Running With Scissors…

Today I felt like making something vibrant so I pulled out these Kaleidoscope papers and my Doodle This set (finally).  Uh, oh…I think I’ve fallen seriously in love with this set!  It goes so nicely with Love Matters from the last SU! mini, I can see now that I’ll have to order the Doodle Alphabet, too.  True confession time:  I had no intention of using the Very Punny ladybug on this card, but I had to cover up a smudge–one of those happy accidents.  I love how she fits right in!  I watercolored on Shimmery White with ink squeezed into the lid of the pad.  All the ink colors are Earth Elements except the Turquoise.  My other papers are Cool Caribbean and Pumpkin Pie.  The card is 5 1/4″ square.  I’ve got some more Doodle images stamped and ready to go and I can’t wait to get to them!  A few weekend chores first, though…

I love this sentiment!  Today I found joy in a little thing like a button.  Okay, not such a little button–a big button.  I found these buttons, three to a card, at Wal-Mart.   They were too fun to resist!  This one just happened to match my SU! Scatter Sunshine wheel.  I used Cool Caribbean, a touch of Pretty in Pink and left the Chocolate Chip up to the ribbon and the button.  As you can see, I finally gave in and got a Cuttlebug, too.  Such a cute little thing!  I was going to just highlight the embossed areas with the Vanilla Craft ink, but it didn’t look that great so I smooshed the pad all the way in, not worrying if it was a little splotchy, and then I embossed it with Vanilla EP.  The look is kind of mottled, but I liked it.  I then smudged it here and there with pastel chalks (Stampin’ Pastels) to give it a little blush of color.  Thanks for stopping by!

These are so easy to make!  I wanted them to look like little books so I gave them a spine and a bound edge.  The tied cord is elastic–it’s decorative and it holds the book closed.  Slip it off and the book opens all the way for easy access to the Post-Its.  They’re pretty inside and out, using double sided designer paper.  I left these kind of bare-boned so you could get a better idea of how they’re made, but you could decorate them to your heart’s content!  See below for a step-by-step.

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1.  Cut 2 pieces of double sided designer paper 3″ x 6 15/16″ each.  Choose which side of the paper you want to use for the dominant part of the cover.  Score that side at 3″.  Flip it over, turn it around and score the other end at 3/4″.  Now you’ve got a valley fold on one end and a mountain fold on the other end.

2.  Fold each piece to the inside at the 3″ score mark and adhere closed.  Fold the 3/4″ flap on one piece to the outside (front) and adhere.  Cut a 12″ length of elastic cord and secure the center of it to the back center of the 3/4″ flap with a brad, as shown.  Big brads need the prongs shortened with wire cutters, but smaller brads with shorter prongs work just fine.  Adhere this flap closed to the outside with Sticky Strip.

3.  Cut the spine piece 3″ x 1″.  Lay it face up–the side you want facing out–and apply Sticky Strip to each long edge.

4.  Apply front and back pieces to the Sticky Strip on the spine, as shown.

5.  Peel the back off the Post-It pad and position it in the book.  Close the book around it, lining up the edges.   The spine will be rounded, rather than flat.  Tie the cord snugly around the book, stretching as you tie.  Done!

I was torn between wanting to try this wrap around idea with Big Blossom and wanting to use my new SU! Au Chocolat paper so I just decided well, heck, “why not do both?”.   I always start out with something that sounds like a good idea, thinking now that I’ve got the idea I’ll just be able to throw it together.  Well…it didn’t take long to decide which of the papers I wanted to use, and I knew I wanted to stamp directly on the paper with Versamark, clear emboss and cut out the flower.  I knew I wanted to score the flower, line up the score with the card fold, wrap the flower around the back of the card and adhere it so it opens and closes with the card.  Okay, now what?  Gee, I didn’t have any plan for the rest of the layout, the colors, embellishments or complimentary stamps.  Dang!  I decided to start with the colors and since it was a given that the card would have ribbon on it–must have ribbon–I let that be my guide.  I narrowed down the choices to any ribbon with chocolate on it and finally settled on this ribbon from the Seaside collection.  The big, funky flower and these patterned papers were enough excitement for me so I tried to keep the rest of the card a little bit quiet — Chocolate, Sage, Blush, Vanilla and that one little bright spot of Cameo Coral.  The wide, scalloped Sage border helped to break up the busy patterns and the embellishments are minimal.

I’d like to be able to say, “Oh, this old thing?  It’s just something I threw together.”, but it doesn’t work that way for me.  I envy those of you who can stamp an absolutely adorable card in twenty minutes before you dash off to work.  I won’t even tell you how long this decision making process took me…sigh…my stamp room is a disaster…  Thanks for looking and for spending a few moments with me.  I hope you enjoy every minute of the next card you make, whether it takes you ten minutes or ten hours!

This blogging thing is all so new to me!  Every time I try to add a feature or figure something out I feel like I’m in one of those dreams where I’m trying to run away from something or someone–giving it tremendous effort, but barely moving.  I did finally manage to get a “subscribe” feature added.  I was so clueless!  Soooooo, if you’re interested, it’s over there to the left–just click and you’ll see.

I have a few ideas for future posts that I hope you’ll find interesting so when I can get to my stamp room I’ll get right on that!  Thank you for your patience!  I hope you’re all having a wonderful day!

After a long stretch of cold, rain, hail, wind and even a little snow we finally had a beautiful, warm, sunny day today.  Better yet, it’s Saturday and I didn’t have to go to work!  Instead, I worked in the garden – preparing for Spring, replenishing my vitamin D and rejuvenating my soul.  This photo is from a previous year.  We have crocuses and daffodils in bloom, but they’re rain damaged now, so I’m looking forward to the hyacinths which will be the next of the flowers to brighten the garden. 

I thought at first this Very Punny set was not “for me”, but it worked it’s way into my heart after all.  I wanted to send a cheerful note to a friend who could use an extra smile right now and this cute little bird and light and airy paper came immediately to mind.  This is the Petals and Paisley paper from the SU! Spring Mini.  I love it!

Stamps used are Very Punny, Small Sayings and All in a Row.  Papers are Cool Caribbean, So Saffron, Whisper White and Petals and Paisley double sided DP.  The inks are Basic Black, Regal Rose and So Saffron.  The bird is colored with markers.  I used the key tag punch for the sentiment tab, stamping the sentiment first and then punching it.  Scallops were made with the slit punch.  The ribbon is rose grosgrain.  All supplies are Stampin’ Up!

One thing that’s nice about using the slit punch to make a scallop border–you can make the scallops symmetrical on each end.  Just start in the middle and punch your way out to first one edge and then the other.

Thanks for stopping by!