Sunday, March 22, 2009

Inka Thanks


Click on image to enlarge

Hey, I think I'm getting warmed up for next month's stampin' club card swap theme, which is monochromatic! Anyhoo, here is card number three for submission to Inkadinkado's INKAfriends Gallery. I used the stamping off technique on this. I love how easy it is to get two (or three, or more!) shades of the same color. The Inkadinkado stamps used were Floral Flourishes for the images (and yes, I used more than one image) and Garden Flower for the sentiment.

The background cardstock is Stampin' Up! Perfect Plum, but it seemed a bit plain, so I used VersaMark ink and one of the corner flourishes to stamp in each exposed corner on the right. Nothing like making your own designer paper, 'eh? :-)

The main image was stamped with Close to My Heart Pansy Purple ink, and the darker purple cardstock that was cut with the Martha Stewart border punch was also CTMH Pansy Purple.

I don't remember where I got the purple brads, but they were a perfect match for the Perfect Plum, lol. More
Taylor's Tiny Twinkles were used, and some Martha Stewart ribbon completed the card.

Inka Wedding


Click any image to enlarge

Here is card number two. This is from the Inkadinkado Wedding clear stamp set. This was stamped in VersaFine Onyx Black, since the image didn't need to be colored.

I ran some pink parchement (Paper Co.) through the Cuttlebug with the Textile embossing folder, then fastened the black mat on the left side.

Isn't that ribbon gorgeous? I got it from My Favorite Things (i
t's in the Royalty Collection Ribbon Pack). After knotting the ribbon and adhering it, I rounded the corners on the image and added glitter to the edges with a Quickie Glue Pen. It was fastened over the ribbon/mat.

I used
Shimmerz Blingz Pixie Dust on the wedding gown to make it look like satin and added Taylor's Tiny Twinkles rhinestones to the bride's hair and the sentiment. The pearls are from Sally.

A Fairy Happy Birthday


Click any image to enlarge

This is number one (of three) cards that I made for the Inkadinkado INKAfriends Gallery, as mentioned in my last post. I wanna get those free stamps! Free is good!!!

The Fairy is from the Inkadinkado Beautiful Fairies clear stamp set, and the sentiment is from Inka's Chelsea Sentiments. I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, since I wanted to color with the Copic markers. After I colored the image, I went back over her wings and the star swirls with Shimmerz Blingz Pixie Dust, which I thought was an appropriate name for the shimmer and sparkle associated with a fairy!

The sentiment was stamped with VersaMagic Perfect Plumeria ink and heat embossed with Stampin' Up! Iridescent Ice EP. It really sparkles, as seen
in the close up to the right (click to enlarge).

The star rhinestones that I used in the swirls are made by Darice and are available at Michael's.




Copic colors used >>>>

Cardstock: Whisper White, and bits from my scrap bag
DP: DCWV Sweet Stack
Stamps: Inkadinkado
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellies: Star by Darice, photo corner punch by EK Success

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

No Card Today, but FREE Stamps!

I'm leaving in a few minutes for Arizona, to visit my father one more time before he heads back up to Montana for the summer. I'm in the middle of a couple of cards, but didn't have time to finish them. That will be the first thing I do when I get back!

Anyway, I thought you all may be interested in this. Inkadinkado is giving away a free stamp (their choice) for each card you make using their stamps and send in to them! There is a limit of three free stamps, and I didn't see anywhere that it is limited only to the U.S., so you gals in Europe and elsewhere may want to do it, too.

The details are HERE.

Have fun! :-D

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Get Well


Click on any image to enlarge

My mother's husband just had major surgery on the spine in his neck (eight inch incision!), so I made this card for him. I wanted to use Spring-y colors, since Spring is right around the corner. The poor guy is really in a hurting place right now, so I hope this cheers him up a little.

The pale pink parchment background paper was run through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots folder. That gorgeous Gladiolus (#1727) image is from Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Company.
They have amazing prices on their stamps, as well as very reasonable shipping. Plus, customer service was fantastic. I recommend checking them out! The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics.

The corner embossing punch is made by Fiskars, and the pink Crystal Stickers Elements were from Sally.

Copic colors used>>>>

Cardstock: Bazzill Kiwi Crush, The Paper Co. pink parchment, SU Whisper White
Stamps: Image- Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co., Sentiment- Hambo Stamps
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments: Ribbon from my stash, Crystal Stickers

Friday, March 13, 2009

Happy Birthday, Trent (and WOJ Challenge 21)


Click any image to enlarge

My grandson (the one that loves "red and black, in that order, Grandma"), just turned eight. I made this card, using the sketch from this week's Whiff of Joy Challenge.

The image, Henry Celebrating Mouse, is from Whiff of Joy, of course. He was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics.


I really tried to use up some of my scraps, but I didn't have much in my black scrap bag, so I had to dip into the Ebony & Alabaster pad from Black Market Paper Society. The red plaid DP is from ProvoCraft's Bitty Scrap Pad. I don't remember who makes the other red DP, but I stamped cupcakes from Sweet 'n Sassy's Chocoholic set on it and heat embossed them. Also stamped the cupcakes in VersaMark on the Real Red cardstock.

This one is a confetti-flinger. If you recall, I made one for him for Valentine's Day, which mysteriously didn't arrive (according to ex-daughter-in-law). So, this time, his daddy will get to see his expression when he opens the card. :-D

I Got to Meet Jen!

I had the honor of meeting Jen del Muro today at one of my favorite stamp stores, The Stamp Addict. She's in town visiting relatives, so I convinced her to meet me at the store. (Hafta say, it didn't take too much convincing, lol!)

Anyhoo, she's as lovely in person as she seems to be from her blog. I didn't get to meet Ellie, 'cause she was taking a nap. Maybe next time.
;-)

If you haven't been to Jen's blog, i{heart}2stamp, you really must chec
k it out. She's one of the Dirty Dozen Alumni from Splitcoast Stampers, is on all kinds of design teams, and has had lots of her work published in magazines. In fact, those are her cards on cover of the current issue of Take Ten!

So, it was really neat getting to meet her. I hope we can get together again the next time she's in town.

Monday, March 9, 2009

You Made My Day!


This card reminds me so much of spring....I can't wait to get my garden planted!

The flower vase is from the Penny Black Salutations clear stamp set. It was stamped in VersaMagic Spanish Olive ink, heat embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear EP, and cut out. The flower bouquet was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers. Then
the vase was popped over the stems with Stampin' Dimensionals for a 3-D look. The edges were inked with Copic YG95 Pale Olive, then matted on Bazzill Flirty cardstock.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Anytime Messages, stamped in the same ink as the vase.

The DP is from a ProvoCraft Bitty Scrap Pad (Soft Serenity), the Crystal Stickers were from Sally, and the ribbon is from Michael's bargain bin. :-D


Copic colors used>>>>




Friday, March 6, 2009

Another Congratulations!

Click on image to enlarge

This card is for a lady who has a quilt ministry, and who also reached her goal at Weight Watchers and made Lifetime. Since she is really into quilting, I thought a Nine Patch card would tickle her.

I had to laugh as I was making this, because I discovered I have the same problem getting my squares to line up evenly in card making as I do in quilting. Sheesh. Maybe it's a problem with my ruler.....yeah, that must be it!
;-)

I used yet another new border punch from EK Success (did I mention I spent too much money a few dollars at Michael's the other day?). It makes a pretty med
ium scallop with tiny diamond holes. The Crystal Stickers were a RAK from Sally (thank you, Sweetie!!!). They have the most amazing shine to them, almost like they are lit from within. I got some lavender ones, too, that I'm going to use on an Easter card soon.

Cardstock: SU Basic Black, Bazzill Witch Hazel and Safari, The Paper Co. pink
DP: Anna Griffin, HOTP Paper Pizzazz Pink "Handmade" Flowers
Sentiment stamp: Inkadinkado
Ink: SU Basic Black Classic
Embellies: Lt. Pink Crystal Stickers, sugared brads, ribbon from Michael's


Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Friendship

I've been thinking about true friendship quite a bit lately, and how there are people one calls friends, but who are really more like acquaintances. Pleasant enough, and fun to be with, but not necessarily someone with which you felt you could completely be yourself, warts and all.

And then there are Friends, with a capital F. Those are
the people who are sometimes more like family than family; people who will always be there for you, no matter what. Someone you could call at 3:00 a.m. if you had an emergency. I am blessed to have a few Friends, and every day I am thankful for it.


Which leads me to this card (great segue, 'eh?). I've had this stamp since I started card making a year ago. I bought it on ebay, and it's probably from a set, but I don't know for sure. There's just something about those two girls that makes me smile.

I started by cutting out the panel with the Nesties Labels One before I stamped the image. I've had some trouble getting the cut cardstock to stay in the
d
ie when I emboss it, and I didn't want to color the image only to screw it up later. So, Stamp-a-ma-jig to the rescue!

After coloring (with Copics, of course), I matted it on Basic Black cut with the next larger die. The Tempting Turquoise was edged with a new border punch I just got, made by EK Success. I actually used two border punches. The double line of tiny holes with an embossed line between them is also by EK Success.

The edge of the scalloped border was accented with small black self-adhesive pearls from Sally. She has the best prices, shipping and customer service! You really have to check it out.


Copic colors used>>>>>


Cardstock: SU Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black and Whisper White, the Paper Co Weave Black
Stamp: Stampin' Up!
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments: flat back pearls, ribbion, Nestabilities dies, EK Success punches, Prime flowers, sugared brads

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Milestone Congratulations


This little card was made for a friend who reached her goal at Weight Watchers. She just has to maintain her weight for two more weeks (total of six weeks) to make Lifetime, which means she won't have to pay for the meetings anymore. Woohoo, Maria!!! She has lost 146 pounds, more than half her starting weight! This woman now runs and bikes and does mini triathlons. Simply amazing. She's really an inspiration to me, and I wanted to make a card that expresses it.

The main image is Upsy Daisy from Stampin' Up! and the little butterfly is from the Dreams du Jour set, also from Stampin' Up!

The daisy image was stamped in VersaMark on Very Vanilla cardstock, and heat embossed with Powder Keg Amethyst EP from My Favorite Things. That embossing powder is gorgeous, with little sparkles throughout. The picture doesn't do it justice, of course.
The sun was masked with a 1¼" circle punched from a sticky note, and sponged with CTMH Sunkiss Yellow and Sunflower inks. I split the image in two and matted the halves on Elegant Eggplant and Taken with Teal.

The butterfly was stamped with CTMH Ocean ink, as was the sentiment from Inkadinkado's Wedding/Marriage clear stamp set. I used CTMH Pansy Purple to edge the card base.

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Taken with Teal, Elegant Eggplant, Paper Company Weave Ivory

DP: DCWV Old World Mat Stack
Stamps: Images- Stampin' Up! Upsy Daisy and Dreams du Jour, Sentiment- Inkadinkado Wedding/Marriage
Inks: VersaMark, CTMH Pansy Purple, Ocean, Sunkiss Yellow and Sunflower
Embellishments: Ice Stickles Arctic Ice, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles rhinestones, Ribbon from my sewing stash