January Celebrations...Just A Little Bit Late!

I missed a few birthdays in January and here I am playing catch-up!  I think that word, "catch-up" might be imprinted on my DNA!  I'm still finding myself in the mood to search out oldies to use from my stash.  I've decided if I don't think I'm ever going to reuse it (or even use it for the first time), it might be time to send it on to some other pasture, however that old saying goes!  I found an old 2008 wood stamp set a friend gave me.  Since I really don't like wood stamps, it was time to unmount it if I'm going to keep it and use it an even better idea!  I thought I'd give it a go and see how it might fit my card.  Then, I found the 2013 SAB Feeling Sentimental stamp set...I love the penny-farthing bicycle, I and have used it, but not the sentiment "Celebrate," which could be used for this birthday card.  Before letting my creative mojo get ramped up to far, I needed to take a look at my Splitcoaststampers Challenge List to add those guidelines into my thoughts.

With my two stamps in mind, I was able to find 11 SCS challenges that I could use if I designed my card just right!  Take a look at my finished card inside and out after letting all my notes percolate.  I'm hoping the recipient likes her card when it finally arrives!

Ingredients: SU Cardstock--Early Espresso, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla. Patterned DSP--stash scraps. SU Ink--Soft Suede. SU stamps--Eastern Blooms (2008 Fall-Winter), Feeling Sentiment (2013 SAB-sentiment). SU punch--3/4" circle. Lace--stash. Copic marker (pearl coloring). Colorbox Ink--Dark Brown (edge distressing). Chatterbox verse (computer). Size--4-3/4" x 6".

Numbers for Valentines!

I found an old piece of XOXO Valentine patterned paper by My Minds' Eye from the Love Me collection.  It seemed like a good masculine piece, so I thought it would work for my oldest son's Valentines card.  

I am still working on finishing Splitcoasterstampers Alphabet Challenge, Round 8.  I have Letter N, Letter P, and Letter X for which I thought this paper might work. . .N=Numbers, P=Punches, and X=XOXO (the paper pattern).  For Letter P, I was thinking that might work if I used all punches to make the card.  I could not make up my mind, so I work with all three letters being a possibility, and I thought I'd figure out which challenge to go for at the end, based on what other Valentines I had yet to make that might fit one or the other of these letters.  I also checked out the current Featured Stamper's gallery (Michelery) and found several possible layout ideas that I thought would work, especially with my Numbers idea.

I decided to use primarily red and kraft cardstocks.  The flip side of the Numbers Grid paper is a grid of calendar numbers with a 2 ♥14 showing up on every two or three rows.  I decided to make a circle focal point of the 2 ♥14 numbers to fit Letter N for numbers.  I add a kraft circular layer under my top 2 ♥14 layer.  These first two punched layers were easy because I have lots of sizes of plain circle punches, but I wanted a final decorative red mat to finish this focal area.  I did not have a large enough scallop circle or a circular heart edged punch, so I built my own using a Martha Stewart lacy heart punch in my stash.  I punched four of these and overlapping their tips in the center to form a circle.  I was pretty please with the final effect and it was the perfect size.  

I used some additional old punches to make a scalloped decorative band across the card and added a red strip for color.  The band would host my punched sentiment and its under layer that I positioned on the left side of this band.  I then popped three large red pearls on the right to finish off the band.  In my mind's eye, the card needed a bit more, so I punch curved corners all around on the patterned dsp.

This is one of those cards that starts with a simple design idea that grows as it is put together.  When I was finally satisfied with the front, I moved on to designing the inside and adding my personalized verse that I completed on the computer that I planned to use on most of my family Valentines.  I think son, David, will be very please with the end result.  Take a peek below at the finished look inside and out!

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up cardstocks--Kraft, Real Red, and Very Vanilla.  Patterned paper: My Minds' Eye - Love Me/ Numbers Grid.  Stamps: P.S. I Love You.  Ink: Early Espresso.  Punches: Stampin' Up--1-1/4" Circle, 1-1/2," SU retired--Scallop Border, Modern Label, Word Window, Triple Corners (inside); Martha Stewart--Lace Scallop Heart LG; Zutter--Corner Rounder.  Recollections Pearl: LG - Copic colored.  Dovecraft Pearls--Christmas Basics--smaller pearls.  SCS Alphabet Challenge - Letter N!