Snow Flurries

Can I just brag for a minute about my girls? Is that my "right" as a mom? :) Last night, we had our church's Thanksgiving Dinner. Our entertainment was a home-school group band and orchestra. I sat in the front row with my girls, and waited to see Hannah's reaction to the music. She loves music, plus many of her teen friends were sitting up on stage playing (as a pastor's family in a small church, Hannah spends a lot of time with older kids, and tends to think of herself as one of the teenagers). She sat very intently through the whole thing, and loved clapping after every song. During the band portion, she would ask "Mommy, more? More songs, please?" She really enjoyed it and was even trying to sing along. "Sing, mommy, sing!" Makenna, too, really enjoyed it. She sat on my lap bouncing away, especially liking the orchestra. She was trying to sing too! **Funny Story**There was an elderly lady sitting down behind us, with a cane on the floor. I had moved to the side to sit on the floor with my girls, and Hannah noticed the cane. She asked, "Mama, is that a shepherd's staff?" I tried not to giggle, amazed that an almost 3-year-old would think of such a thing! I asked her, "So does that make her a shepherd?" She thought about it, and stared at the lady, and decided that yes, she was!

Now about the card...I'm just experimenting on possible stamp-a-stack card ideas. This is made from a 3x12 Bashful Blue cardstock, wheeled with "Snow" jumbo wheel from mini catalog. It was inked with versamark cartridge. I used a piece of Hobby Lobby paper, cut 3x2. The snowman stamp comes from "Snow Flurries" (as does the sentiment) and is inked with Bashful Blue. It is layered on Real Red cardstock. I tied silver ribbon around this. I paper pierced the edges and used a white paint pen to make stitch marks. I used blender pens and SU! stampin' pastels to color in the snowman.

Criss-Cross Card

I've been wanting to make a criss-cross card for a while now. They look really fun and special. Here's my directions:

Cardstock: 2 pieces (Wild Wasabi) cut 4.25x11, scored at 5.5. Cut each piece diagonally from ceter top to bottom corner, making sure one piece is cut to the bottom left corner, the other to the bottom right corner. Layer these pieces on top of each other so that the whole rectangle portions are on top of each other, with a triangle on the left and the right.

Designer Paper: cut 4x5, cut in half on the diagonal. I used 2 different pieces of DS here. Layer triangles on the cardstock base and adhere.

Assemble card: use sticky strip or SNAIL along bottom of middle panel as well as the bottom of the triangle fold that is on top.

Insert: 3.75x5. Use corner rounder on top corners. If desired, layer neutral CS on top, measuring 3.5x4.75 and use corner rounder on top corners. I decorated white cardstock with the jumbo wheel "All about Christmas" in Certainly Celery ink

Round Tab Punch: I used Designer paper and adhered with brads to the insert piece

Optional: Belly Band, 1.5x12 long Card Stock; score at 5 5/8, 11.25. Place sticky strip on small 3/4" section and adhere.

Decorate: use ribbons, hardware, punchouts...I used a snowflake punch on DS

wsc26 by Fresh and Fun

I finally got my card finished that I followed the Weekend Sketch Challenge from Fresh and Fun . My base is Rose Red, cut 4.25x11 and folded in half. I layered on black and Bashful Blue cardstock. I stamped Linen in Bashful Blue and stamped on Bashful Blue cardstock to give it a textured look and stamped All in a Row along the edges. Then I layered on Cutie Pie DS, which I stamped All in a Row along the edges. I took a rectangle piece of So Saffron and stamped Warm Wished in Black ink. My Flowers were stamped in Black outline and So Saffron inside, using the 2-step stampin' technique. This is the Bud Basics stamp set. The inner stamp is stamped with Rose Red on the inside, black on the outside. I added a blue brad to the center. I also used the Round Tab Punch on Cutie Pie paper and added 2 brass brads to it. I used the ticket corner punch with brads added to these corners also.

Snow Card

I created this Z-fold card the other day, and how appropriate that I show it today, as it's trying to thunderstorm and snow outside. It is soooo windy, and the waves on the lake are huge! It's actually a little scary! I don't like that it's almost dark at 5:00 now.

I CASEd (copy and stamp ??) this from another one I've seen that I liked. I did the base 4.25x12 and then I rolled my new snow jumbo wheel in versamark, and then embossed with white powder. For the white layer on the inside, I wheeled in Real Red and sponged the edges with red. I also used the corner rounder on the corners. I used white satin ribbon on the edge with a sentiment Joy stamped in versamark on Pretty in Pink paper and embossed with white powder. I edged this with Real Red and ticket punched the corners. For the rectangle layer on top, I used a base of bliss Blue, layer of winter paper and a diamond shape of Pretty in Pink. I stamped on this the mittens in versamark and embossed in white. This stamp set is a discontinued set I bought last year and I can't remember the name of it.

Western Style

Here are 2 cards I did a few weeks ago. I'm not completely pleased with how they turned out--not sure what they need. I think they're fine for a simple, quick card, though. They are square, 4", on black and brown cardstock. I used a strip of designer paper on the edges, cut about 3 3/4 x 2. I used my circle punches for each circle. On the red "hello" card, the sentiment came from Sweet Shapes and the flower from Baroque Motif. This flower reminds me of the one in the Wanted set, which I don't have.--I go back and forth between wanting the Wanted, Bronc Buster, and Starstruck. I don't think I should get all 3, but I want one, because my family is into the Western theme, and would make perfect cards for my dad and also for the scrapbook pages I do of the horses. Anyway, back to the above cards: I stamped images in Versamark ink from the Polka Dots & Petals set. Ribbon comes from craft stores. There are also eyelets set in each card. I do like the layout of these cards; it's one I've used before and just looks so different depending on what colors and papers are used.

2 more cards from my Stamp-a-Stack

These cards were made with a 4 1/4x5 1/2 base of either Bashful Blue or Rose Red. I used a strip of Cutie Pie DP but 4 1/4x 1 3/4; a strip of white cut 4 1/4 x 1 3/4 and rolled with Dilly Dally Friends in Night of navy ink. The Final strip of color (either Rose Red or Bashful Blue, whichever contrasted) 1/2" wide. I tried a variety of techniques on these strips: paper piercing and adding faux stitching with white gel pen; using my dot stamp from All in a Row; or just leaving it plain. For accents, I cut pieces out of a scrap wheeled with Dilly Dally Friends using the word window punch and also layering circles punches. The bottom circle layer is cut out of So Saffron. By the way the Cutie Pie paper shown is double sided, and what you see are the opposite sides of the paper. I colored in my Dilly Dally friends with blender pens and Pastels.

I like that I can take the same basic layout and same basic pieces of paper/CS/DP and turn out 2 different cards! Of course, there are more details I could've added--ribbon, hardward...but I try to keep it simpler for Stamp-a-stacks and cheaper! :) On other cards, we did add hardware, so I didn't want to do that for all the cards.

WSC25

Here is my Weekend Sketch Challenge: it was to do a z-fold card, with a square/rectangle front. My card measures 4.25 x 11, and scored at 2.75 and 5.5. This is then folded accordian style, or like a Z. My base is Wild Wasabi, which I stamped Linen in Versamark for the bottom half of the card (the inside of the card and partly shown from the outside of the card. Then I stamped the swirl from Baroque Motif in brown, and a sentiment from Baroque Motif. I decided to stamp 2 cards at the same time. They are mostly the same, slightly different. I also added a sentiment from So Many Sayings on the inside. The outside fold has a piece of Designer paper (Hobby Lobby) cut 2.5x4 and adhered. Then I added a Bashful Blue rectangle over this, with another Designer Paper layered over this. I used a flower from Baroque Motif stamped in Buckaroo Blue (In Color 06-07) and stamped over this in Versamark and heat embossed in clear glitter. I lightly sponged this in basic Brown and added 2 small cutouts of the small flower from this stamp set (stamped in brown and Cameo Coral). I used my Crop-a-Dile and set copper eyelets in the middle. I used this same process for the flower in the right top corner. The Top right corner flower is adhered with a 3-D popdot so that the Bashful Blue paper can be tucked under slightly to keep card folded together. On the Bashful Blue rectangle, I stamped the argyle stamp from All in a Row along the edge of the DP to look like zig-zag stitching. I think I'm getting a little better at lining this up :) On the top card, I used the corner rounder on the outer fold. I think I like that look.

A Few of my Favorite Things

here are 3 cards that I made at my stamp-a-stack last week. This was probably the most difficult technique that we used--heat embossing. I actually first made this card by mistake, which I think I posted the earlier version made on Pretty in Pink cardstock. These cards were made on Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery, and Regal Rose. I wheeled the Doodles jumbo wheel using a versamark self-inked cartridge, and embossed with white powder. I love how it looks elegant and lacy. Then I stamped a butterfly from Garden Whimsy in Lavender Lace and Regal Rose, cut it out, added glue and glitter and used tiny 3-D pops to adhere. I used Flowers for You DP for accent. For the Sentiment, I used a scrap strip to stamp the saying--from Garden Whimsy and So Many Sayings (hostess) in black ink. Then I snipped with scissors for length and used the ticket punch on the corners. I like how that turned out. By the way, one of my guests wants to hand stamp invitations to her daughter's 4th birthday in January, and wants me to help her--to do a mini stamp-a-stack for her using my supplies, but for her to make them and pay for them--and is thinking of doing a card similar to these. I think it's a great idea, and am contemplating the same idea for Hannah's 3rd birthday coming in February. I think it can look like princess/fairy cute girly stuff. Any comments?

Entered in the Weekend Sketch Challenge #23

The base of this card is white cardstock, cut 4.5 x 9. Real Red is cut 4 1/4 square. Pretty in Pink is 2.75 x 3.25. Bashful Blue is 4.25 x 1.25 (?). The white layer on top is not measured, just cut to fit the snowman. The sentiment is on Certainly Celery, stamped with basic Black ink, corners cut with ticket punch, threaded with green stitched ribbon after eyelets were added. All corners are punched with ticket punch. Snowman is shaded with ink and blender pens and glittered up. Real Red paper was stamped with the Snow jumbo wheel, inked with versamark and embossed with white powder. The stamps come from the It's Snow Time set. I really like how this card turned out. I was inspired by the colors used in the Winter Bright scrappin' kit.

Restful Monday

Some people dread Mondays. Back to the usual...work...school...life. I actually enjoy Mondays, because they are lazy days for me. I try to not put much into my schedule that takes me out of the house. Usually weekends are tiresome for the girls, so I make sure they can get good naps in on Monday. This weekend I have the priveledge to go shopping with the teen girls from church WITHOUT any babies!!! YIPPEE! Husband stayed home with both girls so that he wouldn't have to drive (I was the only adult, and we couldn't all fit into one mini-van if I had the baby, too.) We went to the Birch Run outlets that has about 140 stores. We found great sales at Aeropostale, Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place, and Bath and Body and more!! I spent 13 hours away from Makenna--the most up to this point had been 2. She and daddy did just fine, and so did Hannah.

Here is a card I did for a get-well card for my neighbor that's letting me stay in their extra home. I used my new DS paper Flowers for You, Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery, and Pretty in Pink cardstock (with a white card base, cut 4x4). I used the whimsy jumbo wheel on the Lilac paper in versamark ink and used the circle punches ( 1 3/8 and 1 1/4) to layer circles. I used the word window punch to create tabs on the left and also for the Praying for You sentiment on the bottom. This sentiment is from the So many Sayings Hostess set. The butterfly comes from the Garden Whimsy set.

The scrapbook layout is 12x12 and background paper comes from a dollar store. I've had it for a long time. I used the doodle friends in red for interest on white paper; I filled in some to the shapes using my pastel chalks and blender pens. The red flower blue ladybugs and blue butterfly come from Garden Whimsy. I used ballet blue and real red ink and bashful blue and brilliant blue cardstock (also white and black). I used ribbon and chipboard for accents. When I use chipboard, I usually cover it with paper by tracing around the shape onto paper, cutting the shape out and glueing it on with SNAIL. Then I sand down the edges a bit to add distressing and smoothness.