Stepping it UP!

As promised, here are the stepped-up versions of yesterday's cards.  It was so much fun looking at each card and thinking up ways to make it a little more special, because there are so many ways that it can be done! I stuck with some of the basics; adding mats, texture, ribbon, banners, and paper-piercing. There were many more techniques I could have used, too; heat embossing, spritzing, sponging, masking, fancy folds, and so on.

For the first card, I stamped the greeting again in Crushed Curry, punched it out with the Modern Label punch and popped it up on dimensionals.  A narrow banner was added, as well as a mat behind the greeting. (Below each picture is a link to the original version, so you can compare.)

Click to see original card

For card number two, all that was added was a border of Coastal Cabana Ruffled Trim around the image, with a little Bermuda Bay banner peeking out the bottom.

Click to see original card

On the third card, a Coastal Cabana mat was added behind the DSP, so it pops a bit more. Then a some Coastal Cabana was embossed with the Square Lattice folder and used instead of the strip of DSP behind the image. The image panel was pierced all around with the Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, and a Paper-Piercing Tool and Mat.  I topped it off with a tiny Bermuda Bay bow. (You just knew I had to use a bow somewhere, right?) :D

Click to see original card

So, there you have it! It's really easy to take a simple card to the next level, with very little effort. And the best part? These are all still mailable cards - none are too thick or heavy!

Make It Mailable 13-10

Today's card is a birthday card for a stamping friend, whose birthday happens to fall on Halloween. How cool is that?  Getting to dress up every year on your birthday and get a bunch of candy, in addition to birthday cake!  A child's dream come true, certainly!

Of course, I rememebered it was her birthday ON her birthday (d'oh!), so I had to sent a happy belated birthday card. (Really trying to be better about sending cards on time, and sometimes failing miserably.)

Witches Brew DSP made the card quick and easy, and still look fun and funky!  There is a rhinestone on the buckle on the hat, and that was all the bling that was needed.

The message inside says "But then I forgot! Happy Belated Birthday" and, ironically, it's from a set called Remembering Your Birthday, because apparently I can't!

This is a very easy card to convert to just about any occasion, and can be produced quickly and in quantity!  Start with some Designer Series Paper and choose your background (4" x 5¼") 

and accent stripe (this one was 1⅛ " x 5¼"- you can adjust the width). Then pick an image, preferably one that just needs one color of ink (so you can stamp it quickly), and a greeting that will fit on the image panel.  Choose a color from the DSP to use as a mat behind the image/greeting. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!  I'll have more examples this week, so stay tuned!

Stamps: Best of Halloween, Remembering Your Birthday
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Witches Brew DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Rhinestones Basic Jewels (I know, amazing, right?! No Mr. Big, no embossing folders, and no Stampin' Dimensionals!)

Make It Mailable 13-08

It's Monday, so you know what that means - another mailable card today! This was the card I sent to the surgeon who fixed my husband's spinal stenosis. Thanks to him, my honey won't lose the use of his arms and legs. And how can I possibly express the depth of my gratitude for that in a card? I can't. This is just going to have to do, even though it feels so inadequate.

There aren't any embellishments at all on this, with the tiny exception of the Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details on the poppy centers. The banners take the place of a ribbon and bow (no bulk), and the geometric shapes of the image and greeting give it a more masculine look. Even if it does have flowers on it.

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Lots of Thanks
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Shimmery White, Cherry Cobbler DSP (Regals Stack)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Lacy Brocade folder (retired), Blender Pens, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details

Just a reminder that today is THE LAST DAY to join Stampin' Up! for only $25!

And it's not too late to sign up for the 12 Weeks of Christmas. There are still lots of great projects left! Click on the Mailing List Sign Up on the left sidebar.

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 White,  Season 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

A Big Batch of Thanks

I needed to make a bunch of thank you cards, so naturally I looked to Pinterest for inspiration. These are a CASE of Angie Juda's thank you cards, that just really jumped out at me, because they use the lovely new In Colors. I just LOOOOVE the new colors! After struggling with a certain In Color from last year that shall remain nameless - Summer Starfruit *cough* - it was like a breath of fresh air when I saw the new colors this year. I nearly swooned!

Anyhooo, I wanted to fancy the cards up a bit, so I looked for contrasting colors to give them a little pop. And the awesome new patterns in the Designer Series Paper Stacks added some extra visual interest, too!

Here are the In Colors, with their contrasting color:

•    Pistachio Pudding, Wild Wasabi
•    Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay
•    Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral
•    Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede
•    Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo

And, because I really liked the black, white and Bermuda Bay combo from the other day, I made another!

Stamps: Chalk Talk, Lots of Thanks
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding, Wild Wasabi, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede, Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, plus coordinating DSP stacks
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Soft Suede, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Big Shot, Chalk Talk Framelits, Beautifully Baroque folder, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

The Perfect Baby Card

Looking for the perfect baby card for someone who is expecting? Look no further - I have just the card for you! It uses the Baby Tees Jumbo Wheel, and couldn't be any easier to whip up. Customization is easy, too, by changing the colors. In this case, the mom-to-be knows she's having a girl, so Pretty in Pink, along with Wild Wasabi and Daffodil Delight was used.

I didn't even bother to snap the ink cartridge into the Stampin' Around Jumbo Handle. Rolling it a few times on the ink pad was all that was needed to roll out the image.  Of course, if you're planning on rolling multiples, it would be better to snap the ink cartridge into the handle. :-)

This is another "mailable" card, because the knot on this bow isn't very thick. As long as you are using good-quality envelopes like our Medium envelopes, available in Whisper White, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake, there should be no problems! So, there you have a perfect baby card - quick and easy to put together!


Stamps: Baby Tees wheel, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, Shimmery White
Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Soft Suede
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka-Dots folder, Blender Pen, Ticket Duo Punch, Eyelet Border Punch (retired), Pretty in Pink 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (retired)

Simply In Love With This Color Combination

And simply in love with all the new Sale-A-Bration goodies. Love exploded is blooming all over my craft room. Today I made FIVE Valentine-themed cards! I guess once I started looking up funny Valentine's greetings the other day, I 'got in the mood', so to speak.

The is one of those great mailable cards.  The square knot on the ribbon was tied loosely enough that I could flatten in onto the glue dot, thus reducing the bulk.  So, no extra postage needed for that envelope!

No need for a greeting, since I'm pretty sure the intent of the card is clear. I love, love, love this color combination, don't you?! It reminds me of a Fifties diner, though I have no idea how I could possibly know what colors were popular way back then. (Heehee!)

Stamp: Madison Avenue (FREE Sale-A-Bration item)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Big Shot, Hearts Framelits, Hearts A Flutter Framelits, Square Lattice Folder, Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack (FREE Sale-A-Bration item)

So, what is your favorite color combination for Valentine's Day? Do you like the traditional red and/or pink & white? Do you go for a more dramatic combination like red, black, and white? Or are you totally into non-traditional combos, like orange and pink, or purple and black? Leave a comment about your favorite, and I have some blog candy for the winning comment. Winner will be announced Sunday evening.