Stampin' for the Soul

Punchy Christmas Tree

2010-11-18T19:21:00.003-05:00

Here we have a punch creation. I used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch with Garden Green card stock to create the tree. One half of the Round Tab punch from Real Red card stock made the pot for the tree. The circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack was used to make ornaments from Real Red and Whisper White card stock. I used the star from the Tree Decorations sizzlit to make the tree topper out of Daffodil Delight card stock. I use Crumb Cake card stock for a card base and stamped Merry Christmas from Christmas Greetings with Whisper White craft ink. It is much more subtle than I intended.
I thought this turned out to be a cute card.
Thanks for stopping by! Happy stampin'!

Turkey Sweet Treat Place Card

2010-11-17T14:54:00.002-05:00

When I saw this idea from Brenda Quintana, I immediately knew I'd have to give it a try. I had never used the Sweet Treat Cups before so I was really excited! Well, I wasn't disappointed! What a truly adorable place card for any Thanksgiving table. I used Reese's Pieces because I couldn't find fall M&Ms, but really, any candy could work. I thought about after dinner mints, and nuts as possible substitutes.
I did a few things differently such as using the Snowflake punch for the feet, and the Star punch for the beak. I also used a longer piece of Old Olive card stock, so to make a base making the turkey a bit more stable (he's a little front heavy because of his full belly. Will you be able to relate to him after dinner on Thanksgiving?) I also substituted some colors because of what I did (or didn't) have on hand.
Brenda does a wonderful tutorial on her site (just click on her name above). Contact me if you want to know anything specific that I did differently.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy stampin'!

Winter Post Treat

2010-11-15T14:16:00.004-05:00

Have you seen the little individual serving packages of Lindt Lindor Truffles? I found them at WalMart for $1! I decided to give a package a little "dress up" for the holidays. This would make a great little treat for someone!
I used Old Olive, Real Red, and Whisper White card stock. Using the snowflake from Winter Post, I stamped randomly with Versa Mark on the Old Olive card stock. Next, I punched a scallop border along the edge of the flap. Then, I inked the sentiment with my Old Olive and Real Red markers. I used Northern Frost decorative strip to cut a snowflake from a scrap piece of Shimmery White card stock. A little Whisper White taffeta ribbon finished it off. Simple and sweet!
Thanks for stopping by! Happy stampin'!

Halloween Wallhanging

2010-10-27T14:29:00.003-04:00

Today's share is one that is easy to make. I cut cereal box cardboard with the Big Shot and the Scallop Circle die, then cut Elegant Eggplant card stock with the same. I cut circles out of Basic Black card stock, and, using my Big Shot AGAIN, I cut out the letters using the Serif Essentials Alphabet dies and Pumpkin Pie card stock. I used ⅝" Basic Black grosgrain ribbon to connect the three scallop circles and to create bow. I wanted to keep the embellishments clean and simple, so I used another Sizzix die that I had to cut out these two adorable ghosts from Whisper White card stock. This was my first wall hanging, and it won't be my last!
Thanks for stopping by! Happy stampin'!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-25T19:02:00.002-04:00

Here is a Halloween card I made last week. I used the Dark & Dreary stamp set from the Holiday Mini. I also used the Spider Web embossing folder for the background. What a great folder that is! I stamped the images in Jet Black StazOn, and colored the spider in with a Basic Gray Stampin' Write marker. This makes the spider dark, without losing the stamped lines. I used Whisper White, Basic Black, and Pumpkin Pie card stock. I also used the ½" Circle punch.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy stampin'!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-10-24T19:28:00.005-04:00

I made this card to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness. The only non-Stampin' Up! product I used was the texture plate that embossed the ribbons in the background. I used the following Stampin' Up! products: Ribbon of Hope stamp, Hope Happens stamp set, Pretty in Pink card stock, Naturals White card stock, Vellum card stock, Pretty in Pink classic ink, Jet Black StazOn ink, 1¾" x 7/8" Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Beautiful Butterflies die, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot, and Basic Pearls.
Thanks for stopping by! Happy stampin'!

French Foliage Stamp Camp

2010-10-20T17:12:00.006-04:00

I am having my first Stamp Camp on Saturday. This is the project we will be making. It is an all occasion set of cards and a holder. There is a birthday card, a get well card, a friendship card, and a thank you card. We will be using the French Foliage stamp set and a variety of other stamp sets for the sentiments.

Just Believe on a Gate Fold Card

2010-08-08T17:43:00.002-04:00

Hi, there! It's good to see you here!

This is another card we did in one of my classes. It's a Gate Fold card. It is really quite simple. You begin with an 8½" x 5½" piece of card stock. Instead of scoring it at 4¼" , you score it twice, once at 2⅛" and again at 6⅜". The focal piece could be any shape, but I opted for a long rectangle to accommodate the stamp I wanted to use.
I used Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla card stock and Not Quite Navy classic ink. The DSP is the newly retired Bella Bleu. I used the stamp set called Just Believe.
I hope you're inspired to give this card type a try. It's so easy!
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Birthday in a Pocket

2010-08-06T14:53:00.002-04:00

Hi! I'm glad you've stopped by!
In a recent class that I taught, I highlighted different card types. The classic 5½" x 4¼" is great, but sometimes it's fun to change it up a little. This card is a Pocket Card. The pocket part is created with a 4¼" x 11" piece of card stock, and the message part uses a 3¼" x 5" piece. I used Sticky Strip down the sides to hold the pocket together.
This card uses Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, and Whisper White, and a little bit of the retired DSP called Cottage Wall. I used the stamp sets called Birthday Block (Summer Mini, p. 31) and Itty Bitty Bits (Summer Mini, p. 11; 2010/11 IB&C, p. 130). I hope you'll give this type of card a try. It's a fun card and certain to be enjoyed by whomever you send it to!
Thanks again for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Sketch Frenzy Friday 7/30/10

2010-07-30T04:41:00.008-04:00

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a great week and have had the opportunity to do some creating. Speaking of creating, Sketch Frenzy Friday has created a blog just for the weekly sketches. You will be able to go to www.sketchfrenzyfriday.blogspot.com and see each week's sketch as well as post your own creation using that sketch! The design team members will continue to post our cards on our personal blogs and you will be able to blog hop as you have all along. So, join in the fun!

Here is this week's sketch and it was designed by Tess Davis.I am behind in so many things, that it was necessary to make this card do double duty, so I created a birthday card for my daughter who turned 13 this week. She just LOVES bright colors and has mentioned more than once how Melon Mambo is her favorite, so my color choices were easy. I used several stamp sets to make this card: Extreme Elements; Dot, Dot, Dot; Seeing Stars; Sanded; and On Your Birthday. When I was finished, or should I say 'thought' I was finished, I was looking at the card and felt that something was missing. That's when I added some Dazzling Diamonds to the crown. Yes! I could hear her say "Glitter!". She is going to love this card! She's away right now, and I'm going to mail it to her (the inside says "a little late"). I can't wait to hear what she thinks!

Well, that's my card for this week's Frenzy, and now I hope you hop over to Ros' blog to see what she did with this sketch!
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Sketch Frenzy Friday 7/23/10

2010-07-23T07:20:00.008-04:00

It's Friday, and you know what that means! Sketch Frenzy! This week's sketch was designed by Kim Innis.

I finally used the new In Color called Concord Crush and the new Patterns Designer Series Paper. Luscious! I used Naturals White as my card base, and knotted a piece of Organza ribbon to run across near the bottom. The butterflies are the largest of the rabble that can be created with the Beautiful Wings embosslit. I finished the card off by adding three half pearls from the new Basic Pearls package. Self adhesive ... gotta love that!
So, there you have it - a relatively simple yet elegant card! Did you notice there was no stamping? I think I may stamp a sentiment on the inside when I decide who to send this card to.
I hope you will leave me a comment, continue on the blog hop for more incredible inspiration, and then try this sketch for yourself! When you post your creation, please include the tag SFF072310 so we can find you!

The next stop is Ros Davidson's blog. Check out what our gal down under has created!

Sketch Frenzy Friday 7/16/10

2010-07-16T01:11:00.004-04:00

Oh, boy! It is Friday, AGAIN!

So, this week's Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch was created by Kelli Waters.
I used Greenhouse Gala DSP, Friends Never Fade stamp set, and Oval All stamp set. The scallop circle was cut with my Big Shot and the Scallop Circle die. I used the Large Oval and Scallop Oval punches for the sentiment. The colors are Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz, and Daffodil Delight. My watermark covers it, but there is a flower image stamped in Versamark on the Pear Pizzazz where the DSP is torn away. Some Pumpkin Pie ¼" grosgrain ribbon finished this off nicely.
Then next stop on the blog hop is Ros Davidson's blog.
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Sketch Frenzy Friday 7/9/10

2010-07-09T08:18:00.005-04:00

Hi there! I know I've said this before, but time really flies! I've been enjoying some time with my kids this week and haven't done much stamping but I do have this to share for Sketch Frenzy Friday. This week's sketch was designed by Sharon Field.

To be honest, I didn't remember until I was getting into bed that I hadn't made my card for this week. So, I got up early this morning and got inky. I usually work from the card base out but for some reason I started with my focal piece. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was way to big for the card! As I tell my customers, "There are no mistakes, just opportunities to get creative." I moved the focal piece to the left, cropped it ever so slightly, and ta-daaa, there you have it!
I used Herb Expressions from the Idea Book & Catalog. The card stock colors are Wild Wasabi (the card base), Garden Green, and Whisper White Natural. I stamped in Black StazOn, and used a blender pen to color the leaves with Garden Green. I also put my Big Shot to work using the Square Lattice embossing folder, and the Ovals die (small oval). Punches I used were the Wide Oval, Scallop Trim Corner, and Scallop Trim Border. I finished it off with three half pearls from the old Pretties Kit. The Pretties Kit is no longer available, but the pearls can be purchased by themselves now and they are self adhesive! 150 half pearls in three sizes for only $4.95! What a great deal!
Are you inspired to give this sketch a try? I hope so! If you do, link below so we can all see your creation!
The next stop on the Sketch Frenzy Friday blog hop is Ros' blog and you can get there by clicking on the logo below.Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Sketch Frenzy Friday 7/2/10

2010-07-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to Sketch Frenzy Friday! This week's sketch was created by Connie Smith.

I am working on becoming more comfortable with making vintage cards. This week I used Vintage Vogue, and the coordinating jumbo wheel, Very Vintage. I used ink and card stock in the colors of Bashful Blue and Crumb Cake. I also used Very Vanilla card stock.
Click on the Sketch Frenzy Friday logo below to continue your blog hop to Ros' blog.I hope you are inspired to give this sketch a try. If you do, link below so we can see your creation!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

From My Retired Stash

2010-06-29T13:37:00.002-04:00

I love making cards for my kids. They are some of my biggest fans and are so thrilled when I make them something! This is a birthday card I made for my youngest. He turned 11 yesterday! This is a long-time-retired set that I don't know the name of. It has many other sports related images like a golf ball, a tee, a football, a helmet, and the like. If you happen to know the name, let me know!
The words were all computer generated.
So, I hope you are inspired to go pull out a retired set, one you had almost forgotten you had, and create something for someone special!
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Sketch Frenzy Friday 6/25/10

2010-06-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

It's Sketch Frenzy Friday, again! This week's sketch was designed by Brenda Taylor.
I used the Greenhouse Gala DSP and Friends Never Fade. I used Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie card stock, and grosgrain ribbon. It made for a very cheery card!
I hope you'll give the sketch a try. If you do, you can link it down below so we can all see it!
You can visit the Ros' blog to see her take on this sketch by clicking on the logo below.Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Another Pattern from Greenhouse Gala

2010-06-24T18:32:00.002-04:00

Ever since I got the Greenhouse Gala DSP, I've been looking at this pattern wondering what I was going to do with it. It is one of those pieces that is well suited to being used as a 12"x12" scrapbook page. I finally figured out something today and this is what I came up with.
I stamped the flower from Friends Never Fade with Versamark onto Certainly Celery card stock. The dsp is on a piece of Old Olive card stock and the photo corners are punched from Pumpkin Pie and Real Red card stock. I did some paper piercing in the three corners without the photo corners and added Old Olive brads to the photo corners before attaching them. I stamped the image with the sentiment in Real Red on Whisper White card stock, then cut out just the words. It is glued to a piece of Pumpkin Pie, then Old Olive card stock. I'm very happy with the end result!
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Saying Hello

2010-06-22T19:27:00.004-04:00

This is a card I made using Bouquet Bunch and Hello Again. The tree leaves are on dimensionals, and so is the squirrel. I stamped the hello on 3/8" twill tape. The brown layer has been put through the big shot with the distressed texture plate.
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Mini Sheet Wonder

2010-06-21T10:40:00.003-04:00

Check this out! This weekend, I made these five cards and used only one 6"x6" piece of homemade design paper (plus card stock)! I got this technique from Sharon Field. The tutorial for this great technique can be found here.
I used the July Fourth stamp set from the Summer Mini, Whisper White, Night of Navy, and Real Red inks/card stock, and Night of Navy ¼" grosgrain ribbon.
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Sketch Frenzy Friday 6/18/10

2010-06-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

It's time for Sketch Frenzy Friday, again! This week's sketch was designed by Angela Waters.

I used Baja Breeze, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip card stock. I used two designs from the Greenhouse Gala DSP and an image from Friends Never Fade.
I hope you'll give this sketch a try! You can link your post below so we can see it, too!
Click on the Sketch Frenzy Friday logo below to go to the blog of Ros Davidson!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Stamping 411 Color Inspiration

2010-06-17T15:57:00.003-04:00

I was "blurfing" and found this color challenge on Stamping 411, today. The challenge was to use Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, and Certainly Celery. They sure make a nice combination, don't they?
I chose this design from the Greenhouse Gala DSP because it had all three colors in it. I used a stamp from Thank You Kindly. I stamped it in Chocolate Chip craft ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I used Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Chocolate Chip ¼" grosgrain ribbon, and I sponged Baja Breeze onto Whisper White taffeta ribbon.
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Father's Day Share

2010-06-16T10:27:00.003-04:00

Father's Day is almost here! I don't have cards done for my husband, but I did manage to get cards made and mailed out to my father and my father-in-law. I rarely make two or more of the same card, but when I finished this one, I was so pleased I made another! It is simple, and uses up some of the retiring products.
I used Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White card stock, and To the Nines Specialty DSP. The sentiment comes from All Holidays and is stamped with Chocolate Chip ink. You can't see it here, but inside I stamped "It's your day ... enjoy!" from It's Your Birthday. I used Chocolate Chip 1" Double-Stitched Grosgrain ribbon and layered it with two rows of Sage Shadow ¼" grosgrain ribbon.
I just love, love, love comments so please let me know you were here!
Well, thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

More Greenhouse Gala

2010-06-15T13:43:00.002-04:00

This is a card I made using the June 11 sketch at Stamping 411.

I used, again, some of the new Greenhouse Gala DSP that will be available July 1, and the yellow pieces are Daffodil Delight, a new color that will be available on that same date. The blue is Baja Breeze, a former In Color that is returning as a core color! The sentiment is from Thoughts & Prayers.
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Mojo Monday 143

2010-06-14T10:58:00.004-04:00

It's Monday, so it's time for Mojo!
I have used a Level 3 Hostess DSP called Lovely Flowers. I think this paper is just gorgeous. I also used a sentiment from our new Watercolor Trio set.
This card is already in the mailbox!
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!

Medallion Tiles

2010-06-13T09:47:00.000-04:00

This was a first for me. I had never stamped on tiles before. One of my incredibly talented "sideline", Melissa Carr, brought this project for us to make at our upline's monthly meeting.
We created the box using Crumb Cake card stock; punched it with the Scallop Edge Border punch; sponged it with Chocolate Chip ink; and finished it off with Chocolate Chip Stitched grosgrain ribbon. We stamped the Medallion stamp on the tiles using Black StazOn and sealed each tile with spray sealer. The project was complete once we put felt feet on each tile. Such a great project!!!
Thanks for stopping by and happy stampin'!