Monday, June 29, 2015

Manly Happy

Need a great card for a guy on the quick?  Check this one out:

©Stampin' UP!
Card stock:  Baked Brown Sugar*, Brushed Gold*, Early Espresso
Stamp:  Hardwood
Ink:  Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar*
Tools:  Hello You thinlits, Big Shot, Magnetic Platform
Etc: Neutrals Candy Dots, Stamping Sponges

Sponging tone-on-tone (here Baked Brown Sugar ink and card stock) adds depth brings out the richness of the "wood".  Don't have any of the *retired colors? How about swapping in with Soft Suede/ Crumb Cake+ So Saffron/ Hello Honey? Or any other combination of wood tones. The possibilities are endless.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Something "Old", Something "New"

One of the things I love about being a demonstrator is that I have the opportunity to try out new products and share what I discover with others.  One of the things I love about being a stamper is the freedom to mix and match both products in the current catalog and those that have retired.
Today's card is a mix and match, done in a flash.

© Stampin' UP!

Current:  Butterfly thinlits, Bitty Butterfly punch, Whisper White card stock, Sahara Sand ink pad, Sheltering Tree stamp set ( the "background" stamp here is actually the leaf canopy of the set -- I love being able to use stamps in unexpected ways!)

The Champagne Glimmer Paper, Four You stamp set, Coastal Cabana card stock and designer paper are no longer available.  But there are lots of other colors, papers, and stamps available to swap out and make your own stunning card.

What's in your stash?

Thursday, June 25, 2015

CARD on the QUICK

There times we want to fashion a highly artistic card; at others, a CAS (clean-and-simple) card is what we need.  But we still want it to look like a lot of love went into it, right? This card fills that need.  A simple layout, good use of space and pops of color, with just a touch of bling combine to make just the right impact. An added plus is the versatility of the design:  change out the colors and sentiment and you can have a slue of cards ready on the quick.

©Stampin' UP!
This A2card is single layer Whisper White card stock.
Swish stamp from Everything Eleanor set.
Flower stamp is from Something to Say set.
Sentiment is from Petite Pairs set.
Inks:  Cucumber Crush, Night of Navy, Versamark
CS:  Whisper White, Night of Navy, Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry
Punches:  Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Itty Bitty Accents punch pack
Bling:  Jewels Basic Rhinestones

To see these and other Stampin' UP! products, be sure to visit my website.

Monday, June 22, 2015

from STUMPED to SUCCESS

Do you ever find yourself stumped?  You  have a stamp set you want to use to create a card for a particular occasion, but you just can't get over the hurdle and put ink to card stock?  That was the dilemna Teresa faced when she came to last Friday's Open Crafting Night here in my craft room.

She knew she wanted to make Christmas cards using the Wondrous Wreath set and the Wonderful Wreath framelits she had recently purchased.  But where to begin?

She identified what shades of green she has in her stash of supplies and what reds went with each.  She decided to use Old Olive ink pad  for the main wreath image and  Always Artichoke for the accent leaves, along with Real Red for berries and bow.

She wanted to keep things as simple as possible because she wants to make multiples of the design she works out.  She elected to use a card sketch for inspiration, encouraged by the knowledge that the sketch was a suggestion/model and could be adjusted to fit her sense of design and balance. (Note:   The actual sketch is for a A-2 card with round central image, but I am still learning how to do photo editing and skewed both this image and her final card).
CAS TechnoStamper

Then she was off to the races, and by evening's end, she had completed her design.  I am so proud of her!  What a lovely card! (It looks much much prettier than my photo shows.)

©Stampin' Up!
Other supplies Teresa used were Brushed Gold card stock, Big Shot die cutting machine, and stampin' Dimensionals under the wreath.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Build a Birthday

©Stampin' UP!
Need a birthday card on the quick?  This cutie in notecard size (3-1/2" x 5") is a perfect choice. 

Cut your card stock to size.
Stamp from the bottom up in your favorite 5 colors.  Here I used the yummy In-Color Collection for 2015-2016.

Assemble with a bit of baker's twine if you wish.

Even the envelope was easy to make, using In Color Envelope Paper (new this catalog) and the Envelope Punch Board.

Address it, stamp it, mail it.  Sure to please!

stamps:  Build a Birthday
inks:  Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, Watermelon Wonder, 
     Cucumber Crush, Delightful  Dijon, (Memento)Tuxedo Black
card stock:  Cucumber Crush, Whisper White


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Father's Day and more

© Stampin' Up
June is a good time to focus on cards for men.  Father's Day is just around the corner, so today I am sharing a club card perfect for any of the dads in your life.  Basic layout, easy on technique, big on wow.  Swap out colors, stamp sets, sentiments -- and you can create a wide variety of guy cards in a snap.

stamps:  Wetlands, Gorgeous Grunge, Dotty Angles, Work of Art, Teeny Tiny Wishes.
inks:  Crumb Cake, Soft Sky, Memento Tuxedo Black
card stock:  Soft Suede, Basic Black, Whisper White.