Silver Anniversary Card

I made this card for my BIL & SIL Silver Wedding anniversary in June! What a great occasion. 

I was out shopping for supplies to make the gift (next blog post) and I came across these HUGE Stampendous flowers at Joann's and they were 50% off.  Result! Yeah, I know I may have sourced them elsewhere on the internet yada yada yada.  Still I stocked up on many things I had been having difficulty finding (Versamark refill I love you!).

I printed my base card.  If I had been thinking straight, yeah, that's a rare commodity for me,  then I would have played with font sizes within the printed greeting.  I'm happy with it but I think it would have been more WOW if I had made the "Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary" larger and maybe even making the "25th" a different size as well.  Oh well, have to chalk it up to experience. 

Lots of stamping and masking on this one!

At first I was going to shade the flowers with tones of pinks, blush, soft peaches, but when I saw the white with the sparkly silver embossing I just couldn't.  I really liked the simplicity of it.  So then it evolved to Plan B - simplicity needs texture and layers for me to make it more super special. I think it works.  I don't think the photography shows how vibrant the silver is on this card against the crisp white.

Ingredients
Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in
Card Stock - Neenah Classic Crest
Stamps - Stampendous Jumbo Rose
Ink - Versamark
Miscellaneous - Printer; Zing! Silver Glitter Embossing Powder, Foam Dimensionals

A Knight Light

So I bought these glass blocks over a year ago, and I decided now was the time to do something with them. I have a special place in my heart for this young lady because I know how much it means to her mom that she is going to University.

I found a font I liked on my computer and printed her name on tissue paper and adhered it to the block with modge podge.  That is the "graining" you see through the paper from the brush strokes.  I cut/tore the edges of the tissue paper.  I let that dry for a bit and printed out her University's shield from a pdf I found online.  In an attempt to get get a different texture behind the tissue paper I stippled the modge podge onto the block and ended up with a hot mess.  I washed off the block and modge podge, dried the block and started again.  This time I went with what I knew and decided that the graining added an artistic flair.

After that cured overnight, I sealed the block with matte sealer on both sides.  The sealer basically frosted the glass that wasn't already covered by tissue paper.  I then put a ribbon around the block (that black & white polka dot one) and made a bow topper.

It was my first time making a bow let alone a bow with multiple ribbons.  There are a few layers I would have done slightly differently but in the end I like how it turned out.  I went with black and white because they are neutral and go with anything.

I placed the bow on top of the block and decided I wanted "more" or to be honest a more personal touch.  So I dug out my knight in shining armor stamp and colored it in School colors, then I had find a place to adhere it... nothing looked right so I made a topper to attach to the bow.  Of course, then I had to decorate the back of the topper.

That is when I went through my graduation stamp sets and found this wonderful phrase.  A bit of Versamark and white embossing powder later with some white gel pen highlights and I had my topper complete.

I found the flower and rhinestone when I bought the ribbon and thought it would add a girly flair to the block.  Can't be too girly now can we?

My biggest regret with this...I didn't use a hot glue gun to attach the bow.  TBH I wasn't supposed to see, but I saw my gift in two pieces. HEARTBREAK! I guess it could have been worse and been a shattered block on the floor.  Anyway I had used large 3D glue dots for the bow.  Learnt my lesson on that one. *Sigh* These things happen.

The night light was placed by using a hot knife to cut an access in the plastic bung. I then used a 3D glue dot to keep it upright and a couple of foam dimensionals to keep the bung in the block (seemed loose on this one for whatever reason).  I didn't want to make it too permanent for when the bulb needs replacing eventually.

The upside to this experience is that I have had a sly request for another from my eldest. I will have to get my thinking cap on!

Ingredients
Surface - Krafty Blok Large
Paper/Cardstock -Printed Tissue Paper, Neenah Classic Crest, The Paper Company
Adhesive - Modge Podge, 3D Zots, Foam Dimensionals
Stamps - High Hopes Stamps, Hero Arts Graduation
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, VersamarkColor - Copics
Miscellaneous - Ribbon, Flower, White Gel Pen, Matte Sealer, Night light.

Red, White & Blue Graduation

Another Graduation card for a young lady this time.  School colors Red, White & Blue if you hadn't guessed.  Luckily her party was a week or so after graduation so I was able to see some pictures and know they graduated in blue robes and tassels.

I did the focus image using the Kitchen Sink Stamps stamps.  This time I used Tuxedo black to do the final shade.  I mixed some manufacturers to get the background and think it works.  I love that School Years font from Stampendous, the only thing annoying is that there is only one "2" in the pack so I couldn't line up the whole sentiment and just stamp...guess that is only a problem this year!

Ingredients

Card Size - 5.25 in x 5.25 in

Card Stock - Neenah Classic Crest, Archiver's Open Stock, Bazzill

Stamps - Kitchen Sink Stamps 3 Step Graduation; Stampendous School Years; Hero Arts Graduation.

Ink - Memento: Danube Blue, Lady Bug

Miscellaneous - Spellbinders Nestabilities

Purple & Gold Graduation

First things first, this card is almost impossible to photograph between the purple and the gold mirri! Honestly what do I do to myself.

Secondly, if you look close you can see there is a cord to the tassel and shading etc...Is your nose up to the screen yet? I did say you would have to look close.

Thirdly, IRL my layers are right.  The mirri looks wonky for the greeting in the photo.

I think this is pretty straightforward. Love inking up my Kitchen Sink Stamp Graduation Cap.  I'm really picky about perspectives on Graduation caps, there are some stamps out there that a really off. 

This card was for my son.  He told me off for putting "Graduate" instead of "Son".  I had to laugh because I had debated on putting Son, and then decided on graduate.  I thought, it isn't as if he is going to get another card exactly like it and so far I have been right!

BTW do you like the "save" on there.  I had stamped the cap directly on the labels layer to take up the space on the card and it was just floating.  So I masked a circle and airbrushed and then (again look close) put a fine line of metallic gold around the circle just to pop/zing/ta-da or whatever exciting word I supposed to use.

Ingredients
Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in

Card Stock - Neenah, Open Stock from Archivers, Mirri

Stamps - Kitchen Sink Stamps

Ink - Memento Sweet Plum; Versamark

Miscellaneous - Spellbinders Nestabilities; Sakura Metallic gold gel pen, Zing! Metallic Gold Embossing powder

Tiger Thanks

So it was that time of year where I had to make some very special thank you notes. These were for teachers that really went out of their way for my eldest student and helped him get into a top University.  The first one just happened to go to a teacher who was his soccer coach too.  I couldn't resist revisiting the spinner card with the soccer ball.

The second card I did with a background stamp I just bought because I liked it - I don't normally make those sort of purchases but at 50% off it just had to be done! LOL and the same tiger.  Lots of versamark and metallic purple embossing powder!

Ingredients
Card Size - 4.25 in x 5.5 in
Card Stock - Neenah Classic Crest
Stamps - High High Stamps (tiger), Stampendous (tiger stripe), GinaK (soccerball), Thank You background stamp (Inkadinkado), Thank you phrase 1st card only (Stampendous)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
Color - Copics
Miscellaneous - Zing! Metallic Embossing Powder Purple

Birds of a feather

Quite simply this is the anniversary card I made for my husband this year.  He is always saying ti amo.  I bought the Stampendous set ages ago and so happy I remembered to use it!  The image is High Hopes Rubber Stamps.

Ingredients

Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in

Card Stock - Neenah Classic Crest, The Paper Company

Stamps - High Hopes Stamps, Stampendous

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Color - Copics

Miscellaneous - White Embossing Powder

Flowery Mother's Day

Another Mother's Day card that could easily be translated to a flowery birthday card.  There really isn't much to say except even though I know when US Mother's Day is every year I was still scrambling around at the last minute trying to get this made!

Pretty straightforward with a bit of masking.

Ingredients

Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in

Card Stock - Neenah Classic Crest

Stamps - Kitchen Sink Stamps: 3 Step Daisy, Whole Family

Ink - Memento: Canteloupe, Tangelo, Bamboo Leaves, Pear Tart, Cottage Ivy

Happy Bee day!

Happy Bee day! I made this card for a special young lady in our life.  She really does excel despite life's obstacles.  She isn't a "bee" fan - more of a wolf/tiger fan but I gave her a tiger card last year (exhausting my supplies) and I don't have any wolf images...

I just love how happy this little bee is.

I repeated the background paper at the bottom of the signature side and made a little slanted pocket for money/giftcard.

Ingredients
Card Size - 4.25 in x 5.5 in
Card Stock - Neenah Classic Crest, The Paper Source
Stamps - High Hopes Stamps
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Color - Copics
Miscellaneous - Spellbinders Oval and Oval Scallops Nestabilities; Sakura Stardust Clear; "Dewdrops" Michael's.

Relax...

I'm going to be the first to admit that the Relax doesn't really pop with the white stitching, at first I panicked and then I decided to take my own advice!

I like the subtleness of it being the orange on orange.  Maybe thinking about it I should have shadowed the letters with either white or purple instead of the faux stitching. 

What IS important is that it IS still a pretty cute card!  This card went to our uncle who is a big train and cheese enthusiast - however, he does like to garden too.  The slight irony is that I envisaged a sunny day in the garden and they have probably had one of the rainiest springs to date including a tornado in England.  Oh well, just keep reading the card.

Ingredients

Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in

Card/Paper Stock - Neenah Classic Crest, The Paper Company

Stamps- High Hopes Stamps

Ink - Memento

Color - Copics

Miscellaneous - Sizzix alphabet; Spellbinders Nestabilities; American Craft White Gel Pen

Daffodil Mother's Day

I think every year I explain that Mothering Sunday in England is not in May...

I will spare you and just say that one year I will get organized and send my MIL's birthday (end of February) and Mothering Sunday (3 weeks before Easter) cards at the same time.  This year wasn't that year.

This is a fairly straightforward and I would say clean and simple card for Mother's Day.  Die cutting, Stamping, Masking, Coloring.  Yup that about sums it up.  Any questions?  I do like how it turned out though.

Ingredients

Card Size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in

Card Stock - Neenah Classic Crest, The Paper Company

Stamps - Northwoods, Kitchen Sink Stamps: Whole Family

Ink - Memento: Tuxedo Black

Color - Copics

Miscellaneous - Spellbinders Long Rectangles Nestabilities

18th Birthday!

I don't know about you but I LOVE explosion boxes and always wanted to make one.  Finally I had the opportunity and I love how it turned out!  Let me know what you think.

I got my basic instructions from Magic Boxes. I love the work on that blog.  I adjusted it because I wanted a big box out of 12 x 12 - yes those are 4 inch sides.

Now I have seen dies that make 3D cakes.  I'm a cheapskate (well sometimes) and I used my Circle nestabilities to cut and emboss a circle inside.  I then made tiny cuts around the circle to the embossed line to make the cake top.  The fringe was used to adhere to a 1.25 inch strip of cardstock to create the height of the cake.  I scored 0.25 inches in and fringed it for attachment.

Now I thought I was being clever decorating the tiers before I put it together... lets just put it this way, I wouldn't do it that way again. My three layers of mirri gold, purple cardstock and red ribbon didn't really like being eased into a circle.  The cake topper is a circle diecut stamped and layered with a bit of red decorative wire that I had already made into a spring by spiralling it around my piercing tool.

On the box uprights I made sleeves for tags for each parent and brother to sign.  The color combo is a combination of the 18 year old's school and favorite soccer team - Purple, Red, Gold (cardstock & mirri). 

I'm still undecided as to whether or not I should have decorated the sides of the lid...









Ingredients
Finished Size - 4in x 4in x 4in
Cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest, The Paper Company, Revelations, Mirri unknown
Stamps - Kitchen Sink Stamps; Playful Numbers, Whole Family
Ink - Memento; Sweet Plum, Canteloupe, Lady Bug
Miscellaneous - Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities; Provocraft Cuttlebug Embossing Folders: Spots & Dots, Happy Birthday, Numbers; Sakura Red Stardust gel pen; Red Satin ribbon.

Butterfly birthday

I don't know about you, but I just about love this card.  The texture, the color pop of the butterfly! To me it just says "special", and I hope you think so.  This card was so easy and I really raided my stash.  I got these Butterflies about 10 years ago.  I have tried to use them before but it never was quite right.Knowing that I was going to use the butterflies and inspired by that spiral card inserts I had seen at the beginning of the year.  I thought I needed texture and simplicity to make the zing.  I cute a 5.5 x 8.5 panel.  Using the Happy Birthday embossing folder determined the orientation of my card.  I played with ideas and settled on the central panel with borders all embossed on the same piece of cardstock and with scored lines to join/separate the panels.  The small circle was stamped and highlighted with white gel pen.

I cut loads of circles in white and blue cardstock to carry on the circle theme from the front of the card.  I then used my circle nestabilities to cut a large circle and then emboss all the circles that nest inside for cutting guidlines to make them into a spiral.  I put landing circles on the spiral for the butterflies and to continue the circle theme and attached more butterflies and a couple of dragonflies.

To be honest, because I backed the circles on each side of the spiral it made them a little bit heavy on the wider part of the spiral but I think it works.

Ingredients
Card size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in finished front
Card stock - Neenah Classic Crest, Bazzill
Stamps - JustRite Stampers
Ink - Memento Blue Danube
Miscellaneous - Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities; Butterfly acetate stickers; American Crafts White gel pen

Sympathy

I know we all hate it when we have to make a sympathy card and this was no exception.  This was for Uncle Manky's wife for whom I made this card last year for her birthday.  I decided to go with their team colors as they seemed appropriate for a sympathy card.

Ingredients

Card size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in

Card stock - Neenah Classic Crest, The Paper Source, Bazzill

Stamps - Kitchen Sink 3 Step Daisy

Ink - Memento: Bahama Blue, Danube Blue, Versamark

Miscellaneous - Die Cuts: Spellbinders; Prima Flowers, Brads, White Grosgrain ribbon (blue colored with Memento Marker); American Crafts White Gel pen; Detail Black Embossing powder.

Monkey-ing around

I have had this stamp set for quite a long time, I love the little animals in it but never seem to have the right occasion to use it.

I made this for a 10 year old who is Monkey mad at the moment.  I knew she was getting one of those Sock Monkey hats and I had gotten her a small Ty Sock Monkey so I thought I might as well carry on with the theme.

I stamped and masked the trees.

Everything is colored with Copics and a bit of airbrushing to delineate between the ground and sky.

Ingredients

Card size - 8.5 in x 5.5 in

Card stock - Neenah Classic Crest

Stamps - Autumn Leave Mindys Zoo, Kitchen Sink Stamps Ready 4 Any Holiday

Ink - Memento

Color - Copics

Par fect Birthday

So there are only so many variation on a golfing theme.  After making the pom-pom flowers at Christmas I thought about how to transfer that idea to paper.  I also needed a card for my sports enthusiast BIL. 

I think this almost works...

The fringe for the grass.  The black oval as the hole.  The circle that is debossed to look like a golf ball.

And of course the personalization on the ball!  I will say I attempted to airbrush some depth on the ball.  Something I need to keep working on.

Ingredients

Card size - 8.5in x 5.5in

Card stock - Georgia Pacific, Revelations, The Paper Source

Stamps - Just Rite Stampers

Ink - Memento

Misc- Copics with airbrush; Swiss dots embossing folder





General Christmas Cards

Wow! Nearly six months later and I am posting my general Christmas Cards 2011!  Better late than never right? Anyway I think they are a pretty classic design.  I took inspiration from a GinaK StampTV video she posted before Christmas.

The process itself was pretty straightforward. I scored and cut my 8.5 x 11in card stock to make small cards.  I did them to open longways.  I then cut down card stock to 4 x 5.25 inches, dry embossed them with Snowflakes impressabilities and die cut a circle in the lower right hand corner (I did make a jig to keep it consistent).

I then used the jig to to place my sentiment on the base.  Stamping with Versamark and gold embossing to the sentiment and edges to match.  Afterward attaching the dry embossed panel to the front to complete.

Ingredients

Card size - 4.25 in x 5.5 in

Card stock - Georgia Pacific

Stamps - Inkadinkado Warm Winter Wishes

Ink - Versamark

Dies - Spellbinders circle die, Snowflakes Impressabilities

Misc - gold embossing powder