A Masculine Get Well

Lovely as a Tree has been a favorite set of mine for years and I'm always glad to see it back in the new catalogs.  It kind of gives you a feeling of "home" when you see it in the new catalog.  It's such a wonderful old "stand-by" set.  It can be used for so many occasions. I especially like to use it for masculine birthdays, get well cards and sympathy cards.  It works so well with all of those.

Today I made a masculine get well card.  The words are from the Delightful Dozen set.  I wonderful word set that covers a lot of occasions too.  

The background was done with the Dotted embossing folder. Those folders are a must have item.  They can really make a plain background look fabulous!  It dressed up this background just enough to keep it looking masculine!  

I was going to add a ribbon around the dotted layer behind the tree layer but I had to keep telling myself that it's a masculine card and I needed to keep it simple.  

I stamped the tree using Wild Wasabi ink and then I took the Early Espresso marker and colored in some branches and the tree trunk.  I added a little more to the branches after the image was stamped.  There were a few spots that really needed some brown and it seemed to have done the trick.  I think it turned out nice.  A perfect guy card!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

2012-2013 Color Keeper

I have created the new 2012 - 2013 Color Keeper folder.  

You can purchase the PDF file for the inside of the folder here.  

The outside was made using Island Indigo card stock and ink.  The white dots were put on by using a toothpick and the Frost White shimmer paint.  I tried using my gel pen but it didn't like writing over the ink.  The gel pen would be quicker but not quite as pretty.  You can decorate the outside of your folder as you wish.  

The finished folded size measures 3-3/4" x 7-3/4".  There are squares by each color for you to check your inventory of card stock, ink, ink pad and markers.  The center of the folder is where both years of in colors are located.  

his also makes a great Make N Take, Hostess Gifts, Customer Appreciation Gifts and of course just to have one for yourself.  You can print out as my as you wish to use for gifts or classes.

A must have for any stamper to keep track of your colors.

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

The Open Sea Masculine Birthday Card

 This was last weeks Sketch Challenge at Split Coast Stampers.  I have not been able to play for the last couple of weeks.  I just saw today's sketch but it looked too frilly for a masculine card.  Though I should give it a try and make it work for a masculine card.  Now that would be a real challenge.  I did make a most needed masculine card using the Open Sea set.  I'm SO glad this is back in the new catalog!  It's a great masculine set.  Though I was hoping for some more masculine papers.  But we always seem to manage to do with what is here, don't we?  This paper is perfect with this set.  I had purchased several packages of it and have used them all up!  

For my card I used Early Espresso for the base of my card.  Then I used the decorative papers for the backgrounds. I layered them in Early Espresso.  I stamped the ship on Whisper White card stock using Night of Navy ink.  My panel is smaller than the one in the sketch but I had to make it smaller.  If I would have kept it that size there would have been way too much white showing on each end. It worked out and turned out just fine.  My nephew will like the card.

This was a fun sketch.  I think it is one that I will be using again.  The focal panel is big enough for many of the stamp sets I have.  

If you have time I highly recommend you give the sketches a try!  It's always fun to learn new layouts.  I keep mine in a photo album and when I'm stuck with an idea I just open the album and find a sketch that fits a stamp that I have in mind.  It works 99% of the time!  And yes, my album has 386 sketches in it.  I collected them all!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Triple Treat Flower Birthday!

Here is another card I had made at Terri's FABULOUS Stamp-a-Stack.  The best thing about Stamp-a-Stacks (other than the fabulous designs) is that everything is cut for you!  I have made thousands of cards and now and then it's nice to be able to just sit down and play without having to think of a design, colors or cut card stock!  I have always been in awe of Terri's cards.  She comes up with some very fun designs.  

This card was made using Whisper White and Melon Mambo card stock along with Melon Mambo decorative papers. 

I am sad to see the Sincere Salutations word set retiring.  It was one of my favorite sets to use.  The words were all about the same size so they fit well in some of the punches, especially the circle punches.  

The stamp set used here is Triple Treat Flower and that one is also retiring.  I'm not as sad about this stamp retiring as I am about the Sincere Salutations.  But that does not mean I'm not going to hang onto it.  I will keep it for a while.  Well, until another one becomes my favorite that is!!! LOL

These were very quick and pretty cards to put together.  One went out in the mail today!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Notes on Faith in Nature

I still have a big pile of 2.5" x 2.5" pieces of copier paper all punched and ready for notebooks.  Today I thought I would use the leaf from Faith in Nature.  That was a very fun and beautiful Hostess set I had gotten.  I mostly got it because I loved the pear image in the set.  Have you ever done that?  Got a set just for one image?  I still do if it involves a snowman!!! LOL

I am working on getting my stash of 2.5" x 2.5" notebooks built up for the fall craft fair.  They are a great money maker plus they draw shoppers to the booth because they make great stocking stuffers.  Once I get my holiday stamps and start using them I will be making more Christmas and winter notebooks.  Those seem to sell the best. Probably because they are being used for stocking stuffers!!!

These notebooks were pretty easy to make too.  I just cut a piece of Wild Wasabi card stock 2" x 2" and the white card stock 1-7/8" x 1-7/8".  I stamped on the small white piece using VersaMark.  Then I embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I sponged the color over the embossed image and this is what you get.  It's soft, subtle and pretty too!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Notebooks Weekend Project

I'm working on getting my notebook stash built back up for the fall craft fair.  I just noticed that I have a shoe box size tote full of scrap card stock.  Most of my notebooks measure 2.5" x 2.5" so I can make quite a few with the scrap that builds up during the year.

These two notebooks measure 3" x 4".  Often I end up with excess copier paper and I will normally cut it 2.5" x 2.5" and sometimes there are odd sizes left and I will cut them a bit larger.  There's always some image that I would like to add to a notebook front.  And in this case that is what I did.

I SO love the Fabulous Florets set. I'm not all that fond of cutting out the images but will do it now and then.  The notebook in the back was made using the Fabulous Florets set.  The blue notebook was done using an Inkadinkado set I ran across in my carousel of hanging stamp sets.  I have a TON of stamp sets on that thing and I hardly use them.  As I was paging through the sets looking for something that had to do with graduation I saw this set and pulled it out.  This set is called Boxed Wishes.  There's 5 other images in the set and the next time I make notebooks this size I will probably head for that set.  Well, unless I find something new in the Stamping Up! sets I'm gong to get that will fit in that space!

I love making notebooks.  When I get caught up on things I may make blanks again for the web store.  Though I'm not sure there is much of an interest in them anymore.  I use to take orders for them and the covers were in any Stampin' Up! color but I got overwhelmed with orders and when there was a lull in the sales I quite offering them.  I LOVE the little 2.5" x 2.5" notebooks.  I use to use them for workshop gifts.  Anyway, I will be working on more of them soon.

Edited: Fabulous Florets replaced Field Flowers, an error in what stamp set was used.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Simply Soft Birthday

This is yet another set I have not played with much.  It's so sad when I look at them before I sell them and see that they were hardly used or not even used at all. I have a few of those too.  My shopping this time around will be much wiser.  Of course I'm going to be starting with all the new in colors!  The papers, inkpads, inkers, markers and decorative paper pack.  That was number one on my list.  After that it's a matter of making some wise choices. I made my wish list and I need to be careful with it and not buy everything at once like I did last year.  That was how I bought too much stuff.  I have open houses to go to and Stamp-a-Stacks so I need to spread it out!

Ok, now onto my fun card.  I used the "Simply Soft" hostess set (that you will be seeing in my web store sometime next month).  A set that was very gently used.  It's such a pretty set. I wish I would have used it more.  

I love the Melon Mambo color so I ran with it on this card.  Card stock, ink pad, and decorative papers!

I used the lace punch for part of the background.  It's confession time here.  I was going to copy a card and they had that running down the left side.  As I got working on my card I decided to turn the card and my image fit differently on the card so I added the Happy Birthday layers and made a totally different card!  I love it when I'm inspired by another card.  I think my Mojo is coming back!  

I hope you are all having a very enjoyable holiday weekend.

Thank you ever SO much for visiting today,
Wanda