Avant-Garden, Thank You Card, Delicate Details, 2017 Sale a Bration

I made a gift pack of cards for a friend and I wanted to include a thank you card to go with it.  So this is what I found while looking on Pinterest for something else.  Isn't that how it works?  LOL

I love the lace border image at the bottom.  I have not played with that "Delicate Details" set much either and it retires at the end of the month.  Oh and please check back in April to my web store, I will be selling my retiring sets then.  I will post them on here and there will be a link to the store.  I need to stop hanging on to them and say goodbye. Plus I need the room!

So, onto this fun card.  The base of this card is folded half-sheet of Eggplant Envy.  A color I don't use very often and don't know why!  Then on top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Wisteria Wonder.  And the Whisper White piece is cut 3-3/4" x 5".

I stamped the flowers, inking each one.  Plus I stamped a fourth one on a scrap piece of Whisper White so I could fussy cut it out.  Then the center of the flowers were stamped using Eggplant Envy ink.  The leaves were stamped using Pear Pizzazz ink. Some are stamped direct and others are stamped without inking the image again.  It's a pretty even balance.  The dots in the background are found in the set and were inked using Wisteria Wonder and then stamped off once before stamping on the cardstock.  The original card did not have any dots above the flowers like I added.  Also the words are different, in a different place and layered.  You can see the original card here.  I also used Baker's Twine and the original card had colored twine.  I didn't have any colored so I made do with what I had.  The original card did not fussy cut a flower either.  I just like to do that with this set.  It gives the card a bit more depth.

This was a very fun card to make and I do like how it turned out.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Avant-Garden, Birthday Card, 2017 Sale a Bration

I found this fun card while surfing the net.  I don't recall what I was surfing for in particular but when I saw this card, I just had to make it. The original card was made by Julie at Julie's Japes.  

This card has a "half front" and the focal piece covers half of it.  So when you're assembling it, you have to make sure not to put Dimensionals on the whole thing or it will stick to the inside part and you won't be able to open it!!!  Yup, I've done that before!!!  My favorite was when I was reminding myself not to do it when I was taping the layers together. I grab the Dimensionals and cover the whole thing.  UGH.  So I remove the ones that didn't belong there. Fortunately I never press them firmly in place so they don't take a whole lot of effort to remove them.  Anyway, I get them all off and do it again!!!  I just shook my head at myself while rolling my eyes back!!! LOL  A creature of habit I guess!  LOL

Anyway, back to the card.  The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Crumb Cake cardstock.  I cut it on the short side.  Then I folded it in half and cut off half of the front (2-3/4").  

I used the "Falling Hearts" folder on two 1/4 sheets of Sweet Sugarplum card stock. They were sponged on top using Sweet Sugarplum ink. Then I cut them to 2-5/8" x 2-5/8".   I could have used the square framelits but it's easier to cut the squares on the paper cutter.  I also cut 4 square scalloped edged ones using the framelits.  

Next I stamped the flowers. I started with the Sweet Sugarplum ones. I stamped the one on the right and without inking the stamp again, I stamped the one on the left.  Then I stamped the inside flowers. Click on Julie's link to see how she did the inside.  I didn't use the one leaf stem thing that she used.  I thought it looked out of place with these flowers.  But if you like them, by all means, add them.  

I stamped the Eggplant Envy flower and then the Pear Pizzazz leaves.  I added the Sweet Sugarplum dots, those were stamped off once.  And for the center of the flowers I used Eggplant Envy and on the Eggplant Envy flower I used Basic Black ink.  

I stamped the words using Eggplant Envy ink and die cut them with the oval framelits.  The scalloped layer behind it is Pear Pizzazz.  The original card didn't have the oval scallop behind the words. I just thought it needed to be more separated from the flowers and adding a frame around the words was what it needed. 

This was a very fun and easy card to make.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Guy Greetings, February 2017 Paper Pumpkin Alternate Card, Masculine Birthday Card

I thought it was time to make a masculine card. It seems I'm always seeing lady cards but not so many masculine ones. So today I thought I'd get out my favorite masculine set "Guy Greetings" and see what I could come up with!

I took the February Paper Pumpkin kit and got out the darker, Night of Navy pocket piece and the slider.  I cut the pocket piece off to fit where I wanted the card to go.  I cut the top part off at 1-1/2", that included the two tabs that were standing up.  Then I cut 1/4" off the bottom. You want this piece to measure a hair under 5".  I cut the bottom of the slider part to 4-3/4".  

Before I put the holder part together, I set the slider part in place and took a pencil and lightly traced the rectangle for the "happy".  Then I moved it up a little and traced another for the "birthday" and once more for the "to you".

Then I glued the bottom shut and taped the one side closed. I set it aside to dry while I worked on the rest of the card.

I stamped the car and colored it in with the Pool Party marker.  I colored the tires in with the Basic Black marker and the wheel hubs, fender and grill with the Smoky Slate marker.  I die cut it with the stitched oval die. I added a scalloped Pool Party oval behind it. Kind of wished I would not have used the scalloped, it's a bit more feminine than I thought it would be.  Oh well, it's the car they will look at, right?  LOL

I thought the background could use something so I took the largest oval die and cut a Night of Navy piece.  I set it on the back of the pocket and lined it up where I thought it looked best and slowly turned it over so I could tape it together.  Once I got it taped enough, I taped the entire piece and set it in place.  Then I added the car using Dimensionals.  

I stamped the words on the slider piece and put it in the pocket and that was it.  Pretty easy and a good way to use those invitations that you don't need!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Balloon Adventures, Balloon Pop-up Thinlits, Birthday Card

This is such a fun and cheery looking card.  I saw it on Klompen Stampers and I just had to copy it.  The inside is suppose to be a pop-up birthday greeting but I didn't add it to this card.  I was more impressed with the festive front of this card. I just love how colorful it is. It's so cheery looking.  

The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Basic Black cardstock.  Then a 4" x 5-1/4" layer of Whisper White was added to the top.  But before I taped it in place I stamped on it!!!

The first thing I did was to die cut the balloons and punch out the solid balloons so I could glue them together and let them sit to dry. I used Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Tangerine Tango cardstock.  For the solid backing on the balloons, I used Cucumber Crush, Smoky Slate, and Daffodil Delight.

Next I stamped the balloons onto the Whisper White piece.  I used Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point and Cucumber Crush ink.  I also used Daffodil Delight ink for the confetti on the right side of the card.  The words were from the same set and stamped using black Memento ink.

Once I was done stamping the balloons, I stamped the words.  That way I knew where to add the confetti.

Next I set the die cut balloons in place using Dimensionals.  I added a glue dot to the Basic Black cardstock die cut bows on each balloon.  (wow, was that ever a run on sentence!).  It bordered on rambling!!! LOL  Anyway, after the bows were added, I added a piece of trimmed Whisper White cardstock to the inside and that was it.  

It's a pretty simple card.  Die cuts help a lot to make speedy cards!!!  I hope this set makes it to the catalog in June.  I really like it!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Tasty Trucks, Birthday Card, 2017 Sale-a-Bration, February 2017 Paper Pumpkin Alternative Card

There's a few things going on here with this card. First, the background paper is from the February 2017 Paper Pumpkin kit.  It was a cute kit but I didn't need a bunch of invitations so I thought I would use them for backgrounds.  

I liked the opening in it and fortunately the words from the "Tasty Trucks" Sale a Bration set fit in it perfectly! Like it was meant to be!!! I was thrilled when I saw that it fit and I just ran with it.

I cut the invitation holder to 5" x 3-3/4".  I made sure I had the opening for the words at the top and I just trimmed it up where I thought things should go!

I stamped a truck and fussy cut it out.  I also fussy cut 4 treats from the decorative paper scrap I had left over from a card I made the other day.  I set those on the truck using Dimensionals.  I did set the truck in place using Dimensionals as well.  

I layered the Paper Pumpkin background paper on top of a piece of Whisper White.  No, I did not stamp the words through the window. I stamped them on a scrap piece of cardstock and taped it to the back. I would never have gotten it that nice and even had I done it directly!  The base of the card is a folded half-sheet of Watermelon Wonder.  Before I taped the two layers to the card base, I wrapped some white baker's twine around it and tied a bow.  

It was pretty simple to make but it with all of the fussy cutting, it did take a little bit of time. But it wasn't bad. Under 20 minutes.  There's lots of "under 20 minutes" cards on my blog.  Click here and you can see them.  Be prepared to spend some time looking, there's over 1200 (they add up over the 10+ years I've been blogging here)!!!

My younger sister's birthday is less than 2 weeks away and I'm ahead of the game!  I have her card ready!! Yay me!

Thank you for stopping by today,
Wanda

Botanical Builder, Balloon Adventure, Birthday Card

Today I was trying to clean up a huge mess behind my computer screen.  I keep piling up things behind it.  If I don't know what to do with it at the moment or at all, I stash it behind the computer screen. The pile was getting pretty high, so I thought I would tackle a little bit of it at a time.  In digging, I found some die cut pieces and I thought I would see what I could do with them.  I was in need of a birthday card and there were still stamps sitting on my worktable. Imagine that, stamp sets not put away!!! LOL

For this card I used a quarter sheet of Rose Red cardstock. Then I cut a Mint Macaron piece to measure 2-3/4" x 5". I cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock 4-1/2" x 5" and I folded it in half.

I stamped the words on the front and then added the embellishments I had found in the pile of "stuff".  The Sweet Sugarplum colored flower is from the "Botanical Builders" thinlits as well as the Mint Macaron leaf. There were some other pieces of flower parts in the pile that I was able to put together on the center of the flower.  

I found a Basic Black decorative border piece from the "Flourish Thinlits" dies.  I taped it to the back of the folded white piece.  Then I taped those two to the Mint Macaron piece.  And finally I taped the entire piece to the Rose Red card base.  It was pretty simple to put together.  The photo makes it look like the white piece is crooked but it's not.  I added a tiny bit of tape to the bottom to hold it shut so I could get a picture but yet I wanted the top to be open so you could see that the card opens there and not on the Rose Red piece.  It's a totally different layout but fun!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Big on Birthdays, Birthday Card, 2017 Occasions Catalog

Today I thought I would play with the "Big on Birthdays" stamp set.  What a fun set this is. There's lots of birthday wishes sentiments in this set!  I especially like the size of this image.  It takes up most of the card so you can get by with minimal stamping and embellishing.  Though I think I would have textured the background or used some decorative paper maybe.  It needs something. It's a bit too clean and simple looking.  But I still like how it turned out.  

I used a folded half-sheet of Whisper White cardstock. Then I cut a layer of Sweet Sugarplum cardstock 4-1/2" x 2-7/8".  I cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock 2-5/8" x 4-1/4".  I stamped the image and then colored it in with markers and a blender pen.

I had a scrap piece of "Blooms & Bliss" decorative paper that I punched a small butterfly from.  I set the butterfly in place using Dimensionals and added pearls down the spine.  I also added a tiny pearl to the center of the larger flower.  I taped the word piece on top of the Sweet Sugarplum piece and I set that in place on top of the card base using Dimensionals.

It was super easy and fun to make.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Accordion Technique, Birthday Card

Oh my gosh, trying to get this card to open up nice for a photo is like trying to get a photo of a busy toddler!!!  UGH. You are going to have to use your imagination on the balloons on the inside of this card.  They open up and look very pretty.  I couldn't find the card holder thing I often use for card pictures so I just had to make do.  The balloons are taped with a small glue dot on the edge of each one.  They were folded in half first so they assembled nicely.  But don't try to take a photo, they fight with you!!! LOL  Now as far as the glue dots go, I don't recommend them.  It would be better if you use a dot of white glue and allow it to try.  Glue dots let loose and then the accordion is not so pretty.

This was one of the technique cards I made in Terri's Technique Tuesday class.  

We used Watermelon Wonder on Whisper White cardstockfor the front and grab some fun colored decorative papers for the inside.  Very simple and quick.  Glue the balloons first and then work on the rest of the card.  That gives the glue time to dry enough to work with.

You can find more instructions on how to do this technique here.

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Traveler, Masculine Card, Mirror Image or Reflection Technique

Here's a really easy technique.  I had seen this "Mirror Image" technique done several different ways. One was to use a brayer.  I found that one extremely difficult. This technique is so simple I don't know why I didn't think of it myself.

First I stamped the image of the ship.  It's from the "Traveler" stamp set. (I have a feeling that set is retiring this year).  Then you ink up the stamp again and stamp it on a Window Sheet. Take care in handling it so you don't touch or smear the ink. Line the Window Sheet up on the edge of the ship and set down on the cardstock and press the ink in place.  Yup, as simple as that.  It's amazing how quick and simple it is.

To finish off the image I stamped the "Work of Art" set using Island Indigo and then stamping it again and one more time for total of 3 times but only one inking.  

If I were to do this ship again, I would have tried to figure out a way to make it so I could add some wording.  I suppose I could stamp something in the bottom right or upper right area.  I'll have to think about that.  But it is cools just the way it is!

Now go ahead and grab a Window Sheet (or clear transparency, sometimes you can find them between stamp sets, as long as it's a firm plastic and clear it should work) and have fun making some "Mirror Image" or "Reflection" cards.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Balloon Adventure, Birthday Card

This was a fun card to make!!!!  I had the "Balloon Adventure" set and the "Balloon Pop-up" Thinlits dies sitting out.  Oh and I also used the balloon punch too!  

I was looking at some washi tape sitting on my ledge and I thought I should play with it since it was currently in the catalog and there was a LOT of the spools.  It's from the "Playful Pallet" 5 pack.  So many fun colors and designs in that pack of tapes!!

The base of my card is a folded half-sheet of Whisper White cardstock.  Then I added a 5-1/4" x 4" layer of Sweet Sugarplum, and on top of that is a 3-1/2 x 4-1/4" Whisper White.

After I got those pieces cut I die cut the balloons and punched out the balloons.  My colors for the balloons are Pirouette Pink, Sweet Sugarplum, Cucumber Crush, and Peekaboo Peach.  I glued the layers of the balloons using an easy gluing technique.  You can find it here on my January 30th post.  It's highlighted in blue half way or so down the article.  It will save you some time and mess!!  I set them aside to dry.

Then I took the dots from the "Gorgeous Grunge" set and made some happy splatters in Sweet Sugarplum and Pink Pirouette ink.  Next I added two strips of Washi tape from the "Playful Pallet" pack.  

For the assembly, I taped the green balloon in place first.  Then I used Dimensionals on the other two balloons.  Before I added them I tied a piece of white Baker's Twine on the ends.  I used my scissors (closed ) and pulled the twine like you would for curling ribbon to get that fun curl.  I use to wet the twine and wrap it around a toothpick to dry.  This was so much quicker and easier, plus I didn't have to wait for anything!!!  Be careful though, if you do it more than once you won't get a nice curl.  You can curl the twine first and then tie it on.  I just pinched the end of the balloon, with the twine tied on, between my thumb and finger and I was able to give the twine a good firm pull against the scissors. Both times!!! I set the center balloon in place with Dimensionals and then I added the pink balloon. Be sure not to put Dimensionals on the entire back, just on the bottom part of the balloon and add tape to the top.

Move the strings out of the way and stamp the words and you're ready to tape the layers together and call it a done deal!!!  

This was fun to make and very simple too!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Swirly Scribbles, Balloon Adventures, Birthday Card

I was looking for a quick and easy card to make and I found this card on Pinterest.  You can see the original here.  I thought it would be a lot quicker than it looked. Not that it took a lot of time but it took more time than I had expected. Not all simple looking cards are quick!

To make this card I took a folded half sheet of Whisper White cardstock.  Then I cut a layer of Island Indigo cardstock and cut it to 4" x 5-1/4". Next I cut a piece of Island Indigo decorative paper from the 12" x 12" stack. It measured 3-1/4" x 5-1/4".  

I die cut the "waves" using the "Swirly Scribbles" thinlits on a piece of Whisper White cardstock measuring 3-3/4" x 5".  I took the bottom of the piece and taped it to the decorative paper.  Then I took the "waves" and glued them in place. I use the gluing method of taking a piece of waxed paper and adding glue to it.  Then I fold the waxed paper in half and use the bone folder to smooth it out.  I open the waxed paper and set the piece on top of the glue.  Then I take another piece of waxed paper and press it on top to get the glue to transfer to the piece.  I remove the top waxed paper and fold back the bottom piece of waxed paper so the die cut piece kind of pops up.  Grab and edge and pull it gently off the glued waxed paper.  I set the "waves" in place on top of the decorative paper and lined it up with the edge of the taped piece.  

Then I taped the top piece and set it in place, making sure to butt it up to the top of the "wave".  I stamped the words from the "Balloon Adventures" set and that was it.

When I started to make the card I thought the decorative paper was cut 4" x 5-1/4" but once I set it on the base of the card I could see that something wasn't right.  That's when the super quick card wasn't as quick as I thought it was going to be. But all in all it was still quick!
 

I do like how it turned out!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Balloon Adventures, Birthday Card, 2017 Occasions Catalog

Today I'm going to share with you a fun gem I found on Pinterest.  You can see the original card here.  I only changed the ribbon and color because I didn't have ribbon to match. For my card I used Melon Mambo and Basic Gray.  What really caught my attention with this card was the confetti on the background layer.  It caught my eye and I wanted to make this card. I had to guess on the sizes because the original one had no instructions.

So here is what I did. I took a half sheet of Basic Gray and folded it in half for the base of the card.  Then I took a 1/4 sheet of Basic Gray and cut it to 4" x 5-1/4".  I stamped the confetti using Basic Gray ink.  I sponged the edges using Basic Gray ink.  

The white panel was cut 2-1/2" x 4-1/2".  First I stamped the balloon using Melon Mambo ink on Melon Mambo cardstock.  I punched it out using the balloon punch.  I set it on the Whisper White panel but I didn't tape it down.  I wanted to eye where the string was going to go.  I really didn't need to do that, you just line up the bottom of the balloon string with the edge of the cardstock. Leave about a 3/8" space between the edge of the cardstock and the curve of the balloon string.  Then I set the balloon on top to see where I needed to stamp the bow. I removed the balloon and stamped the bow on.  Then I added Dimensionals to the back of the balloon and set it in place on top of the string.

Next I stamped the words on using Basic Gray ink.  

I set the focal piece in place using Dimensionals.  Then I tied the ribbon on.  Mine is a retired piece of Melon Mambo 1/4" ribbon.  I didn't have any current ribbon in that color. Once the bow was tied, I added Dimensionals to the back of that piece and set it in place on top of the card base.  

It was a pretty simple and quick card.  I do like how it turned out.

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Helping Me Grow, Floating Pop-up Technique, Birthday Card

Here's a very fun and easy technique I learned on Tuesday at Terri's Technique Night. 

The base of the card is a folded half sheet of Soft Suede cardstock. The set used here is "Helping Me Grow". We stamped the flowers on a 4" x 5-1/4" Crumb Cake cardstock. 

The images were stamped using Soft Suede ink.  

The bee and the dragonfly were die cut using the "Detailed Dragonfly" thinlits dies and gold metallic cardstock.  

The dragonfly on the inside appears to be flying.  It's set in place using a piece of Window Sheet.   That small piece of Window Sheet is cut 1/2" x 3" and scored at 1/2".  That 1/2" section is hidden under the flower image on the backside of the front of the card.  The dragonfly was taped to it using Tearaway tape.  You need a strong tape for that.

The bumblebee on the front was just taped in place with regular tape runner.  

Wink of Stella was added to the flower on the front to get it some color.  The camera didn't pick it up very well.  But it does add some sparkle and shine to the flower.  It's a quick way to color in a flower image.  

The words on the inside are from the "Stylized Birthday" stamp, using Soft Suede ink.

I told you it's a simple technique!!  Isn't it cool to see the dragonfly looking like it's suspended in midair? 

I hope you have fun with this technique!

Thank you for stopping by today,
Wanda

Stampin' Up! Color Keeper Chart 2015-2018 Colors

Today I finally finished an updated version of the Color Keeper wallet.  The one in my web store was outdated and I had forgotten about it until I received several emails asking for a current one to order.  So, here it is.  It's SO great to finally get this project done!

Once you order the PDF file, you can print out as many copies as you like to give to your students, downline, etc. You can even print them out and hold a class that you charge for! Yup, you can even make money off this!!  You will trim the edges and measure and cut cardstock for the "wallet". Add a belly band if you want.  Here I used a piece of ribbon that I stapled together and added a punched flower to cover it.  Just slide the ribbon off and open the "wallet".  Decorate it as you desire.  Use current stamps to promote them, use your imagination!  It's a great business booster.

It's a great way to keep track of what colors you have and if it's an ink pad, marker, cardstock, or refill.  

Use the color described in the word and you'll have a very colorful and pretty wallet.  

It's now in my store and you can order a current copy here. Or you can look to the right sidebar and click on "Shopping is just a click away" and you'll be taken directly to the store.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda