Monday, August 26, 2013

Make It Mailable 13-05


It occurred to me that I should probably differentiate the Make It Mailable posts, since they're going to be a weekly thing. *smacks forehead* (I have nothing to fear from zombies, right?)  So the numbers after the title represent the year and the number of the M.I.M. post for that year. Clear as mud?

This is one of the cards we made in Staurday's Birthday Card Class.  The inspiration came from Paper Ecstasy, but I changed it up a bit for the birthday theme. Plus, the Cherry Cobbler reminds me of the color of a lovely cabernet sauvignon.

From Millan.Net

Since the only embellishment is the Baker's Twine, there won't be any lumps in the envelope when this goes through the mail!

Stamps: Happy Hour
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler DSP (Regals Stack)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice folder, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Stampin' Addict's Challenge


Paula (or Palua, as she is affectionately known to her llama-loving friends) over at Stampin' Addicts came up with the brilliant idea of recycling some of our old challenges and making a Pinterest board for us to upload our cards.  This week it's a sketch challenge from early 2010.


Since the Christmas Collection hadn't seen ink yet, I decided to give it a try. I think it turned out pretty well! After stamping and fussy-cutting the ornaments, I punched a Gold Foil Sheet with the Christmas Ornament Punch to use as a mat. The Stylish Stripes TIEF made a nice backgound out of the Old Olive textured CS, but it needed something "more".  Encore Gold ink to the rescue!  Just a few swipes of the pad on the embossed cardstock was all it took.

This would qualify as a very mailable card, because there are no embellishments at all to hang up in the sorting machine!

Stamps: Christmas Collection, More Merry Messages
Cardstock: Old Olive, Old Olive Textured, Whisper WhiteSeason of Style DSP, Gold Foil Sheets
Ink: Encore Gold, Cherry Cobbler, plus Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot (always!), Stylish Stripes folder, Christmas Ornament Punch, Modern Label Punch

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Gifts of Kindness


I love this Gifts of Kindness stamp set. The image is beautiful, and can be used in many different ways, and the set of sentiments that comes with it is good for a variety of occasions, too.


This was one of the cards we made in the monthly stamp club last Saturday.  All the lovely embossed layers really made it a special thank you for a special someone!

Stamps: Gifts of Kindness, Petite Pairs
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Island Indigo
Ink: Island Indigo, Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Beautifully Baroque folder, Perfect Polka-Dots folder, Stripes folder, Decorative Label Punch, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels

Monday, August 19, 2013

Make It Mailable


It's Monday, and time for another Make It Mailable card!  The Thankful Tablescapes kit is packed full of goodies that can be used for card making.  I probably won't use it for the table settings it was originally intended to make, so repurposing it into cards works for me.  I calculated that I could easily produce 20 cards, with lots left over.  Not bad for $19.95!  The birch bark paper comes in 3 long sheets, each about 5" x 36" long, and has a lovely texture.

The die-cut maple leaf (there are 10 in the kit) was sponged with Cajun Craze and Real Red.  The autumn colors were complemented with a pop of Island Indigo ramdomly sponged on the Whisper White cardstock.  And for a little glimmer, some of the fab Gold Foil was added.  Even the little banners were cut from paper included in the kit!

Stamp: Truly Grateful
Cardstock: Naturals White, Whisper White, Early Espresso, Gold Foil
Ink: Real Red, Cajun Craze, Island Indigo
Accessories: Big Shot, Bitty Banner Framelits, Thankful Tablescapes Simply Created Kit, Stampin' Sponge

Monday, August 12, 2013

Make It Mailable


Ever have one of those days where everything is going so smoothly, and you seem so on top of things, that you wonder if you've forgotten something? Today is one of those days. I had a great time Saturday at the Holiday Catalog Open House, spent a relaxing day Sunday with my hubby, and had the cards prepped for today's Christmas Club well ahead of time. Even had time to check Pinterest before the club started!

So, what was I forgetting?  Hmmmmm, today's blog post - d'oh!

This is the last of my "Single Layer" cards for the Stampin' Addicts Meet & Greet swap.  And yes, it really is a single layer. Don't let the trompe l'oeil fool you!

After stamping the flower (Regarding Dahlias) and masking it, I used a sponge dauber to create background paper without using any background paper (one layer only, remember?).  The right side of the cardstock was trimmed with the Stampin' Trimmer down to the dahlia, then fussy-cut around the flower. If you click on it, you can see details better.

The shadow that makes it look like the entire flower is cut out and popped up is actually a bit of Smoky Slate drawn on with a Blender Pen. Fool the eye, indeed!

Since I just had to add some texture, the back panel of the card was embossed with the Delicate Designs folder.

Only 134 days until Christmas.....have you started your cards yet?
From Millan.Net

Stamps: Regarding Dahlias
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Smoky Slate
Accessories: Big Shot, Delicate Designs folder, Sponge Daubers, Blender Pens, Rhinestones Basic Jewels

Friday, August 9, 2013

Circle Card Thinlits


I am so excited to show you a new product that was introduced at Convention. It's a die for the Big Shot called Circle Card Thinlits, and it makes creating (and mass-producing) flip cards SUPER easy!  There is also a Label Card Thinlits die that coordinates with our Labels Collection Framelits. Watch the short YouTube video about them HERE.

Inside View

I must say, Mr. Big is sooo happy with the new products he's getting to play with, not only these new Thinlits, but the Framelits, Bigz dies, and embossing folders in the Holiday catalog!

This was the card we made at my stamping team meeting on Wednesday. It was so much fun sharing convention swaps and new goodies with my downline!  You could be a part of the fun we have every month, too, just by joining my team. And if you join before the end of this month, you can pick one of four special add-on kits, in addition to the products you choose for your starter kit. So, what are you waiting for? JOIN NOW!

Stamps: Tags 4 You, Halloween Hello
Cardstock: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Witches Brew DSP
Ink: Basic Black Stampin' Pad, Whisper White Craft Pad, and Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Circle Card Thinlits, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Label Bracket Punch, Little Labels Punch Pack, Black Flourish Designer Jewels (retired, use a black Sharpie to color our clear Rhinestone Jewels), White Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals

Monday, August 5, 2013

Make It Mailable!

Bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth, didn't you? Well, I nearly did! I caught some baaaad bug in Salt Lake City the week leading up to convention, and just TODAY am feeling sorta almost human again. I tell ya, as much as I have longed for 'the good old days' and simpler times, I wouldn't want to go back to a time before antibiotics were invented, because that's what has saved my bacon.

So, needless to say, I am way behind on posting, and convention is already old news. There were some awesome new product announcements, and lots of giveaways.  I felt sorry for the people who flew in; however did they get all that stuff packed in their bags???


This was a card for one of the swaps. As a confirmed swap addict, I once again signed up for an insane number of organized swaps, and even hosted one for the first time! I hosted the Single Layer swap, because it is the most challenging for me. I like layers....lots and lots of layers. So making a card where NO LAYERS are allowed, other than ribbon or embellishment really encourages me to get out of my rut. You have to really focus on the stamp or technique. And this card was a winner in Jill Olsen's Mailable Card Contest!

Obviously, with only one layer, and a few small rhinestones, this is a very mailable card!


Stamps: Six-Sided Sampler
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe
Accessories:Stamp-A-Majig, Hexagon Punch, Rhinestones Basic Jewels