Oops! Things Got Missed!

I missed several friends' birthdays in January, but at this late date, I decided it was better to send Thinking of You cards rather than belated birthday cards! For my first card, I found the end of my crocheted flower stash. My Mom made these crocheted flowers back about 10 years ago when they were all the rage in cardmaking! I thought I'd finally use my last flower for this card...sort of a little present for the recipient! I've also asked Mom to make me more, as they seem to be coming back in style!

To find my final card design, I followed my normal pattern of checking the Splitcoaststamper website for challenges that I could give me some prompts for my design.  For instances, to use two challenges, I needed a wobbler, so I inserted this into my inside verse.  The challenges I will be using range from current ones to some really old ones. Most of the time when I'm making a card, I am usually having fun fulfilling my Challenge Catch-up goal that I've set for myself!  

Here was a happy surprise! While doing my challenge search, I found my planned card recipient was featured on a specific challenge that was to have a "Thinking of You" theme! It was a stroke of serendipity, for sure! Thus, this card will now fulfill two events for my friend! One for the challenge, and one for her belated birthday acknowledgement in the form of my planned "thinking of you" card! Take a look at the finished card inside and out. I'm thinking she will be quite happy with it, as I am with the finished results!

Ingredients: SU Cardstock--Basic Black, White Glimmer (retired). Patterned DSP--Fancy Pants Designs/ Country Boutique. Reverse Confetti stamp--Beautiful Banners. SU stamp--Butterfly Gala (mini butterfly-inside). Spellbinders Dies--Grand Labels LG (inside). SU punch--Butterfly Duet. SU Embossing Folder (by Sizzix)--Tufted Dynamic. Washi Stash--3 B&W patterns. Ribbon Stash--3/4" Black Sheer-White Stitch. Recollections Detail--White embossing powder. JoycieB--Crochet Flower. Stash--Black Rhinestone Gem. Sentiment Flag--Hand-cut. Chatterbox-1 verse. Size--4-3/4" x 6". 

February Birthday Happiness!

 I have another friend and cardmaking buddy whose birthday is in mid-February, so yet another birthday card is needed.  I was in the mood for flowers, so I thought I'd look for a Splitcoaststamper Inspiration Challenge to get me started.

While in my E - F stamp set boxes back in January, I ran across a wonderful flower stamp set, Field Flowers, that I had used for its flourish in the past but not the flower.  I pulled it just in case I found that I could use it in the near future and here was my chance.  After finding the SCS Inspiration Challenge, I was delighted to know that this stamp set would work, but I would be able to add other challenges if I added butterflies and glitter as well.  Take a look at the finished card inside and out below:

Ingredients: SU Cardstock--Sahara Sand; Retired: Always Artichoke, Lucky Limeaide, Tempting Turquoise. Stamps (retired)--Field Flowers, Elements of Style. Dies--Sizzlits Embosslit/ Beautiful Wings. Inks--Sahara Sand (over-the-edge stamping/ distressing), Old Olive (distress L. Limeaide cs), Early Espresso (distress T. Turquoise).  SU White Embossing Powder.  SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter. 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon--Gumball Green. Punch (retired)--Scallop Trim Border.

A Wondrous Gift is Given

More Christmas cards are needed for my 2021 Christmas stash.  This is a remake of a card made back in 2009, using the now retired Stampin' Up Lovely As A Tree stamp set that was so popular and remained current from 2001 to 2019!  My new card has more layers added, including some sparkly silver glimmer paper, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, and sequins that the original did not have.  

I just love the technique of layering trees in navy ink and silver embossing with a little added Dazzling Diamonds glitter into the mix.  Unfortunately, the photo does not pick up on the glitter added, but it is quite sparkly in RIL!  I've also added some sparkly sequins scattered about.  Take a peek at an update of an old card below:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Whisper White, Night of Navy, Silver Glimmer.  Stamps--Lovely As A Tree (ret. 2001-19), Wondrous Gift (ret. 2007-09), Snow Front (2019).  Ink--Night of Navy, Versamark.  Embossing Powder--Silver, Heat & Stick.  Glitter--Dazzling Diamonds.  Ribbon--1/4" Night of Navy Grosgrain; Silver Cording.  Size:  5 x 6-1/4 inch.

God's Peace at Christmas!

This is another of my January New Year's resolution Christmas cards.  It was also another 2019 card kit from my Stampin' Up mentors, Dar Peterson and Luci Kirschbaum.  Its original design was presented by  Dar, and again I did some modifications that came to mind when I looked at the pieces. 

Those who read my blog regularly know that my favorite card size card is more like an A7 (4-3/4 x 6-1/4 inches) than the standard A2 card (4-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches).  I really like a 4-3/4 x 6-inch card the very best, which does not fit an "A" anything, and that is was I chose for this card.   So, of course, my first step was to cut a larger cardbase.  I decided on a white base, rather than starting with the Melon Mambo as in the original design.  Also, I exchanged Dar's silver layer for green, Call Me Clover.  I really wanted to bring out the green in the ribbon, and I achieved adding more color as well.  Next, I cut my vellum layer with a cross-stitch edged die to add a bit more texture and interest.  I'm not sure, but I think the original was colored on top of the vellum, but I chose to color with Copics on the backside of the vellum instead.   I retained the rhinestones in the four corners, but I Copic-colored them to a nice warm gold to coordinate with the gold embossing.  Take a peek below at my finished rendition...it will go into my Christmas stash for 2021 cards.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Call Me Clover, Vellum.  Stamps--God's Peace (candles/ sentiment--2019 Holiday).  Embossing Powder--Gold.  Rhinestones.  Other:  MemoryBox die--Cross-Stitched Frame Border Die.  Copic Markers.  Chatterbox verse (inside).  Size--4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Christmas Dove Brings An Olive Branch!

This is another Christmas card for my 2021 stash!  I do love this Stampin' Up dove stamp and die set that I used, which I'm surprised wasn't carried over into the annual catalog.  

I wanted to use vellum for the dove, which I underlaid with Tempting Turquoise and added silvery wreath. I thought a night sky would be pretty, and I found a pretty piece of dsp with deep to mid-range blue tones.  To complete the look of my night sky, I embossed the dsp with the SU Winter Snow embossing folder and then sprinkle/ splattered it with white acrylic paint.  It was just the look I wanted.  

I used a silver heat-embossed sentiment on vellum with the Tempting Turquoise as an underlay mat as I did with the dove.  I modified this die-cut mat, cutting it down narrower to fit the width I wanted.  Take a look below at the finished card:

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstock--Night of Navy, Tempting Turquoise (ret.), Silver Foil, Translucent Vellum.  Stamps/ Dies--Dove of Hope/ Detailed Dove dies; Wreath Builder dies, Ornate Frames dies (sentiment underlay/ modified).  Ink:  Shaded Spruce (sponged Shimmer cardstock).  Embossing Powder--Silver.  Embossing Folder--Winter Snow (SU-2020 Holiday).  Other:   Paper--Recollections Bold Brushstrokes 12x12 paper pad; DCWV Shimmer cardstock--white.  Folk Art--White acrylic paint.  Size--4-3/4 x 6-inches. 

Thinking of You This Season!

On to my seventh Totally Lovin' Christmas card kit.  I loved the Crumb Cake with the white embossing and layout of this sweet card, but I, of course, wanted it larger, and thought a bit more color, dimension, and texture would be good as well.

I checked out several Splitcoaststamper challenges to see what I could do to enter some of the challenges in trying to play challenge catch-up.  One Featured Stamper challenge card confirmed more brown tones would probably work well.  I added a Soft Suede cardbase and enlarged my card layers.  I changed my sentiment layer ink to a darker brown shade and left off the tree panel's corner ribbon...I thought it was too much and liked it more simple!  

I wasn't sure how Liz accomplished the snowfall, but I used a sponged-tipped make-up pen in Versamark w/ white embossing, a white gel pen for smaller snow, and added a bit of fine glitter to tree surface.  I also thought the tree would be extra pretty if it was layered.  I stamped and white embossed two additional trees, fussy cut them (lots of detailed cutting), and popped each layer up, one over the other, using large thick glue dots as I wanted the popping up to be more subtle than using dimensionals.

I was really happy with the layered tree popping...it added so much depth, plus I like the white gel pen and bit of glitter for more texture and sparkle.  This was the perfect card to send to my niece in Bend, Oregon where they are sure to see a white Christmas.  Take a peek below at my card finished inside and out.

Ingredients:  Stampin' Up products--  Cardstock/ Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla.  Stamps--Winter Wood (sentiment/ tree) (2019-20 Annual).  Dies--Stitched Brightly (embossed boughs-2019 Holiday.  Ink/ Soft Suede; Versamark Watermark.  Embossing Powder/ White (tree + snow drops).  White Gel pen.  Punch/ Curvy Corners (retired).  Other:  Recollections Fine white glitter.  Fussy-cutting.  1/2" glue dots (popping tree).  Chatterbox verse.  Size: 4-3/4 x 6 inches.

Thinking You Much Better Real Soon!

One of my lady friends that I met at my September Girls' Get-Away has had a set back in her health.  I wanted to send her a card to let her know I've been saying some prayers and having positive thoughts to wish her much better real soon!  I had a few Splitcoaststamper challenges to get done in my on-going challenge catch-up goal, and with a few of those in mind, I set about to design and make a card for my friend.

I needed to use a shade of yellow called Xanthic in order to finish the Alphabet Challenge in Round 9, and with this in mind, I search for a dress on the Inspiration Challenge website with at least some yellow that could inspire me for the rest of my card.  I found the perfect floral dress. Now, I knew my card had to have flowers.  My layout idea and focal point were inspired by the Featured Stamper challenge, plus I had several old challenges to complete that required a stamped frame, plus an old technique.  I had some good ideas. . .my mojo getting juicy, so it was time to find some papers and get started.  Take a peek at my finished card below, I think she will enjoy the card, and I know I will enjoy crossing off some more completed challenges on my list!

Ingredients:  Papers:  SU cardstock--Basic Black, Gumball Green, Daffodil Yellow; SU Vellum; Patterned Paper--Basic Grey/ Origins.  Stamps:  SU--Serene Silhouettes (white flower stems), Lovely Wishes (frame flower); Our Daily Bread Designs--All Mother's (sentiment).  Inks: Memento--Tuxedo Black; SU White Craft Ink; Versamark.  Dies: Sizzix Labels Collection (frame).  Punches:  SU--Curvey Corner Trio (retired), Bitty Butterfly (retired).  SU Black Embossing Powder.  SU 2mm pearls.  SU Simply Clay:  Simply Pressed Clay, Buttons & Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay Mold (2013-14 both retired).  Stash: Bitty flower brad.  Copic markers: coloring for clay + brad.  Chatterbox verse.  Size:  5-3/8 x 6-1/8 inches.

A Wedding Story Weaves a Fabulous Quilt!

My husband's youngest sister's son is getting married in a few weeks, and a wedding card is needed.  I bought the Stampin' Up Quilt Builder stamps and dies last fall, but have not had a chance to use them.  I've had several ideas from Christmas to baby cards, but after thinking about it, I decided it might make up into a pretty wedding card.  This would also fit right in to help finish one of my last two stragglers in the Splitcoaststamper Alphabet Challenge, Round 8.  One of the stragglers is for letter Q, and using the quilt die would be perfect!  My mind was already working on thoughts for the card's wedding verse inside. . .something involving marriage, the fabric of two lives woven together to make a fabulous quilt!

The newest Splitcoaststamper Inspiration Challenge is to visit the OPI nail polish website, and I saw some pretty nail art while browsing using cream and gold metallic nail art, which reminded me I could probably meet the Letter Q bonus challenge of Joss paper, which is a gold foil paper used in Chinese ancestral worship ceremonies.

After checking out several other Splitcoaststamper challenges, I had some great ideas and inspiration, and I was more than ready to begin.  I thought a white or cream card using gold metallic papers in the quilt would make a really pretty wedding card and my possible verse running around in my head would pull it all together.  Check out my finished card below, showing the outside and inside creations.  I'm pretty happy with the results!

Recipe:  SU Papers: Shimmery White cs; Bundle of Love Specialty dsp (2018 Occ).  Recollections Shimmer Gold cs.  SU Dies: Quilt Builder Framelits; Layering Squares Framelits; Layering Ovals Framelits.  SU Stamps: Rose Wonder (sentiment).  SU Embossing Folder: Quilt Top.  SU Embossing Powder: Gold.  Recollections Embossing Powder: Gold Tinsel.  SU Ribbon: 3/8" Metallic Gold (2017 Holiday).  Stash: Champagne Rhinestones.  EK Punch: Scallop Photo Corners Medium (inside).  Chatterbox verse.  Size:  4-3/4" x 6".  

Delicate Ornaments on Your Tree - Christmas X10 - Card #6!

Card #6 from the Christmas X10 card event is a non-traditional color combination for Christmas, but oh my, it is a beauty. . .black with gold and silver shiny foil!  It utilizes one of my favorite of all time designer paper collections, WinterWonderland dsp, all in black and gold coloring with the foil element incorporated right into the papers.

I did tweak this card's design just a bit, because I wanted my card to be larger to give more room for the ornament design elements, which are good size.  Also, I wanted to pop up the sentiment instead of affixing it directly onto the card front. Therefore, I made my card a 5-1/2 inch square rather sticking with the traditional A2 card size of 4-1/4" x 5-1/2."  I also add a third layer, in-between the two layers on the original card, in the gold foil. . .I truly think this really enhanced an already beautiful card design. Again, thank you Dara Peterson & Luci Kirschbaum for this wonderful card event, but most of all, for the magnificent card designs.  You two out did yourselves for sure!

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  Cardstocks--Basic Black, Gold Foil, Silver, Winter Wonderland dsp.  Stamps:  Embellished Ornaments - sentiment.  Delicate Ornaments Thinlit dies.  Gold Embossing powder.  1/8" Gold Metallic ribbon.

Embellished Ornaments (Totally Lovin' Christmas #4)!

Oh, and here is an especially pretty one from Liz Thayer's October Totally Lovin' Christmas card event that I attended.  I made this design exactly like the sample Liz Thayer shared during the class, though I did decided to make my separation between layers a bit larger because I wanted the pink layers to pop a bit more.  I also dropped the sentiment in the upper right corner just a bit more and decided to gold emboss it like the ornaments.  (I think Liz had her's stamped with Crumb Cake ink if I remember correctly).

I know many people don't like to use non-traditional colors in their Christmas cards, and I most definitely think pink falls into that non-traditional category.  But, I absolutely love this color combination. . .don't you think ornaments made from Stampin' Up's Embellished Ornaments stamp set cut out with their coordinating Delicate Ornaments Thinlit dies are simply beautiful! 

Now here's something that has always puzzled me!  I can't, for the life of me, figure out why they don't name their dies the same as the coordinating stamp set with which the die set is first introduced?  I do realize that in the future, they often add a new stamp set named something entirely different, but for me, it would still be easier if they just named it the same as at least one of the stamp sets with which they coordinate.  As I say, it's a puzzle to me, and of course, that is my personal opinon!  Getting back to the pink color with the gold embossing, doesn't it makes an absolutely lovely finished card?

Recipe:  Stampin' Up products:  cardstock--Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla. Winter Wonderland dsp (2015 Holiday).  Stamps/ coordinating die:  Embellished Ornaments/ Delicate Ornament Thinlits (2015 Holiday).  5/8" Gold Satin Ribbon, 1-1/4" Very Vanilla Subtle Stripe Ribbon.  Gold Embossing Powder.  Pearls.  (Thank you Liz Thayer for the beautiful card design).