Three New Stamped Cards

I won several packs of stamps from Fresh Squeezed Stamps and wanted to use some of my new goodies. I played around with the stamps and some new techniques and wanted to share three of the cards I made. 

Card 1: Washi Inspired 

My favorite stamp set from my winnings was Breath of Fresh Flair which has numerous small images that fit on a circle stamp to make your own flairs. I thought the designs were so cute that I wanted to start with this set. I chose to break out some wash tape which I've collected but have hardly used, and paired the two together to create this fun card. 

I taped some wash in strips on a piece of cardstock. I stamped the circle outline stamp over the top using permanent ink. I punched out the circles using a circle punch, including some half circles along the edges. This was the forefront of my card. On the background, which is the actual white folded card, I stamped my images and sentiment. I used a cassette tape and bow stamp. To connect the two images, I drew in the squiggle line to represent the cassette tape ribbon being tied into a bow. I chose the "just a note" sentiment to play with the music theme. I popped the washi panel over my card with some foam adhesive. 

Card 2: Making own Background 

I also received a graphic set called Trendy Triangles. Since I normally like to use cute images rather than graphic designs, I challenged myself to use this set. 

I stamped some triangles in a variety of colors in descending and ascending columns. To tone down the colors and patterns, I stitched a layer of vellum over the top. On the vellum I stamped a jar of hearts with my sentiment. I used the same ink colors from the background for my hearts. 

I wrapped the paned with some ribbon and then popped that on top of my folded card with some foam adhesive. It came out very feminine and elegant. 

Card 3: Making own Foreground 

I made this next card for my two year old niece's birthday. Here she is along with my grandmother and my husband who were also celebrating a birthday. They each had their own cake.  

Since she wouldn't really care about the design elements, I kept the card fun and bright. I thought she'd like the colors, the shine and the people with tiny party hats. 

I stamped the front panel of the card with solid circles and stars. The smaller circle is actually the back side of an outline circle stamp, so remember that both sides of a stamp can be used if necessary. I punched out a hole on the front panel and stamped the people on the inside of the card. The hats are little triangles I cut from the leftover circles from my wash card. I added some sequins as a final touch. 

Hey party people, thanks so much for stopping by,

Paper House: Origami Cards

The Projects
I wanted to make a boy and girl version of a similarly designed card to show the versatility of the different Paper House collections. I thought origami would add a fun touch and the weight of Paper House’s papers are just perfect for folding.  

Boy Scout Card
To fold the shirts, I followed the pictures from Origami Resource Center. I cut three rectangles at 3” x 4.5” from different sections of the My Lil’ Scout papers to get different colors.

I tied ribbon around the collars to look like neckerchiefs. I finished it with some black acrylic paint from a squeeze bottle to make the buttons. I used some 3-D stickers for the sentiment and embellishments.

You can also use a dollar bill, or any paper money, and fold it into a shirt. That would be a fun way to give money instead of using a money holder.

Supplies

My Lil’ Scout collection (SBC-0156)

     Scouting Around paper (P-0658E)

     Cub Scouts paper (P-0657E)

     Lil’ Scout 3D sticker (STDM-0152E)

Backyard Birds collection (SBC-0160)

     Backyard Birds paper (P-0664E)

     For the Birds paper (P-0665E)  

Cardstock

Paper Clip 

Ribbon

Twine

Acrylic Paint

Birthday Girl Card
For the birthday girl card, I wanted some brightly colored dresses as the focal point. I gave three dresses to my niece for her birthday, so I thought some origami dresses would be perfect on the card.

The Gymnastic paper has some rainbow stripes on it which will yield a variety of dress colors. I cut some 3” x 3” squares from one strip across the page. Each square makes a different colored dress so you can mix and match.

I followed the instructions from Inklings & Yarns’ blog to fold the dresses. This is a written tutorial, there are also many video ones if that is your preference. I like referring to diagrams when I'm folding. For a final touch, I added some floral nail decals on each dress. These come a variety of designs and colors and can be found at beauty supply stores. They look like fimo clay. I find that the beauty supply stores are kind of pricy so I actually bought this at a discount clothes store in the accessories section.

Supplies

Sweet Birthday Girl 3D Sticker (STDM-0181E)

Gymnastic paper (P-0673E)

Backyard Birds collection (SBC-0160)

     Backyard Birds paper (P-0664E)

     For the Birds paper (P-0665E)  

Cardstock

Paper Clip 

Nail Decal

Twine

 Tips
• Practice first on some scratch paper before using the patterned papers. I did that and it saved me from wasting some patterned papers.
• The shirt is easier to fold than the dress. I'd start with the shirt first.
• Use a bone folder to give you sharp creases. This really gives you crisp folds and makes it less bulky.
• The mini clothes hanger is made from a regular size paper clip. Start by bending it slightly apart. Wrap the shorter end around the longer end and crimp it closed. Then curl the top of the hanger into a hook shape. Cut off the excess wire.

• You can easily change the look of the clothing for different occasions. For example, make the dresses in white for a wedding card or add a tie to the shirt for Father’s Day.

If you would like an instruction sheet, here is a downloadable PDF. This project is also up on Paper House's blog today. 

Instruction Sheet PDF

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks: #164 Multiple Layers
4 Krafty Girlz: Anything Goes
Crafty Ribbons Challenge: #66 Anything with Ribbons
The Crafter's Cafe: #33 How Adorable
Crafting with Dragonflies: #13 Nature, Trees, Leaves

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Happy First Birthday!

The Bash
Fresh Squeezed Stamps is celebrating their first birthday and there are fun and games all week long. If you would like to join in their birthday card challenge, see this post. There are giveaways all week long, so be sure to stop by their blog.

The Card

Since it is a birthday, I made them this birthday card using one of their first stamp sets, The Sweet Life. I was asked to be a guest designer today, along with all the former guest designers. If you need some birthday inspiration, there are a ton of birthday cards on the blog this week.

The Details

I took a coffee stirrer stamp and stamped just the stem part in green in varying heights by masking the unused portion of the stamp. The top of the coffee stirrer has a little heart on it. I stamped just the heart portion in different colors on top of the stem to make heart shaped flowers. I wanted a few larger hearts so I took a heart outline stamp, reversed it, and stamped using the back of the stamp for a solid heart. This way I could vary the height and sizes of the flowers. I choose ink colors based on the chevron stripe from my patterned paper. 

I stamped and cut out a bee and popped it up over the chevron stripe. I added some sparkle with a glitter pen on the hearts and bee. 

Stop by Fresh Squeezed Stamps' blog today and enter to win one of their subway series stamp. There are daily giveaways this week. 

Supplies

Cardstock: CutCardStock (A-2)

Patterned Paper: We R Memory (Chalkboard)

Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps

Ink: Memento, Stampin' Up

Glitter Pen: Zig (Wink of Stella)

Corner Rounder: Ek Success 

I'm entering this in:
CutCardStock: World Cardmaking Day
Crafting by Designs: Anything Goes
Crafty Creations Challenges: #242 Winged Things

Thanks so much for buzzin' by,

Runway Inspired Challenge: Condolence Card

The Card

I wanted to make a condolence card, which is always a difficult one to make. I wanted something simple and elegant, with the emphasis on the recipient and not so much the artistic design of the card. I ended up with this card, which is along the lines of what I was imagining. 

The Challenge

The inspiration for this card is actually from a dress. Previously, I had seen other design team members enter the Runway Inspired Challenges, where you create projects based on fashion inspiration. I wasn't inclined to join in until I saw the photo of the current challenge. I thought it would really match the type of card I wanted to make. Also I had been working with vellum all week so it was just perfect. 

Instead of stamping in blue ink on white cardstock, I reversed the colors and stamped in white ink on blue cardstock. I also heat embossed my background image. I folded a piece of vellum over the card base and stamped the sentiment on the vellum in two tones of blue. I finished it with some ribbon and sequins. It was quite fun to design something based on fashion. Try it some time!

I'm also entering this in:
Simon Says Stamps: Anything Goes Challenge
I used a Paper Smooches Spiritual Sampler stamp set.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Sweet Stamps: Altered Birthday Frame

This is my last project for Sweet Stamps as a guest designer. I really enjoyed my time with them this month and loved working with all of their gorgeous stamps.

The Project
My grandmother celebrated her 92nd birthday this past weekend and I wanted to make her a gift and card set. I was thinking along the lines of something monochromatic and elegant, and here is the result.

The Process
Vellum is back in popularity right now and I thought it would be the right base for the wings of some butterflies. I used this medium butterfly stamp and stamped it onto vellum using white embossing ink and white embossing powder.

After heating it and cutting it out, I wrapped the butterflies with some wire floral stamen to make the antennae. If you want color on your butterflies, color the reverse side of the vellum with markers before cutting them out. 

I purchased a plain wooden frame from Target to hold a 5 x 7" photo. I chose a very wide frame so I had more room to decorate. Since I wanted more of a monochromatic look, I printed the photo in black and white. I toyed with the idea of painting a light coat of white paint over the frame, but decided the butterflies would stand out more over the dark wood. Instead, I painted some wispy tendrils using white craft paint. To make it more durable, I added Mod Podge over just the tendrils. 

I made a few small ribbon roses and adhered the butterflies and roses onto the frame with come clear craft glue. 

I also added some smaller butterflies I punched from vellum using a Martha Stewart punch that matched the look of my stamp. I finished it off with some adhesive pearls.

I made a matching card using vellum over white cardstock. I drew in the tendrils and wrote the happy birthday sentiment in Chinese with a white pen. I added three of my extra butterflies, a few pearls and some Prima ribbon. I hope my grandmother will like this matching set.

If you have a project with roses on it, please join Sweet Stamps this week in their roses challenge. 

I'm entering the frame in the following challenges:

Altered Eclectics: Anything Goes Altered Items

Ladybug Crafts: September Challenge Anything Goes

I'm entering the card in the following challenges:

A Little Bit Crafty: Clean and Simple

Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings: #80 Shabby Chic and Ribbon

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

Sweet Stamps: Paper Piecing and Western Challenge

I have two cards to share with you today as a guest designer for Sweet Stamps.

Paper Piecing Card
The current monthly technique challenge at Sweet Stamps is on Paper Piecing. Here is my contribution:

I started by stamping this bee on two separate sheets of patterned papers. I cut out the eyes and wings from the pale blue sheet and popped it on top of the yellow sheet.

I wanted a school theme so I placed the bee in front of a slate board and paper pieced some chalk and a chalk holder. I had the bee write the sentiment, which is actually this stamp. 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

365 Cards: Day 259 - In a Bubble

Lady Anne's Challenges: #11 Anything Goes

Western Card

The current weekly challenge theme at Sweet Stamps is Western. I made a shaker card for my nephew since he likes to dress up like a cowboy when he goes to Knott's Berry Farm. 

I made a scalloped frame around the photo using some punched circles of a horse silhouette stamp. Here is the card when it is shaken. 

I used a quick and easy washi tape technique to make the shaker element. 

If you would like further details on either card, please see this post. If you would like to enter the paper piecing challenge, please go here. If you would like to enter the Western challenge, please go here. 

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Divas by Design: Anything Goes

Inklings & Yarn: Inky Linky Party 30

Clear it Out Challenge Blog: Theme - Boys, Stash - Circle Punch

Thanks so much for moseying on by,

Sweet Stamps Guest Designer: ATC Card

The Challenge
This week's challenge theme at Sweet Stamps is ATC (artist trading card). It measures 2.5 x 3.5" and is a mini work of art. It can also be layered onto a card. Here is my contribution as a guest designer.

The Card
I go to a monthly ATC trade at my LSS, Pages from the Heart. The owner calls the customers her Peeps and there are Peeps decorations throughout the store. For the SoCal Shop Hop she had an Easter basket with a Peeps chick outfit you could wear for the photo op. Here is our ATC group posing with the Peeps Easter basket during one of our trades.

So when I saw this Bunny Peeps stamp set, I just had to use it for this month's ATC trade. It was just too perfect.

I stamped and embossed the sentiment in white on white cardstock. I cut out some tiny clouds as a mask and dabbed on some ink to create the background. Here is a peek at my process. 

I made 16 cards and passed them out to my peeps. For more information on this card, please see today's post at Sweet Stamps. To see all the other designers' card and to enter this week's challenge, please see this post. There is a $20 prize for the winner to use at Sweet Stamp's online store so enter your ATC this week. 

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

Cards und More: #89 Anything Goes

Crafty Sentiments Designs: Anything Goes

Loves Rubberstamps Challenge Blog: #69 Sentiment on Front

Thanks so much for hoppin' by,

Peeps Petite - ATC Trade

The Trade
My local scrapbook store, Pages from the Heart, hosted its first ATC trade last month and I thought I'd try it out. If you are not familiar with this concept, ATCs (artist trading cards) are miniature works of art around the size of a baseball card. Usually, a scrapper will make numerous versions of the same design and trade it with other scrappers to end up with varying designs.

The Rules
For the event, Pages created some guidelines for the participants.

1. The card is to be folded instead of a flat single layer card. 
2. The card is a standard ATC size of 2.5 x 3.5".
3. Use at least one stamp from Fun Stampers Journey. 
4. The theme is "thinking of you". 

My Card
I had heard about ATCs, but wasn't too familiar with them. One of the other participants was telling me that she'd make hundreds of the same design, and attend a show to trade them. Then she'd collect them in a special binder like baseball cards. I was glad that for my first trade I only had to make twelve. For my card, I made this gift card holder.

The Details
For one of my embellishments, I stamped some hearts on patterned paper. To make them more like an epoxy sticker, I added Journey Glaze, which is like Glossy Accents. I added some Stickles for some shine and Pearl Pen for a few small highlights.

I also cut some banners on my Cameo. Each banner was cut twice, the second time being a shadow.  I then stamped my sentiment on the banner.

I wanted some balloons to match the "celebrate" on my sentiment. Normally for just one card, I'd punch the balloons from patterned paper. Since I was making multiples, I punched the balloons on border stickers to streamline the process. 

I wanted a different fold that was the still the standard size so I used this die cut file from the Silhouette Store. The outer piece is an envelope which I decorated on the outside. When you open it, the inside has a pull out gift card holder. I placed the card recipe where the gift card would lie. 

Supplies

 Patterned Paper: Scenic Route (floral), Basic Grey (solid)

 Cardstock Sticker: Scenic Route (border strip)

 Stamps: Fun Stampers Journey: Little BIG Greetings 

     (sentiment), Hey Girl! (heart)

 Punch: Fiskars (balloon)

 Ink: Stampin’ Up

 Pens: Sakura (white, glitter)

 Pearl Pen: Viva Decor (cream)

 Glitter Glue: Stickles by Ranger (frosted lace)

 Glaze: Fun Stampers Journey

 Die Cut Machine: Silhouette Cameo

 Die Cut File: Silhouette #23969 

The Haul

These are the gorgeous cards I received in return.  

I wanted to point out that my friend Becky made this cutie. 

She has a dachshund of her own so I sent her Paper Made Bakery's June kit which had a dachshund stamp in it. She sent me this adorable card made from the kit.

Pages is hosting a Hugs trade once a month, called Peeps Petite. If you are in the Monrovia area, please join us. It will be on the first Wednesday of each month.  I also attended the second trade last week, so I'll be sure to post those cards soon, just as soon I return home from the UK.

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,

Life.Paper.Scrapbook. Magazine

The Issue
Hello all! I've been following an Australian blog called Life.Paper.Scrapbook. that showcases crafters from around the world. They have really beautiful projects and fun challenges on their blog, plus they publish a free quarterly online magazine. As this is a relatively new site, their second issue just came out on Friday.

Life.Paper.Scrapbook. Issue 2 online magazine

I really admire the clean look of the featured projects so when I saw that they had a publication call for the second issue, I decided to submit a few of my own creations. I was quite surprised but delighted that they chose three of my submissions. To see the issue, just go here.

The Details
My layout, "Who Loves Their Auntie?" featuring Zemira as a little baby can be found on P. 56 of the Scrapbook Gallery. Here is a peek of the construction process. I'd just folded the squares to make my cathedral quilt and was lining up all the pieces.

My layout, "Welcome to L.A." about Lulu's arrival at LAX can be found on P. 78 of the Pet Gallery. Here is a peek of when I laying out the design of the page. 

This was the first time they had a Card Gallery, so I turned in this, "Somebunny Loves You" card which features a digi-stamp that I turned into a die cut on my Cameo. This is found on P. 98. 

Take a look at the magazine or the blog to see all the beautiful projects from designers around the world. You won't be disappointed. 

Thanks so much for stoppin' by,