Love is "Priceless"

I was looking through my stamps to find a heart I liked and I ran across one in the Stampin' Up! "Priceless" set. I stamped it on white card stock and cut it out. I'm not a big fan of cutting but after all it was only one heart. I punched a 1-3/4" black circle and taped it on top of a red punched scallop piece.

I used my Cuddlebug folder and dry embossed the white background piece. I taped that on top of a piece of black cards stock and then added the ribbon around it. I taped that to the red card base and then tied a bow on the ribbon. I taped the scallop piece to the card and it was done. A pretty quick card. I set it down and looked at it and realized I didn't like the red ribbon. SO I thought about it and felt maybe black ribbon would be better. I made another card and added the black ribbon instead. I think I like the black better. Which one do you prefer and why?

Thank you for stopping by,
Wanda

Baroque Valentine

This is one of the most versatile sets I've ever worked with. This set can cover MANY events. Birthday, Thank you, Anniversary, Wedding and even Valentine's Day. That's a lot of miles on one stamp set!!

Tonight I went for a Valentine's Day card. It's all in the colors you use that determines the event! I went with the traditional red, black and white. And it worked too!!

This was a very quick card to make too. I think every card I have made with this set was a quick card. You don't need to do much with this set to make a fabulous card.

I like the new 5/8" wide ribbon. I like to make those cuts in the ends. It gives it a nice new fresh look.

I added a few rhinestones and taped everything in place and it's ready to give!

Have fun making these. You can make a bunch of them in no time at all. And if you don't have any rhinestones you can use dazzling diamonds for the sparkle!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Such A Baby!

I was looking for a way to make cute, impressive yet simple and quick baby card. And I found it!!!

This was one of the sketches at SplitCoastStampers. I don't remember which week it was but I really did like this sketch layout. I have not done a sketch since just before Christmas. I need to get back into playing on Wednesdays. I LOVE to learn new card layouts.

For this card I used a black piece of card stock for the main part of the card. Use a piece of Very Vanilla on the inside to write on or you can use the white gel pen. I prefer to use the lighter colored paper on the inside. I usually write on it before I tape it in place. I'm pretty much guaranteed to make a mistake writing if the paper is already taped in. Murphy's Law!!!

Ok on to the card. With the base being black the next layer is the Ballet Blue cut 5-1/4" x 4". You can stamp the "Canvas" background stamp on it before or after you cut it. I do it after just in case I get it a little crooked. I have 1/4" to trim and get it straighter. Now my secret is out!!! LOL I sponged the edges in Ballet Blue and taped it in place.

Then I took a 1/4 sheet of Very Vanilla card stock and stamped the "Flannel Plaid" background stamp on that using Ballet Blue ink. I cut the stamped piece 1-7/8" x 3-1/8". You want two of them. Cut two pieces of black measuring 2-1/8" x 3-1/4" for you layering. Sponge the edges of the flannel and then tape them on top of the black. Tape these pieces to the top of the Canvas stamped piece. I lined up the sides and edge so it looked even on those 3 sides. The gap in the center is a little bigger but that's ok because you're going to wind some gold cording around it. I went around it five times on this card. I used regular tape and taped the ends of the cord in place. Tape that piece in place on top of the main card.

The baby buggy is from the Stapin' Up! "Fun & Fast Notes" set. I taped off the word on the stamp because I only wanted the image. I cut my Very Vanilla card stock 2" x 2", stamped and colored the image. And again I sponged the edges. I took my Crystal Effects and dipped the tip of a toothpick in it and touched the dots on the buggy and added Dazzling Diamonds. I layered it on top of a piece of black cut 2-1/4" x 2-1/4". I used Dimensionals on the back so it would lay flat across the top of the cording. And that's it. A quick, simple, cute and yet impressive baby card!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Michael's Meets Archiver's

Yes, I was out shopping today. In the frigid temperatures we're having here. It really wasn't that bad. It's suppose to be 3 out there today!!! The sun was shining and the wind was pretty calm so it really wasn't that bad. I don't think I'd want to stand out there for a very long amount of time but to go from your car to the store and back to the car it's a piece of cake. Or should I say cupcake???? Boooo! I know!! I'll stick with stamping and leave the jokes to the professionals!!! LOL

Actually I shopped at Joann's too. I mean I was out there and the stores are fairly close to each other so why not? I was looking at some beads at Joann's. Nothing to write home about. They did have their papers on sale and I did pick up one 8" x 8" piece of embossed white card stock. Oh and a pair of Easter socks. They're SO cute!!! (For me!!!)

I headed on over to Archiver's. I finally got to use my free "Hot Spot" coupon. I didn't let this one expire. SO what did I get??? A stamp of course!! And I also picked up a piece of pink double sided decorative paper. I knew what I wanted to do with it the minute I saw it. And then at Michael's I had to get some brushed silver beads. SO that was the extent of my shopping. Kind of boring I know. But DH will be glad to here there's still money left this week!!! LOL

I had this adorable cupcake stamp that I had gotten at Michael's and with the new decorative paper I just had to make a Valentine's Day card. I know some of you are needing a break from the crafty things for a day or two. It does get to be a bit overwhelming when you want to make all the projects I show here. SO this will give you a little time to catch up!

Using decorative paper is a lot of fun and saves a lot of stamping time. All I had to stamp and color here was the cupcake. SO quick and simple even my DH could do this!!! (I hope he reads this!!!!!).

Now while I was at Archiver's looking at this beautiful double sided paper I started whining because it was $1.29 for just this one lonely sheet of paper. I mean it's just a piece of paper. A pretty expensive piece of paper. But it was pretty and I did want it so I got it. After I got home I was looking at the package of Stampin' Up! decorative paper I had sitting on my worktable. It's the new "Berry Bliss" one. There is a really pretty pink design in there and I got to thinking about the cost per piece. SO I did some math (I HATE math) and with Minnesota sales tax it came out to 98 cents per sheet. Ok, done whining about the prices at Archiver's. I know where to get good quality paper cheaper!!!

SO here is my card. SO quick and simple!!

Thank you for stopping by,
Wanda

Easy Notebook "Purse" Holder

Isn't this just the cutest little purse notebook holder? And it's SUPER easy to do too.

You just take one of those clear plastic boxes that hold 4 cards and envelopes comfortably. If you're like me I try to shove 5 or 6 of in there!!! LOL The original post (and I'm sorry I don't remember where I saw this) suggested you cut it in half. I had these adorable small 3" x 5" composition books and two of them fit in the holder nicely. SO I proceeded to decorate the notebooks. Once I had them decorated I cut the plastic box to a little above the height of the books inside. I cut a piece of matching decorative, scored it and slipped it inside the box. I added some coordinating grosgrain to the outside of the box. Cut each piece the same length before you tape them in place. The ends of the ribbon meet at the bottom of he box. Make sure the loops aren't twisted before you secure the other end. I affixed the ribbon with the Red Line tape. You really need something VERY sticky here. I punched a hole in the left side and added a piece of Hodgepodge hardware to make it look like a purse zipper. Though when I thought about it (afterwards of course) I realized the zipper on my purse isn't on the side, it's actually inside to close the opening on the top. LOL Ok, so it's suppose to give the illusion of having a zipper!!! How's that? LOL

The stamp used here is from the Stampin' Up! set "Embrace Life" and the paper is from the "Ginger Blossoms" group. And the words are from the "Office Accoutrement" set. That is my favorite little stamp from that set!!! I use it more outside that set than I do with the set.

These are very fun and easy to make. You could even get a little more creative with the ribbon and make small loops on the back that would hold a pen or pencil too! You can make the box deeper so there's room for a pen or pencil. Probably a pencil sharpened down far enough to fit inside nicely. Or you can do like I did and make them find their own pencil!!! LOL These would make a very fun Stamp Camp item or they'd be happily accepted by your hostess or customers. They just make a great little gift!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

It's Still Trash! Step by Step Instructions

I was trying to do another one of those "From Trash to Treasure" items but this one still ended up as trash. Well, maybe not so much as trash as a pattern.

My friend Katie just LOVES this Cobalt gum. I was more interested in the box the gum came in. It's a pretty interesting shaped box, isn't it?? Well Katie was so kind as to remove the gum she had left in the box and gave me the box. And the box sat in my car for a couple of weeks. I finally took it out and tonight I thought I'd try something with it. Well, what (other than more gum) would you put in this box??? The regular Ghiradelli square candy pieces fit nicely in it so I had a yet another reason to play around with the box.

I took the box apart. My plan was to affix some decorative paper to the outside and have fun with embellishments. I laid the box on my new Stampin' Up! "Berry Bliss" 12" x 12" decorative paper. I traced it and then scored it. I don't have a Score Pal. I did look at them and was seriously thinking about getting one but I realized that my Fiskars cutter does pretty much the same thing except I have to move my paper around to score where I want. Well, for $40 I can move my paper around. I slowly and carefully removed the clear guide from the cutter. Be careful not to pull or you could break off the plastic ends that hold the piece in place. I then took my bone folder and just scored on the lines where the original box was scored.

Once I got the piece of decorative paper scored I was going to affix it to the gum box but because the paper was double sided it was thick enough to support itself so I decided that I really didn't need the gum box, except for the pattern. The box didn't get used the way I planned so it's still trash, unless I decide to keep it for a template.

I decided I wanted to use the dotted side of the paper for the front of my candy box. The other side was pretty too but I wanted something more soft and subtle. I taped it together and now I'm ready to decorate it.
I decorated mine using the Stampin' Up! set "Happy Heart Day." I used corner punch and Regal Rose card stock. I added some black punched out dots to the corners and taped them in place on top of the layers. I tied a pink grosgrain ribbon bow around the sides. I did put the candy in before I tied the bow but the ribbon does slip off easily enough to add it later. I didnt tape the ribbon on, if I were to make a lot of these I think I would tape them in place just to make sure they don't all fall off before they get to where they're suppose to go.

This is such a cute and simple gift to make.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Valentine's Day Chocolate Gift

I had a coupon!!! LOL When don't I have a coupon??? It was a buy one gt one free for the larger 1.3 oz. Ghiradelli chocolates. And I did instruct DH not to eat them!!! He's such a chocoholic!! He reads my blog so now he will see exactly what I did with that candy he wasn't allowed to eat!! He can have it but............ NOT until Valentine's Day!!!

To make this holder I cut a piece of white card stock 4-1/4" x 7". I scored it at 1", 1-3/8", 4-1/8" and 4-1/2". You can set the candy inside and tape the back shut.

For the front I cut a piece of decorative paper 2-1/2" x 4". The little strip is cut from Really Rust card stock and measures 2-1/2" x 1-3/8". The decorative paper strip is cut 2-1/2" x 1-3/16". I tied the ribbon around the strip. Actually what I did was I cut a piece of ribbon about 3" long and folded the edges around the front and taped raw edges on the back. I then cut a small piece of ribbon and tied the bow. I like using this method because I can slide the bow where I want and the bow always lays nice too.

I stamped the mouse on watercolor paper and colored it in with markers and blender pen. The shirt is decorative paper. I stamped the mouse on the decorative paper and then cut the shirt out and glued it in place. I added some Dazzling Diamonds to the flower on the heart and then cut the watercolor paper to measure 1-3/4" x 1-3/4". I cut a piece of Really Rust 2" x 2" and taped the two pieces together. I taped all the layers in place, adjusted the bow and it was finished.

It was a very quick project and it will make a nice gift, right DH?? LOL


Thank you for stopping by,
Wanda

Get Well Wishes

My sister's mother-in-law had surgery today and I made her a get well card.

I just LOVE this card layout. You cut your sheet of Bashful Blue card stock at 4-1/4" and fold it in half. I then rolled on the flowers using the Stampin' Up! "Fast Flowers" wheel and Bashful Blue ink. The flower pot is from the "Fun & Fast Notes." I thought it was a cute little cheery design. I stamped the image on watercolor paper using black StazOn. I colored in the flowers with a blender pen and markers. In the photo the yellow around the flowers looks more orange. I used Apricot Appeal and it really isn't that bright. I need to start taking my photos in regular day light. Maybe I'll retake the photo tomorrow and show you the difference.

For the Certainly Celery piece I cut the card stock 2-1/2" x 4-1/4". The Barely Banana piece is cut 2-1/4" x 2-1/2". The watercolor paper was cut 2" x 2-1/4". I layered the colors lining them up at the bottom and sided. Fold the top of the Certainly Celery card stock over at the 1" mark. I located center an eyelet at 1/4" in from each edge. I tied some black gingham ribbon on and the card is ready to be attached to the front. I eyed up the top and bottom of the card and moved the layered piece out a bit so it overlapped the white area. It's up to you how much you want it to overlap. Mark it lightly on the back, turn it over and add tape and set it in place on top of the blue. For the inside I cut a piece of white card stock 4" x 5-1/4". I did add a flower in the corner from the wheel. It took a bit of masking to accomplish it but I managed with only a little blue dot at about the 11 o'clock mark on the flower. I tried to remove it with a blender pen but it didn't work. Now had that background been watercolor paper the blender pen would have erase that blue dot!! I taped the white on the inside and the card is ready to go!!!

I have a fun Valentine's Day gift project coming up for you so stay tuned!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

More Casing!

I just couldn't resist this card either. It has several features that really caught my eye.

First I'm going to add the card info before I forget. I found this on SplitCoastStampers and it was made by the registered user name juliemlacey. Just click on her name and you'll be taken to her SCS post.

I like the crisp clean look of this card. I like the idea that you only need a little bit of decorative paper. Not that I don't have enough decorative paper but if I were to make a bunch of cards for a swap I'd want to make sure I did have enough of one color to make them all. And I especially liked the way the ribbon was attached with the Hodgepodge Hardware. Isn't that just the coolest look?

The colors used here are Ruby Red, River Rock and Whisper White. Also used was black StazOn and the Ruby Red marker. Nope, no blender pen today!!! The Scallop, 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" round punches were used. River Rock stitched ribbon and the Hodgepodge Hardware. The "thank you" is from a self-inking stamp by Vista Print.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Blog Candy Winner!

Ok, I have to admit some of you got some interesting gifts for Christmas, including those pajamas!!! WOW!!! This is a good place to come look when you receive a gift you don't care for. Just remember that there are worst gifts out there!!! LOL

And now onto the winner of the blog candy. I used the random number generator and the luck winner is #24 MaryAnn in nj. Here is her comment:

Mary Anne in NJ said...
I have a bottle of the worst-smelling lavender body lotion, that I would be happy to trade..

I'll pass on the lotion Mary Anne but thanks anyway!!

Please email me with your snail mail address and I will get the stamps off to you. If I don't hear from you by Wednesday evening the blog candy will go back up for bid. If you don't hear from me within 24 hours after you email me please post a comment on my blog. I will not publish it but will be able to get your info. Sometimes emails go to junk and I receive too much junk mail to go through them all and I wouldn't even know what address I'm looking for. Thank you.

Thank you all for playing. My blog has hit the 600+ post and I will have more blog candy coming. And then more after that because I see it's reaching the 1/4 million hits!! WOW!!! SO stay tuned!!!

Thanks SO much,
Wanda

CASE

I received an email and was informed of yet another acronym for CASE. This one I REALLY like. It sounds warm and inviting. Copy And Share with Everyone. Though it should be written out CASWE then!!! LOL But it has a sweeter feeling to it than the other two do.

I did fix my last post. While having computer problems last night I lost all that I had typed and had to rewrite the whole post. In my frustration I forgot to give Josee credit for the card cased off her blog. Check back on that post for a link to her blog. She's got some nice things on her blog to see!!!

Thank you,
Wanda

Shameless Casing!!!

Back at it once again. LOL Have you ever seen such a wonderful card that just caught your eye and you just HAD to have it? Short of hunting the person down and begging them to mail it to you, you decide to copy it. Or case it as it's commonly referred to. CASE is the acronym for Copy and Study or Steal Everything. Now since I am giving credit (which I highly recommend you do) to the person and place where you cased the item from.

For this card I used River Rock card stock and stamped the small flower image using River Rock ink. I then cut a strip of Ginger Blossom decorative paper and taped it in place on top of a piece of Rose Red Card stock. I wrapped and tied a piece of Groovy Guava ribbon around it and tied a knot. I stamped the words at the bottom and colored in the word "Friend" with my blender pen and the Purely Pomegranate ink pad. I colored in the two flowers with the Groovy Guava ink pad and blender pen.

For the flower I stamped the image on Purely Pomegranate card stock using the Purely Pomegranate ink pad. I cut it out and then stamped the image again on Rose Red card stock and cut out the inside layer. I stamped the image one more time on Groovy Guava card stock and cut the center out. I took a small hole punch and punched out 12 pieces of Groovy Guava. I glued the dots in place on top of the Rose Red card stock over the stamped images. I then taped that piece in place on top of the Purely Pomegranate flower. I taped the center circle piece in place after coloring in the center flower. I was going to cut it out of card stock but by then I was tired of cutting and I wasn't sure how many layers the brad could handle. Not that it really mattered because I can always cut the prongs off the brad and set it in place with Crystal Effects. I added the brad and taped the flower in place.

All in all it was a pretty simple card to make. A bit of cutting but that's pretty simple. Sorry for the delay in getting this post out tonight. I got it all typed up and my computer must have been running something in the background because it made it seem like the mouse was stuck. When it finally realized what it was doing it took me to my previous window and of course my work wasn't backed up. SO I had to retype everything. Don't you just LOVE having to do that?? LOL Oh well. It's now done and as soon as I hit "Publish" you can finally see it!

This card was cased from Josee at Stamping Jo.com
She's got some cute cards on her site. Sorry I forgot to add this to my post. In all the frustration with the silly computer I totally forgot. SO sorry about that Josee.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

So Regular!!

WOW, doesn't that sound like something personal??? Like I'd share that kind of information with you!!! And I bet you're glad I don't!!! LOL

I'm talking about the size of the card. This card fits in a regular size envelope. The ones you can get anywhere. The envelope measures 3-5/8" x 6-1/2". It's not the long legal ones.

I wanted to make some cards for my mother-in-law to use but I didn't have any extra envelopes. I did have some "regular" envelopes so I thought I'd just make the card accordingly.

The white card stock measures 6-1/4" x 7" and you fold it in half so it measures 6-1/4" x 3-1/4". The Ruby Red layer measures 6" x 3-3/4". I used the Stampin' Up! wheel "Rough Texture and Ruby Red ink. The flower comes from the Stampin' Up! set "Embrace Life." I stamped it on a piece of watercolor paper cut 1-1/4" X 4-1/2" using black StazOn. I used the Ruby Red marker and a blender pen to color in the flower. Around the flower I added Apricot Appeal. Now the photo is showing the apricot SO much brighter and yellower than it actually is. I'm sure it has to do with the lighting and the flash. But trust me here, it is very subtle. I sponged the edges with Ruby Red ink. Then I took a piece of moss grosgrain ribbon and tied a knot in it and taped the ends on the backside of the -flower piece. I then taped that to a piece of black cut 4-3/4" x 1-1/2". I taped the flower to the black card stock. I set it in place on top of the Ruby Red piece to see where I'd like the wording to go. The "Happy Birthday" came from the "It's Your Birthday" set. I taped all layers together and put them with the "regular" envelopes for my DH to give to his mom!

These were very simple to make and they are great for a limited supply card. This card would work well for a Sympathy card, Get Well, Thank You and Thinking of You!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

For the Birthday Boy!

My nephew's birthday is on the 13th and from the looks of the calendar that would be on Sunday. And that means that I need to get the card out in the mail on Friday so he will get it on Saturday. Or maybe Monday if the post office is slow!!! But at least it will be close to his birth date. Last year I was late with pretty much every birthday card I sent out!!! And no, I wasn't going for a record!!! LOL

For his card I wanted it to be of course masculine. He's going to be 17. WOW, hard to believe! I thought I'd make a shirt card. I went online here to find the pattern. It's a video which I just LOVED because I could follow along. I have made these shirts before and found them very frustrating. This one is done using a dollar bill but I just cut my paper 4" x 7" to fit on the card nicely and followed along step by step. I did it and here it is.

I used the "Canvas" background stamp on the Bashful Blue and use Bordering Blue ink. The main part of the card is Bordering Blue. The words are from the "It's your Birthday" set both by Stampin' Up! I used the ticket punch in the corner and then sponged the edges. I added silver brads to the shirt to represent buttons and that was it. Very simple once you know how to make the shirt.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda