Swirly Bird, Seasonal Chums, Oh What Fun, Christmas Card

I was going to try to not make Christmas cards until after Thanksgiving but this one was in my head and I had to get it out on paper.  I didn't have enough time to make another one (non-Christmas) to post today so it's going to have to be a Christmas card.

This was a VERY fun card to make. 

I knew I wanted Crumb Cake for the base. And I new I needed a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Whisper White for the top.  I wanted some fun Christmas Decorative Series Paper (DSP) and I found the paper used here in the "Christmas Around the World" 12" x 12" pack.  I used a 2" x 4" piece.  I taped it to the bottom of the Whisper White piece.  But before I did that I had taken a mister bottle and added 6 drops of Pool Party inker in it and filled it with rubbing alcohol, 91%.  I sprayed the paper and it now has a soft pool party look to it.  When it dried (which didn't take very long) I taped the DSP to the bottom.  

Then I took the "Swirly Bird" bundle and die cut the top circle "thing" using Whisper White card stock.  Because it's white I really wanted the background to have some color, that is why I misted the paper.  I set the swirl in place to see where the words would go.  I stamped the words from the "Oh What Fun" set using Dapper Denim ink. I cut my Dimensional in thin pieces and attached it to the swirl and set it in place on the top part of the card.  

I die both sizes of snowflakes from the "Seasonal Chums" bundle using the Dazzling Diamonds glitter paper.  I used glues dot to set the snowflakes in place.  I also glued to the center of the larger snowflake a sequin from the October Paper Pumpkin kit. 

I took a piece of white "Classic Weave" ribbon and wrapped it around the front of the card and taped it in the back.  I taped the panel to the card base and the card was done. 

Super easy and sweet looking.

Thank you SO much for visiting today, 

Wanda

Flourishing Phrases, Thank You Card

I can not even begin to tell you how difficult it is for me to try to stay away from making and posting Christmas cards.  One slips through now and then but I'm trying to wait until after Thanksgiving.  Just a little over a week and then the greens and reds can come pouring out!!

So in trying to stay away from Christmas cards, I thought I would make a fall thank you card. I used the "Flourishing Phrases" set for the image and the words.

I stamped the image using Memento ink on a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White card stock.  Under that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Old Olive card stock and the base of the card is a folded half-sheet of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  

I colored the flowers in using the Pumpkin Pie alcohol pen, the leaves with the Old Olive alcohol pen and a little Daffodil Delight on that weird part of the image that I really think is a leaf and not a flower. But I've seen it colored in as a flower so I went with it, plus the card needed a little more color to it.  

The words were stamped using Soft Suede ink.  And that was it.  Easy peasy!!!  I LOVE the alcohol markers.  You can color over the area a couple of times and not get demarcation.  It's quick and vibrant.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda 

Hometown Greetings, Merry Patterns, Christmas Card

I found a card on Pinterest that piques my interest.  I liked the look of the card but didn't have the materials.  You can see the card I am referring to here. I was so enthralled with the card that I wanted to make one.  So I looked through my stamp sets to see what would work. I found the "Hometown Greetings" Edgelits dies would be something I could work with. And this is what I ended up with.

I took some of the Dazzling Diamonds glitter paper and I die cut the three long strips of houses and the church strip as well.  The star one also fit on the piece of glitter paper I was using.  After I got them cut I did die cut 4 circles using some scrap copier paper.  I needed to cut my pieces out of something that didn't matter before I cut the glitter paper.  After finding the shapes of the snow I was looking for I traced them on the back of the glitter paper and cut them out. Then I glued the images to the shape.  I did that for a total of three shapes.  Each shape got taller than the last to it would give the circle a bit more dimension.  I used double Dimensionals.  Just one wasn't thick enough to give it the depth that I was looking for.  I used strong tape to tape the circle image to the card.  But before I did that I embossed the words using white embossing enamel.  The words are from the "Merry Patterns" set.  The words are not cut off on the top, they are fully legible, it's just the way the photo was taken being the circle is actually 6 Dimensionals thick, plus the glitter paper!  

I punched a 1" circle and used just a single layer of Dimensionals to set it in place.  I glued the stars in the sky and it was done!  

It was fun. It's not like the original card but I do like it.  And now I'm off to clean up all the glitter on my worktable!!

Thank you ever SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Year of Cheer, Winter Wonder, Christmas Card

Today I am going to share with you a card I received from my friend Mary.  This was from a swap she attended and she gave me one of her extra cards. Such a sweetie!  Thank you Mary!

The base of the card is a folded half-sheet of Crumb Cake.  On top of that is a 5" x 3-3/4" piece of "Year of Cheer" Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP), the special is that there is foil on the images.  There's some fun "Year of Cheer" Washi tape on the 4-1/2" x 3-1/2" Whisper White piece that was embossed using the "Winter Wonder" texture embossing folder.  I did get this folder but I don't know where it is right now.  If you saw my worktable you would understand.  There's a HUGE mess and I'm guessing it's at the bottom of it. I need to get it cleaned up this weekend, I have stampers coming over next week.  I just don't understand why I can't keep my tables neat and tidy!  Oh well, it is what it is (right now!)

Oh and Mary added a gold faceted  gem to the center of the snowflake.  Such a simple and sweet card.

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Oh What Fun, Secret Pocket Technique Christmas Card

Well, I couldn't wait to try out the technique I shared with you yesterday using a Christmas theme.  What do you think?  Pretty cute huh?  It looks like a regular card when it's closed and when you open it, it is a regular card with a pocket on the left to slip in a gift card.  Look at yesterday's post for the instructions and measurements on how to do this "Secret Pocket" technique.  I know a few people that I give gift cards to for Christmas and now I won't need to go shopping for a gift holder card.  Yay me!!!  When I made this one, I made 3 more so I have a total of 4 duplicate cards for this Christmas.  Now I just need to get the gift cards!  These are fun and quick to make and you don't need a lot of the Decorative Series Paper (DSP) to finish off the front.  I didn't add a ribbon on this one, the DSP was busy enough to not need anything more.  Plus it won't cost extra to mail this without a bow!  The stamp set I used here is "Oh What Fun".  It's from last year and it was carried over into the 2017-2018 catalog.  I bought it because it had a lot of fun wording. I really wanted just a plain "Merry Christmas" but the only one I had included the words "from our house to yours".  I could have masked it off but then the wording would have been kind of small for the space I had to fill.  This worked out fine.  Give this technique a try.  It's pretty quick to do too!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Stylized Birthday Card, Special Celebrations, Secret Pocket Gift Card Holder

Here is a fun card but it's not just a card, it's a gift card holder too!! Such a deal!

This was from Terri's Technique Tuesday night last month.  I needed to make birthday cards for my twin sister-in-laws and this card had an extra bonus for me.  Because I had to make two, I was able to show you the front and inside in one picture.

For my card I used a half-sheet of Wisteria Wonder.  My card stock was cut 4-1/4" x 11".  Score it at 5-1/2" (as usual) and at 8-3/4".  Next take a 1-1/4" circle punch and punch a half circle on the end with the 8-3/4" score, not the larger 5-1/2" side.  Fold the small panel inward and fold your card in half like you normally would.  Use some really strong tape to tape the sides of the pocket down.  You can glue them too, it just takes longer to dry.  Add a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Whisper White to the inside of the card for writing your sentiment on.

On the front I used a 4" x 3" piece of the "Delightful Daisy" Decorative Series Paper (DSP).

The Happy Birthday is from the "Stylized Birthday" stamp.  The 2-5/8" Stitched Square Framelit was used to cut out the words.  Layered behind that is the largest scalloped square in the Squares package.  The word layers were set in place using Dimensionals.  Be careful not to add Dimensionals all over the back.  Only add them to the part of the card that is going to be on top of the DSP.  

Write your sentiment on the inside, add your gift card, pop it in an envelop and you are ready to give it!  Yup, as simple as that.  You can also add some DSP to the inside left where the gift card is but I thought it was too much work to get the half circle punched just right, especially after it's been assembled.  You could cut the piece of DSP and line it up on the end and punch the two out together, then they would look perfect!  But I left it plain. 

These are fun to make.  I want to make a few for Christmas.  I may do that tomorrow. I was trying not to do too many Christmas items before Thanksgiving, but this will give you time to order what you need (if you need anything) and you can get started on them before the holidays get away from you.

Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Better Together, Sympathy Card, Recessed Panel Stamping Technique

Now this is what happens when I don't put things away on my worktable. Other than making a mess, it doesn't allow me to venture out beyond what is in front of me.  I really needed to make 2 birthday cards for my twin sister-in-law's birthdays tomorrow.  I will have to work on them in the morning, maybe!

This was an easy card to make and I really like the "Recessed Panel" stamping technique.  It's pretty and fun.  Plus it's a great way to use those strips of Decorative Series Paper (DSP) you have left.  When I first made it I think I used a much larger piece, almost the same size as the card front.  Such a waste.  If you cut a piece of card stock 4" x 5-1/4" and use that to add your layers to then you don't need a full sheet of the DSP!

I used the "Painted Harvest" set for the flower.  I did fussy cut it out.  I stamped it using Peekaboo Peach and Pumpkin Pie ink.  I do prefer a much darker contrast but this is still pretty.  The leaves are punched from Pear Pizzazz card stock and added before the flower we set in place.  

The DSP is from the "Painted Autumn" pack.  My piece was a little less than 3" wide and 4" long.  Perfect for this technique.  The words are from the "Better Together" set and I used Chocolate Chip ink to stamp them.  It's such a fun and different technique. You can find the instructions for this technique here.  

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Layered Leaves Folder, Better Together, Sympathy Card

I had taken a photo of this card at a stamping event.  I really liked the card and wanted to make one.  Well, today is the day I finally got around to making it.  I've had it on my list to make for a couple of months now. 

It's a pretty simple card to make.  First I took a folded half sheet of Crumb Cake card stock for the base.  Then I took a 1/4 sheet of Crumb Cake card stock and textured it with the "Layered Leaves Dynamic Textures" folder.  This folder leaves deep and light impressions at the same time.  How cool is that?  After I textured it I cut 1/8" inch off all sides so it now measures 4" x 5-1/4". I set it aside while I worked on the focal piece.

I took a piece of Whisper White card stock 2-5/8" x 3-7/8".  I stamped the larger flower image using Tempting Turquoise. I stamped the detailed image using Marina Mist.  The center of the flower is Crumb Cake ink but inked up and stamped twice.  The leaves are Pear Pizzazz and stamped off once before I stamped them on the card stock. I also stamped it again for a "Third Generation" image.  I don't think a 4th one would show up, by then all the ink is pretty much gone.  

The words are from the "Better Together" set and I used Crumb Cake ink to stamp them.  I taped all the layers together and added a knotted piece of the burlap ribbon and I set that in place using a glue dot.  And that was it.  It actually was a pretty quick card to make.  And I do like how it turned out.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Daisy Delight, Thank You Card, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

I have had a lot of fun with this "Daisy Delight" stamp set.  Though daisies are mostly a summer flower, it's got to be summer somewhere, right? I live in Minnesota. Our flowers are all gone until spring.  So for me it's odd to make cards with flowers on them this time of the year.  Though I have given it a lot of thought and I decided that I don't care what time of the year it is, people give flowers all year long so why not make cards with flowers anytime I wish!  

SO, here is a flower card.  I'm not too thrilled with it.  Maybe it's that stigma of not making flowers this time of year that had a hand in this card.  It's not one of my favorites is what I'm really saying!!! LOL  The more I tried with it the worse it got!!  I stamped the flowers using Calypso Coral ink and then I also sponged them with that ink.  They were too white for the background.  I used the "Delightful Daisy" Designer Series Paper (DSP).  I thought it would be fun to put the DSP on the sides instead of just one side, or just the top or bottom.  Mix it up a bit.  Now that I look at it closer I think the flowers should have been a different color and maybe the card may have looked better.  But it is what it is and today I share it with you!!  Sorry!  LOL

It was still fun to play with the stamp set and just to stamp. I LOVE stamping and there are times that the card in my head does not look like the finished card.  This is one of those times!  

I did fussy cut the Pear Pizzaz leaves.  There were only three so it wasn't too bad.

Thank you so much for looking. I promise tomorrow's card will be SO much better.

Have a wonderful day and than you for stopping by,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Sincere Salutations, Get Well Card

I found this fun card while surfing the net. You can see original card here.  I did change a few things on it.  I needed to make a get well card and I couldn't find any "get well" words in the stamp sets that were current so I dug out my most favorite word set "Sincere Salutations" and used the "get well" from there.  If you find some get well wording in the current sets, please let me know.  

So, onto this card.  The base is a folded half-sheet of Tangerine Tango card stock. On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Pear Pizzazz.  And on top of that is a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White.  

First I stamped the ferny leaf using Pear Pizzazz ink.  You can't see much of it but if you click on the photo you can see a lot of it between the leaves.  It kind of fills in the white spots.  Next I taped a 3/4" piece of the "Wood Texture" Decorative Series Paper (DSP) in the 6" x 6" pack.  I used the Ribbon punch to do the ends but you can clip them yourself.  I wished I would have made that strip a bit longer.  I set this aside while I worked on the flower and leaves.  I stamped the leaves using Pear Pizzazz ink for both the solid part and the leaf veins.  Then I used the punch and punched them out.  I didn't like how there was white card stock showing around the edges, so I took a sponge and sponged them until I thought it blended in.  

I stamped the flower using Pumpkin Pie ink on the larger image first.  Then I stamped Tangerine Tango on the smaller image. I did stamp the images twice so they were darker.  I am not fond of these two colors together, there isn't a lot of contrast like you get with some other colors.  Perhaps Crushed Curry and Pumpkin Pie would give more contrast.  Anyway, this is what I did.  The center of the flower is stamped using Soft Suede ink.  Once that was stamped I used the "Stitched Circles" framelits to cut it out.  I added Dimensionals to the back. I added an extra one where the leaves would be attached underneath.  Before I set the flower and leaves in place, I taped on two strips of the burlap ribbon.  After the flower was set in place I stamped the five little dots in 3 places.  Then I stamped the words using Soft Suede ink.  I added 3 of the "Gold Faceted Gems" and the card was done.

I thought it was a very fun card to make.  It's a great guy card too because of the burlap ribbon.

Thank you SO very much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wild About Flowers, Sheltering Tree, Thank You Card

I have not played with the "Wild about Flowers" set in a long time.  I know it's because I have so many other new stamp sets to play with. This one is easy to work with and quick, if you don't do any fussy cutting like I did. But the fussy cutting added a lot to the card, so I just HAD to!!!

The base of my card is a folded half sheet of Berry Burst.  A color I don't use very often either. On top of that is a 4-1/8" x 5-3/8" piece of Always Artichoke. And on top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Whisper White card stock. I taped those layers together and set them aside.

Next I cut a 2" x 3-1/8" piece of the new Berry Burst Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  I layered it with a 2-1/8" x 3-1/4" piece of Always Artichoke.  I taped those layers together and then taped them on the card front.

Then I stamped the flowers on a piece of Whisper White card stock using Berry Burst ink.  I set them aside to dry. In the meantime I stamped the leaves and stem piece on Whisper White card stock and die cut them out using the circle framelits. I die cut an Always Artichoke scalloped circle for the layer.  Then I stamped the flowers directly onto that piece using Berry Burst ink.

I set the circle on top of the card to see where the wording should go.  The words are from the "Sheltering Tree" set and I used Always Artichoke ink.  Once that was stamped, I cut out three of the flowers and set them in place using Dimensionals.  I was going to add tiny pearls to the center before I took the photo but I forgot.  So, imagine the tiny pearls in the center of each flower!!  Thank you!!!

And that was it.  It really was a very easy card to make, and even with the fussy cutting.  

Stamping Tip:  Here's very helpful tip for you when you are fussy cutting.  You don't have to get exactly on the line when you are cutting.  Sometimes I have a bit of white showing.  What I will often do is take a sponge and sponge the edges with the main color and it looks like I cut the piece out perfectly!!!  Seriously, it looks perfectly cut!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Daisy Delight, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog, Polaroid Technique

I've always wanted to try the Polaroid Technique. It's pretty easy to do once you know the dimensions of the Polaroid piece, and I will share that info with you so you can have some fun with this technique.

The base of my card is a folded half-sheet of Tangerine Tango.  I stamped the leaf images on it using VersaMark. I set it aside to dry.

Next I cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 3" x 3-3/4".  I  used the 2-1/2" square die to cut out the upper part.  Make sure your edges, top and sides are even.

Then I stamped the image. Mine is from the "Painted Harvest "set. I used Cajun Craze and Pumpkin Pie for the sunflower colors. I used Chocolate Chip ink for the flower center.

The words are from the "Daisy Delight" set and I stamped them using Chocolate Chip ink.

I stamped the leaf using Pear Pizzazz ink for both the solid part and the veins.  I punched the leaves out and I set them aside.

To assemble the card, you put the frame and square on the card front and see how you like it to line up.  Make sure the top part of the Polaroid part will not hang over the edge of the card base.  Once you find where you'd like the stamped square to be, tape it down.  Then add Dimensionals to the back of the framed Polaroid piece and set that in place lining it up with the square. 

Next I taped the leaf in place and I called the card done. I thought I was going to add at least 3 leaf sets but one was just enough!

This is a very fun technique and I can see myself attempting it again.  Once you have the measurements for the Polaroid piece you can just have a great time making them!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Flower Shop, Thank You Card, Emerging Color Technique

I have tried this "Emerging Color Technique before.  You can see how to do it here.  

For my card I used a folded half sheet of Whisper White card stock.  I added a 1-1/4" x 5-1/2" strip of "Whole Lot of Lovely" Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  I layered a 1-1/2" x 5-1/2" piece of Pear Pizzazz behind the DSP. I taped it in place on the card base.  You don't need to make sure it's centered, it's a forgiving card.  And a little off center looks better anyway.  The important part is to get the strip straight!

I used a piece of the flowered paper from the ""Whole Lot of Lovely" DSP.  I stamped the flower from the "Flower Shop" set using VersaMark.  I embossed clear embossing powder on top.  Then I used Dapper Denim ink and sponged on the ink over the image.  I used the Stitched Circle die to cut out the circle.  I added a Pool Party Scalloped circle to layer it.  I set the circles in place using Dimensionals and I added a "Clear Faceted Gem" to the center of the flower.

The words are from the "Background Bits" set and they were stamped using Dapper Denim ink.  And that was it.  It's a fun and simple card to make.  And the technique is very fun to play with too.  It works SO much better with a solid image.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,

Wanda

Autumn Harvest, Painted Autumn, Thank You Card, Stampin' Up! 2017 Holiday Catalog

I found this fun card on Split Coast Stampers.  I loved the colors used here.  My image panel is much larger than the original card, which is kind of sad because you can't see as much of the VersaMark background on the Cajun Craze card stock. But it's still a pretty card.  Had I moved the acorns a bit more under the sunflower, more around the 5:30 position I think it would have narrowed the panel a bit.  But like I said, I still think it's pretty.

It's easy enough to make.  The base of the card is a folded half-sheet of Very Vanilla card stock.  I added a 5-1/4" x 4" piece of Cajun Craze card stock that was stamped using the leaf veins images and VersaMark.  You can cut your Cajun Craze piece narrower, I just used this size because it was what was sitting around.  If I trimmed it, it would just be a waste of time and the strip of paper would go in recycling, so I just left it as it was and I had covered it with a piece of the "Painted Autumn" Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  I had a strip that was 1-1/2" wide and 6" long, so I trimmed it to be 5-1/4" long.  I taped the DSP in place over the card stock.  Then I added a 1/4" strip of Soft Sky to cover the seams.  My Very Vanilla image panel was cut 3-1/4" x 4" and the Early Espresso layer cut 3-1/2" x 4-1/4".  I should maybe have cut the Very Vanilla the size I thought it should be and tried to work in the images.  It's bugging me that it's not narrower, can you tell?  LOL

I stamped the more solid part of the flower Daffodil Delight and the detail part of the flower Peekaboo Peach.  The center of the flower is Early Espresso and it was stamped twice to make it darker.  

I never thought I would be using the acorn images in this set, I just didn't see where they would fit in.  Maybe that is what drew me to this card more than any of the others I had been looking at.  The acorns were stamped using Cajun Craze ink and the acorn caps were stamped using Soft Suede.  I did mask the acorns before I stamped the leaves. Plus I put down a piece of Post it Note to where the stems of the leaves are so it didn't cross over on top of the flower.  I used Pear Pizzazz to do the leaves and veins in the leaves.  I stamped the words using Early Espresso and I tied a double bow of Linen and used a small glue dot to affix it to the card front.  The image panel was set in place using Dimensionals.  And that was it.  I still like the looks of it in spite of it not being narrower!!!

Thank you ever SO much for visiting today,
Wanda