Embrace...

Stripes!

I love adding bits of patterned paper to my cards. One type of pattern that I cannot get enough of, especially for clean and simple cards, is striped paper! I just love all the options and colours available for striped paper. It's great for this style because it's so linear. The lines of colour really sharpen up your project! There are many ways to bring stripes into your project: use lines of solid paper, use ribbon with no knots, use striped images, stamp a lined pattern, use patterned paper, and more!

For my card today, I went with some non-traditional Christmas colours- Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush. I used the striped theme on the snowman itself, as well as for the patterned paper.

Supplies:

Stamps: Made of Snow (PTI)

Ink: Tuxedo Black, Berry Sorbet

Paper: Pink Patterns, Sweet Blush, White

Accessories, etc.: Copic Markers, Berry Sorbet Satin ribbon, pop dots

Ten Minute Mondays

Here's another ultra quick card for you today! Choose a few stamps, place them together, colour them in, and you've got a great little scene! The images were coloured in with Copics. Supplies: Stamps: Nature Set- A muse, Mixed Messages-PTI Ink: Bahama Blue, Rich Cocoa Accessories, etc. : Copic markers, Spica

FTL 13

I love these easy layouts! I added an extra strip of dsp for some color and interest. Supplies: stamps - Pocket Silhouettes, Upsy Daisy paper - kraft, choc, riding hood red patterns ink - choc, versamark acc - kiwi ribbon, white embossing powder

Fall to Layout #13 Thanks a Bunch

This is a fun sketch and a quick one. I chose my colors and stamps around the ribbon and I kept with this week's embrace silhouettes theme. I wanted to pick up the sand and brown in the ribbon so I first stamped the image in Memento Desert Sand and then stamped it again on top and a little to the right with Memento Rich Cocoa. I tied the ribbon and added a sentiment. Supplies: Stamps - Verve Stamps; Ink - Memento; Paper - PaperTrey Stampers Select; Misc - Ribbon

Fall-To Layout 13

This week's sketch is inspired by another artist in the community that contacted me. She showed me several great cards using the same layout. Check out Nicole's work here (she's also an amazing jewelry artisan!).

Here's the sketch. The idea is to keep up the silhouette theme. Nicole recommends masking off a horizontal region of the card to make stamping in a line a breeze. Remove the mask, tie the ribbon over it, then add your sentiment! Really pretty and nice and simple! Note: the grey is my graphic attempt at knotted ribbon or a bow!

Embrace Silhouettes

Silhouette images lend themselves to quick and easy cards whether they are one layer or multi layered cards. I started out with a single layer card using an Inkadinkado set using Memento Rich Cocoa ink on vanilla creme card stock. It took well under 10 minutes and I liked it so much I thought I'd make another using SU! Not Quite Navy on the vanilla creme card stock. I ended up making two more, one in burgundy and one in Old Olive and now have a nice set of note cards! Supplies: Stamps- Inkadinkado; Ink - SU! Not Quite Navy, Memento Rich Cocoa, Paper - PaperTrey Vanilla Creme I wanted to show you a quick, layered silhouette card too. I started with the Basic Grey Ambrosia paper (had a scrap on my desk) and stamped the cattails from Verve Stamps in

Memento Rich Cocoa. I used my white gel pen to highlight the cattails. I stamped the Thank You sentiment from the Inkadinkado set I already had out and added the dragonfly and round gold brads. I then matted the main image panel on PaperTrey Chocolate Brown card stock and that onto the Creme colored paper from the Basic Grey Ambrosia paper pack.

Product Focus:

Silhouettes!

It seems silhouette style images are everywhere lately. I find they really work well with the clean and simple style. Many companies out there have put their own twist on this idea. My card today features gel-a-tins Wild Things, but it was vaguely inspired by Stampin' Up!'s Upsy Daisy image.

Supplies:

Stamps: Wild Things (gel-a-tins) Garden of Life (PTI)

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: White, Textured Brown, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories, etc.: dotted ribbon, pop dots

Ten Minute Monday!

This took less than 10 minutes - I had previously stamped a whole sheet of cardstock with these daisies to use to make quick cards. I didn't even color them in so that I could use them with any color cardstock. I also left off a sentiment so that I can use it for any occasion or leave them blank to use as a note card. When I get new flower stamps I like to stamp them on a whole piece of cardstock so that I have it ready to use when I need a quick card. Supplies: Stamps - Flowers for Daisy by Asela Hopkins; Ink - Versafine Black Onyx; Paper - PaperTrey Ink Stampers Select and Lemon Tart, Black cardstock from Michaels.

Ten Minute Mondays!

It's for another ultra quick card. This one would go even faster if you stamped out a while sheet of cardstock, cut it into 4 and pieced it together. This card draws on the whole making stamped backgrounds theme. Choose your colour scheme, then go to it! For quick, easy, and beautiful! The ribbon tab looks a bit better in person. It's looped through the tag, attached with the brad, and then the end is cut in a pennant shape. Supplies: Stamps: Floral Frenzy Paper: Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, White Ink: Dark Chocolate, Berry Sorbet, Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise Accessories, etc.: Chocolate Twill, Key tag punch, horizontal slot punch, brad

Fall-To-Layout #12

This was a great 10 minute card. I think it took more time to decide what image to use than to actually make the card! I decided on this cute bunny from Verve Stamps. I stamped the bunny with Memento Rich Cocoa on PapeerTrey Ink Vanilla Creme cardstock and cut it out and embossed the edges with a nestability. I cut the mat out of Prism cardstock with a scallop nestability. I stamped the bunny on some of the red cardstock with Memento Lady Bug ink to paper piece the sweater. I finished it off with the sentiment in Lady Bug ink. Supplies: Stamps - Verve; Ink - Momento Rich Cocoa, Lady Bug; Paper - PaperTrey Vanilla Creme, Prism; Misc - Nestabilities, Dimensionals

Fall-To Layout #12

This week, we're keeping the sketch very basic. This is a layout that I see all the time, and even though it's the simplest of layouts, each card I see pops out to me. You can also do a few things to make it a bit more complex- add a scalloped frame, add ribbon, pop up your focal image, add embellishments, and more! For my card, I started out with this adorable cat the Trick or Sweet set. I made a stamped background using a sentiment, then popped the coloured image up with pop dots. I added a coordinating scalloped frame, then embossed my main sentiment with white embossing powder so it really comes out against the black paper. Colours used to colour the cupcake: Cool Grey 3, 5, and 7, Deep Bark, Caribe Cocoa, Sand, Sardonyx, and Light Prawn. Here's a close-up of the cat cupcake. I really like how the colouring turned out! Supplies: Stamps: Stamp a Sweet Impression: Trick or Sweet, Sweet Celebration Paper: White, Berry Sorbet, Prism Black Ink: Berry Sorbet, Versamark, Tuxedo Black Accessories, etc.: Square Nestabilities, White EP, Copic markers, pop dots.

Stamped Backgrounds

This is clean and simple stamping to create a background instead of using patterned paper. Since I already had this Flower Garden (PaperTrey Ink) set out I decided to use a whimsical flower and stem. I like to use flowers with the sentiment "Thanks a Bunch". I think I will quickly make another one with grapes and use the same sentiment! This is another under 10 minute card! Supplies: Stamps - PaperTrey Ink Flower Garden; Ink - SU! Real Red, Memento Ivy Cottage; Paper - PaperTrey Stampers Select, Prism

Stamped Backgrounds

I may have covered this topic already, but it's still a good topic, especially for those CAS stampers out there. It's nice to rely on patterned paper, but sometimes that just doesn't do it. In those situations, it's great to be able to make your own! Another thing that's great about doing this- you can ensure that there's the perfect amount of white space left on your "patterned paper" to stamp your sentiment. For these sweet and simple birthday cards, I stamped the sentiment first, then stamped the flowers. I've been seeing a lot of poppy red with chocolate and light pink lately and I've been meaning to use that combo. I love! Supplies: Stamps: Garden of Life (PTI), Ink: Burnt Umber, Sweet Blush, L'Amore Red Paper: Sweet Blush, Dark Chocolate, White

Ten Minute Mondays

I have two cards to show you today - both took less than 10 minutes to make. The first one was made with a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the base of the card. Then I stamped the birds twice with Memento Rich Cocoa ink on patterned paper and cut them out. I attached the birds with glue dots. I left off a sentiment so I can use it for any occasion. Supplies: Paper - PaperTrey Stampers Select, MME dp; Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa; Misc - Cuttlebug embossing folder, Glue Dots This second card is a 5 minute card! I cut this patterned paper from the DCWV Mat Stack - All Dressed Up to the size I wanted it and attached it to the card base. I stamped the sentiment at the bottom right corner. This is a quick way to make a nice note card set to have on hand. Supplies: Stamps - Verve; Paper - PaperTrey Stampers Select, DCWV; Ink - Versafine Black Onyx

Ten Minute Mondays!

So, this post is #101. I can't believe this blog has been going since May already! On that note, there will be little changes here and there. First up, Mondays are now going to feature ultra quick cards. I'm calling it Ten Minute Mondays. These cards are easy and quick to make a lot, if needed! I've featured quick cards before, but here is this week's first official Ten Minute Monday! This one came together extremely quickly. One thing that's really great about the design and layout- it's perfectly suited for virtually any occasion! The butterflies are one stamp, so I inked it once in the lighter purple. Then I chose one of the non-overlapped butterflies and inked that one up in the darker purple, cut it out and popped it up. Supplies: Stamps: Patterned Bugs by Inkadinkadoo, So many Sayings by Stampin' Up! Ink: Lilac, Grape Jelly- Memento

Embrace...

Metal rimmed tags! These small embellishments are great for adding that touch of metal to any creation. The great thing about this embellishment is that it's also easy enough to "go faux". You can emboss a thin silver circle, or use metallic paper and circle punches to get the same concept. If you are stuck for inspiration, a great blog to check out is Jennifer McGuire's. She uses these tags so magnificently, I'm sure it's what inspired me to feature these small items in the first place! Here's an older card that I did for a June challenge. I really like the touch of silver on the red and white card. It just serves as a nice way to separate the larger star from the rest. Supplies: Stamps by Verve, Paper by World Win and Stampin' Up!, Ink by Stampin' Up! Metal Tags from Dunwoody Booth

FTL 11

These colors came together nicely with the sketch for a boy birthday card. If you are like me, it's a lot harder to make boy cards than girl cards! Finished card size is 4-1/4 x 4-1/4. Supplies: stamps - On Your Birthday paper - pacific point, tempting turquoise, olive patterns, pumpkin pie, whisper white ink - pacific point acc - circle nesties, large star punch, white grosgrain, bold brights button, dimensionals (for star), photo corner punch (for sentiment flag)

Fall-to Layout 11

I had all of Tuesday off and meant to make a card for this sketch a lot earlier. 8:30 rolled around and I remembered to get cracking! I thought the circle, square, and rectangle mix might be challenging, but it came together really quickly. I chose a set, picked colours that would coordinate well with the themes, and got to work! Some dimensions for you since I didn't end up following my sketch exactly.

Card base: 4.5 inches

Inner square layer: 3.75 inches

Inner circle: 3.5 inches

Sentiment Strip: Approximately 2.25 inches

Supplies:

Stamps: First Fruits (PTI)

Ink: Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss, Landscape

Paper: Summer Sunrise, Lemon Tart, Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Old Olive

Accessories, etc.: Mustard Ribbon, Pop Dots, Circle Nestabilities

Layering Identical Cuts

I stamped the cherries twice, once on a scrap and once on a white circle. I colored the ones on scrap with copics, cut them out, and popped them up on top of the stamped ones on the white circle. Thanks for stopping by! Supplies: stamps - Mix-up of Cuteness, Birds of a Feather (sentiment) (both Unity) paper - kraft, wasabi, real red, ww ink - memento black, copics acc - swiss dots CB folder, red-striped gg, circle nesties, dimensionals

Layering Identical Cuts

I like layering parts of an image for that little extra dimension but still keeping the card clean and simple. For this card I just layered the wing of the bird. I stamped the bird on the image panel and then stamped it again on another piece of paper. I cut it out and attached it to the main image with a pop dot. This sketch is by Julee Tillman - one of the Verve anniversary sketches. Supplies: Stamps - Verve Anniversary Birds; Paper - Prism CS, MME dp; Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa; Misc - Pearl Stickers, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Fancy Corner die

Tips- Layering Identical Cuts

This tip is a really easy way to add a little bit extra dimension to any card creation! You'll need a decent pair of scissors though. Stamp your focal image once on your cardstock. Stamp the image again on another piece of the same kind of cardstock. Cut that one out and place over top of the original image with pop dots. It gives a neat, subtle shadow effect. This effect in more complex layouts is often called paper tole. It can be as simple or as complex as you wish, so it's a really great technique for all types of cards and skill levels! *photo removed for publication* Supplies: Stamps: Sweet to the Core (gel-a-tins) Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Cottage Ivy Paper: Chocolate Chip, Spring Moss, Old Olive, White Accessories, etc.: Regular and Long Rectangle Nestabilities, Double Stitched Ribbon

Fall-To Colours

As much as I hate to say it, I swear I saw what looked to be snow clouds today. I am not ready to say goodbye to summer, but I am finally ready to start making holiday cards. In keeping with the festive theme, this week's fall-to colours are easily applied to holiday creations. Combine a grey-ish or beige neutral (like Sahara Sand or Kraft) with colours from the Rich Regals family (or equivalent). I went with Kraft, Burgundy, and Artichoke. I cheated a tiny bit, there's some Olive in the paper, and technically the ribbon is a closer match to olive than artichoke...

This card came together very quickly, and I'm thinking it may be a contender for hand-delivered holiday cards (the ribbon knot would make it a 2-stamp card, which gets too costly)

Supplies: Stamps: Believe, Holiday Wishes (PTI) Ink: Rich Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy Paper: Kraft, White, Retired Holiday DP, Burgundy Accessories, etc.: Wide Olive Grosgrain, long rectangle nestabilities

Hope you have a good weekend! I've got a busy one ahead of me!

Borders

I used the spiral punch to create the punched edge border. The circle and main pieces are both popped up with dimensionals.

Supplies:

stamps - Pocket Silhouettes, Live Your Dream, All Holidays

paper - kraft, perfect plum, pale plum, white

ink - pink pirouette, perfect plum

acc - pink pirouette gg, spiral punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, dimensionals

Tips: Using Borders, Edges, or Boundaries on Cards

This tip was completely inspired by PaperCrafts 101. I was looking for some fun clean and simple ideas and loved all the ideas involving borders. Borders are just a fun way to add a little something to your card without taking away from a focal point. You could go with scallops, a series of cut out images on the side of your card, a cut fringe, a line of punched out shapes, you get the idea!

I went with a line of punched out shapes using a punch I had to have- the Spiral Notebook punch. I wanted something really simple, so I adhered some striped paper to a 4.25 square base, punched all along the side, added some ribbon, then a little sentiment circle.

Supplies: Stamps:Holiday Mail (gelatins) Paper: white, dots and dashes, olive Accessories: Notebook punch, circle punches, ribbon

Embrace Embossing Powders

Embossing powders are one of those supplies that we all seem to have. Once you got serious about this hobby, you likely picked up a heat gun and some powders. It also seems to be one of those supplies that you either LOVE or HATE. I know some people don't categorize embossing as a simple thing, but once you get the hang of it, it's really easy to use. So easy, that sometimes you use it on everything... A couple tips:

• Find a decent metal tray with an edge to do your embossing in. I have the base of the 48 Pack of Prismacolors . It came in a metal box, and it's great for embossing in. I have found that if I heat emboss something in a metal container, there is less paper warping, since both the front and back gets heated pretty evenly.
• If you do emboss in a metal container, be careful. It's easy to burn yourself, as well as your embossing powder.
• Static reducers are good, I have held off on getting one at this point. (It's just not one of those "fun" supplies to buy, however cheap they may be). If you plan on doing any embossing as part of a mass production line, look into getting an embossing buddy. I've also heard that dryer sheets work, but I've never tried them.
• As convenient as the Powder Pals are, I find that a scrap piece of paper works out best. I have a LOT of colours of embossing powder, and there is nothing as annoying as finding bits of colour in your white powder after you've melted it. The Powder Pals always seem to retain little flecks of powder here and there. Scrap paper is scrap, you can take a new sheet with every new colour.

Here is my card. I need a wedding card this month, and thought a copper theme would be pretty. Think of how extremely dull this card would be if that swirl motif were not embossed!

Supplies: Stamps: All Year Cheer, Baroque Motifs Ink: Versamark Paper: Copper, Shimmery White Accessories, etc.: Copper EP, white organdy ribbon, pop dots