A Gift for Grandma

Here is another set of cards that I'm giving as a gift for Christmas. I love how these little boxes turned out. They are so simple! They're perfect for heavily embellished cards too! Though they're extremely time consuming, they're SO worth it! I think it totally completes this gift. No wrapping required!

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Early Espresso, Real Red, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso Core'dinations

DSP ~ Ooops it's retired, Sorry!

Ink ~ Real Red, Early Espresso

Stamp sets ~ Everything Eleanor, Chalk Talk, Postage Collection

Embellishments ~ Pearls Basic Jewels, Soda Pop Tops (retired), cream colored satin ribbon

Gratitude is Beautiful!

I needed a Thank You card. I wanted something a little Christmasy because (well, it's the Christmas season), but I didn't want it to be TOO Christmasy. Yes, I know Christmasy isn't a word, but I'm using it anyway. I finally got to use my Beautifully Baroque stamp. I am in {LOVE} with this one! How classy is that? 

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe (core'dinations), Very Vanilla

DSP ~ First Edition (retired)

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe

Stamp Sets ~ Beautifully Baroque, Harvest of Thanks

Embellishments ~ Espresso colored satin ribbon (not a Stampin' Up! product)

Soft Sympathy

I am addicted to French Foliage. I've been using the heck out of it lately. I always seem to get attached to something AFTER they retire it. Day late and a dollar short is my motto. Oh well, works for me. Once again, the need for a sympathy card sucks, but it WAS really fun to put this one together. I really like the color combo. Not sure if I'll be able to duplicate it ever again. lol

I really love doing detail work. The leaves seem to come alive with a little marker attention. Time consuming yes, but definitely worth it.

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ Crumb Cake, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets ~ French Foliage, So Sorry, Truly Grateful

Other supplies ~ cream ribbon, burlap ribbon

Blood Curdling

Oh I had so much fun making this card. I know it's a bit gruesome... but I still love it. I haven't had a whole lot of time to create lately. I think I say that in every post. With two kids on different schedules, commuting over 100 miles (back and forth many times) to and from school everyday, and a hubby that is in the middle of seeding, this girl is running in too many directions. I keep telling myself that things will slow down soon, but I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel coming anytime soon.

Back on track... I just LOVE this stamp set. I'm addicted to skulls. Funny that I didn't use that stamp for this card though. I think this was my third attempt at the design. The first two didn't have any blood spatter, and I think that totally makes it. I think the icing on the cake is the Crystal Effects that was applied to each droplet. Yes, it was a bit time consuming but it added another dimension to the card. If you haven't noticed, I like LOTS and LOTS of layers and embellishments.

I can't wait to send these out for Halloween!

~Inside~

Supplies:

Cardstock ~ Real Red, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso Core'dinations

DSP ~ First Edition

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Real Red

Stamp Sets ~ Toil & Trouble, Gorgeous Grunge, Off the Grid

Other Supplies ~ Crystal Effects

Thinking of You

This card was created for Mojo Monday's latest challenge, but I missed the deadline by one  hour. Really? Such is my luck, he he he! Oh well, I still have a purdy card to show for my effort. Here is what I came up with. This is the first time I've used this stamp, even though I've had it for quite a while. I really liked how it turned out. Love the colors. I swear, that Calypso Coral speaks to me. I also love the DSP. Unfortunately it's retired {pout}. 

Supplies

Paper ~ Everyday Enchantment DSP, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Soft Suede

Ink ~ Calypso Coral, Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzaz

Stamp Sets ~ Thinking of You

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, Burlap

Copy Cat

I can't take an ounce of credit for this card. I found it on Pinterest. I loved it so much, I had to recreate it. I changed it just a tiny bit, but not enough to make it my own. It was a fun one to make though.

Supplies:

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze, Cajun Craze

Stamp Sets ~ Harvest of Thanks, Gorgeous Grunge, Positively Chevron

Other SU Supplies ~ Woodgrain embossing folder, Floral Frames Collection framelits, Apothecary Accents Collection framelits, Boho Blossoms punch, Pearl Basic Jewels, Very Vintage Designer Buttons

Misc. Supplies ~ burlap

Toil & Trouble... with a little Poison on the Side.

Woo Hoo! My Stampin' order came! I am finally getting my hands on Toil and Trouble. I am obsessed with skulls. I don't know why, but I love them. So, when the Holiday catalog came out, Toil and Trouble was the first on my wish list.

I had a lot of fun playing with it today. I have so many more ideas burning in my head. I created it for Try Stampin' on Tuesday's weekly challenge but I'm not sure it really fits with the sketch. I got a little off track. Oops! I decided to make my own paper. I think I'm going to call it MCP instead of DSP. Don't get me wrong, I love Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper... BUT, everyone else has it too. I want to be different. Go figure. Here is what I came up with. I think it came together nicely.

Supplies:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla

Ink ~ More Mustard, Pear Pizzaz, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze

Stamp Sets ~ Off the Grid, Gorgeous Grunge, Toil and Trouble, misc. alphabet stamp set

***I did not use any SU embellisments for this card. 

I used the Brayer tool to make the More Mustard and Pear Pizzaz paper. I like the effect better than using SU cardstock.

Woo Hoo!!! This card received a special mention over at Try Stampin' on Tuesday!!!

Truly Grateful 3D

Anything but a card they said. Challenge it will be. This was created for The Paper Players latest challenge. A challenge indeed it was. I have been stuck in my little happy place creating cards for who knows how long. I've really never done any 3D objects. It was a really fun little project. Something new and different. I've been collecting jars for quite some time. I think this one was a jalapeno jar (don't worry, I washed it first). I can't stand throwing things away that I think may someday turn into a craft project.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP

Ink ~ Early Espresso, More Mustard, Crumb Cake

Stamp Sets ~ Gorgeous Grunge, Positively Chevron, Truly Grateful

Other Supplies ~ Linen fabric, burlap fabric, burlap ribbon, pool party ribbon

Shop Around

I purchased the new roller stamp "Shop Around" from Stampin' Up! a while ago. I keep forgetting I have it because it's the only roller stamp I own, plus I haven't really found a home or it to store in yet. So, I was excited to put it to use. I am absolutely in LOVE with Crisp Cantaloupe. It' SCREAMS vintage to me. So, I set out to create a shabby, chic, vintagy card. I think it works well. 

Supplies Used: 

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe (core'dinations)

Ink ~ Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake

Stamp Sets ~ Chalk Talk, Shop Around, Positively Chevron

Other Supplies ~ Labels Collection framelits, Window rames Collection framelits, Designer Frames embossing folder

Embellishments ~ Ruffle Stretch Trim, Antique Brads, In Color Boutique Details, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Burlap

*Still working on perfecting my photography skills.

Gift Sets!!!

I've been working on putting some greeting card sets together. Today's color theme was Pool Party, Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso. Oh how I do love that Crisp Cantaloupe! These are so handy to give as gifts too! This set includes...

"Happy Birthday"

"Thank You"

 "Grateful"

"Friendship"

Please let me know what you think!

Truly Retro

Freedom! The kids went to play at a friends house today. Woo Hoo! That means my house will stay clean for more than 5 minutes and I get some STAMPING TIME! I'm taking every second I can get these days. We're still right in the middle of Harvest. I swear this is the longest year ever, or at least it feels like it. Probably because it's keeping me from my woman cave.

I felt a bit like Cinderella today. Mentally thinking, "Now if I manage to get all of my house cleaning done, I might have enough time to squeeze a card in." Rambling to myself is nothing new. My kids think I'm crazy. I like to have a conversation with the vacuum cleaner. It knows all my deepest and darkest of secrets.

As it turns out, I had JUST enough time to crank this one out. I created it for Retro Sketches challenge #74. I had fall colors in mind for this one. We're getting closer and closer to those pumpkin spiced drinks that I love! I also decided to change the way I photograph my cards. I'll work on the lighting...

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Core'dinations in Early Espresso, More Mustard cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Baked Brown Sugar, More Mustard

Stamp Sets ~ Truly Grateful, Chalk Talk 

Embossings ~ Brads (coated with Pool Party embossing powder), White linen fabric (colored with the Brayer tool and More Mustard ink, Vintage Brads

*The embossing folder used for the background on this card is not from Stampin' Up!

So...Fine?

I set out to create a sympathy card. I hate making these. They mean something sad happened. But, on the positive side, I got to use my Positively Chevron stamp again! I have had the Fine Feathers stamp set for a LONG time, but I think this is only the second time I've used it. I'll be using it more from now on. I used the sketch provided by Retro Sketches for challenge #73, of course I embellished on it a bit. I LOVE how this turned out.

{{{INSIDE}}}

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, First Edition DSP

Ink ~ Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Baked Brown Sugar

Stamp Sets ~ Positively Chevron, Gorgeous Grunge, So Sorry, Truly Grateful, Fine Feathers, Curly Cute

Other Supplies ~ Early Espresso embossing powder, Pearls Basic Jewels, Chalk Talk framelits, Soda Pop Tops, Itty Bitty Banner framelits

All supplies copyright Stampin' Up!

So Grateful for...Crisp Cantaloupe!!!

I am in LOVE with Crisp Cantaloupe. I think it is just the Bee's Knees! I especially love it when it's paired with Early Espresso and Pool Party. Here is my latest card. I created it today for CAS(E) this Sketch challenge #36.  It's the first time I had a chance to play with some things from my latest Stampin' Up! order. I'm positively smitten with Positively Chevron. I'll be using this one a LOT!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Pool Party, Crisp Cantaloupe, Sahara Sand

Ink ~ Early Espresso

Stamp Sets ~ Chalk Talk, Ciao Baby, Positively Chevron

Other Stampin' Up! Supplies ~ Early Espresso embossing powder, Pool Party embossing powder, Antique Brads, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Pearl Basic Jewels, Soda Pop Tops, Ruffle Stretch Trim, Labels Collection dies, paper piercing tool, Designer Frames embossing folder

Misc. Supplies ~ Natural thread, brads (covered with Pool Party embossing powder)