

other supplies: ribbon

Supplies for over-sized match books below:

stamps: I {Heart} Hearts

inks: Real Red, Chocolate Chip

paper: Real Red, Pretty In Pink, Sending Love DSP, Whisper White

punches: Scallop Trim Corner, Heart, Small Oval, Large Oval, Modern Label, Word Window, 5-Petal Flower

Please Be Mine

Had some time tonight while the hubby took the kids with him and stamped a Valentine's Day Card.
I love the chocolate, pink, red & white color combo.

stamps: Love Always (retired set), Holiday Best (current Level 1 hostess)

ink: Real Red

paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, Cherise (retired pattern paper)

other: red brads (not SU), Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, punches

Thursday Sweets

Cupcake takes the cake!  I'm ready for spring/summer so I made a couple of really cute bright cards.  I used my Big Shot to emboss the white cardstock and then punches to get the edges.  These were really fun to make. 

Blue & Brown Razzleberry

These are a few cards I made with the Stampin Up set Razzleberry.  It's a very cute and versatile set.  I decided to do a blue and brown combo since it's a pretty hot combination right now.  I really like how they turned out.

I love this set!  It's called The More the Merrier.  I fell in love with it when I 1st saw it in the catalog.  The problem was that it was a Level 3 hostess set and there was no way I was going to buy enough Stampin Up to earn it.  So I did the next best thing and scoured E*bay for it.  It took awhile as this set goes in upwards of $60.  I was not going to spend that much either.  One day I was looking and saw someone had it as a buy it now for $30.  I couldn't click that button fast enough.  But I got it!  I've just started playing with it and this is the 1st card I made.  I'll be making more soon and posting them. 

Prehistoric Birthday Card

My son had a birthday party to attend this afternoon so I made this really cute card.  The stamp set is an SU set that is retired.  I love this set so I don't know why they retired it!  It's called Prehistoric Pals.  This is a great set for boys birthday cards.

Stamp Club Show & Tell

For several months now, I have been wanting to show off what my SU demo has been teaching me at Stamp Club every month.  It's been a lot!!!  I really picked a great demo.  I am learning techniques and projects I myself would've never thought of.  It's really opened up the possibilities of what I can do not only stamping but with any other craft projects I decide to do.  So here's what I've done since I joined in October.  The scalloped pencil holder and the white "With all my heart" card were this months projects. 

Been Awhile

I am hoping to have a few things to post tomorrow.  The holidays were crazy and then I had surgery a week ago.  I also started new classes this semester to finish my BA so I've been busy studying.