Thursday, May 28, 2015

Sympathy Cards


I made several similar sympathy cards this week.  I use more sympathy cards than any other type.  I need to get ahead on these.  These use the Stampin' Up Wheel, remember those things.  I hardly ever use it but this is one that i do grab quite often.

"The inside sentiment says:  The tide recedes but leaves behind bright seashells in the sand.  The sun goes down, but gentle warmth still lingers on the land, The music stops and yet it echos on in sweet refrains...For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains."
It's such a beautiful verse that this becomes one of my go to sympathy cards to make.

 I will enter this into Simon Says Anything Goes Wednesday Challenge.  Entry #4


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Monkeying Around with Stampendous Stamp #478, 479, 480, 481, 482

Aren't they cute?  These stampendous monkeys.  I know they have a name but i can't think of it right now.  Starts with a C....:D    Picked these up at a really good sale and just couldn't resist their fun little faces.  I think I'll use this a lot.  I will enter this into Simon's Wednesday Challenge for Anything Goes.  I always felt kind of funny entering more than one entry into one challenge but Simon's crew assured me that they say FIVE entries and not to be embarrassed.  So here goes!  :D

Fun Stencil Card

This was really a fun card to make. When Simon told us last week to use stencils I had pulled this one out and never finished the card.  I sprayed over the stencil with my home made glitter spray and then added the leaf stamp from one of my Stampendous stamps.  Twisted the ribbon and added a fabric flower and it was really a simple card to make.  I am entering this into Simon's Challenge this week for Anything Goes. 

SU Stamp #477 from my stash

 I was so pleased with how these turned out.  I was just wanting to use up parts and pieces I had lying around after all my GRAD stamping.  These pierced rectangle dies from Simon Says are some of my favorite go-to’s when I think a card needs a bit of punch!  This is an old SU stamp and I think it looks so nice framed with these dies. I am entering these into Simon’s Wednesday Anything Goes challenge.  I’m glad to be done with grad cards.  WHEW!



Saturday, May 23, 2015

ABC Christmas Challenge is JOY

It feels so good to feel like working on some of my favorite challenges again.  I left off with E is for edging way back in March.  Instead of trying to play catch up with this challenge I am going to work my way backwards.  I won’t be able to post them on their website but at least I will increase my stash for December and that is the purpose of being involved with this oh so fun challenge blog.  Here is my JOY card.  I used SU markers and North Woods water color paper which is quite smooth and the color really moves easily.  I used some liquid smooch on the snowflakes and it hasn’t dried yet when I took the photo. It won’t look like epoxy when it dries.  Open-mouthed smile  I used some stickles on the berries.  The run part was to emboss that piece of velvet with my Sizzix Holly embossing folder.  Oh my, that turned out gorgeous.  I’m sorry you can’t see the texture very well on this photo.  Anyway, count me done with the May challenge.  It’s good to be back.  Check out the ABC Christmas Challenges and have fun with us. IMG_7803 (800x583)

Sentiment and Stencil

Does it get any easier than this.  Using the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge to use a Stencil and show case The Crafters Workshop products, I went digging into my stencil box.  This is a new stencil from TCW called Mini Flower Quarter.  I used some home made glitter spray.  (just mix some liquid pearls into some 80% alcohol in a sprtiz bottle) I added the sentiment stamp and popped it up on a foam sheet.  Using two ribbons to give some accent to this in a very subtle way finished it off.  It was so simple I turned right around and created another.  I never do that!! Smile 

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ahhhh

After creating and catching up on orders that were long over due…I sat down and created this just for fun card.  I used the MFT Sketch Challenge of the week and all MFT dies.  Just went at it slowly and had so much fun with it.  I’m loving that my washi tape is easy to get at now and organized by color.  Makes it so much easier to use my supplies since I moved into my new space.   Now tell me, isn’t this just such a fun card.  I had to use the circle die from Blue Prints 15 to anchor these ever so fun flamingos also from MFT. 

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The gal grads Stamp 475-476

These little ladies from La-La Land crafts were a delight to color and turn into personalized grads for the individuals.  Using school colors, hair colors and skin tones I was able to match the paper grad to the real grad.  In the last card, I used the MISTI to line up the number grid from MFT onto the little rectangle.  In real life, the highlighted yellow numbers of 2015 show up much better than the photographed ones.  I stamped onto some white seam binding with the sentiment from the same MFT set.
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how many grads this year?? Stamps #470-471-472-473-474

this year, I made twenty Grad cards for myself and two orders.  Whew….where did all the ideas come from.  I am so glad for creative inspiration that hits when I am least expecting it.  like just before I go to sleep.  That helped with creating these.  Fourteen of these cards were all going to the same grads and they had to be different from one another.  You have seen some of the ones in previous posts.  I will put the rest of the cards for the guy grads on here.  All the images are Mark’s Finest Paper but I don’t know if they are retired or not.  But how fun to use simple water color and create these.  The first one uses an MFT Accent it die.

The banner on the two others hold a computer generated sentiment using Spellbinders dies.  And the punched corners on the truck are a SU punch. I sure do get a lot of use out of that punch.  I am so glad I purchased it.  I had used another companies punch twice, one from a rummage and one brand new and I was never satisfied with the way the “didn’t” punch.  This one punches every time no matter the card stock or paper.  These are all done on water color paper.  The MFP image with the covered bridge is really a winter scene but I colored it up like summer and you can do that when you are the card artist.  bwwhhhaaa…I bet no one will even notice.

–I will show a couple of shots of why I am loving the new MISTI.  It was very helpful with this batch of cards. I don’t know about you but I forever have trouble with getting my images like these to stamp on water color paper and have thrown more away and what a waste of expensive paper.  With the MISTI I was able to re-ink and stamp several times to get good crisp images.  I was grateful.  --then lining up those letters in the film strip…I was glad that idea popped into my head.  Thanks for stopping by.  Love and appreciate all your comments.  The stamping community is such fun. –The last one is an old collage stamp that I purchased in 2000 when we went to Amsterdam.  I was quite surprised to find a stamping store there. I stamped onto the striped cork. In hind site I wish I had used my stamp positioner with this wooden stamp to make it stamp more of a deep color.

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Monday, May 18, 2015

two more grads Stamps #468 & 469

The truck is for the cow girl.  I made the balloons in the school colors and tried to make it a bit feminine with the added washi tape. (think: covering up a mark on the card stock)  Winking smile       I don’t think the farm boys around here would fly balloons from their truck.  Anyway, fun card to make. 

The feminine card is for a sweet little lady that has struggled with cancer for most of her school life.  I think she was diagnosed when she was in third grade. 

Now pushing on to do the last group of three which is for the same three young people but for a different customer.  Having fun with this. Challenging but fun.

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and even more grads

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When I first started in the stamping world the SU demo person told us we could NEVER have too many alphabet stamps…and I listened.  and though I am glad I purchased a few sets I really don’t use them as much as I thought I would.  I guess because I left off traditional scrap booking and had really planned to have multiple varieties for that purpose.  I am glad I have this chunky set from SU though.  It comes in handy every so often.  Often enough that I don’t want to let it go.  Like this, it was the perfect bold offset for this sketch from MFT blueprints 4 and then that perfect little mortar cap and tassle from Whimsey…I’m not done yet with all these grad cards.  Hang with me!!

More Grads and stamp # 467

 

and so…we have lacy feminine high heeled grads and we have cow girl I love my horse grad…got it covered.  I had fun stretching my creative brain on these polar opposites.  I know all of these young ladies will, indeed, love their cards.  The horse is the new stamp used from my stash.  It is a MFT stamp.

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Grads Grads Grads

Thought I would pop on over to MFT Sketch Challenge and see if I could be inspired for some more Grad cards.  I thought this weeks sketch would make an excellent masculine grad card.  I used MFT stamps and also die cut a circle stamp to lay down as a template and then used my Viva Pearl pen to go around the outside of it for a perfectly lined up circle.

I first stamped the sentiment on the green card stock and then lined it up and stamped again on the gray banner piece.  that was the tricky part but it worked.  I embossed both sentiments.  (I bet it would have been easier if I had already had my MISTI.

I love this set for grad cards.  Thanks MFT.

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Thursday, May 14, 2015

Still playing catch up

Wow, when you are out of commission for months, a lot of lists get made.  I didn’t want to forget sending greetings to people and life and death too, unfortunately, keep going on.  I am slowly getting through my list.  Still have one baby card to make for a set of twins.  (eeps how exciting) and five grad cards.  Then I get to start on two orders for grad cards and an order for  twelve birthday cards.  It’s fun to keep this brain challenged.

I rarely do this, but in the spirit of catching up , I made two of the blue card as they were going to two different families.  I would like to do this more often,  but since I make cards as I go along w/o a plan in place, I have to see if I like it before I make another and usually I just like to start fresh.   I really liked how it turned out though and it was simple enough to recreate.  Both cards use only My Favorite Things Dies.  I used the Blue Printss # 3 and used one of the sketches they provided.  Two really different looks and the same blue print. I used the Paper Studio embossing folder for the horizontal bricks.  These are five inch square cards.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

fun water color technique Stamps #462-463-464-465-466 Judith Stamps

My friend JoAnn sent me this link for a new technique for water coloring.  It’s one of my favorite color applications.  I love how simple this was and how softly pretty it turned out.  Here’s the link if any of you would like to try.  https://www.facebook.com/SCRAPBOOKEXPO/videos/10152789469141771/?fref=nf     I have several stamps from Stamps by Judith.  She is the first one that taught me about interactive stamping with your images.  Waaaaaay long time ago during the big old cassette videos.  I ordered one from her catalog.  She still makes stamps.  Here’s the link.  http://www.stampsbyjudith.com/

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Monday, May 11, 2015

461 SU bird and basket

Here’s a card with a bit of interest because of it’s unusual size.  I did it in 3 x 6 and it fits into a standard size letter envelope.  I used die cuts from Whimsy for the sentiment and cut them out twice and layered them.  It  was fun to make this out of the ordinary size.  I used paper twine and wrapped it around a small paint brush handle to curl it and then sprayed it with hair spray to keep it.

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#459 simple silhouette

Another SU favorite.  I love silhouettes for sympathy cards.  I usually use this as a full large stamp.  It was a refreshing change to stamp it on a bit of a square and stamp it in Close to Cocoa.  I also used SU lace background in Creamy Caramel.

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#460 SU simple lily

My niece used this set on her wedding invitations about fifteen years ago.  I loved the simplicity of it and had to make that purchase.  I still love it but it rarely gets love anymore.  I need to remedy that.   I needed a pile of sympathy cards this past week and then had orders to make several all going to the same families.  that was a challenge.

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and just for fun

MFT sent me a $10  gift certificate for my birthday and it was the same week as their new release.  I just fell in love, I tell you, with these oh so fun flamingos and the sentiments that go with.  I cut this sentiment to fit.  That’s what I love about clear stamps.  My MFT stamps always stamp perfectly, every time.   I am entering this into the Simon Says Sentiment challenge this week. Aren’t they a hoot??

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Having fun with MFT

Feels good to have the desire to play in challenges again.  I’ve missed having the energy to think about sketch challenges.  Here’s the MFT Wednesday challenge for this week.  I used the sentiment from  Pure Innocence chrysanthemum girl but I cut it apart to fit.

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Sunday, May 10, 2015

#458 mini tag SU

Slowly but surely still making my way through my multitude of stamps.  It’s a fun journey and stretches me to create.  I’m wondering if I should start going by company”s IMG_7730 (666x800)and get through the rest that way?  I am going to enter this into the Simon Says Wednesday challenge for Use a sentiment on the front.  I really liked how this turned out with the Paper Studio Pocket full of Posies Kraft paper.  Faux stitching with a white gel pen and then gone over with a spica glitter pen in green.   Thanks for stopping by.  It feels so good to be stamping again. 

Stamp #457 tag stamp again

A similar card as a thank you for help given during that long illness.  I didn’t know when I purchased the Heidi Grace paper pack how I would use it but I sure am glad I picked it up.  Adding this to the Simon Says Sentiment Wednesday challenge.   The DP has sentiments that are meaningful and the little thank you tag just adds a bit of pop. 
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Stamp #457 SU tag stamp

Wanting to join in the Simon Says Sentiment challenge for this Wednesday.  I used Heidi Grace papers with pre-written sentiments and then let the simple tag sentiment say it’s thing!  Fun Challenge.  I am so belated with so many cards.  I know they all understand but it makes feel behind.  I sure appreciated those who visited and brought gifts or did things for me while I was under the weather for so long.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

#454-455-456 Mark’s Finest Papers

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Back to “work” if you call this work!  I have really missed creating with my heart.  I did it while I was ill as a distraction from feeling sorry for myself but my heart wasn’t in it.  Today I am working on an order for a sweet friend.  She needs some sympathy cards and birthday cards.  My sweet friend Angela Bode sent me that beautiful yellow and black creation back in January when a very special friend of ours died.  I loved it so much I wanted to use her design and I CASE-d it.  It was such a comfort at the time and I hope my recreation of it brings the same comfort to others. I made three different varieties of it.  ~~Now the wisteria card is all MFP stamps that have rarely been used but how beautiful of a Sympathy card they make.  I used a Spellbinders die to show case them.  The butter fly is flat against the card stock but I cut the upper wing out and used the “faux tole” technique to pop it up.  The sentiment is stamped in Lovely Lavender from Stampin’ Up.   The teeny bow is made with the bow easy.  I am so pleased how this turned out. IMG_7713 (800x599)

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Friday, May 1, 2015

Happy Birthday to me

and how many others on this day.  It was a great day for babies to be born.  My friends, Ruth, Faye, Rachel, Elisabeth, Jodie, we all share the same birthday.  Using a Mark’s Finest Papers stamp I made us all a cupcake card.  This has been used in the count already so no number.  I am entering it into Simon’s Anything Goes Wednesday challenge.   I used MFT fishtail banners for the sentiment stamp and Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps sweet scallop circle die.  I popped up the cupcake.  Colored it with gamsol and koh hi noor pencils.

cupcake