Running With Scissors…

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!

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

I’d like to introduce you to the unapologetically flouncy and flamboyant Zizi.  She’s dropped in from Rubbernecker just for fun and to shake things up a little bit.

Zizi is known by all her friends to be not only glamorous, charming, beautiful and witty but well traveled, wealthy and thin.  My Zizi also has a heart of gold, impeccable character and not a shred of vanity.  Well…maybe just a smidgen of vanity…after all, this is what she wrote inside the card:

Okay, so she’s unapologetically vain, too, but we all have flaws…

Zizi, as I’ve mentioned, is a beauty from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.  The sentiment is from Hambo stamps.  It’s one of their Fractured Funnies.  If you feel like a good time be sure and check out those Fractured Funnies.  Oh, my goodness, I just sit and laugh out loud whenever I visit that page!  They’re hilarious!  The sentiment I used today is mild on the laughter scale compared to most of them.

I watercolored Zizi using Stampin’ Up! markers, which I wrote about in this tutorial.  I gave her sparkly eyeliner using the Quickie Glue Pen and Stampin’ Up!’s Dazzling Diamond glitter.  She has a purple feather in her stylish hat, which is also adorned with a black self-adhesive rhinestone, though it’s not showing well in the photo.

Zizi was already colored and waiting for her card when my new BasicGrey Ambrosia designer paper pad showed up in my mailbox.  The colors and designs were perfect!  I was just beside myself.  I love these new papers so much!  Very different from the usual pinks, and since gray and I have a “thing” for each other lately, well…you can imagine my delight.  I was concerned that her organdy ribbon bow might be a little too big and blowsy alongside her delicate features but, heck, she’s Zizi — she can get away with things I wouldn’t dream of.

I trimmed my Zizi image panel so her hat bumps out the sides and top.  That allowed a smaller image and a little more design character.  In so doing I cut away the feathers which are part of the image — no matter since I was adding my own.

She’s mounted on a 2″ wide panel and a standard 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ card.  Here’s a peek at the way the papers are laid out:

I wrote down the measurements initially for my own reference but then I thought you might find them handy, too, in case you’d like to use the sketch — not that it’s so extraordinary, but it is quick and easy and a fun way to use those designer papers.  The main image panel is mounted just a little to the right, the bow to the left, and the rhinestone brads are centered across the bottom to balance out and “steady” all the movement going every which way on the card.

Have I gone on long enough about this, do you think?  I had so much fun making this card with all its parts, new and old, from the four corners of my stamp room.  It was just good, old-fashioned “playing with my stuff”.  Now that’s what it’s all about!

I hope you enjoyed the time we spent here together today.  I’ll be making every effort to get a coloring tutorial done for Monday if I can squeeze it in between grocery shopping, gardening, laundry, cleaning — all the weekend chores.  Those things are on the “need to do” side of the list.  Stamping and sharing are on the much longer but often neglected “want to do” side.  I “need” to get over to this side of the list more often.

Details are in a nutshell below.  Have a great weekend!

• Stamps:  Zizi from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.; sentiment from Hambo Stamps; feather from Stampendous (inside card — old and probably not made anymore)
• Paper:  Stampin’ Up! Basic Gray and Ruby Red; watercolor paper; BasicGrey Ambrosia designer paper from Flourishes
• Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Basic Gray, markers in black, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Eggplant and Pretty in Pink — all from Stampin’ Up!
• Accessories:  May Arts ribbon, black rhinestone and Quickie Glue Pen from Flourishes, rhinestone brads (maker unknown — they were a gift),  feather, glitter, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Today I used another image from the Jeanne Streiff Collection at Rubberneck Stamp Co.  I’m trying to be better about using my new stamps soon after I acquire them.  I have quite a few new stamps, papers, inks and Primas.  I don’t know what happened.  I guess I exercised too much reserve for too long and then went on a binge.  Boy, was it ever fun, though!

This is a solid image stamp.  I colored the rubber with Ruby Red and Handsome Hunter markers and stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock.  Once it was on the paper I doctored up the flower by coloring over it again and shading with a black marker.  I did the same with the leaves, but with Sage and Hunter markers.  The shading around the image was done with Caramel and Regal Rose chalks.  I sprayed with three coats of matte sealer to give it a nice finish.

The frame was made with my Creative Memories oval cutting system and Daisy D’s paper adhered to cardstock.  The red paper is Daisy D’s, as well.  The edges were stained with Basic Black ink directly from the pad to the paper.

Thank you so much for visiting today!

• Stamps:  Flora & Flairs - SKU:  401-020304
• Paper:  Very Vanilla, Daisy D’s designer paper
• Inks:  Basic Black, Markers - Ruby Red, Basic Black, Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow
• Accessories:  Organdy ribbon from Flourishes, soft chalks, spray matte sealer, Scotch brand foam tape

Hello, friends!  I’m happy to say I now have several of the new Jeanne Streiff stamps from Rubbernecker.  Today I used a stamp called Just Leaves and I think it’s Just Beautiful.  I’m always drawn to this sort of image with its soothing, graceful lines.  I think this one’s my favorite so I reached for it first.  That is, today it’s my favorite…tomorrow is another day.

I made this card in the manner I most enjoy.  Not only do I like the earthy colors and the distressing, but I mixed stamp companies (Rubbernecker and Stampin’ Up!) and combined designer paper (BasicGrey Stella Ruby) with a background stamp (Linen).   Linen, now retired by SU!, is one of the most useful background stamps I’ve ever come across.  If you look at the green card base and the main image panel you’ll see there appears to be a slight texture to the paper.  That’s the Linen background stamp.  I think it’s most amazing that it can be so subtle yet have such impact.

I stamped my leaves in Chocolate Chip.  Then, without reinking the stamp, I used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig stamp positioner to help me align the stamp slightly offset from the first image and stamped again to create the shadow effect.  I used another all-time favorite stamp, Itty Bitty Backgrounds from SU!, to add a little splatter-sprinkle around the leaves.  This somehow suggests movement.  I don’t know why, but it does.

There’s no sentiment on this because I find it handy to keep cards available that are suitable for any number of occasions.  When the time comes I can stamp something on the inside.  I’ve already lined the inside of the card with a panel of vanilla cardstock and stamped the leaves again there and on the envelope flap.

Thank you for visiting.  I hope I’ll have a chance to share again soon.  Have a great day!

• Stamps:  Just Leaves from Rubbernecker–SKU: 403-02; Linen (retired) and Itty Bitty Backgrounds from Stampin’ Up!
• Paper:  Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla, BasicGrey Stella Ruby designer paper
• Ink:  Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel
• Accessories:  Ribbon, brads

Dragonflies always make me think of warm, still summer days near the water — the buzzing whir of insect wings, seed pods snapping open all around me, the occasional kerplunk of a bullfrog leaving its sunny lily pad float for the water’s cooling depths.  There’s a lake we like to visit every year…more a pond, really…actually, it’s a small flooded meadow — picture Walden’s Pond.  No motor boats, not even a boat ramp, but we like to slip a small car topper past the water’s edge and float quietly among the summer sounds all day.  I’m longing to be there this very moment, but I’m afraid summertime isn’t quite here yet.

I was determined to make a simple card today.  I really need to get better at that.  One stamped panel, a sentiment and some ribbon, perhaps?  I was a little surprised at how quickly this card went together.  I know there’s not a lot to it, but I’m beginning to understand the allure of the simple card.

My stamped panel features the KK Originals Dragonfly Double Take stamps from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.  It’s a set of two stamps — a solid and an outline.  I stamped the solid dragonfly image several times in Versamark on glossy white cardstock then rubbed over it with ColorBox Fluid Chalk inks in Lime Pastel and Ice Jade.  I used wadded bathroom tissue (yes, TP) as my blending tool — take up some ink from the pad, then rub it over the glossy panel.  The Versamark images will resist the ink, thus the name for this technique, Versamark Resist.  I stamped the outline on just one dragonfly image and covered the wings with Crystal Stickles.  The white cardstock base has a slight texture to it.  The sentiment is also from Rubbernecker.

It wasn’t until I’d finished the card that I realized the solid dragonfly images have no antennae — dang it!  Poor things, flying around bumping into each other!  Did you notice?  I haven’t been able to focus on much of anything else about the card since I zeroed in on that.  I hope it’s all right.  I was so excited about making a simple card…

This will be my last post as a guest designer for Rubbernecker Stamp Co.  I’ve enjoyed my time with them and you can bet I’m not done using their images.  They’ve been a great team to work with, too — warm hearted and caring of each other.  Thanks, girls, for bringing me into the fold and making me feel welcome!

Just a couple more things… you’ll find Rubbernecker Bucks up for grabs Tuesday at Linda’s Works of Heart (Linda Duke) and Walkin’ On The Bad Side (Sherry Cheever).  Don’t miss out!

Treasure Hunt Tuesday means there’s a free stamp to be had if you can find it (it’s pretty easy pickin’s, actually) at Rubbernecker Stamp Co.  Go here on Tuesday for your Treasure Hunt clue.  Good luck to you!  Have a wonderful day!

• Stamps:  Dragonfly Double Take - SKU: 4021-O, Glad We’re Text - SKU: 25-21
• Paper:  Glossy white, textured white, Tempting Turquoise
• Ink:  Colorbox Fluid Chalk inks in Lime Pastel, Ice Jade and Chestnut Roan, Versamark, Chocolate Chip
• Accessories:  Ribbon, Crystal Stickles

This is probably my favorite image from Rubbernecker Stamp Co. – no surprise, probably, since I love flowers so much.  But this, in particular, has such a free flowing, light and cheerful personality.  I was tempted to do it in pinks and grays, but I just finished a pink card this weekend so…Guava it is!

Actually, it was this Cuttlebugged piece from my scrap drawer that helped me decide the colors.  I know the ink is Guava but the cardstock might be Marigold Morning.  At any rate, I thought they looked good together and I love the way the hearts in the paper carry the theme.

The image is watercolored with inks.  The sentiment is from Rubbernecker, too, and it’s one I picked up as a companion for this vase — two favorites on one card.  I hope you like it, too!  Here’s a list of the essentials:

• Stamps:  Hearty Vase - SKU:  20 SO CM, Petite Can’t Express - SKU:  2000-03
• Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Marigold Morning, Apple Cider designer paper from SU!, 140 lb. cold pressed watercolor
• Inks:  Jet Black Stazon, Groovy Guava, Really Rust, Going Gray, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip
• Accessories:  Ribbon, brad, Floral Fantasy Cuttlebug embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Tuesday, once again, brings the opportunity to win Rubbernecker Bucks — this time from Broni or Kittie.  But that’s not all — it’s Treasure Hunt time at Rubbernecker Stamp Co.  If you’re in the mood for some adventure, go here to find a clue to a free stamp!  Enjoy!

This is Alfie.  He lives with me now but I found him at Rubbernecker Stamp Co. among several other dogs in need of a home.  He was the sweetest, most lovable one of the bunch but, of course, we all connect with different types.  I guess Alfie is just my type.

I found the sentiment and the dog paraphernalia background there, too.  His doghouse is made of two 3 x 3 squares of designer paper.  I cut an arch in one square for his doorway and I cut the other square on the diagonal and mounted it on foam tape to make the roof.  Alfie is colored with chalks.  Affable fellow that he is, he sports his sentiment proudly at his door.  It’s been knocked askew with a little friendly roughhousing — you know how dogs can be.

Here are some more Alfie card details:

• Stamps:  Alfie - SKU 77-05, Best Friends Text - SKU 77-09, Doggie Square (background) - SKU 77-13
• Paper:  Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip textured, Very Vanilla, My Minds Eye designer paper
• Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip
• Accessories:  Offray ribbon, Primas, buttons, brad, soft chalks for coloring, spray matte sealer, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Now, if you’re feeling lucky, you might like to try your hand at the Rubbernecker Bucks on Candy’s blog and Shelly’s blog.  Be sure to check their blogs on Tuesday, the 29th.  You’ve got two chances at a $10 gift certificate from Rubbernecker!

If you’re feeling adventurous, Tuesday is Treasure Hunt time at Rubbernecker.  Details can be found here.

Good luck and happy hunting! 

Joanne Leddy — you’ve won the Rubbernecker $10 gift certificate!  Thank you all for playing along.  I appreciate every one of your comments — you make my heart feel good!  Joanne, I’ll contact you by email.  Have a great day, everyone!

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!