Running With Scissors…

I sure wasn’t going to post another baby card today but everything else I was trying to do was not coming together as planned.  I’m hoping I can pull it out of the bag sometime tomorrow night.

This is a simple card I made with Stampin’ Up!’s Greetings Galore and Provo Craft designer paper.  The main image mat is wheeled both ways with the Rough Texture wheel in Barely Banana for the look of a woven blanket.  The words, which I love for a baby card, are from A Muse.  I dotted the baby’s sleeper with the white gel pen.

I’m sorry to be so brief but I’ve run out of time if I want to get any sleep tonight (I’m posting this on Monday night).  The rest of the details are listed below.  Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Greetings Galore, Amuse words, Hero Arts zig zag stitch

Paper:  Sage Shadow, Barely Banana, Whisper White, Provo Craft designer paper

Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Barely Banana, markers for coloring

Accessories:  Offray ribbon, scallop circle punch, mat pack and piercer, Scotch brand double sided dimensional tape

My new Stampin’ Up! order finally arrived and I mounted this Always set right away and got to work.  There were a few sets that caught my eye and I chose three of them for my first order.  I think I’ll let the other ones be a surprise for now. 

This was a nice change of pace from the baby cards I’ve been doing.  It’s totally grown up — a wedding card, in fact.  I went with the colors of my new Spring Silhouettes double sided designer paper, stamping the heart in Wild Wasabi and matting it on Soft Sky.  There are a few sentiments with the Always set but this one from In My Thoughts better suited the purpose of this card.

Sometimes I get more involved in the construction of the card than the actual stamping of it and in this case the stamping is very simple — just the heart and the sentiment.   I was focusing on incorporating the acetate border there along the front edge of the card.  I wanted sort of a suspended, floating three dimensional look to it and the result is much more elegant and interesting than it appears in the photo.  I cut the front of the card about 1 3/4″ short and used red liner tape to adhere the acetate panel under the front edge.  The designer paper border on the outer edge of the acetate is a 1″ strip, scored lengthwise down the middle.  When it was folded I punched the inner corners with the ticket corner punch.  It was then fitted like a binding over the edge of the acetate and adhered with red liner tape.  The tape is hidden within the fold of the binding so all you see is a nicely finished edge.

The ribbon, which wraps all the way around the front of the card, covers the red liner adhesive on the other side of the acetate.  The striped paper panel is a border that’s adhered along the edge of the inside white lining of the card.  I didn’t have time to take pictures of the whole process like I usually do, but here’s a photo of the inside of the card:

I wasn’t planning on matting the sentiment like this but I made a mess of my stamping and it required some strategic cover up.  I guess it adds some balance and decoration to the inside of the card.  Overall, I’m happy with it.

That’s it for today!  I spent my afternoon at a baby shower and my evening cleaning and preparing for a stamp party on Sunday.  I’d sure like to do some more stamping this weekend but we’ll just have to wait and see.  Thanks for stopping in for a visit!  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Always, In My Thoughts

Paper:  Soft Sky, Whisper White, Spring Silhouettes double sided designer paper

Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Jet Black Stazon

Accessories:  Offray ribbon, Brenda Walton self-adhesive rhinestones by K&Company, acetate, ticket corner punch, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

I’m almost done with the baby card posts.  This is another one of three I made last weekend and I haven’t stamped another single thing since.  This working girl has been a bit of a vegetable in the evenings all week — a potato, that is (couch variety).  There are all kinds of ideas simmering in my little potato head and hopefully I’ll be able to serve them up within the next few days. 

This card uses some of my new Daisyd’s baby papers.  It makes me think of receiving blankets showing the wear of many washings, passed down from one baby to the next.  The satin ribbon is similar to some I used on gowns I sewed for my own baby boy a long time ago.  The card base is Bordering Blue, a color that doesn’t get a lot of love but it’s one I’ve always liked for a soft, subtle look (even though it’s in the Rich Regals group).

I colored the Teddy bear with my Creamy Caramel marker and dabbed in a little Pretty in Pink, which may not be very evident at first glance but it did alter his look somewhat.  I shaded the edges of the main image panel with Barely Banana and a sponge dauber.  There’s a little Banana shading sponged close to his lower body, too.  Other shading under and around him is done with markers and a blender pen.  The scalloped circle is Whisper White that I sponged with Banana for a look that’s a little softer than the Barely Banana cardstock. 

I hope you have a nice weekend ahead of you.  It looks like mine will be pretty busy but I’m sure I’ll fit in a little stamping, too.  Enjoy!

Stamps:  Bundle of Joy (recently retired Stampin’ Up!)

Paper:  Bordering Blue, Barely Banana, Whisper White, Daisyd’s deisigner paper

Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Barely Banana, markers for coloring

Accessories:  Offray ribbon, eyelets, slot punch, ticket corner punch, scallop circle punch, 3/4″ and 1 3/8″ circle punches, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

Hello!  I think I’ve almost had enough of baby cards for a while.  I’m ready to do some pretty stamping, I think.  I’ll try to have something like that to share soon, but for now, all I have is a baby card.  I have a couple more that I haven’t posted yet, too, and I’d sure like to thank you for bearing with me.  I was planning to post them all at once and be done with it but I’m not sure when I’m going to find time to stamp this week.  So…here we go, one at a time…

This baby boy might be big but he’s still in diapers and it takes a big pin to hold a diaper on a baby elephant (if you can imagine…).  I used the elephant’s bottom as a guide to make his diaper.  I folded back a flap, pinned it and glued the diaper in place.  I sponged the edges of the diaper, including the edge of the fold, for definition.  His happy little environment was created with images from Stampin’ Up!’s retired Sheltering Tree.  The colors and patterns in these Chatterbox papers seemed to go nicely with the scene, even though they’re not baby papers.  It’s just a simple and fun card which I think the mom to be will like because she’s kind of a character.

I’ll try to be back soon with more stamping.  I can’t guarantee it won’t be another baby card, though.  I’m still waiting for my first order from the new SU! catalog to arrive.  I just got a shipping notice today.  Gosh, I need more stamps, don’t I?  Take care, and have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Wild About You, Sheltering Tree (both SU!), Hero Arts “New Baby!”

Paper:  Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Chatterbox designer paper

Ink:  Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery

Accessories:  Celery ribbon and brads, slot punch, mini diaper pin

I used this cage recently on a baby card and now I’ve stamped it with different birds for a card that can be used for a variety of purposes.  It can be a Valentine, a wedding card, an anniversary card or just an “I love you” card.  I had Valentine’s Day in mind when I made this but if one of those other occasions comes up between now and then, I’ll be ready.  These birds are from Flourishes’ Love Nest set.   I think they’re so dang cute with their little curly crests.  Don’t they look so in love?  I colored them with a combination of markers, blender pen and soft chalks.

I’m also the proud owner of a new Scor-Pal and that handy little tool sure made this quick and easy to create.  There were directions on the back of the packaging for a few different folds.  This is a double accordian gate fold.  I scored it per package instructions, but I altered the finished product just a tiny bit.  I guess that’s the general idea — start with the basics and go from there.  The main body of this card is Stampin’ Up!’s double sided designer paper — the retired Loves Me collection.  I’ve never made a card almost entirely from designer paper before but, because of all the folds, it worked out just fine and has as much body as any card made from cardstock.  Here’s a picture of the finished inside.  The “Love Birds” sentiment is also from Flourishes’ Love Nest set:

There are a couple of things I really enjoyed about the outcome of this card, aside from being just smitten with these adorable little birds.  First, the fold was so quick and easy, with very little layering, and it looks cute from every angle.  Even the back is finished with the “xoxoxo” paper.  Second, it folds so nice and flat and stays secure with the photo turn rather than tying it closed with ribbon that winds up frayed and is probably cut too short to fumble around with, anyway.

I started with a single sheet of double sided designer paper, cut 5 1/2″ x 12″.  It’s scored at 2″, 4″, 8″ and 10″.  The finished, folded card is 5 1/2″ x 4″.  This is how it looks on the Scor-Pal where I was able to do all the scores without moving the paper:

After scoring, fold the paper so it looks like the picture below.  Don’t worry about which side you score it on.  You’re going to be folding it every which way and it’ll come out just fine in the end.  The way you fold it depends on which pattern you want on the inside or outside: 

After I scored my paper, I trimmed 3/4″ off each end to allow a border of the xoxoxo paper to show.  I lined the underside of the flap with Pretty in Pink cardstock, slightly wider than the flap, and trimmed with scallop scissors.  The brads were inserted next so the prongs are hidden under the flaps.

I then determined where I’d position my main image and attached the photo turn accordingly.  Then I was ready to secure the flaps.  They’re adhered down flat to the card front with red liner tape (Sticky Strip).  I wanted to be certain they didn’t come popping loose.  So now the accordian fold has become a regular gate fold, but with a ready made border all from a single sheet of designer paper.  Even without the cardstock border under the flap it’s nice and sturdy.  The main image is adhered only to the left side of the card.  To open the card you simply slide the photo turn off the main image.

For a little fun and pretty contrast, and to add body to the card back in the process, I layered the pink polka dot paper inside.  It’s cut 5 1/2″ x 3 7/8″.  Then came the Whisper White with the words stamped on it — love them with the little pink hearts incorporated into the letters!  I allowed a 1/2″ border all around the white.

That’s it!  I had a super good time making this card.  Even if you don’t have a Scor-Pal it’s still a very simple card fold and I hope you’ll give it a try.  I love the weekends when I have time to do a project like this and I’m able to share all the photos and instructions with you.  Take care and have a great Monday!

Hello, friends!  I’m sharing another baby card today.  This one uses Stampin’ Up!’s Buggies & Booties which I picked up last year (?) when it was on the retiring list.  It’s one of my favorites because I love most anything vintage.  I’m so cutting edge, aren’t I, using so many retired or old stamps?  I really do have lots of new-to-me-stamps that need to see their first ink, but I felt a great deal of pleasure in using this particular stamp for the first time.  It seems as though whenever I need a baby card, the mom to be doesn’t strike me as being the vintage-favoring type.  Consequently,  I haven’t used this set much.  It may turn out that I’m the only one who likes this card.  If so, I’ll give it to her myself.

I stamped it in Bravo Burgundy on Very Vanilla cardstock, colored it with chalks and sprayed with matte sealer.  As an afterthought I decided to do some direct to paper distressing with ink on the edges of the panels.  Since I’d already sprayed it I used Timber Brown Stazon because it worked better on the sealed surface.  I just scraped the edge of the pad on the edges of all the panels.  At first glance the panels almost appear to be torn but it’s just the ink.  I like the effect — much different from the sponging I usually do.

The paper in the background is something old and blue (circa 2001) and something new (ish) from My Mind’s Eye Signature Life series.  They’re not very baby-looking, but they have a nice vintage feel to them.  The ribbon is SU!’s kraft taffeta.

I’m going to cozy up with a movie and cookies now.  This was my first day back at work after vacation and I’m feeling the need for cookies.  I hope you’ve enjoyed this early part of your journey into 2008.  I’ll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Buggies & Booties

Paper:  Vintage Violet, Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory, old Keeping Memories alive blue and MME Signature Life designer papers

Ink:  Bravo Burgundy, Timber Brown Stazon

Accessories:  Stampin’ Pastels (soft chalks) ribbon, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape, mat pack and piercer

Hello and happy new year to all!  I hope this turns out to be a good year for everyone.  Have you made any resolutions?  I make them every day, always with the understanding that I’ll probably break them.  My intentions are good, though, and there’s nothing wrong with hopes, dreams and aspirations.  Since I was a young girl my dreams have been relatively small, yet still important to me.  All I ever really wanted was to be content and to have a happy home.  I’ve realized that dream so the young girl grew up to be a happy woman.  My brother wanted to be a millionaire.  Well…he’s not a millionaire and as far as I know he had no alternate plan.  In fact, he had no plan for becoming a millionaire, either…

I thought I’d start out 2008 with something bright and cheerful.  This is an older Hero Arts image.  I colored it with SU! markers and chose coordinating SU! papers from the original Palette ‘o Prints pad for the background.  The striped ribbon is from the retired SU! Sweet Shoppe collection.  It’s all these coordinating accessories, inks and papers that keep me ordering from the SU! catalog.  I like to play around with a variety of images in addition to SU! but I love the ease of all these matching colors.  I found the ric rac among the sewing notions at Wal-Mart, a perfect match for Apricot Appeal.

I’m still trying to get the hang of my new Rebel XT digital camera that my husband surprised me with for Christmas.  I was pretty sure that’s what was waiting under the tree for me but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high.  What if it turned out to be an egg poacher or something?  Oh, I’d be crying for a different reason then.  Yes, I’ll admit it — I burst into tears when I opened this package!  I’ve never done that before.  My husband said it was his best Christmas ever because his gift made me so happy.  That’s a man with a giving heart.

I’d like to thank you all for helping to make 2007 a good year for me.  Do you ever stop to think about the effect your smallest action has on someone else?  Every tiny thing you do changes in some small way the life of the person you encountered while you were performing that act or speaking or typing those words.  If I were to make a meaningful resolution I guess it would be to keep that in mind as I go about my day.  I know I fall short of the mark all too often and, once again, it’s a resolution that’s difficult to keep.  I’m so imperfect it’s not even funny but, dang it, I’d like to be a better person.  I can always try.  Here’s wishing for you a good start to the new year.  Cheers!

Stamps:  Hero Arts flowers, Stampin’ Up! Sweet Shapes (word)

Papers:  Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White, Palette ‘o Prints designer paper pad

Ink:  Basic Black, markers for coloring

Accessories:  Ribbon, ric rac, slot punch, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape