Retiring Poppies and an SCS Tutorial

We are less than two weeks away from the items on the retiring list being gone forever, so I decided to show some love to some stamps that will be going bye-bye. *Sniff*

Of the four stamps sets used on this card, two are retiring.....Pleasant Poppies on the front, and the sentiment from Yippee-Skippee inside. I was inspired to watercolor the poppies by the Wednesday Tutorial over at Splitcoast Stampers, called Distress Stain Watercolor. Since I don't have any distress stains, I substituted Stampin' Write Markers and it worked out just fine!

This card is going to someone very, very near and dear to my heart. I hope this special person likes it!

Recipe:
5-1/2" x 8-1/2" Naturals White, scored at 4-1/4" for card base
4" x 5-1/4" Basic Black for mat behind image
3-7/8" x 5-1/8" Watercolor Paper
Use Real Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers, coloring direct to stamp, then spritz with water and stamp on Watercolor Paper. Don't clean stamp yet.
Follow tutorial linked above for coloring the image. I added highlights with Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry, then added black dots with Project Life Journaling Pen.
Stamp greeting in Jet Black StazOn, then add dots with white gel pen. Use scrap of Cherry on Top DSP to stamp butterfly, then punch with butterfly punch and adhere with half of a Stampin' Dimensional.
Adhere image to Basic Black mat and then to card front.
Stamp sentiment inside and huff on poppy stamp to add shadow image to side of sentiment.

STAMPS: Pleasant Poppies, Hello Life, Yippee-Skippee, Papillon Potpourri
INK: Jet Black StazOn, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, plus Real Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
CARDSTOCK: Naturals White, Basic Black, Watercolor Paper, Cherry on Top DSP Stack
ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painter, Project Life Journaling Pen, White Gel Pen, Bitty Butterfly Punch, 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.

Cardmaking Contest!

Here is another of the Thank You cards I made with the "found" already-colored Pleasant Poppies. When cleaning up your craft room (or area), do you discover things you've saved just in case you need them later? I'm not talking about bits of cardstock and ribbon...that's a given. I'm talking about images, whether finished or not. For me, it's like finding a little treasure, and I want to make something with it right away.

Now here's some news you can use! In honor of World Cardmaking Day tomorrow (Oct. 5th), Stampin' Up! is having a contest, and it's open to all! Here are the details:

There are two ways to enter:

• E-mail a photo of a card (or of you making a card) made with Stampin' Up! product on World Cardmaking Day to wcmd2013@stampinup.com.
• Post a photo of a card (or of you making a card) made with Stampin' Up! product on World Cardmaking Day on Instagram. Mention us by typing @stampinup and use the hashtag #wcmd2013 in the description.

This contest is open to everyone, however, there are a few conditions:

• You must be over the age of 18 to win a prize.
• You can enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must feature a different card.
• Contest will last all day on October 5, from 12:01 AM to 12:00 PM (that's Mountain Time!)
• Stampin' Up! will randomly select 100 winners from the North American markets to receive a Paper Pumpkin Kit (valued at $19.95 US/ $20.95 CA)*, and will select 50 winners from the South Pacific and European markets to receive the Naughty and Nice Rotary Stamp and Season of Style Designer Washi Tape.

*Quebec winners will receive the Naughty and Nice Rotary Stamp and Season of Style Designer Washi Tape (valued at $14.95).

So, start planning your projects for tomorrow! I hope you all win a prize! (I would have said I hope you all are winners, but you ARE winners, whether or not you win the contest!)

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Lots of Thanks
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Shimmery White, Cherry Cobbler Core-dinations (Regals Pack), Cherry Cobbler DSP (Regals Stack)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, plus Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits, Circles Collection Framelits, Perfect Polka-Dots embossing folder, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Blender Pens, Very Vanilla 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Pearls Basic Jewels

Gonna Need a Lot of These.....

I don't know where to start, so let's just say I'm going to need a lot of thank you cards (more than normal) over the next few weeks and months. My sweet hubby, who has never had surgery or been really sick in his whole life, is having major surgery on Wednesday. If they don't relieve the pressure on his cervical spinal cord, he will end up in a wheel chair. Cervical Laminoplasty is a scary thing, and they have to do it on three (just found out) four vertebrae.

I'm going to need to thank the doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and so on, for the care he will be receiving, so I'm going to need a LOT of thank you cards. The problem is, I'm so worried about him, my mojo is hiding.

I decided I could clean and organize my stamp room while my mind was elsewhere, and whilst straightening I found a few colored Pleasant Poppy images leftover from Convention 2012. (You know, cleaning my stamp room is not unlike an archaeological dig....the deeper I go, the further back in time it goes.) LOL

I also found a bunch of Cherry Cobbler Labels Framelits already cut (what was I planning to do with those?), and some Very Vanilla panels already imbossed.  Well, heck, there's a card almost ready to be put together right there!  Just add some Gold Foil Paper to make it fancy, a Tiny Tags thank you, and there ya go! Okay, one down, a dozen more to go.

I hope you will keep my hubby in your thoughts and prayers on Wednesday. He is the love of my life, my rock, my everything.

If you don't hear from me for a while, you know why.  I'm going to try to schedule some posts in advance, but can't promise anything.

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Tiny Tags (retired)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Shimmery White, Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations, Gold Foil Paper
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green
Accessories: Big Shot, Labels Framelits, Circles Framelits, Fancy Fan folder, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Ticket Duo Punch, 1/16" Punch, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Blender Pens, Stampin' Dimensionals, gold thread (non-SU)

More Swaps!

Is there a Swappers Anonymous out there somewhere? If so, "Hello, my name is Cindy, and I am a swap addict."

I can't help myself! I just love seeing what everyone else is making, so I get carried away. This was another card made for convention swapping*. It's a variant of The One That Didn't Make the Cut. I did end up coloring 50 images, but at least I didn't have to cut 150 banners! (Well, not for this card, anyway.)

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Pursuit of Happiness
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Shimmery White
Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Real Red, Gumball Green, More Mustard, Basic Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka-Dots folder, Basic Black 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Blender Pens, Stampin' Dimensionals


* For those who don't know what a swap is, here's a description:  A swap is when people make cards to swap for cards made by other people. It's a great way to see fresh, new ideas. Plus it gives us a chance to show samples of things made with stamp sets we might not have to our customers/stamping friends.

Be careful - it can be addictive!!!

Didn't Make the Cut

In the process of trying to design my Convention swap cards, there were some cards that didn't quite make it. Either I wasn't happy with the way they turned out, or they were too time-consuming to try to mass produce 50 of them. This is one of them.The Pleasant Poppies background stamp is gorgeous, but I couldn't help hearing the Wicked Witch of the West's voice in my head saying, "POPpies. Poppies will put them to sleep."

I liked this card, but decided to go in a whole different direction with the swap cards. Plus, the thought of coloring 50 images and cutting 150 banners made my eyes cross!  So, this will be a good Thank You card for my cousin, with whom I am staying for two nights before heading to Salt Lake City for the BIG SHOW.

No need to call FEMA, or the Red Cross for that matter.  This disaster of a stamp room is of my own doing, and I'm going to have to be the one to undo it. Thank you for your concern, though! However, if I don't come out after a couple of days, send in a search party, will ya?  Or at least send in some chocolate and coffee. :-)


Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Itty Bitty Banners
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice Folder, Bitty Banners Framelits, Blender Pens, Stampin' Dimensionals