Running With Scissors…

Wouldn’t it be fun to have a tag that says “Insert self here and enjoy”?

The making of this card was quite a surprise for me because I didn’t expect to have such a good time with it.  I’m in the mood for fall cards and pretty cards but the Flourishes team is showcasing the Menswear set this week.  Men’s shirts and beer…I don’t know…I suppose this could be made into a woman’s shirt with some pretty fall leaves scattered around…gosh, there I go thinking again…I might have to try that…  But, in fact, my husband’s birthday is in October so this couldn’t have come along at a better time.  I’m good to go!

Okay, this shirt is fun.  It begs to be paper pieced.  Think of all the patterns and colors!  Prior to this I’ve used the tie and the beer mug from this set but this is my first time with the shirt.  The mug is colored with Prismacolor markers and the foam is made dimensional with liquid applique.  I colored over the mug with a clear Sakura glaze pen to give it a glassy look.  I had the best time with the shirt, though.

• I stamped the shirt on BasicGrey Ambrosia paper and cut it out.  The collar, cuffs and pocket trim were stamped on another sheet of Ambrosia and pieced over the first.  Even the label inside the neck was paper pieced separately.
• The buttons were dotted with my black Sakura glaze pen so they look more like real buttons.
• To make the bent sleeve I cut along the line to the elbow area.  I stamped that sleeve again on the back side of the paper and cut it out.  Now I had a mirror image of the sleeve.  I used a black marker to trace along the edges of the printed side so it would have the same outline as the rest of the shirt.  Then I glued the two sleeves together back to back.  The cuff was done in the same manner.  Fun!
• The bent sleeve and the mug are both held in place with foam mounting tape (dimensional) and the shirt, itself, is on foam mounting tape, too.

Now I’m looking forward to more shirt cards…I’m getting ideas…  Tomorrow is another day and another card, though.  I’ll see you then!  Have a great day!

• Stamps:  Menswear from Flourishes
• Paper:  Basic Gray from SU!, Ambrosia designer paper
• Ink:  Palette Noir
• Accessories:  SU! ribbon, hardware to hold the tag on, key tag punch, large oval punch, liquid applique, Prismacolor markers, Sakura glaze pens in clear and black

This card is so simple I hesitated to post it, but in the end I decided there was value in its sharing.  It was created at the request of a friend who wanted to send a hospitality thank you regarding some outdoor weekend activities.

Even though it’s a girlfriend who requested it, I categorized it under “masculine” because it’s just the sort of card a guy would be okay with.  So there’s one reason for sharing — an idea for a guy card.  We ladies love to see those many-layered, exquisitely sculpted, elaborately embellished cards but in real life we need one of these simple guy cards occasionally, too.

On the subject of simple…I know we all have times we need a card in an ultra-hurry and nothing in our stash is appropriate.  That’s the time to take a look at those designer papers that are too pretty, cute, cool or whatever to cover up.  I’m turning over a new leaf in that regard.  I wondered what I was going to do with this particular sheet from my Grove collection.  I love it but I did not want to cover it.  It should be viewed as a whole, like a primitive painting.  Papers with repeating patterns are a relatively painless proposition for backgrounds but some of those little 6×6 sheets are so gorgeous they should be framed and hung on the wall!  Or…we can allow them occasionally to play the starring role on a card.

Looking at this paper made me think, “gee, look how primitive the illustration is”.  It’s masterfully primitive and it’s an art form that’s widely admired and respected.  Hmmmm…the trees are kind of funky and there’s no grounding of the images, no shadows cast by the trees.  Yet it’s so darn artistic.  We can do this, can’t we?  Do you sometimes think maybe you try too hard?  We might not be able to draw or paint this but the artists provide the stamps.  For an outstanding example of primitive, yet totally fabulous, stamp art please see this card by Laura Fredrickson.  In fact, check out her whole blog.  The girl can stamp!  Wow!

One last thing…this card I made today is actually a stepped up version of a card I made the other day (if you can believe that!).  Yes, I was in an even bigger hurry when I made a very last minute card on my lunch hour to put in the mail to my son that day.  It was one layer of this same Grove paper on a blue card base with a sentiment stamped in black in the lower left corner of the card.  That’s all.  Very simple but cute.  My friend saw that card laying on my desk at work and exclaimed how she loved it and wondered if I’d make a similar one for her.  She said she’d been looking at cards in the store and couldn’t find one she was satisfied with.  The point is, when you find yourself undervaluing or growing tired of your own work, try to see it through someone else’s eyes, especially those of a non-stamper.  What you do is special and unique.  It can’t be found just anywhere.  A handmade card represents a special care and effort, whether in the making or the seeking out of that just-right card for giving.

Okay?  Now, let’s go stamp something!  Oh, wait…I have to go to work first…  Have an absolutely wonderful day!

I had the most fun making this card.  I don’t know…it just makes me feel good.  It’s not all pretty and girly.  There are no flowers, gemstones or satiny ribbon.  In fact, it’s supposed to be a guy card.  I’m trying to broaden my thinking as to what, exactly, constitutes a guy card.  I generally lean toward outdoor themes or subjects that are inherently “guy”.  But, gosh, what about something on the lighter side once in a while?  Most of my favorite guys have a sense of humor and I think this card would be okay with them.

This is my Howling Cats stamp from Rubbernecker.  It tickles my funny bone but then, I’m sort of a cat fancier.  They look like guy cats, I think.  Our cat, Marvin, somewhat resembles the gray cat on the left.  Marvin and an orange neighborhood cat sometimes get together and howl like this, although I don’t think it’s done with quite the same spirit of camaraderie as the characters in the stamp.

You know how sometimes everything seems to work out just right when you make a card?  Well, that’s how I feel about this one.  I knew right away what colors the cats would be.  In turn, I thought immediately of this paper.  The fibers were chosen because they were the right color and they look yarn-like for cats — *and* — they’re not girly.  The layout just sort of happened.  It’s simple but I like it.  The cats are colored with soft chalks.  There’s more information about that process in my previous post.  I always finish off a chalked image with spray matte sealer, usually a couple of coats.  It dries very quickly.

• Stamps:  Howling Cats SKU:  76-09, Cat’s Meow Text SKU:  76-13
• Paper:  More Mustard, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, BasicGrey Oh, Baby Boy designer paper
• Ink:  Palette Hybrid Noir
• Accessories:  Chalks for coloring, hardware, fibers, spray matte sealer, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Now, for the fun and games!  It’s my turn to share a $10 Gift Certificate to be used at checkout when you place your order at Rubbernecker Stamp Company.  Your comment here will be your entry.  A winner will be chosen by this random number generator.  Gosh, $10 is more than enough for the two stamps I used on today’s card.  They have lots of other stamping supplies at Rubbernecker, too.

Be sure to visit Sherry’s blog for a chance to win the same prize.  You can only win once, but you have two chances.  Good luck!

It’s also time for Tuesday Treasure Hunt!  Follow the clues to find the Treasure at Rubbernecker Stamp Co.  Details can be found —> HERE.  The first Treasure Hunt clue can be found Tuesday, the 22nd, on Linda’s blog.  Have fun playing, and good fortune to all!

ETA:  I’ve just learned that Rubbernecker made the Treasure Hunt easy today — there are no clues to follow.  Just go here to read about how to find the prize.  Thank you!

Hello, again!  I made this card with the new Menswear set from Flourishes.  These refreshing brews aren’t exactly menswear, I guess, unless you have a few too many and wind up wearing them down the front of your shirt.  They are, however, some of the stamps that make this a versatile set for men.

My cold ones are stamped in Jet Black Stazon on Flourishes’ Crystal Clear Cardstock, two on one side and one on the flip side — that’s why one image is reversed.  I colored the mugs with fine-tipped Sharpies and used my Fantastix coloring tool dipped in 91% alcohol to smear the ink around a little bit.  The foam is painted with Cotton White Stazon from a reinker.  Even though I applied the white Stazon very sparingly, it took all day to dry just to the point of tacky — I don’t know why.  The black Stazon dried almost instantly.  By the way, this clear cardstock is an unusually heavy weight.  If you like working with transparencies, you’ll love this stuff!

The “Cheers” fit perfectly in the large oval punch from Stampin’ Up! and for the first time I noticed how nicely that oval fits into the key tag punch.  I like it!  The papers are all from the BasicGrey Infuse 6×6 pad.

I’ve had a very busy weekend and it looks like it’s going to continue through the week, too, so I’ll keep this fairly brief today.  I’ll be back tomorrow!  Have a great Monday!

• Stamps:  Menswear
• Paper:  Hammermill White (for card base), Whisper White (for sentiment oval), Crystal Clear Cardstock, BasicGrey Infuse designer paper
• Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, Cotton White Stazon, Sharpies for coloring
• Accessories:  Large oval punch, key tag punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

We’re getting close to that time of year again when, even though we might like to be making pretty, girly, Spring, fun, happy, flowery, sparkly cards, we’ve got the guys to think about — the fathers.  Now, we love our guys…we think the world of them…they’re very special to us; we’re just not sure how much they really appreciate the cards we make for them.

I’m one of the lucky ones with a guy who seems to genuinely understand what all this stamping stuff means to me.  He studies the cards carefully, says all the right things and displays them on the bookshelf until I suggest that maybe we might be able to put a few of them away.  There are six of them displayed in the livingroom at this time.  As I write this, that same guy is laboring over the assembly of my new stamping desk.  He’s been at it all day and I haven’t heard him complain once.  So, while I’m going on about him appreciating me, I’m reminded how much I appreciate him.

What about your guy?  When you hand him the card you spent all afternoon making does he say something like, “I love all the layering and the placement of the brads”?  Does he compliment you on the layout or the color combo?  Does he marvel over your coloring skills?  That might be asking a bit much of some guys, I know.  If he tosses your card aside with barely a glance and mutters something like, “I don’t know why you bother with this (insert unsavory slang term here)”…well…I hope he has other redeeming qualities…

Chances are, even if he’s not the eloquent sort, he does appreciate the fact that you thought enough of him to dedicate the time and effort on his card.  How would he feel, I wonder, if you made cards for everyone but him?  How would you feel?  For years I never made a birthday card for my son.  I sent him lots of other handmade cards but for his birthday I’d always buy one of those big, humorous type of cards thinking he’d find it more special than a little old handmade card.  But one day he tentatively raised the question as to why I never made his birthday cards.  He pointed out that I made them for everyone else and the look in his eyes told me very clearly that his feelings were a little hurt by this.  Well, I was devastated to think I’d made him feel slighted!  Let me tell you, he’s had a handmade birthday card every year since then!  It’s just something to keep in mind when you’re wondering if it’s worth the bother.

The card:  So, after all that…I’d like to tell you about the card I made today.  I’ve used the tie stamp and a sentiment from Flourishes’ soon to be released Menswear set.  While this set was created in plenty of time for Father’s Day, it’s not limited to that one occasion by any means.  There’s even a beer mug and a “Cheers” in the set.  The ties are stamped on a variety of scraps from several different BasicGrey 6×6 pads, all of which can be found here, and mounted on little cut-up pieces of Scotch brand foam mounting tape.

The background on which the ties are mounted is from Harlequin and Accessories, a fun background to work with.  I accomplished the length of this background in two stampings, easily aligning the clear stamp image.  The diamonds within the pattern are one of several choices the set provides for customizing your background.  The rest of the card ingredients are listed below.  Thanks for hanging in there with me today while I think out loud.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend and keep on stamping those cards!  They’re probably more appreciated than you think.

• Stamps:  Menswear, Harlequin and Accessories
• Paper:  Basic Black, Blue Bayou textured, Soft Sky, Whisper White, various BasicGrey scraps
• Ink:  Soft Sky, Palette Hybrid Noir
• Accessories:  Ribbon, brads, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

I’ve made a few different Valentines this year but I believe I’ve settled on this one for my husband.  While it’s suitably masculine, it has enough ribbon to keep me happy.  This is the playing card box I designed for this gift set at Christmas time.  There’s a how-to with pictures in that post but if you’d like to see how it’s made with the Scor-Pal you can see it here where it’s featured in the Feb/March online magazine with lots of other fun projects.  The box is full of conversation hearts, and after he’s done eating the candy he can take a deck of cards to work and play solitaire during the slow times — tee hee!  As if he’d whip this frilly thing out in front of the guys!

The box is decorated with Stampin’ Up!’s retired Lexicon of Love.  I stamped it twice, mounted the chipboard heart on the first image, then punched out the “cherish” with the word window punch and glued it over the heart.  There’s a little piece of dimensional mounting tape under each end of the word to keep it firmly supported.

I used another retired Stampin’ Up! stamp on the middle background of the card — the By Definition background.  The main image and the sentiment accent are from Crafty Secrets Bird Notes.

The feature I like most about the card is something that doesn’t show in the photo at all:  The bird’s body is plumped up by the process of dry embossing on cardstock vellum.  I first saw this done by Linda Bullard on this beautiful card.  What a wonderful effect this is!  I’m not very technique oriented so it took me a while to get around to trying this but, oh, my goodness, it was easy!  After I stamped the bird on the vellum in Jet Black Stazon I placed the vellum panel face up on a craft foam mat — the same one I use as a cushion when using clear stamps.  I traced around the outline of the bird with a stylus, gradually applying more pressure a little at a time so as to gently stretch the vellum without tearing it, per Linda’s instructions.  Then I turned it over and ran the stylus in circular motions inside the lines.  I turned it back and forth, repeating the process on first one side and then the other until I was satisfied with the effect.  Coloring was done with SU! markers on the reverse side.

The vellum is adhered to white cardstock with Crystal effects.  I repeated the dry embossing process after it was adhered to the white cardstock and placed a dimensional under the bird’s body to help maintain the plumpness before I adhered that panel to the black mat.  This is a technique that’s worth giving a try.  You won’t be disappointed once you see it in person.  Thank you, Linda!  And thank you all for stopping by today.  Happy Monday!

Stamps:  Bird Notes, By Definition, Lexicon of Love

Paper:  Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, cardstock vellum, American Traditional Designs Guy’s Life designer paper

Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, SU! Markers

Accessories:  May Arts ribbon, Creative Imaginations self-adhesive chipboard, Brenda Walton self-adhesive gems, dimensionals, 3/4″ circle punch

I probably didn’t need to mention that this isn’t a baby card.  I’ll bet you guessed that all on your own.  I wanted to use my new Montana Tree Bark Backgrounder from Cornish Heritage Farms.  I’m particularly excited about several of CHF’s new Backgrounders because they were designed by our own Lisa Strahl (SCS user and Dirty Dozen Alumni, Mona Lisa).  I knew Lisa was a talented stamper but I had no idea she had things like this up her sleeve.  Nice work, Lisa!

I’m afraid by the time I’d finished my layout I’d covered up much of the background, but it still lends character that would be missing otherwise.  I’ll admit I was at a loss as to how to stamp this background, exactly.  My first inclination was to stamp it in a shade of brown.  Don’t we usually think of tree foliage as green and tree trunks as brown?  But when I looked out my window I saw that all the tree trunks were actually varying shades of gray, sprinkled with pale lichen and green moss.  Well, maybe I’ll go to more trouble next time but this time I just stamped it in Basic Gray on Sahara Sand.

Pretty much everything else on this card is a result of rummaging through my scraps.  The squirrels were already stamped and tucked away in my tablet of watercolor paper.  I just had to watercolor them, which I did with SU! classic inks.  The Mellow Moss Canvas was in my scrap drawer, already cut to size, as was the Rough Texture piece that borders the card fold.  It was wheeled in Mellow Moss on Sahara Sand — how convenient.  I not only lightened the load in my scrap drawer, but the scraps helped determine the layout, too.  I love that scrap drawer!  I found some other pieces in there I’d love to work with right away, but I’ve got more baby cards to do first.

This card will be set aside for an upcoming birthday.  I hope you enjoyed it a little bit even though it’s not girly.  I love outdoorsy-themed cards and it seems like most of my early stamp purchases were along these lines.  I had fun working with these images and colors for a change.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I’ll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Forest Friends, Canvas, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel, That’s Nice, Lovely As A Tree (evergreen sprig & cone) — all Stampin’ Up and all retired except Canvas and Lovely As A Tree; Montana Tree Bark Backgrounder — Cornish Heritage Farms

Paper:  Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Mellow Moss, watercolor, Naturals Ivory

Ink:  Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Basic Brown, Basic Gray, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  Linen thread, mat pack & piercer for thread holes, aged copper brads, distressing tool, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

I’m not quite sure who this Mr. Elegant might be, but let’s just pretend for a moment we’re talking about my husband.  Truthfully, in terms of character, he’s the classiest guy I know.  Come to think of it, he’s a pretty class act all the way around.  In fact, I think this might be his Valentine.

I used my new Lace Heart set from Flourishes for this card and treat bag combo.  This gorgeous flourished heart can be used a lot of different ways but I wanted the full Monty for my first card with this set.  For a fabulous idea as to how else this heart can be used, you really must see this card by Dee Jackson.  I’ll definitely be CASEing her clever thinking in the future.

I used a Basic Black 5 1/4″ card base, layered with a panel of silver brushed metallic cardstock and burgundy suede paper by Hot Off the Press (purchased at my local Joann’s).  I wish the photograph could have captured the lush texture of the burgundy suede but perhaps you can “feel” it a little bit.  The heart is black embossed on silver metallic, then cut out and mounted on dimensional tape over the burgundy velvet ribbon.  I saved the sentiment for the inside since my feelings are also expressed on the matching treat bag.

The treat bag cover encases a cello bag holding five silver-wrapped Hershey’s Kisses.  I punched holes all the way through the front and back cover, as well as the cello bag.  Eyelets were inserted separately in the front and back cover (four eyelets total) and the velvet ribbon was tied through all layers, holding the cello bag in place.  Once the ribbon is removed the cello bag comes free, allowing the cover to be reused if desired.  The front flap of the cover is bound with the suede paper — a 1″ piece folded in half lengthwise to encase the edge.  “Love” is black embossed and the little heart is colored with a burgundy fine-tipped Sharpie.

To make the treat bag cover:

1.  Cut cardstock 3 1/2″ x 11″.

2.  Score across at 3 1/2″, 4 1/2″ and 8 1/8″. 

3.  Decorate and fold into shape.  Punch and tie as described above.

This cover fits some little Wilson cello treat bags, measuring 3″ x 4″, which I purchased in the wedding decorations aisle at Wal-Mart.

A little tip about the punching:  I put the Kisses in the cello bag, then applied a strip of Scotch brand removable double stick tape to the back of the cello bag to hold it in place at the top fold of the cover before punching all layers at once with my Crop-A-Dile.  I then removed the cello bag, attached the eyelets, then realigned the bag with the holes before threading the ribbon.

One more day of work and I’m on vacation!  I’d be doing the happy dance but I’ve stayed up too late to finish this project and I’m beat.  Perhaps I’ll do the happy dance tomorrow night.  See you then! 

When I think of Stella Ruby I think of the pretty papers in the collection but, as you can see, I didn’t use any of them on this card.  A friend asked me for a masculine birthday card and, of course, I don’t have any that I’ve made ”just because”, so I tried to put a quick one together and combine it with my Ruby Tuesday post.  It’s not as much fun as the pretty cards but, darn it, we all need a guy card once in a while, don’t we?  She wondered if I had anything “sort of beachy” and this SU! retired Stipple Shells set is still one of my no frills favorites.

All of the images are embossed and color was applied with sponge daubers.  The background is a piece of Stella Ruby wheeled with By The Sea in Close to Cocoa.  I’d rather have done more with the layout and layering but I had to keep it lightweight.  Sometimes I get to fussing too much with a card and it takes me forever.  I really had to hurry with this so I told myself to just start sticking the pieces on there and see what happens.  Well, there’s a reason why I don’t like to do that — it never seems to come out quite right.  This one will have to do, though, because I’m out of time!  I’ll try to do something prettier the next time I stamp.  See you soon…  Happy Ruby Tuesday!

Stamps:  Stipple Shells, Riveting, By The Sea

Paper:  Close to Cocoa, Groovy Guava, Very Vanilla, BasicGrey Stella Ruby designer paper

Ink:  Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, Groovy Guava, Versamark

Accessories:  Offray trim, copper snaps, rust and brown embossing powders, 1 1/4″ and 5/8″ circle punches, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

It may not look like it but this was one of the more difficult cards I’ve ever made.  A friend asked for a card for a male friend of her’s who’s suffering a grave illness.  He’ll not survive much longer so she asked that I not delay. 

There were the usual considerations when making a card for someone else’s use:  lightweight for no extra postage, not too bulky for mechanical mail handling yet with enough dimension and special details to set it apart from mass produced cards.   This particular card needed a quiet, masculine feel and an appropriate sentiment so I immediately thought of Lovely As A Tree and these words from the older SAB set, Garden Collage.  However…I had a completely different card made…trying to come up with something more expressive.  It’s now in the scrap heap and I came right back around to Lovely As A Tree.

I had misgivings and second thoughts and uncertainties about this card all along the way.  I wanted a sentiment on the card front but did she expect or need a sentiment inside the card?  Was she hoping the card would say enough that she wouldn’t have to struggle with her own words?  What, exactly, does one say?  I don’t know the gentleman, myself, and I’m not sure what her relationship with him is.  Unfortunately, when all these questions arose she was not available to answer them.  I had to ask myself, how shall I make this soothing and thoughtful without looking like a sympathy card?  Will the somewhat faded image of the mighty oak evoke yet more sorrow for him and his family?  I was so concerned about getting it right.

I stamped the oak images opposite of how I’ve used them in the past, placing the leaves in the foreground this time.  The leaves are colored with SU! markers.  The tree is stamped on the River Rock panel with True Thyme.  Sanded was stamped over that in River Rock.  I resolved the inside/outside sentiment dilemma by cutting an oval window in the card front so the sentiment is visible whether the card is open or closed.  The design issues were relatively small worries.  My most pressing concern was the individual who would receive it and the effect it would have on his frame of mind.

I learned something from this most difficult card, though.  I need more appropriate sentiments and verses for this type of card and I need to have them ready before the occasion is at hand.  It won’t be the last time I’m asked for a card like this and I’d just as soon have a selection available.  I’m sure you’ve all been through this same process.  Thank you for visiting today and for wading through another long post with me.  I’ll try to be a little more brief next time.  Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  Lovely As A Tree, Sanded, Garden Collage

Paper:  Naturals Ivory, River Rock Very Vanilla

Ink:  River Rock, True Thyme, Timber Brown Stazon, Chocolate Chip, markers in So Saffron, More Mustard, Really Rust and Old Olive

Accessories:  Thyme stitched ribbon, linen thread, swirl clip, Creative Memories oval cutting system