Running With Scissors…

Hello!  Today’s card is very simple because I not only need lots of practice at making simple cards, but it’s One Stamp Wednesday — reserved for no extra postage required cards.  Of course, coloring does not add weight to a card, but that’s where the simple part comes in.  Some quick stamping and an easy design, and that’s all there is to it!

I was talking recently about how I turn to solid image stamps when I need a quick card, and last night I was searching through my Flourishes basket for just such a stamp when I came across my You Are Invited set.  Suddenly I found the notion of a black and white open-line drawing enormously appealing.  You know…it just depends on my mood, and my mood last night was “I’m tired, and I need some white space!”  I allowed a little color into my white space, though, and added satin ribbon and a ribbon slide.  This particular slide (Flourishes’ Finishing Touches) is very thin and lightweight, which makes it perfect for easy mailing.  The delicate flourish stamp at the top of the white space can be found in the Many Sentiments set.

Speaking of white space, the white cardstock I used is some of the whitest space I’ve ever owned.  It’s the new paper Flourishes is carrying, and I can highly recommend it.  It’s a good, sturdy weight, and the purity of its white gives a very crisp image.  The Flourishes did a lot of studying on this before they selected the paper they would carry.  They wanted the best for coloring with the Copic collections they’re carrying now, as well.  This paper is also available in ivory.

Have you visited the Newsletter lately?  There’s a whole series of articles on Copic coloring you may find interesting.  Tomorrow I’ll be sharing my very first Copic-colored card, but today Cindy Lawrence has a video tutorial for you.  Latisha has a tutorial on her blog, too, and you can find yet more information on Copic coloring on Julie’s blog.  Christine generously jumped right in there with this tutorial, and Stacy, a newbie like me, is sharing one of her first attempts.  Hey, we can all learn this together.  So much information!

I must run, now.  I hope to see you again tomorrow.  Take care!

Stamps:  You Are Invited, Many Sentiments (Flourishes)  Paper:  Real Red, Flourishes Classic White, BasicGrey Scarlet’s Letter  Ink:  Versafine black  Accessories:  Ribbon, ribbon slide, Martha Stewart border punch

Hello, again!  Today’s card uses an old Inkadinkado stamp I added to my collection a long time ago in an effort to gain variety in the “guy” category.  It came in handy to fulfill this Father’s Day card request when I ran down my list of options and nothing seemed to satisfy the requester’s needs until I said, “how about billiards?”.

I made this to loosely resemble the lid of a cigar box, including the distressed tab on the lower edge which is supposed to be the broken seal.  The image is colored on Whisper White with Prismacolor markers.  It’s cut out and glued to the Spellbinders Labels Four die cut, and everything is put together with Cosmo Cricket Wanted designer paper (two years old and I’m using it for the first time).  The Spellbinders mat is cut from Very Vanilla cardstock, which I sponged in CTMH Parchment ink, using wadded toilet paper.

Oh, and it’s also a mail-friendly card.  I’m still thinking “no extra postage” for Wednesdays.  Well, I must run.  I don’t know what happened to all my leisure time, but I wish some of it would come back.  I hope you’re having a very fine day!

Stamps:  Inkadinkado El Fumadero, SU! Carte Postate  Paper:  Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Cosmo Cricket Wanted designer paper  Ink:  Ranger Distress Walnut Stain, CTMH Parchment, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  Brads, Spellbinders Labels Four dies

Hello, and happy Wednesday!  Today I’m sharing a couple of cards that were very quick to put together after I’d spent a long time coloring the flowers.  They’ve been tucked away in a baggie for quite a while and I finally turned them into cards over the weekend.  When I first got my Prismacolor markers I stamped out quite a few of these flowers so I could practice coloring.  It was a learning experience, so please excuse my beginner’s efforts. 

This Chatterbox designer paper came as close as anything I had for picking up the colors of the flowers and leaves, and the Ballet Blue provided high contrast to set everything off.  I stamped the blue with my Linen background stamp, which added more depth of color as well as some faux texture.  I love that stamp!  They certainly did make some colorful cards!  The cut out flowers and the ric rac print in the designer paper seemed like plenty of “dress up”, so I added no ribbon or hardware.  Consequently, they’re easy mailers, so here they are for One Stamp Wednesday — no extra postage required.

All ingredients are summed up in the recipe below.  Thank you so much for visiting today.  I know how busy everyone’s lives are, so it touches me that you make time to drop in to say “hello”.  Have a good day!

Stamps:  Bud Basics, Happy Harmony, Linen (all retired Stampin’ Up!)  Paper:  Ballet Blue, Cranberry Crisp, White, Chatterbox designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir, Prismacolor markers  Accessories:  Spellbinders oval dies, SU! eyelet border punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Today I’m sharing two cards which began when I had Garden Silhouettes and this paper out the other day.  I’ve been making a valiant effort to come to the end of this retired Stampin’ Up! designer paper collection (Enchante?), but it does seem to go on and on.  I hoped by using these larger pieces I could put a bigger dent in what’s left, but I foresee several more cards still…sigh…

The first card is meant to be suitable as a masculine sympathy card, but it could go either way, really.  The simple lines, muted colors, copper brads and cord all point in a masculine direction.  There’s more foliage than flowers, with only a hint of plum.  It’s funny how we form these stereotypes, not only about masculine cards, but about sympathy cards, as well.  I tend toward sedate and understated for sympathy cards, but I think a lot depends upon the individual you’re remembering and the one to whom you’re sending the card.  If a card can gently coax a smile from the bereaved while showing respect to the lost loved one, then all the better, but it’s a fine line when one’s emotions are in such a fragile state.  Soothing and gentle is always a safe approach.

The colors I combined are Not Quite Navy and Sage Shadow.  The image was stamped on Very Vanilla, sponged with Pale Plum, and coated with Glassy Glaze (ultra-thick embossing powder).  It cracked on it’s own in one spot as I was handling it, and it seemed just enough.

The image on this next card was headed for disposal when it turned out so pale, but I couldn’t quite shake it from my fingers into the wastebasket.   Instead, it made it’s way onto a pale plum background for a feminine birthday card.  I wasn’t sure I cared much for it, but I put it in my little “cards for sale” basket at work and it was purchased the first day.  You just never know.

These are both cards that can be mailed with one 42¢ stamp.  I don’t mind adding extra postage to my personal cards.  When in doubt I’ll put two stamps on the envelope and write “hand cancel, please”.  I still think it’s a bargain for the service you receive.  My “One Stamp Wednesday” cards are a challenge I’ve set for myself, to share mail-friendly designs and ensure a card or two for the basket once in a while.

Happy Wednesday to all!  Thank you for sparing a moment of your time today.  I’m always so glad to know you stopped by for a visit.

Hello!  Today I’m sharing three very simple, no-coloring cards which came about just so I could have a few generic birthday cards in reserve, whether for my own use, or for those times someone asks me, “do you have any birthday cards?”.  They’re not intricately detailed or awe inspiring, but they do have sparkle, ribbon, and a little bit of layering, dimension, and texture.  They’re clean, colorful, very easy, and they were quite a lot of fun to make.

I used a candle set and sentiment from Rubbernecker:

Candle Set #2, SKU:  60-020405060708

So Many Candles, SKU:  60-12 

I mounted three candle stamps on the same block and stamped rows of color on the 1 1/4″ strips.  Outside:  So many candles…  Inside:  Too many birthdays!

I don’t often work with Bold Brights, but this first card is made up of Yo Yo Yellow, Green Galore, Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise, and Lovely Lilac.  It’s bright, but there’s no mistaking it’s a birthday card!

Next is a variation on the same theme, but with an Amuse sentiment and some Real Red thrown into the mix.  To adhere the ribbon snugly, I ran it through my little X-shaped Xyron.  I’ll generally do this when I can plan ahead and run two or three lengths of ribbon through at the same time, so as not to waste space on the adhesive strip.  It’s a very handy, no-fuss method of applying flat ribbon borders.  These little Xyrons and their refills are inexpensive and easy to come by.  I purchased mine at Joann’s.

And, finally, this last card is meant to be suitable for a guy (?), done in Not Quite Navy with a bright spot of ribbon but no sparkle.  There’s no reason a masculine card cannot have sparkle, but I decided to leave it off this time.

I’ll be back soon with something colored up all pretty and using one of my pre-made layouts.  It was nice to have that layout to fall back on because I’ve been busy stamping a few special orders and cards for Flourishes’ next release (!).  I’m glad you could drop in today.  Stay well and happy!

I made this card for an 11 year old boy who just received the pretty awesome news that he has won his battle with leukemia.  It doesn’t get much more awesome than that, does it?

Since I have no awesome stamps for a boy that age, I relied on my Stampin’ Up! Headline Alphabet to sum it up in a word.  Big news, big word.  The designer paper is Memory Box Glitterati.  The simple, no frills, boy-type design makes this a “no extra postage required” card, just right for sharing on One Stamp Wednesday, the day I devote to these Post Office friendly cards.

That’s it in a nutshell!  My goodness, these simple cards don’t require much explanation, do they?  I’ll be back with something pretty for Flourishes Friday Focus.  I hope to see you then.  Take care!

Stamps:  SU! retired Headline Alphabet  Paper:  Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Memory Box Glitterati designer paper  Ink:  Brilliant Blue  Accessories:  None

I hope these aren’t too clean and too simple, or maybe they aren’t simple enough to qualify as “clean and simple”.  I’ve never been very good at clean and simple, but I do want to get better at it.

I remember being introduced to the CAS (clean and simple) style when I started seeing Tracy’s cards on Splitcoaststampers.  She had and still does have the most amazing knack for creating interesting and appealing cards with simple images and plenty of white space.  It’s just her style and I’ve always admired it.  Recently, I was visiting Heather’s blog and saw this absolutely perfect card, and that post sent me here and to a blog called Simplicity (the name speaks for itself).  If you’d like ideas for CAS, these are some great places to visit.  I also came upon Gabriela’s card here and Sharon’s card here.  It seemed I was seeing a lot of clean and simple that day and I was loving it.

Maybe it’s because Life gets so cluttered up all on its own sometimes that I find this smooth, sleek, simple, clean style so appealing and refreshing.  It’s easy and restful to look upon and satisfying to accomplish.  It’s like the “weekend” of cardmaking, a break from the usual routine.

These certainly were quick cards.  I just wheeled a single border along each side with my retired Stampin’ Up! Leaf Prints wheel and centered my 5 1/2″ x 3 1/4″ image panel with ribbon over that.  The tulips — SU!’s retired Watercolor Garden II — were very easy stamping with a pretty result.  I’ve always loved this tulip image.  It’s a two-step stamp with the stem and leaves being separate stamps.  It was very refreshing to complete three cards so quickly in these pretty Spring colors.

I used Very Vanilla cardstock, though in the second photo it appears more white than vanilla.  There’s a vanilla lining in each card with a coordinating sentiment.  The Thinking of You is a sympathy card.   All supplies are from Stampin’ Up!

No extra postage is required to mail these cards, which is why I’m sharing them on One Stamp Wednesday.  Color combos and other ingredients are listed below.

I’m really happy you could stop by today.  As always, you make my time here so very worthwhile.  Have an absolutely wonderful Wednesday, and I’ll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Watercolor Garden II, Sincere Salutations, Leaf Prints wheel  Paper:  Very Vanilla  Ink:  Apricot Appeal/Pumpkin Pie, Barely Banana/Certainly Celery, Blush Blossom/Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa  Accessories:  Apricot and Pale Pink grosgrain ribbon, Olive polytwill ribbon

Today, I thought I’d try to make a tall card weigh in at 42¢, since a standard, business-size envelope does not require extra postage.  It was close, but I did manage.  The one extra sheet of cardstock I like to place over the card front in the envelope bumped this up to 59¢, but when I substituted plain copy paper, it came in under the margin.  This card measures 9″ tall by 3 3/4″ wide.  It’s not extravagantly sculpted with multiple layers, blowsy bows, heavy metal or faux gems, but some sacrifices must be made.

The card base is Whisper White from Stampin’ Up!.  Minimal layering and a small image panel helped keep the weight down.  I used designer paper and trim from one of Stampin’ Up!’s retired Scrappin’ Kits (I don’t remember what this one was called).  The latte cup is raised on foam mounting tape and there are two tiny rhinestones on the front.

The cup is from a set called Smell the Coffee — a Leigh Hannan design for Impression Obsession.  I purchased it at Stamper’s Dream, but I don’t see it there now — sold out or discontinued, I’m not sure which.  The blue swirls are Flourishes Ornamental Elements.  I don’t know how many times I’ve used this stamp for envelopes and the insides of cards.  It seems to work with just about anything, but then, I do love swirls.

Below is a photo of the inside of the card and the envelope flap.  Hmmmm…I almost like it better than the card front.  I finished it off with an Inque Boutique sentiment which seems as though it could have been made for a coffee card –perfect!

There’s one more thing I’d like to tell you about today…  Flourishes has a surprise!   They’ve released a brand new stamp set — a bonus — apart from their usual monthly release which is coming up next week.  It’s a cutie, too!  A few of our designers have the set in hand and are sharing samples.  I’m not sure exactly who all were able to get samples finished (my set arrived while I was at work), so I’ll tell you what…  click on over to the Flourishes Newsletter for a peek and all the info.  I’ll be sitting down to play with the set as soon as possible, you can bet on that!

Today, I’m going to spend some quality time with my husband while I have the chance, and I’ll be back with my brand new stamps soon.  May your day be filled with joy!

Stamps:  Smell the Coffee, Ornamental Elements, sentiment by Inque Boutique  Paper:  Whisper White, retired SU! Scrappin’ Kit, Bashful Blue  Ink:  Ranger Distress Walnut Stain, Prismacolor markers in Process Red, Mahogany Red, Cerulean and Indigo Blue, Cinnamon Toast, Dark Brown  Accessories:  Rhinestones, SU! ticket corner punch and large oval punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Wednesday brings us around again to a one postage stamp card and today I’ve used a favorite image by Rubbernecker which can be found on this page.  It’s Item # 20 SO GM, in case that helps.

There are few things I enjoy more than starting out with a blank open-line image and watching it transform with color.  Once I’ve made a pretty picture, the rest of the card will evolve around it easily as long as I don’t try to over-embellish it.  That can be my downfall … I tend to believe I should attempt to use all those fancy little doodads I find so irresistable when, really, sometimes I just need to let the card base frame the image.  On the other hand, when I’m in the mood, I get the biggest kick out of playing dress up with my cards.  It’s wonderful to have all these choices to suit my frame of mind.

The card base framing my image today is made from My Mind’s Eye cardstock weight double sided designer paper.  As cardstock goes, it’s relatively lightweight, yet it’s a perfect foundation on which to build a layout for a no extra postage required card.  It’s also a great way to use up some of my vast supply of designer paper so I can feel justified in splurging on more!  This Kaleidoscope line is no longer in production, which is an indication of how long it’s been in my stash.

The card is polka dotted front and back, with the inside being a plain pale pink — the same pink that’s on the little strip of trim where I attached the eyelets.  The inside right is firmed up with a panel of white, on which I’ll write a message.

The coloring was done with Stampin’ Up! markers and water, which is a method I use frequently because I carry my supplies to work with me, and I can carry 48 marker colors with considerably more ease than I can carry 48 ink pads or even the reinkers.  I’m always in a hurry, it seems, and I just toss the markers in a bag with a paint brush and a little bottle for water.  I have images stamped and ready, always, and it’s just a matter of selecting one to bring to life.  Now, if only I could find more time for putting the cards together, photographing, and blogging…

Speaking of which, I’d better wrap this up and move on to my next project.  I’m so glad you found time to spend with me today.  Be well and happy, and I’ll meet you here or at your place again soon!

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Hearty Vase  Paper:  Watercolor, Mellow Moss, My Mind’s Eye retired Kaleidosope designer paper  Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, SU! markers in Always Artichoke, Rose Red, Mellow Moss, So Saffron, More Mustard  Accessories:  Eyelets, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello, friends!  In case you were wondering, I took myself a little blogging break after Flourishes release week.  I had a nice family weekend and then started the work week over again.  I do marvel at the folks who can work all day and stamp all night.  I’m one who has a hard time getting up once I’ve sat down in the evening.  Unfortunately, I’ll often feel like stamping long about lights out time and it’ll take all my willpower to stay out of that room.  It’s funny how this stamping thing gets us in its grip, isn’t it?

I do have this card that I made last week, using my new Ornamental Elements and Timeless Quotes.  It’s a lightweight, non-bulky card, so I’m able to share it for One Stamp Wednesday — no extra postage required.  The quote panel is on foam mounting tape, and there’s a brad in the flower center, but that little bit of dimension will not be a problem.  The card base is Stampin’ Up!’s sturdy cardstock, but the middle layer is CTMH — rather lightweight — and the Whisper White and designer paper are lightweight, as well.  I’ll place a crimped cardstock sheet over the front, and the card-eating machine at the post office will be none the wiser. 

I like this quote for a lot of different occasions.  It could be used for wedding, engagement, any sort of new endeavor — even retirement.  I gold embossed my quote to match the pretty Prima flower I’ve had forever.  I guess I was hoarding it, but with these stamps, the ribbon and paper, the colors…everything…its time had come.  I love the way they all look together.  The Euphoria designer paper, stamps and satin ribbon are all from Flourishes.

I hope this finds you well and enjoying your Wednesday.  As always, I’m glad you could take the time to visit with me.  I truly feel fortunate to be able to share this time, and I appreciate every one of you.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Ornamental Elements, Timeless Quotes (both from Flourishes)  Paper:  SU! Orchid Opulence & Whisper White, CTMH Key Lime, BasicGrey Euphoria designer paper  Ink:  Orchid Opulence, Versamark  Accessories:  Ribbon, Prima flower, Spellbinders Curved Rectangles die, gold embossing powder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape