A Birthday Bouquet and Rose Wonder Birthday Card

WOW, what a fun and simple card this was to make.  Plus it was quick.

I found this card at Stampin With Marcy.  I thought it was such a pretty card that I had to make one.  I didn't have the wording that Marcy used, and I didn't need one with the wording she used, so I changed it to a birthday card.

I SO love this "Birthday Bouquet" decorative paper.  It's soft and sweet looking.  It just makes me feel calm and happy looking at it.  

The words are from the "Rose Wonder" set.  I need to get use to using that Happy Birthday because my favorite from the "Wetlands" is retiring.  Not that I can't use it but I try to stick to current product in my posts.  Though I have been known to use retired things now and then just because I didn't own anything else that would work!

This was a super fun card to make and one of my favorite things, it was super quick.  Though I am getting in the mood for one of my favorite "many layers" cards.  I haven't done one in a while and I have some sets I think I could have fun playing with using lots of layers!! So stay tuned!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Rose Wonder and Rose Garden Sympathy Card

I saw this elegant looking sympathy card on Pinterest using the "Rose Garden" Thinlits and the "Rose Wonder" stamp set. I found the original card here.  I didn't add the ribbon.  For two reasons, one I didn't have that ribbon and two it cost more to mail a card when there is a ribbon knot on it.  I tried to keep this card as clean and simple as possible.  And in doing that it made it super easy to make too.

I use my Xyron machine to put a sticky back on my cut outs. You just out your card stock in the front of the machine, crank the handle and the card stock comes out the back with a layer of double sided sticky attached to it. The back side had a protective layer so you can remove it when you are ready to set your image in place.  Before I bought that machine, I use to spray the pieces with some 3M spray glue.  And before that I used white glue and a toothpick.  I find the Xyron a much easier and quicker way to go.  I don't use it often so I don't complain about how often I run out of the sticky stuff.  I think it goes a long way. I do make sure my paper is as wide as the machine allows. And I keep the scraps because I can always cut more images out when I need them.

The words here are from the "Rose Wonder" set.  I stamped them using black Memento ink. I fussy cut the frame and I set it in place using Dimensionals.

It is very elegant looking.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Botanical Builders Box Pleat Technique Mother's Day Card

Today I am going to share with you one of the cards I received in the latest swap.  This technique is the Box Pleat.  You can see the card I had made using that technique here and there's a link to the easy instructions.  

This card was made by Nancy.  I love how she used the pleats on both sides of the card.

Here's a tip if you are planning on making a number of these cards.  Score your big sheet of decorative paper first and then cut the strips.  It will save you a lot of time.  Oh and if you are thinking of buying something from Stampin' Up!, I highly recommend the "Botanical Builders" framelits.  I have gotten a lot of miles out of those!  I still like them and will be using them for a long time to come.  And here's a tip when cutting out a flower.  Use scrap pieces or cut your card stock to fit the item. Then load up your Sizzix plate with other flowers and parts so you get a bunch of extra pieces to have on hand.  Why not run more than one or two things through at a time.  Now when you need a quick card you will have the pieces or most of them!  It saves a lot of time.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Rose Wonder and Botanical Blossoms Birthday Card

Hello!  Glad to have you back.  Today I want to share a fun and super easy card with you.  I found a card made by LeAnne Pugliese at Wee Inklings.  I'm sorry but I can't find her exact card.  Mine is very similar to hers.  Where I have the flower, she had a layered stamped bird and I used different words than she did.  But the layout is the same.  It was the layout that really got my attention.  

To make this card I took a half sheet of Whisper White card stock that was cut at 4-1/4" x 11".  I folded it in half.  Then I took a piece of the "Love Blooms" decorative paper from the 2016 Occasions catalog.  I set it across the bottom left corner and taped it in place. I trimmed any excess with a scissors. Then I took a strip of another design in that same pack and I made sure I had a factory cut edge and I kind of cut the rest of the piece at an angle.  I taped it in place and I had to trim up the three edges.  And that was it.  Now it was ready to embellish and stamp.  First I stamped.  I wasn't going to waste my time with the embellishment if I messed up on the words.  One thing I often do in cases like this is, I will use removable tape on the decorative paper, just in case I mess up. Yup, I've been known to really mess up a card!!!  I don't share everything with you on here!!!  Those types you would end up rolling your eyes at me. So I spare you from getting your eyes lodged in the back of your head!  LOL

Once I got the words on I took out the "Botanical Builders" framelits and cut my pieces.  I used Whisper White, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz.  I used a Candy Dot in the center of the flower.  I set the flower in place using a Dimensional.  And that was it.  Easy Peasy and super quick!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Petite Petals and Teeny Tiny Wishes Birthday Card

I wanted to make a card using a piece of Lost Lagoon. It's such a pretty color.  I have some pieces plus a whole package left and it's going to be retiring in a little over a month.  SO sad, but I knew that going into it!!

For my fun card I took a half sheet of the Lost Lagoon.  I added a layer of Basic Black that measures 3-1/4" x 3-1/4".  I cut a piece of Whisper White to measure 3" x 3".  I punched out 4 leaves from the retiring "Bird Builder" punch.  I am going to miss that punch, mostly for the leaves.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will be a new leaf punch or die. 

I stamped the "Petite Petals" flowers using Lost Lagoon ink. I punched them out with the little matching flower end. Fortunately this set is not retiring, nor is the punch!!

I set the flowers in place using Dimensionals.  In the center of each flower I added some enamel dots.  Those will be retiring too.  I am actually trying hard to use up some of these fun supplies.  I don't know why I hang onto them until they are close to retiring.  I could be using them all along.  Sometimes I forget about them and sometimes I just don't want to use them because I'm afraid of using them up.  Now that would only result in buying more if I REALLY liked them.  SO what's the issue here Wanda????  LOL  A moment on the analyst's couch might be in order here !!! LOL 

Okay, back to the rest of my card.  The words are from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set (which is not retiring, but the "Word Window Punch" and the "Label Punch" are.  How am I going to make pretty layers without those two punches???).  

This was a fun set to make.  It was super easy and quick to make.  If you need a fun quick card, this is the way to go.  This would be a very pretty Mother's Day, Get Well, or Thinking of You card too.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Blossom Builder Thinking of You Card

I found a fun card made by Tina at Stampin' Studio.  I did change the colors and the orientation of the flower and words but the concept is the same.

I like the layout of her card, so I put it in one of my many Pinterest folders to save for another day.  Well, today is that day! 

The base of my card is a folded half sheet of Poop Party.  I used a tiny strip of decorative paper from the "Botanical Gardens" paper pack.  I used the 3 Way punch to make a nice ribbon end look.  I used the 2-1/2" circle punch and a 2" circle punch for the circle frame. I punched it out of Crushed Curry.  The flower was cut using Cajun Craze.  And for the flower center I used some scrap Crushed Curry and Daffodil Delight.  A Pool Party Candy Dot was added to the very center.  I set the flower on the ring with the leaf behind it using a Dimensiona.  To make sure the leaf is in the right stop, I set the leaf on the Dimensional and then I decide where I'm going to set the Dimensional on the back of the flower. That way I don't need to use any additional tape for the leaf. It can be difficult to attach something that thin without making a tape mess.  

The words are from the "Sheltering Tree" set.  I an in dire need of some new word sets.  I hope there are some fun ones in the new upcoming 2016-2017 Catalog.

This was a quick and fun card to make.  I love the business of it yet it has a simplistic look to it.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A By the Tide Magic Card Technique Birthday Card

Today I am going to share with you one of the cards I received at Terri's recent Technique Tuesday night.  The technique the prior month was the "Magic Card".  These are very fun to make and when you pull the tab, it's like magic!!!

I made one several months back, you can see that card here.  There is also a link to the instructions.   And there is another sample here you can see.  I used the "Sheltering Tree" stamp set to make that one.  

This technique has been around for quite some time but I had never tried it. I've received several cards using the technique and have liked what I saw but I just never took the time to do it.  And when I did finally do it, I was surprised at how little time it actually took.

The card posted here today was made by Tanya.  I like how she just stamped the sea horses on the window sheet and then stamped the ocean fern and fish using different colors.  There was no other coloring involved.  Just two different color inks. Though on the front she took some extra time to color and cut out the shells and starfish.  This card has lots of dimension to it. Plus, who doesn't love a mechanical card?  Especially when "magic" is involved!!! LOL

These are fun to make. Give it a try.  And thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Blossom Builder and Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Bath Salts Gift Bag Weekend Project

While looking though my notebooks, I ran across a recipe for bath salts.  I have not made any in a long time.  They are super easy to make and the link to my easy recipe can be found below. 

For my bag I used the "Birthday Bouquet" decorative paper. I took a 5/8" x 10-1/2" strip of Mint Macaron card stock to make a band for the bag.  I didn't like the idea of stapling the bag closed.  It's too pretty of a paper to do that plus the paper will probably rip when someone opens it.  I embellished the band with a flower and leaf from the "Blossom Builder" Thinlit set. I also cut the heart out from the "Mini Treat Bag" Thinlits. I cut the Mint Macaron and Whisper White at the same time.  I trimmed the edges of the white so it would have a nice border around the heart.  Next I took the "My Friend" from the "Six Sided Sampler" set and stamped the white heart. I taped the two hearts together and added a flower.

Next I mixed up a batch of bath salts.  You can pour as much 

as you want in the baggie.  I get my baggies at Wal-Mart in their craft section.  My bag was a little large so only one fit in the gift bag.  I usually make smaller ones. That way you can say something like "empty the entire contents of one bag into your bath water, relax and enjoy".  Now I will have to change mine to "add one Tablespoonful to your bath water, relax and enjoy." 

When you make these, it's best to include an ingredients list and directions.  Especially if you make them to sell.  A tip on making the bath salts.  Use a glass bowl to mix it in.  Plastic bowls will hold the smell of the fragrance oils and some of them will start to "melt" the plastic.  They are fine in the plastic bags after they've been thoroughly mixed. I don't know how long they will keep in the plastic bag.  Most people use them soon after they receive them, so I have no feedback on that part.  

You can find my recipe here.  Sometimes you can find a good price on Epsom Salts at Walgreen's, but I usually get mine at Wal-Mart.  

Have fun making these!  They make great gifts for friends, teachers, customer appreciation, hostess appreciation, co-workers, and stocking stuffers.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda 

Botanical Builder & English Garden Lip Balm Holder Weekend Project

Today I wanted to play with something more 3-D than just a card. I had opened up one of the drawers in my workroom and I saw a tube of lip balm.  I had not made a lip balm holder in a long time and there's been so many stamp sets that have come and gone since then that would have been great for this project.  

The pattern is a very simple one and I had found it on Split Coast Stampers.  Here's a little tip for you though.  Not all lip balms are the same height or roundness.  You will need to adjust the top and bottom four cuts so you can add your lip balm.  I would cut and score a piece of copier paper and practice with that before I cut my decorative paper.  

I used the "English Garden" decorative paper here. I embellished it with a flower from the "Botanical Builders" framelit dies.  In the center I added a Daffodil Delight candy dot.  Those are retiring and I have a lot of them to use up! I'm such a hoarder.

Now before I assembled the front, I layered my decorative paper on a piece of Mossy Meadow card stock.  I took some ribbon (mine is retired but I need to start using things up around here) and I taped it to the front center of the holder. Then I glued the layers in place.  You really do need to use glue here because tape just won't hold.  Unless you use some really strong tape.  I prefer the glue because I know that once it dries it's going to hold.  I did set a punch on top of it while the glue was setting up and while I was working on the flower and leaf.  

The reason this lip balm is white is because it is designed for you to add your information on it.  Print it out on a label and wrap it around the lip balm.  Now when you give these to your customers or potential customers they will have your info.  Business cards get lost, misplaces or tossed, but most people hang on to their lip balms!!  LOL

Here is another tip for you if you are planning on making a lot of these.  Print out the pattern from Split Coast Stampers.  Cut it out and use it as a template.  Make sure you mark your top and bottom lines so your holder is custom made for your lip balms.  Those top and bottom lines are what keep the lip balm from falling out of the holder.

These are very fun and really quick to make (and a template would speed up the process!).  Click here to see the Valentine's Day one I made. I made a Halloween one that included a little mirror tile on the inside!  I can't find the link to that, sorry.  I buy my bulk lip balms here.  Have fun making these!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Happy Birthday Everyone and Blossom Builder Birthday Card

The "Happy Birthday, Everyone" set will be retiring at the end of May.  It was a fun Hostess set to play with. I LOVE the large wording.  It covers a lot of real estate and allows you to use some smaller embellishments.  

Here I used the flowers from the "Blossom Builder" to give the card a splash of color and dimension.  It worked out well!  

The decorative paper is also retiring, as all packets of decorative paper do at the end of the catalog season.  I often wish some would carry over but it's always fun to play with new stuff!

This was a very fun card to make.  I had a stash of cut flowers so it was even super quick as well! And even if I would have had to do the flowers, it still would have been a quick card.   

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda 

A Vivid Vases Mother's Day Card

"Vivid Vases" is a set I have not played with much at all and now it is soon to retire.  The 2016 retired list just came out.  You can view it here and you can order from there too.  But you need to do it soon, I was on there today and some things are already gone.  And once they are gone, they are gone!

For my card I used the "It's My Party" decorative paper.  I have a huge stack of that to use up by the end of May!!!   

I opted for the "Z Fold" card.  I saw a card similar to this and liked the fold.  I didn't care much for the words that were under the vases so I just added different words.  The "Happy Mother's Day" was done on the computer and printed out. I set that in place using Dimensionals.  

I stamped the image on Whisper White card stock and colored it in using markers.  I did use the blender pen and Smoky Slate for the vases.  

It was a super easy card to make!  I will be selling this set in my web store.  I need to get a lot of the retired stamp sets out of my workroom (to make room for more!!! Shhhh).  I have not gotten rid of many of my stamp sets and it's now time.  The link to my webstore can be found here and also on the right sidebar of this blog under "Shopping is just a click away."  I don't have any stamp sets listed as of this date.  But in a few days I will be posting some that have already retired.  I can not post the ones that are retiring at the end of May, I actually have to wait until the end of May to do that.  

I did like playing with this set and I may use it again before the end of May.  I do like how this card turned out.  It will be a great card for a wonderful mom!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Botanical Builders and Box Pleats Technique Card

Tonight is Terri's Technique Night and this is the card I made for the swap.  

I used the Botanical Builders for the flower and leaf.  I set it in place with a Dimensional and added a pearl in the middle.

I used the "Love Blossom" 6" x 6" decorative paper stack. There's lots of paper in that pack and I was glad I was able to use some of it for this card.  To make this technique you need an 11" strip so I just scored the 6" decorative papers and taped two together just at the right spot so you can't see it was added!!!  Now I had a long enough pleat for the card.  

I tried out this technique earlier this year.  You can see that card here.  You will find the link to the instructions there as well.  

For this card I used Blushing Bride for the top layer.  The base of the card is Whisper White.  Next I cut a paper doily in half and set it in place.  Then I made the pleats and set them just a hair on top of the doily.  I added a 1/2" strip of Garden Green card stock.  I added the flower using a Dimensional.  It was pretty simple to make and I was surprised at how quick all of these went together. 

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Botanical Builder and Rose Wonder Wedding Card with Corner Fold Technique

I was not cleaning off my worktable, I just moved some stuff and found these pieces cut out in gold just sitting there.  I must have had something in mind for them.  So I thought I would take them and whip up a quick wedding card with them.  

I used the Decorative paper from the Neutrals 12" x 12" pack for the background.  The square piece is a piece of Basic Gray card stock and the base of the card is Basic Black. I added a piece of Whisper White to the inside to so I could stamp some words and write on it.

The words are from the "Rose Wonder" set. I used Basic Gray ink.  I punched it out with the large oval punch.  I then punched out two pieces of Basic Gray and layered them behind the word piece.  It would be nice to have a scalloped oval punch to go with this one!

The Corner Flip technique is very fun and easy to do.  I like it because once you make the flip part you can use smaller images for that space.  Here I added the gold flower and leaf.  I was glad I was able to use them up before they either got ruined or retired!!!  You can find the instructions for the Corner Flip technique here.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A You've Got This Box Pleats Technique Birthday Card

Here is a fun technique card.  I had made one a while back and you can see that card here.  You can also find the instructions for that card there as well. 

This card was made at Terri's Technique Tuesday night.  We used the flower from the "You've Got This" set. I'm not sure what set the words are from, I don't have that set, sorry.

This is a very fun and easy technique to do.  We learn 2 techniques and I think this is the one I am going to pick to do my swap card with.  I have 2 days to workup my card!!! Nothing like waiting until the last minute.  I had a whole month to get them done!!!

Have fun with this cute technique.  Oh, a fun note.  When you see the instructions, you do need to make the strip as wide as they say but you can make it as tall or as narrow as you wish. And I do recommend taping down the pleats!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda