Make It Mailable 13-12

Hello, stampers, and welcome to another Monday. Can you believe Christmas is ONE MONTH FROM TODAY?!  Eeeeek, I have to get my cards in the mail next week! I have about 50 done and need about 30 more.  How many do you send out each year?  Today's card is another one that I will be making in quantity. It was inspired by this card on SCS.

One of the ways to keep the weight down on your cards, if you are making multiple layers, is to cut the centers out of the mats, leaving just a frame.  I did that on this card, and used the cut out piece as the mat for the image. The Stampin' Trimmer makes it so easy!  Just determine how wide you want the 'frame' sides to be.  I made them 5/8" on this one, which left plenty of room for the adhesive holding the brushed gold panel.

I love the Endless Wishes stamp set that was used on the brushed gold, but unfortunately, it was sooo popular that it's sold out already!

Stamps: Evergreen, Endless Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Brushed Gold
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Trimmer, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Linen Thread

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.

Christmas in July (Make it Mailable) and a Sneak Peek

Let's see, did I miss anything? Nope, I think that title about covers it, lol!  Today's card is the one we are making in our Christmas Card Club today. It features a new stamp set from the Holiday catalog (starts Aug. 1st), as well as some fabulous Christmas DSP from said catalog.  Oooo, and see that shiny gold foil cardstock? That's in there, too! And, since today is Make it Mailable day, I opted not to put a ribbon and bow on it. The Candy Dots looked cuter anyway, and kept the polka-dot theme going.

Did you know we're having a July special on Designer Series Paper? Buy three and get one free! Don't miss out on on this great deal! Click image below to shop.  Note: The DSP stacks and Specialty DSP are not included.

Keeping this post short and sweet today, since I'm up to my neck in Convention swaps. I'm starting to feel a bit anxious about getting them finished in time!!!

Highlighted items below will be available August 1st

Stamps: Wishing You
Cardstock: Whisper White, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Season of Style DSP, Gold Foil
Ink: VersaMark, plus Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Heat Tool, Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Emboss Powder, Artisan Label Punch, Brights Candy Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Make it Mailable!

It's "Make it Mailable" day again, so here's another card that will not give the Post Office fits when you send it. This was another from the Masculine Cards class about a week ago. (You really should have been there!)

Even though this stamp retired a while back, I just couldn't part with it because it is so perfect for guy cards. And while I would never demonstrate a retired product at a party/workshop, I'm not against occasionally using something retired in my classes, though I mostly prefer the awesome new things.

This card took me a couple of tries to get right. My first thought was to stamp the image with StazOn, and then use the white gel pen to color in the sails. Truthfully, it looked awful. The coverage wasn't consistent, and it covered up the hatch marks that gave the image depth.

So, Plan B to the rescue! Stamp once on Smoky Slate, then again on Whisper White and fussy-cut just the sails with the pennant on top of the mast. Popped up on dimensionals it looks AWESOME in real life! And the card with envelope is less than 1/4" thick, woohoo!

I love this color combination - Island Indigo, Smoky Slate, and Basic Black (with a bit of Whisper White), on a Basic Gray card base. Very strong and manly looking. ("Strong enough for a man, yet gentle enough for a woman." Name that commercial!)

Speaking of manly cards, too bad you missed the Masculine Cards class, because there won't be another one until next year! Classes have been scheduled through December, and the next class coming up is the Birthday Card class in August, then All Occasion Cards in September...everything else is holiday themed (yes, folks, the holidays will be here before you know it!). Be sure to check out my stamping schedule! Come join the fun with the monthly stamp club, or the monthly Christmas club. Or just take a class or two.

And if you and your friends want to schedule your own private card class, let me know! Better act quickly, though; available time slots are dwindling.

STAMPS: Sails Away (retired), Teeny Tiny Wishes
CARDSTOCK: Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White, Island Indigo (Regals DSP stack)
INK: Jet Black StazOn
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Fancy Fan embossing folder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Hexagon Punch (greeting banner end)