Archives: Another Card Making Session

Originally published on February 8th, 2014

Reorganizing my Pinterest boards to include one for "This Week's Project" ideas has really motivated my crafting.  Now I pull some random ideas over on Sunday night (recipes, cards, sketches, crafts, books, projects) and use that board for inspiration when I want to craft.  I spend less time thinking of what I want to do and more time just doing.  Love it!  If you want to check it out, click here.  It turns out I was crafting fool this week.  Let's see what I made:

Card #1

My first card combines a color challenge and a sketch to create my homework for February Stamp Club.  Again this week, I tried to use as many scraps as I could and not cut up whole sheets.  It was a success.  The only full sheets I cut were those used to make the card bases.  I love the play of patterns with this card.  I also added my own sentiment design.  I didn't want to stamp over the floral patterned paper so I used some layering framelits to highlight the sentiment.  The dimensions of the paper scraps are 4" x 3", 1.75" x 1.75", 0.25" x 1.75", 0.5" x 4"

• Stamps: Stampin’ Up Best of Greetings
• Inks: SU Primrose Petals
• Cardstock: SU Primrose Petals, SU Gumball Green; various scraps
• Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eight; Dimensionals; SNAIL; Big Shot

Card #2

My second card used the same sketch as the first but I used different scrap papers.  I also changed up the sentiment design in favor of an oval scrap I had laying around.  While it's not a traditional sympathy card, I think the cool blues and greens are soothing and the patterns are completely distracting.

• Stamps: Stampin’ Up Best of Greetings
• Inks: SU Midnight Muse
• Cardstock: SU DSP (don't know the name), various scraps
• Tools: SNAIL

Card #3

My third card is straight from a card on my Pinterest boards.  I love the simplicity of the squares but with the fun coordinating patterns.  Robin used the SU Festival of Prints paper stack (which I have), but I decided to use more of small scraps.  If you look closely, many of the papers used in this card were also used in card #2. Way to make double use of scraps!

• Stamps: Stampin’ Up Best of Greetings
• Inks: SU Marina Mist
• Cardstock: SU DSP (can't remember name);  various scraps
• Tools: 1″ Square Punch; SNAIL

Card #4

My fourth card used a sketch (that has since disappeared from Pinterest, odd...) and my new SU Smoky Slate cardstock.  I am in love with this shade of gray.  It's light and not overpowering but such a fun departure from white bases.  I also tried to again use a ton of scraps for this card and succeeded!

• Stamps: Stampin’ Up Stacks of Wishes
• Inks: SU Basic Gray
• Cardstock: SU Smoky Slate; various scraps
• Tools:  Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eight; SNAIL; Big Shot

Card #5

My fifth card came from the need to use these specific papers.  So I scoured my techniques and sketches board and pulled this sketch out.  The picture is horrid, but somehow I couldn't take a non-yellowed photo.  Something about these papers just threw off the picture.  Anyway, I am loving how geometric and layered this card is and yet it's still very nice and simple.

• Stamps: Random Stampin' Up retired stamp
• Inks: SU Pumpkin Pie
• Cardstock: SU Pumpkin Pie; various scraps
• Tools: 1 1/4" Circle Punch; SNAIL

Card #6

I adore the simplicity of the original butterfly card.  I had to try and make my own.  Looking at the finished project, I love the design and my pattern choices.  But, the butterflies are all crooked...  Next time, I need to use a ruler.

• Stamps: Random Stampin' Up retired stamp
• Inks: SU Primrose Petals
• Cardstock: SU Print Poetry DSP
• Tools: 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch; SU Bitty Butterfly Punch; SNAIL

Card #7

I wanted to try out a different interpretation of the butterfly card.  For this one, I decided to make everything bigger and see what happened.  I love the asymmetrical design of this card.  I was going to just do a straight line of butterflies down the middle, but at the last minute I change up the placement.  I like this look much better.  Also, I repeated the use of the Print Poetry DSP but chose only papers featuring Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, and Crumb Cake.  I love the color play!

• Stamps: Random Stampin' Up retired stamp
• Inks: SU Raspberry Ripple
• Cardstock: SU Primrose Petals
• Tools: SU Elegant Butterfly Punch; 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch; SNAIL

Card #8

My last inspiration card was this gorgeous play of circles and patterns.  To help me narrow down the choices, I used only paper from SU's retired Festival of Prints DSP stack.  For the first card, I ended up using the Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, and Cherry Cobbler pages.  I had to make it an actual Christmas card after seeing the results.  My only issue is the placement of the circles.  It was much harder than I thought it was going to be.  Now I know how to place the first (bottom) row to get a better placement overall.  Also, next time I will probably use a smaller size circle punch.

• Stamps: Random Stampin' Up retired stamp
• Inks: SU Cherry Cobbler
• Cardstock: SU Festival of Prints DSP; various scraps
• Accessories: 3D flower sticker
• Tools: 1 1/4" Circle Punch; SNAIL

Card #9

My last card of the week is another version of the circles card.  This time, I used the Island Indigo, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, and Crumb Cake papers from the stack.  After putting it all together, it didn't look like a Christmas card so I made it a Congratulations card.  Also, I did a bit better with the circle placements. I'm sure that I will revisit this design in the future.

• Stamps: Random Stampin' Up retired stamp
• Inks: SU Early Espresso
• Cardstock: SU Festival of Prints DSP; various scraps
• Accessories: Fabric flowers; brad
• Tools: 1 1/4" Circe Punch; SNAIL

I'm loving my cards from this week.  Next week, I want to play around with one sheet wonders...

Archives: Crafting Time

Originally published on February 2nd, 2014

I spent some time Sunday afternoon making some cards.  I had a few leftover kits from crop night, so I thought I would focus on those.  I took a few ideas from Pinterest and put my own spin on them.

For my versions, i used a ton of random paper from my stacks and a few Stampin' Up products.  I left off the ribbon in favor of a more streamlined one-layer (but not really) look.  My only complaint is that I don't own a circle punch between 1 1/4" and 2".  I really need to add that to my Stamp Club order for February.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Wacky Wishes
• Inks: SU Primrose Petals, SU Garden Green
• Cardstock: SU Primrose Petals, various scraps
• Tools: Cuttlebug Swiss Dot Embossing Folder; 2" Circle Punch; 1 1/4" Circle Punch; 1" Circle Punch; SNAIL; Big Shot

I found an interestingly designed card on Pinterest, but couldn't find the original source.  Of course, this was after I had already made my own version of the card.  Oh well!  At least I can showcase my cards.  I played around with layering and shades of pink.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Morning Meadow; SU Flower Shop
• Inks: SU Primrose Petals; SU Regal Rose; SU Garden Green; SU Certainly Celery
• Cardstock: SU Primrose Petals, various scraps
• Accessories: Rhinestone jewels
• Tools: SU Pansy Punch; SNAIL; Dimensionals

I love the graduated colors of the original design and wanted to make my own interpretation.  I made a near copy of the original and then decided to play up with the placement of the butterflies for the second card.  I also used a ton of scraps for these.  The dimensions of the strips are 3/4" by 3 3/4", 3 1/2", and 3 1/4".

Supplies:

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Banner Greetings
• Inks: SU Primrose Petals
• Cardstock: Scraps
• Accessories: SU 2012-2014 In Color Dahlias
• Tools: SU Elegant Butterfly Punch; SNAIL; Glue dots

Hope you enjoyed the cards.  I definitely enjoyed making them.

Archives: Cards #30

Originally published on January 26th, 2014

Wednesday was crop night.  Usually I get overwhlemed by my options and end up not getting much done.  I also always forget something.  This time I got smart at least on one point.  Instead of throwing a ton of supplies into a big bag, I made little card kits in quart size ziploc bags.  Everything I needed for a specific card except ink went into the bag.  As an added organizational tool, I found six different inspirations on Pinterest to use.  Unfortunately, I forgot my snail adhesive at home.  Thankfully Judy let me borrow hers.  Thanks friend!  I'd say even with my forgetfulness, the night was a huge success.  I made six cards using three of my designs.  Love them!

Archives: Cards #24

Originally published on August 11th, 2013

I finally made it to one of our Meetup group's crop nights.  I've been trying for almost two months.  And it was so much fun!  We got together to work on our own projects with some great ladies.  We even got to create a make and take Halloween card.  Very adorable!  The card used SU's Pumpkin Pie ink that I've been contemplating buying for Arthur's thank you and arrival cards.  After using it, I am convinced that it's the perfect color.  Now I have to revise my stamp club order.

These are the other cards I created on Wednesday night.  The first two are my stamp club homework.  I flipped the sketch for the second card.  I really love how it turned out.

The other three cards are just some fun cards I whipped up using scraps from my giant scrap box.  I think the polka dots one is my favorite.  It's clean and simple, but oh so pretty!

Archives: Cards #23

Originally published on June 23rd, 2013

Waiting until the last moment, I scrambled to finish my stamp club homework last week.  I got on a roll and made four variations.  My favorite is the first one.  I love the subtle colors and play on pattern. The last one was my second attempt at negative image using a brayer. This one turned out much better than my first attempt.  I love the watermelon colors and the simplicity of the star stamps.

This beauty of a card was made by my Stamp Club friend Sara.  She made each of a us a pretty card.  Of course, I got a new baby card with a nice little message inside.  I love the simplicity of this card.  Although I can't believe that she cut out that kangaroo.  So nice!

At stamp club, we made three awesome cards.  I always love Pam's designs.  I love the ruffled ribbon on the first one, but don't think I would use it enough to justify the cost from Stampin' Up.  The second card makes great use of washi tape to add extra fun to the butterfly.  The third card was sent through Pam's trading program.  The lady cut out each of the inserts.  So time-consuming!  But it does make for a gorgeous card.

Archives: Weekly Crafting

Originally published on June 3rd, 2013

I figured I should finally dedicate posts to my card crafting  and scrapbooking.  Over the past two weeks, I've done a lot of crafting.  My first task was to finish the boys' scrapbooks for last summer.  I am determined to be completely caught up before the baby comes in October.  I've ordered our pictures from last September to now; should get those in a few days.  Then I can get started on that section of pages to catch up.  I'm planning on switched to Project Life for the family album in October.  I want to start with a clean slate.  The baby will also start with a Project Life album.  The boys will stay the same, but I still want them all caught up.

Now on to the card making...

Last month I snapped up the Round Array Bundle (Stampin' Up) with the stamp set and punch.  I couldn't wait to try it out.  I used a pretty dark pink paper as a card base with a light pink paper to stamp onto.  For the white paper, I used my swiss dot embossing folder and the Big Shot to give some dimensions.  I like the randomness to this card.

A card class card.  The original design was different.  I messed up my designer paper piece, so I changed the design to work with what I had.  I like the simpleness of this card.  All supplies are from Stampin' Up.

A new technique I was trying.  We made an awesome card at class using Versa mark and a brayer.  I bought some glossy paper and tried it out.  Unfortunately the color did not adhere evenly.  I want to try it again and see if I get different results.  I do kind of like the tie dye effect I attained by mistake.  (Looks better in person)

Another class card.  I like the simplicity of this card.  The colors work well together to create a masculine multipurpose card.

Class card.  We were focusing on retiring stamps.  I love the play of pattern with the designer paper and the embossed piece.

I love the designer paper on this card.  The colors are bright and very cheery!  Class card.

This card came from me grabbing some random supplies and working with what I got.  I'm not in love with this card, but something about the mix of patterns intrigues me.  After finishing the card, I went back to add the metallic jewels.  Without them, the card just looks plain.

Another random supply card.  I would have loved to see a thicker font for better contrast.  But I do love the flower I constructed.  I layered different sizes and shades to create a better embellishment.

Class card.  I never bought them, but the button stamps really grew on me in the last month or so.  Plus, I love the designer paper.

Class card.  Love the mix of patterns on this one.

Class card. I love the rock n roll technique to create two color stamps.  But overall I'm not a fan of the colors and stamps on this card.

Class card.  Love, love, love this card.  I love the combo of purple, pink, and orange.  I love the simple sentiment.  

The following two cards were part of my homework assignment for stamp club.  We had a general sketch.  I decided to play with the alignment of the card to make two different cards.  Both cards used Stampin' Up paper, stamps, and punches.  I just love the Print Poetry designer paper pack from the spring catalog.  I'm rationing the paper to make it last.

Class card.  I love the 3D tie we created and it really wasn't that hard to do.  

Class card.  I'm not a huge fan of the color/designer paper combo, but I loved work with the Shimmer paint and the coloring techniques.

More random supply cards.  I'm on a mission to use a ton of my paper scraps.  This strips were leftovers from cards made a long time ago.  

Class card.  Love, love, love the color and pattern combinations on this card.  I think this is my favorite card from this entire post.

Class card.  I want to do a replica of this card with different colors.  I have all the stamps to do it!

Very cute little card.  I didn't end up buying this stamp set, but I still like the look.

Class card.  Like the layout, don't like the color combos that much.

Archives: Cards #22

Originally published on April 28th, 2013

A great stamp club meeting on Monday.  I love doing homework every month. It's great to see how everyone else interprets the sketch.  I got some great ideas from the others.  We also made three great cards.  I kept seeing negative cards, but no one had an instruction page.  I learned the secret: versa mark ink, glossy paper, and a brayer!  I can't wait to try it out myself.

I also did a bit more scrapbooking.  Finished summer 2012 for the family album.  Now I need to do summer 2012 for the boys' albums. I already have the pictures printed, I just need to actually scrap them into pages. I've decided to keep with my method until October, when I will switch to Project Life.  I think it will be a time saver.  Plus I really love their simplistic layouts and options for styles.  I put a baby themed one on the Amazon baby registry.  And I plan on buying a general one for the family album.  Can't wait to get started!

Archives: Cards #20

Originally published on March 10th, 2013

I had a fun card class on Monday using some products that I actually own.

At class, I received my February Stampin' Up order.  So lots of fun new toys to play with.  I got inspired...  Lots of butterflies.  Using my new stamps and embossing folders.  And a couple of birthday cards for the boys.

Archives: Cards #18

Originally published on February 17th, 2013

I had a bit of fun with my new butterfly punch this week.  I love the simplistic look of colored butterflies on a white background.  For the two polka dot cards, I wanted to play with repeating background images.  I stamped the same simple dot flair stamp in a yellow, light pink, and pink to match the designer paper (DSP stack from Stampin' Up).  In real life, the colors work much better.  Plus, I love the repeating colors.  I want to play around with the idea some more.  Lastly, I used another sheet of the DSP for the background of the "Bloom" card.  I tried to bring out the green of the paper with green ink, but it doesn't quite work right.  Maybe layering of stamps is a bit much.

Archives: Crafting Crazy

Originally published on February 2nd, 2013

This past week I went a little crazy.  I intended to sit down and make a card of two, and ended up much more than two cards.  My goal was to use scraps laying around.  Some of the designs just didn't work that well (cut out polka dots) and some were gorgeous (green with poem, flowers, and bird).  It's all about experimentation.

At Christmas, Pam had us make this awesome abstract Christmas tree.

I decided to take the idea and make some variations.  I especially love how the "make a wish" candle comes off the paper.  I colored it in with a bronze marker to add a bit more.

As part of our Stamp Club, Pam gave us homework!  Homework!  Oh my goodness.  We had to make a card based off this sketch.  And here are my attempts.  I like the coffee one the best.