Season of Friendship Owl Punch Birthday Card

Wow, I can't believe it's the end of July already. It always seems like summer flies by right after the 4th of July.

I am on a quest to find a fun card to make for our upcoming Show Box Swap. SO I am going to be posting them here and will narrow it down to one by August 7th. The swap is on the 8th and I need to prep for it so I only have a week to find the card I want to bring.

This is card #1. I had a LOT of fun making it. I did not design it but I did change it up a bit. It was made by Jenn from Stamp Your Heart Out. When I saw her card I thought it looked like it would be a great card for the swap. For the swap we are to use something new from the catalog. The "Season of Friendship" set is not new but the owl is. I actually took it out of the package just before I used it here. Can't get much newer than that! It's SO cute! I'm going to have to surf the net for more ideas to use it with. I know it will come in handy next June for graduation cards. I'm sure more samples will show up around that time.

I love it that I was able to use the three orange colors we now have too. Pumpkin Pie, Peach Parfait and Tangerine Tango. I could have added a bit of More Mustard but it was a bit too yellowy for these oranges. I like how these look. I hope it's not too early to show fall trees! All of the black walnuts are gone from our tree and the leaves started to fall from it over a week ago. Once that happens it's usually 6 more weeks and we get cool weather. That tree has been pretty accurate in the past. I wish it could tell me when it was going to snow!!! LOL

Ok, back to this cute card. Th owl is punched out of black and the other owl components are layered on. I punched a 1-1/4" circle for the moon and I added the "happy birthday" from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set. Such a fun set!

So this card is in the running for the swap. It's fun but I'm glad it's a Show Box Swap because I wouldn't want to make a dozen of these myself!

Thank you for stopping by today,
Wanda

Mosaic Tiles Technique Card

Yup, I found that silly little tile frame. You will not believe where it ended up. Inside a stamp set. Didn't think to look in there. I even dug through the recycling paper to see if I had accidentally tossed it. Not there nor as it in the obvious places. SO I was going to use the card stock and decorative paper to make a different card using a similar layout and when I opened up the stamp set there that little rascal was!!! So I decided I would go ahead and make up the sample.

Now these tiles are tiny. I used the 1/4" square punch on the image. I had set the tiles on a piece of waxed paper and added my Crystal Effects and let it dry. Once it was dry I assembled the square frame. That frame was made by using a 1-3/8" square punch and in the center I used the 3/4" square punch. I actually used the 3/4" punch first and lined up the bigger one around it to get the square as square as I possibly could.

For the cute little cupcake I stamped the image using Pacific Point ink. The image came from the "Itty Bitty Bits" set. I have used the images, matching buttons and matching punches for everything else except for using them all together. I'm saving that for another day!!!

The decorative paper is from the "Blueberry Crisp" pack. It's exactly like the Razzleberry Lemonade one but in blue!

The background paper is Sahara Sand. That is a color I don't use very often at all. I opened the cupboard to get a piece of card stock and saw how much of that I had on hand. I need to use it more, it is a very pretty color.

I stamped the Happy Birthday on using the "Sincere Salutations" set and Pacific Point ink.

Then I tied a white satin ribbon around it and finally taped it in place. It was an easy card to so. A very simple layout too. It is not quick to do because you must wait for the Crystal Effect to dry. I like to let it dry overnight. That way I'm sure it is dry and I can work with the pieces with no worries.

Check yesterday's post for directions on how to make the Mosaic Tile. It's fun and SO cool!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Mosaic Tiles Technique Page

Tah dah! Finally another technique page. It's just been so crazy here this summer with all the yard and house stuff. The shed is up and it looks like it's by PlaySchool! LOL The house is about half painted. Ok, the actually house part is 3/4 painted and all the trim has not been painted. Bottom line is the house is not done being painted yet. We plan to put a big dent in it this weekend. Between every day stuff I had a busy week teaching at the bead shop and some me time to stamp! I can't even look forward to the weekend because it consists of painting outside in the heat. I am not a big fan of summer as it is! Ok, did I whine enough? Are you craving cheese now to go with all that whine? LOL

The technique I am showing here is the "Mosaic Tile" technique. It's a very easy technique to do too. I did have a little square tile all made up to make a card with but as I was working with it I misplaced it so I had to take a photo of the actual technique page so you can see the tiles. On the square I made I had punched out the center of the square so I just had a square frame and around the frame was the tiles. It looked pretty cool to! Sorry I lost it in the mess in my workroom. Would anyone like to come volunteer to clean up my workroom? You get to come back the next day and stamp all you want and use anything in the room!!! Tempting? Isn't it?

Anyway, it's probably meant to be since the tiles were done in Brilliant Blue and that color is now retired. So on the brighter side the card would not have matched with the ink and that is important to me.

You can purchase sets 1, 2 and 3 of the technique pages on CD by clicking here. They are designed for you to print out, cut two sides and layer on a 6" x 6" piece of coordinating card stock. You can use them to hold technique clubs or have technique classes with. The technique shown here will be in the 4th set. A set contains 20 techniques. I still have some technique pages (finished) of set 3. Please email me if you are interested in those.

To do this technique you just stamp your image on card stock. You either cut or punch out the images. Set them in place on your card or on a surface you will be able to easily remove them from should they stick. Pour on some Crystal Effects and allow to dry. Once they dry they look like ceramic tiles. It's SO pretty! The smaller the tiles the prettier they are and the better the effect is. Click on the photo for a closer view.

Thanks SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Flores Suaves Wednesday Sketch Challenge

I REALLY love this "Flores Suaves" set. I was looking though the Spanish version of the Stampin' Up! catalog and ran across this gem that was in their book but not in ours! I just LOVE this rose but it's the butterfly that really caught my eye! I thought it would be a fun set to have so I decided to order it and I'm glad I did.

This set fit well with this weeks Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoastStampers. One of my favorite websites to spend LOTS of time at! There's SO many samples over there. When I get at a loss for what to make I find great inspiration there and sometimes when I just can't get motivated to create on my own I will always find cards that are exactly what I would do so I copy them. Yes, it is ok to copy other people's cards BUT you do need to give them credit and a link back if at all possible! It's only fair.

My card is actually very simple. The rose was colored in using a blender pen, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Pumpkin Pie markers. Same with the butterfly except I added some black to the wing edges.

I didn't care much for cutting out the antenna of the butterfly. I am not so good at that and I usually end up cutting off one or both of them! I didn't cut them off this time but I do think there is too much white showing around the edges. I suppose I could have colored it in with a marker but then it would be too wide or thick looking, so I left it as it was.

The "thank you" is from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set. Another one of those sets that is high on my favorites list. I think it has words to cover nearly every occasion!!

The decorative background paper is from the "Soft Subtles" pack. I WANT to get all of the color group packs. These papers are great to have on hand! They sure do make putting a card together a quick task!

It was a fun sketch and if you have time give it a try!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Pretty "For You" Card!

WOW, I didn't think I would get my post in today. Blogger wasn't letting me sign in. But obviously it's working now.

The card I am sharing with you today is one that I had made at our last Shoe Box Swap. I do not know the name of the set used or the name of the person who designed this card.

As you can see I am honestly not the greatest stamper. When I go to these swaps I become a very "dumb" stamper and get lost and confused very easy. The two images stamped on either side of the scalloped square are not on straight. I like to use a Stamp-a-ma-jig for that but I thought I would give it a try anyway. And they are crooked. But you get the idea of what it should look like had it been straight!!!

I love the colors of this card, the pink and red are so pretty together. It was a fun card to make and the "for you" can be used for several occasions.

Thank you to whoever designed it. Our group needs to start putting names in the boxes so we know who's card we are making. And like I said I don't even know the name of this set. It's not one I have. I did quickly look through the catalog to see if I could find it but I couldn't and I didn't have the time to page through so if you know the name of the set please let me know so I can add it to the post and WHO designed the card??? Credit is due to you!

Thanks SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

It's the Thought Simple Card

My oh my, talk about simple! Oh and not to mention quick!!! What would make this an even simpler and quicker card to make is to use the original wording under the image. Those words were "it's the thought...". It didn't fit with what I wanted to use the card for so I used the "thank you" from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

This image is such a sweet one and I have a feeling I'm going to be using it in my favorite circle layout, if it fits in the circle that is.

As I look at this card I am thinking I should cut off the front of the card and trim the edges and make it into a layer that fits on top of some Pretty in Pink or Daffodil Delight card stock. I like the simple look but I'm such a layers person. This "no layers" card was a BIG challenge for me. I think I'm either going to have to use the card or put it away because the more I look at it the more I want to trim it up and use it as a layer!!

I do like these little flowers in the vase. This could be used on a birthday card as well. And wouldn't it make the sweetest get well card? Hmmm, maybe the layer thing isn't' bugging me as much as I thought it was!!! LOL

Thank you ever SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Apple Blossoms Not So Bloomin'

I saw a card layout like this at "Carolina's Creative Pad" and I thought I would like to duplicate it in some colors that I had the ribbon for. Well, pink it was. Not such a great idea but at least I have the card in my file for future reference! The layout is fun but I didn't care for how soft the pink is. My next step is to purchase some new and brighter ribbons. I really like this layout and want to try it again but in something brighter.

This is one of those cards I latched onto because it's a very versatile one. I can use this layout to make cards, for weddings, birthdays, thinking of you, get well, Mother's Day and even a sympathy card. Oh and of course a "note" card! I don't make too many of those. Actually I don't think I send out "note" cards to anyone. I should do that more often to let those I have not seen or heard from in a while that I'm thinking about them. But then again a "thinking of you"card works for that. But (again another but) I don't send out thinking of you cards much either. WOW, I make all sorts of cards and don't send many out! What's wrong with that picture?

Oh and I really think a Stamp-a-ma-jig woud have been a helpful tool here to get the flowers on straight. So to live with this mistake I just say, "it's a handmade card!" Works for me!!! LOL

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

It's the Thought Bridal Shower Card

I needed a bridal shower card but didn't really have any wedding sets that weren't retired and I wasn't sure how I was going to make "something else" work. I had wanted to get this "It's the Thougth" set because of the cute turtle and crab. Actually I thought I could play with all of them using this card layout. Well, all of them except for the giraffe. He's just too tall for that layout. Maybe I could work him into an oval layout?? I'll have to give that a try and see if I can make it work.

I used the little wedding cake and under the image it reads "happy for you." Just perfect for what I needed. Too bad I didn't get it done earlier in the week so the card wouldn't have been late!!! Late is a familiar thing for me lately!! UGH! Just too much going on in my life right now. I need to get caught up on a few projects so I can have time to compose a thought!! LOL

This beautiful decorative paper is from one of the fun "Patterned Stacks". This one is the Soft Subtles pack. I LOVE all the designs in it and I want to get a package in every color group!!! These pages are 12" x 12" and there are 40 double sided sheets per pack. Plus they are cost effective too purchasing them like this.

I really like making cards using this layout. I get to use the smaller images I have in such a way that they become the focal part of the card and somehow just don't seem so small anymore. Also with this layout the ribbon could be moved higher or lower and layered wording could added. This makes the design a bit more versatile too! I usually make them like you see. It's one of my favorite card layouts!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Just Because Spotlighting

I don't do the "Spotlighting" technique very much but it is a fun way to highlight a part of a card. Not that this image needed any special focus but this is a great way to put the focus on a part of a card.

This is a card I had done at our last DIVA Day Shoe Box Swap. I do not know which DIVA designed this card so I can not share with you her name. Maybe, just maybe she'll come forward!!!

It's such a pretty card too! I think spotlighting like this gives the card a wonderful and fun look. It's kind of like coloring the flower in but yet a bit different. This circle was a bit challenging to line up for me. I turned it and turned it until I found the right flower petals that matched. Then I quickly taped it so I didn't lose the spot!

And that beautiful "thank you" is from the same set. Gotta love that. A fabulous image and beautiful fonts all in one set!

This was really a very simple card to do too. Other than matching the petals, which really didn't take all that much effort to do, it was a very quick card to make. It doesn't have a whole lot of elements to it but just enough to make it elegant! Simple and elegant too! My favorite! And it's a very versatile set too. This card could be used for a birthday, sympathy, thinking of you, get well and even a Mother's Day card! I especially love that about a stamp set!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Watercolor Trio Sympathy Card

This "Watercolor Trio" set is a great versatile set. And you know how much I love sets that are versatile. You can use this set for quite a number of other events and occasions. This time I made a sympathy card with it. But you can also make wonderful birthday cards, get well cards, thinking of you cards. It would even work for a Mother's Day card.

The technique I used here is called "Direct to Rubber." I colored the rubber stamp with markers. Always start off with the lightest color marker. You want to do this so if your marker touches another color it won't ruin the marker. Darker markers will pick up the lighter color but drawing with it on scrap paper will wipe it off the marker and the marker color will be fine. But doing it the opposite way could cause the marker to absorb too much of the other color and you could end up with a new colored marker. Something you really don't want!

I kept my image small meaning I just stamped the image on a small piece of card stock and layered it. This would even be pretty if you didn't add the layer and just stamp directly on the card stock.

The words are from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set. One of my favorite word sets.

This "Watercolor Trio" set is one you can have a lot of fun with. I did not see it in the new catalog. I had made this card last month and forgot about it. I'm SO good at forgetting things!!

Anyway, it's a set I will hang on to for a while because I like it and it's versatile!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge Card

I know, it's another card using the "Apple Blossoms" set but I just can't help myself. I really like this set and even more since the SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge #290 came out this morning.

This is such a wonderful card layout for those smaller stamp images. Not that this flower was one of those solely. This flower also has a stem to it so you can take up a substantial amount of card stock with it. But I did like how the flower fit so nicely into those squares. SO I ran with it and this is what I got.

I did have to resort to some retired decorative paper though. It's to early in the catalog season to have all the decorative papers you need to be set for anything that comes along. I did buy one package of fun decorative paper. It came in a huge pad and in the pastel colors. SO I guess I will be ordering more of that in the richer colors for fall. But on this card the retired stuff worked and if anyone wants to copy the card they can just substitute the retired for some current paper (if they have it - lucky them!).

Oh and on my card I even got to play with the new little "Bitty Buttons". These little clear buttons are the cutest. I actually bought the punches that fit the buttons but I have not had a chance to play with those yet. I just have WAY too much going on right now. I'm getting "stuff" ready for the upcoming fall craft fair and am also working on some wedding invitations for a neighbor and wishing the whole time I was doing them for our son. But no. We are still waiting for him to propose. UGH! He's got to realize my grandmother clock is ticking away here. I have plans for his future children and he's ruining them!! LOL Anyway, he will propose in his own time, they will get married and eventually have children. In the meantime I just have to wait it out and whine about it here! LOL

SO back to my card. The colors I used in my card are Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight. And of course a black background as usual on my Wednesday cards! I just like the look of it. Actually it all started out with the sketch design. I thought it was all suppose to be layered in black but it was just the computer lines showing the different color layers. DUH! But after I made the card I liked what I saw and I continue to do it. It can really make some of the colors just pop off the card. So I continue to do my weekly challenge cards that way.

If you have some time today or even later in the week I highly recommend you play with this sketch. These are so fun. And you don't have to post it at SplitCoastStamers. You can just do it for yourself. Though posting it there is SO much fun. I just love seeing what everyone else does with the layout. It's just amazing how everyone has the same layout and the end results are always so different than yours and SO wonderful!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Apple Blossoms Card

Yup, another card. I have a few projects in the works but they are sitting in a box until I get done working on the wedding invitations for a neighbor. They are taking up much of my free time lately and I'm hoping to be done with them by the end of the week!

So, here is another card I made using the "Apple Blossoms" set. Once again I wasn't sure where I was going with this card when I started it out. I had first stamped the three long leaf things, each in the colors they are in, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight. I liked the colors I picked. Together they were pleasing to the eye. But now what to do with them? I had cut the white strips I stamped them on way too long so they fit on the card but without the colored layer. Well, I HAD to have color! SO I trimmed them up and it gave me room for the layers.

I originally wanted the card orientated the shorter way, with the fold on the top. But that wouldn't work unless I cut the image off at the bottoms. I wanted the whole image so I turned the card and tried to figure out where I was going to set my panels. First I was going to make them all even across the top. That would leave me room for a ribbon or wording on the bottom. But I didn't like the looks of it so I set the Pumpkin Pie one in the middle and played with the other two until I got what you see here. If I hadn't played aroudn with the layout so much this card would have been one of those you could whip together in less than 20 minutes.

I used Pumpkin Pie card stock for the base of the card and added a layer of Whisper White that I dry embossed with the fun embossing folders! I just love using them.

This card can be used for a lot of occasions. I will probably use it for a thank you card. It seems lately that I am in need of them.

I like the colors and I like the image too!

Thank you SO much for visitng today,
Wanda

Three Little Words Card

I have this set and have yet to use it. I have made two cards from it and both were from Shoe Box Swaps. I like the set and I know I should get it out, put it together and play with it before I even begin to think about buying anymore new sets! Why do I do that? Is it "the grass is greener" syndrome? Is it a syndrome??? Is there a cure? Do I want a cure? LOL

Ok, onto this card. I don't know who in our DIVA group designed it for the swap so I'm sorry I can't give you credit. But if you read my blog leave a comment saying it's yours!

As I'm looking at my card I realized I didn't put three little words on the inside! I guess I will have to put my set together if I ever decide to use this card!!

It was a very quick and simple card to put together too! I love the brushed silver card stock on the card. It gave it a very elegant look. It was a very fun card to make at the swap.

I guess it depends on what words you put on the inside to know what occasion it can be used for! But it has lots of possibilities!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Apple Blossoms Card

I have seen SO many cards made with the new "Apple Blossoms" set. SO I thought I would make a card or two with the set too!

I had no idea where I was going with this card when I started so I just decided to stamp the larger flower image all over the card front. I used Whisper White Craft ink. I heat set it to dry it faster.

I also got to play with the new Basic Pearls Jewels. I LOVE it that they come in three sizes and those three sizes are in one package! I used 11 of the medium size ones on this card. You get 150 of them so you can have LOTS of fun!

The butterfly is from the "Flores suaves" set. I took one look at that butterfly and knew I had to have this set. It's such a pretty butterfly ad I really like all the detail in it. I can't wait to play with the other pieces in that set. And of course, I will share them with you! Regardless of how they turn out! Lucky you!!! LOL

The "thank you" on the card is from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set. A set I am finding myself using quite often lately.

This card went together quickly and was very easy to make. I did enjoy making it, including putting on those pearls one at a time! But the pearls really need to be on the card, it just dressed it up a lot!

This card can be used for other occasions too, like birthdays, thinking of you, Mother's Day, get well and even a sympathy card.

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda