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

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Extravaganza!

Hellooo, so kind of you to stop by! As you may have heard, it's a very special day today....William and Kate are getting married! What? That's not why you're here?! Oh, then you must be looking for the Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop. Well then, you've come to the right place! If you've been following the links from the beginning, you've just landed here from Betty's blog, where she featured the fabulous new colors of Embossing Powders.  (If you get lost along the way, just click the banner above to find the complete hop list and links!)

Today I am showcasing the Flower Garden Embossing Folder. I think embossing, whether dry or heat, is my favorite technique, so I'm always excited to see what Stampin' Up! comes up with in their new catalogs....and this one certainly didn't disappoint! (Not that they ever do!)

First up is a card near and dear to this California girl's heart....California Poppies!  
(As always, you can click on the images to see more detail, along with all the mistakes, lol.)

This look was achieved by coloring on the embossing folder with Stampin' Write Markers. It's a fun technique with a high "WOW" factor! Quick tip: If you get ink where you don't want it, wipe it up with a Blender Pen.

Next is a card that combines both dry embossing and heat embossing. It has sort of an Asian feel, don't you think?

VersaMark ink was brayered on the embossing folder before running the cardstock through the Big Shot. It was heat embossed with black embossing powder, and then put through the Big Shot again with the Square Lattice embossing folder. Pretty cool effect, 'eh?

The last card is much softer looking. The flowers were embossed along the short side of the cardstock, and after rubbing Stampin' Pastels on the stems and petals, the focal image was cut and matted on the Rich Razzleberry background.

If you look closely, you'll see the flower centers were accented with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (love that stuff). I'm not usually a fan of "fussy cutting", but this card just called for something to make it "pop".

For my last project, cardstock-weight White Vellum was embossed, then used as a window panel for the combination gift bag/luminaria. Fill a cellophane bag with scented bath salts, tie a pretty bow and place in the bag. Slip in a LED tea light and you have a mini spa in a bag. Great gift for Mother's Day!!!

Your next stop is Twila's blog featuring the Touch of Kindness stamp set. I adore that little bird bath!!!

After you have visited all the stops on the hop, I hope you will hop over and visit Stampin' Addicts! This is the greatest group of friendly, creative, helpful people (all addicted to Stampin' Up!) that you would ever want to meet. Everyone is welcome, from beginning stamper to seasoned demonstrator, so stop by and say 'Hi', and tell them Cindy sent you!