BUTTONS, BOWS & BABIES

I recently received an invitation to a baby shower for a "step" niece - and since she has announced the sex of the baby - I got to make a "sex specific" card. When I started this card I knew that I wanted to use white and Bashful Blue (typical baby boy colors) but decided to add a darker, more masculine accent color as well so I chose these Designer Papers I purchased at Hobby Lobby.

I have never cared for plain cardstock as a background - just too boring for me - so when I discovered Cuttlebug embossing folders this past Autumn I fell in love. So which folder to use for this card? What say's "baby" better than tiny little swiss dots?

The adorable little giraffe is from the retired Stampin'Up! set "Bundle of Joy" and is stamped in Basic Brown ink on 140# watercolor paper. It is colored with SU! Markers in shades of Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel. I used the SU! Itty Bitty Backgrounds to add specks in Close to Cocoa and then sponged the edge in Bashful Blue and then very lightly in Chocolate Chip.

My favorite part of this card however is the perfectly tied bow! I finally was able to make a beautiful bow - something I've NEVER been good at - and it's all because of a wonderful little gadget called the "Bow Easy". It's small, it's inexpensive and it's available for purchase from Sharon Johnson at No Time To Stamp. If you want to know what it's all about, check out this video by Jerri Jimenez. She shows how perfectly easy it is to use - and even shows you how to make double and triple loop bows. And while you're at their blogsites, scroll through and look at some of the beautiful bows they've created on their projects.

The little star is a button from JoAnn's. To attach it to the bow I simply cut off the eye on the back and secured it with a little bit of Elmer's Glue-All. The bow itself is attached to the ribbon with a glue dot.

That's all for today. Hope you enjoyed the card and will check out the Bow Easy.

Until next time -
Happy Stamping!
Jill

HIDDEN MESSAGES

The world is full of hidden messages. Advertisers call them "subliminal". Our friends call them "jokes". In strangers we often pick up on "innuendo". But whatever they are called, we're surrounded by hidden messages. (Except at Weight Watchers meetings where you can't hide ANYTHING!)

Today I have a hidden message to share with you in the form of a "HINGE CARD". Right away let me apologize for the poor quality of the photos. You'd never guess I get paid for my photographs would you? :) In my defense I will tell you I let the camera auto-focus because I didn't have my contacts in and apparently it focused on the WRONG thing! LOL!!! I don't have an excuse for the color though. It is not "Apricot" cardstock in the bottom photo. It is "Barely Banana".

There is a challenge for this technique on Splitcoast Stampers this week and supposedly a wonderful tutorial for this technique by Wendy Weixler at Wickedly Wonderful Creations. So rather than give you the blow by blow details on how to cut and create this card, just click on the link above for the tutorial if you'd care to try your hand at it.

I formed my "hinge" using a large, flat brad from the Stampin'Up! Hodge Podge Hardware set then covered it with a small K&Company flower. The designer paper is also from Stampin'Up!. The top panel is embossed using the Cuttlebug Textiles Embossing Folder. The border was created using the Martha Stewart Scalloped Border punch on Brocade Blue cardstock and a Cuttlebug embossed strip of Barely Banana cardstock. 2 additional K&Company flowers were added to coordinate with the hinge to keep it from looking out of place.

The sentiment, which is from Stampin'Up! God's Blessings, is stamped in Brocade Blue ink on Barely Banana cardstock.

I thought this was a fun, cute technique to try. Wonder how long it will take the recipient to figure out how to find the hidden message!

Have a wonderful day today. Remember to take care of all of yourself - mind, body, emotions and spirit.

Until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

BUTTERFLIES & BLESSINGS

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY EVERYONE! Is that really a PC statement??? Memorial Day was established as a day to remember those that are gone. Some of us will find this a sad day, especially if the losses are new, others may find pleasure in remembering the lives of the ones we've lost. For me, today will be a bit of both I think.

I have a new fold to share with you today. It may not be new to all of you - but it was the first time I tried this. It is DEFINITELY time-consuming - but I liked the outcome so I think it was worth the time involved.

This is called the TRI-SHUTTER FOLD. The first image shows the card closed - the second image: open.

It's pretty easy to make and hopefully my instructions will be as easy to follow.
Start with a 5.5" x 12" piece of cardstock.

Using your Fiskars cutter (or similar cutter), score at 2", 4", 8" and 10" across the narrow edge of the card so that your first section is 2"x5.5", the second is 2" x 5.5", and the center section is 4"x5.5".

Turn the cardstock in the cutter and line the long right edge up to the 4" mark and cut a line 1 1/2" in from the left edge from the 10" mark (first foldline) to the 2" mark (last foldline). Repeat this along the other long edge of the cardstock.

The cardstock is now ready to fold and decorate. For my card I centered the Paisley Cuttlebug folder in the middle of the card and ran it through the BigShot. The Cuttlebug folders work perfectly because they have a 1/4" blank border which allows the 4" center section of the card to fit without embossing into the other folded areas.


Once embossed, I folded the card along the score lines (as shown in the second photo) and began decorating it closed so that the front of the card looked planned.

FRONT: I used SU! Bella Blue Designer Paper to cover 2 sections of the card then stamped the single bloom from SU! Bloomin'Beautiful in Basic Brown ink directly onto the DP. The leaves and stem were colored with SU! markers in Old Olive, Mellow Moss and Certainly Celery. The crocheted flower was one I had made previously and it was applied with adhesive over the bloom of the stamped flower. I tied a bow using my new BOW EASY and attached a miniature butterfly in Pretty in Pink DP. All the butterflies on the front of the card were made with Martha Stewart punches and miniature pearls were added to the bodies. The sentiment is from SU! God's Blessings and is stamped in Basic Brown ink.

INSIDE: I stamped the butterfly image from SU! God's Beauty in Basic Brown ink. I colored it in shades of Pretty in Pink and Apricot Appeal then cut it out and glued it to the inside panel being careful not to let the wings overlap into the upper panel. I applied more DP, punched butterflies, pearls and another sentiment to the inside panels leaving the back panel free of embellishment so that I can add a personal note and signature to the card.

WHEW!!!! That was as long to explain as it was to make the card!!!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and that you'll give it a go. If you do, please leave me a comment with a link to what you've done. I'd love to see it.

Until next time -
Happy Stamping!
Jill

THANKS FOR MAKING ME SMILE

Before I show you the card I've posted for today, I wanted to tell you about a new product from Quick Kutz - embossing folders! That's right BigShot and Cuttlebug users, we now have more embossed background options to choose from! Click on this link to see a beautiful ornate oval. Love it!!! and it's definitely been added to my "must have" list.

I've received a couple of emails recently that really brightened my day and made me smile. When I saw this image at a friend's house the other day, it too made me smile and I thought it would work into a perfect "Thanks for making me smile card". The problem is now I don't know which of the two email senders I shoud send the card to. Maybe I should have made two!

Normally when I make a card I choose the image first and the papers once I have colored the image. However, I picked up this brown polka dot and the blue & brown striped papers at Hobby Lobby a few days ago and really wanted to use them, so I stamped my image on 140# watercolor paper and then colored my image with SU! markers in shades of blues, browns and yellows. I added just the touch of red to make the image stand out from the background. I outlined the image in bashful blue then used a SU! Aqua Painter to soften the line. (BEWARE! SU! Aqua Painters release ALOT of water at one time and will smear even "permanent" inks (e.g. notice the girls right arm!). I have a generic aqua painter that seems to work better for this technique but to really keep control of the amount of water being applied you could use a paint brush and dip it into water then a little reinker.)

Since I wanted to keep an "earthy" feel to the image, I lightly sponged bordering blue around the edge and then added specks in Creamy Caramel using the Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp set. The finished image was layered onto a piece of Kraft cardstock and then again on a piece of Bordering Blue cardstock.

The sentiment is from the SU! set "Small Sayings" and was stamped onto Kraft cardstock in Chocolate Chip ink then matted on a small piece of Real Red cardstock to make it the focal point of the card as well as bring out the touches of red in the image. I added red brads and piercing to finish.

Thanks for taking the time to read my "babble" today.

Have a wonderful Holiday for those of you here in the USA.

Until next time -

Happy Stamping.

Jill

GENTLE THOUGHTS AND ROSES

Good Monday morning to all of you. I have a quick post today then I'm off to play with my sister before she returns to her home in South Africa.

I finally had a chance to play with the stamps from the FIFTH AVENUE FLORAL set from Stampin'Up! and I LOVE this set. It stamps so cleanly and is wonderful to color - and most of you know that images that can be colored are my favorites.

For this card I used the rose from the set and the leaves from the SU! hostess set: GOD'S BEAUTY. The leaves were colored with markers in shades of Always Artichoke, Old Olive and Sage Shadow - then lightly sponged with Handsome Hunter. The background DP is from this year's Sale-a-bration papers: Delicate Dots. I sponged So Saffron, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard and Old Olive on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and then stamped the sentiment from a retired Stampin'Up! set called GARDEN COLLAGE in Old Olive. The flourish, also stamped in Old Olive, is from the SU! set: PRICELESS. A piece of Mellow Moss cardstock serves as a mat for the greeting. The ribbon is also a retired SU! item: Organdy Ribbon in Handsome Hunter.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day. Don't forget in all the hustle and bustle to take time each day to play.

Until tomorrow -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

TECHNIQUE: NEWSPAPER REVEAL

I have been teaching a techniques class on the 3rd Monday of each month since January. We will be working on techniques beginning with the letters "L", "M" and "N" this month. Do you know how difficult it is to find a technique (not a fold) that begins with the letter "N"? I did an online search and could find nothing! So I looked through a list of N words and came up with the word newspaper. Surely there was some craft using newspaper which could be adapted for stamping. I could find NOTHING!!! So I made up my own technique by stamping directly onto newspaper with a silhouette type stamp leaving the newsprint exposed as the background. Then I found this technique which is called "NEWSPAPER REVEAL".

It's a very easy technique and the card was kept very basic to accommodate all the stamping levels in my class.

SUPPLIES:

Newspaper

Versamark Ink Pad

Clear Embossing Powder

Heat Gun

WithLove Cuttlebug Embossing folder

Chocolate Chip Ink Pad

Brayer

Chocolate Chip Card Stock

Whisper White Card Stock

Bashful Blue Cardstock

Bashful Blue Designer Paper

3 Antique Copper Brads

Hope you enjoyed visiting.

Until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

LEMONS, LEMONS & MORE LEMONS

Since the beginning of May it seems as if my life has revolved around lemons. It began with my niece-to-be's wedding shower. I posted a picture of the shower table decorations where we used lemons and limes in large hurricanes for centerpieces. I thought they were so fresh and appealing. Remember this photo?

Then a couple of weeks ago we bought a 2006 FORD FREESTAR. One week later the transmission went out. My first thought was: LEMON. Fortunately the dealership put a used transmission (only 40,000 miles) in it at no charge to us. I picked it up yesterday morning. Drove it to work and it drove like a dream. YAY!!!!

Guess where my van is now? In the shop of course. When I left work yesterday to come home - NO TRANSMISSION!!!! Can you even believe this??? Can YOU say LEMON????

So, what's a stamping girl to do when life gives her lemons? That's right - go shopping and buy more stamps!!!! LOL! I remembered seeing this House Mouse stamp at my local craft store and it was so completely perfect for the way I've been feeling lately, I had to have it. So off I went in my "loaner" van to make my purchase.

Details:
Stamp:House Mouse

The yellow polka-dot paper is from Hobby Lobby. I added Only Orange dots around the white polka dots and Old Olive dots to the centers of the polka dots as well as around the white mat. The green and orange designer papers are from Stampin'Up! I used Prisma pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) to color the image. Crystal Effects was added to make the glass appear "glassy" and once dry I cut out the image and poppep it up on dimensionals. The flower is 2 seperate pieces held together with a glittery green brad and held in place on a piece of yellow polka dot ribbon with a large glue dot.

I haven't added a greeting to the inside yet - I thought about the traditional "when life gives you lemons" saying but then also thought I could start it out that way and end it with "Pucker Up!" Any ideas out there???

Thanks for "listening" and being my sounding board today.

Until tomorrow -

Happy Stamping.

Jill