Button Buddies Gift Set

I needed a cute gift set and whipped this one up pretty quickly, thanks to the Button Buddies, SU! note cards & envelopes and coordinating accessories.

Paper: Melon Mambo, Peach Parfait, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Ice Cream Parlor DSP
Ink: Melon Mambo, Peach Parfait, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Stamps: Button Buddies
Tools: Big Shot, Finishing Touches Edgelits Dies
Accessories: Buttons

This set was so quick and easy to do because SU! products coordinate so nicely together! All I did was cut a 2-inch strip of paper from the Ice Cream Parlor DSP and accented it with the Finishing Touches Edgelits in a coordinating colour. I stamped the floral image from Button Buddies in Old Olive, added some flower buttons (also from the Ice Cream Parlor pack) and then stamped the vase again in a coordinating colour and popped it up with Dimensionals.

Since this was a gift, I put the four cards with coordinating envies in a cello bag and used the Ice Cream Parlor coordinating ribbon to package it up. I gave them as a birthday gift along with my  button birthday card I posted here and the recipient love it! Doesn't take much to put a smile on someone's face when you make handcrafted items!

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

New Nest

Today's post features some old and new products. It's another CAS design (not my typical, but I guess I'm feeling that lately) and I just love how it came out!

Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Birds of a Feather DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple
Stamps: Good Neighbours, Take Care, Love & Laughter

This "Congrats on the new nest" card is for friends who recently bought a house. The focal image is the nest stamp from Take Care and I added some crumpled strips of Early Espresso paper to give dimension to the nest. I stamped a house from Good Neighbors (retired) and glued that on top. I'm really happy with how my vision came out on paper.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Still Time to Smile!

As you probably already know, July has been a reason to smile. For the entire month, you can purchase the exclusive Reason to Smile stamp set for only $5.00 when you purchase $60.00! What a sweet deal... especially since you can choose either clear-mount or wood-mount.

As a Demonstrator, we had the opportunity to pre-order this stamp set in June already. Of course I forgot to do that and so I only recently got it. Anyway, here is the first card I made with this beautiful set:

Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Old Olive
Stamps: Reason to Smile, Tiny Tags
Tools: Big Shot, Framed Tulips TIEF, Little Labels Punch Pack
Accessories: Calypso Coral Organdy Ribbon

I started with a Whisper White card base and masked off about a 2 inch section. Next, I stamped the Gerber Daisies randomly in Poppy Parade and Daffodil Delight (two step stampin'). I then ran the card base through the Big Shot using the Framed Tulips TIEF, lining up the edge of the folder with my masked edge on the card base. To add even more dimension, I stamped another image from the same set on Whisper White and fussy-cut it out. I glued the stem to the card base and popped up the flower with Dimensionals. I added a tiny knotted piece to the stem with a glue dot and wrapped some Calypso Coral Organdy Ribbon around the top and added a tag.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Another CAS Button Buddy

Yesterday I showed you a birthday card made with the cherry stamp set from Button Buddies. You can view it here if you missed it. Today I have a similar card using the rattle from the same set. Here's that card:

Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Crumb Cake
Stamps: Button Buddies, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Tools: Big Shot, Designer Frames TIEF, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch
Accessories: Buttons, Baker's Twine

This is the exact same layout as yesterday and I used all the same tools. The only difference is that I did some faux stitching with my Crumb Cake marker all around the card, punch-out and embossed part of the card. Pretty CAS and I like it!

Short and sweet today... what do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Cherries Please!

I know Button Buddies has been around for a while now, but it's been on my wish list since the beginning and I finally got my hands on it. I kept pushing it down the wish list as new stuff came out. I hoard buttons because I love 'em and yet, don't use them too often. I bought this stamp set to get me using all my buttons! Here's my first card with my newly acquired set:

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Early Espresso (marker), Old Olive (marker)
Stamps: Button Buddies, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Tools: Big Shot, Designer Frames EF, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch
Accessories: Buttons

This is probably the cleanest and simplest card I've ever done. I usually like lots of layers and embellishments, but I was feeling the "less is more" vibe for this one.

All I did was start with a Whisper White note card and emboss it with one of the Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. After that, I inked up the cherry stamp from the Button Buddies set with my Early Espresso and Old Olive markers, stamped it and added the buttons with glue dots. I popped up the sentiment with Dimensionals and viola!, a CAS card done in less than 5 minutes.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Have You Ever...

Have you ever placed an SU! order and once receiving it, you were stumped what to do with it?! Well, that's exactly what happened to me! My order was set to come on Friday, my Mr. Brown usually comes between 5 and 7 p.m. Well, he surprised me at 8 a.m. on THURSDAY!! I was so excited... I wanted to give him a BIG hug, but he ran away. :)

Anyway, I opened it all up, mounted my stamps, organized everything and sat down at my workspace later that day. And I just starred. I picked up a stamp set, set it down. And starred. This process repeated several times with different stamp sets until I gave up and had to go relax...

Now here we are Monday and I'm now sick, BUT, I did manage to get in some stamping time yesterday! Yippee. My creative block was over! Here's what I came up with:

Paper: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Glimmer, Festival of Prints DSP Pack (avail. Aug. 1st)
Stamps: Greetings of the Season (avail. Aug. 1st), Stylin' Snowfolk
Ink: Baja Breeze, Black
Tools: Big Shot, Snow Flurry Bigz Die (avail. Aug 1st), Adorning Accents Edgelits, Adorning Accents EF
Accessories: Vintage Buttons, Sweater Trim (avail. Aug. 1st), Tiny Black Brads (non SU!)

I thought the Vintage Faceted Buttons would be perfect to create a snowman with. I used some non SU! brads that I stuck through the button holes for the eyes and buttons. I added some Sweater Trim (available August 1st in the Holiday Catalogue) for the scarf and stamped and popped up the had from Stylin' Snowfolk.

I got the idea for the snowy hills from Amy White. You can see Amy's card here. I just thought it added so much dimension to the card. Lastly, for a bit of whimsy, I made a large snowflake with the Snow Flurry Bigz Die (available August 1st in the Holiday Catalogue), cutting one snowflake in Silver Glimmer Paper and the other two from Whisper White. I then added the smallest Vintage Faceted Button to the center.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

The Son of Man

Most of the time, I enjoy being asked to do custom work because when someone wants something custom, it means they can't find it anywhere else. It also means that I have to sometimes work out of my comfort zone and do something I wouldn't normally create otherwise.

Well, I was asked to create a custom birthday card based on the painting The Son of Man by René Magritte. You might have seen it in a gallery, or in the 1999 film, The Thomas Crown Affair (good movie, by-the-way!). In case you still don't know what I'm talking about, here's my card:

Paper: Well Worn DSP, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Blush Blossom
Ink/Markers: Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Blush Blossom
Stamps: Papaya Collage, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Tools/Techniques: Heat Gun, Gold Embossing Powder, Sponges

Do you recognize the painting now?! :)

When I was deciding what to do, I thought "How cool would it be to use the fancy frame from Papaya Collage and re-create the painting inside of it?!" So, that's what I did! I used gold embossing powder on Chocolate Chip card stock and heated it, then I fussy-cut it all out. I sponged a piece of Whisper White card stock with Bashful Blue and Sahara Sand ink to try and re-create the background of the painting. The man was put together with five separate pieces - the jacket, shirt/tie, face/neck, bowler hat & apple. I hand drew and cut out all the pieces and then used my markers to add shadows and dimension.

I think it turned out pretty cool!

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Patio Butterflies

I was honoured to be asked to be a Guest Designer for Sunday Stamps this week! I've enjoyed playing along for the last several challenges and look forward to many more. Here is this week's sketch and my design:

Paper: Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Patio Party DSP
Stamps: Fabulous Florets
Ink: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit
Accessories: Jewels, Midnight Muse Satin Stitched Ribbon
Tools: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit

When I saw the butterflies in the sketch, I immediately thought of all those tiny butterflies in the Patio Party DSP. To add a little interest (and it's hard to tell in the photos), I stamped the large leaf image from the Fabulous Florets set in VersaMark, covered it in clear embossing powder and heated it. After all was dry, I got out my Brayer and brayered Midnight Muse ink all over the DSP. This allowed my leaf image to pop because the butterflies that were captured behind the clear embossing powder stayed lighter and you can still see the rest of the DSP, although darker, under the brayered ink. Cool, eh?!

I mounted the DSP on some Summer Starfruit card stock and punched a border in the same colour with my Scallop Trim border punch. I also added some Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon for more texture. I used my Beautiful Wings embosslit to get all the butterflies and scattered them across the front - I saved the largest one for inside the card. For the sentiment, I stamped one of the floral images in Summer Starfruit on Summer Starfruit card stock, added some Dazzling Diamonds to the center and stamped the sentiment from Petite Pairs in the center in Midnight Muse ink. Then I fussy-cut the flower out and popped it up with Dimensionals.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

CASEing

CASEing stands for "Copy and Share Everything". I really do enjoy CASEing, on occasion, and honestly am flattered if someone were to CASE me. Provided they give the right credit, of course. :) Well, today I CASEd myself! And I'm flattered. ha. Either the heat is getting to me, or my father's corny sense of humor is coming out...

Anyway, as soon as I saw the challenge over at The Friday Mashup, a card I did a couple of months ago came to mind - here is that card. The challenge over there this week is to use banners/flags &/or to create a matching envelope. I combined this challenge with the Sunday Stamps challenge, which is a colour challenge this week. Here are the details for both:

Unlike my original creation, I wanted to keep this one a little less busy and focus mainly on the many, many bitty banners I had to run through my Big Shot! Here is my new creation:

Paper: Patio Party DSP, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Basic Gray, Whisper White
Stamp Sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Bakers Twine, Silver Brads
Tools: Big Shot, Bitty Banners, Top Note Die

To create my card, I started with a piece of 4x5 inch piece of Whisper White card stock. I ran that through the Big Shot with the smallest of the Bitty Banners, on an angle. From there (after cutting all those other banners), I glued them at the same angle and altering the patterns. Once they were all glued, I ran it though the Big Shot using the Top Note die. I added Bakers Twine with some brads and folded some solid-coloured banners over it.

Before popping up the finished piece to my Whisper White card base, I stamped a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

I used the "scrap" piece left over after cutting the Top Note shape and a stamped banner with the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set to create a coordinating envelope - something I hardly ever do, but it adds such a special touch. Obviously this card cannot go in the mail with an envie like that, so this card will have to be hand-delievered to someone special!

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

It's Getting Hot In Here...

Yesterday Mr. Brown came with some goodies for me (freebies, actually!), and I got a chance to play with some of them. The thing is, I kept trying to build my snowman with the set Stylin' Snowfolk, but it's just so dang humid and hot around here that he just kept melting!

Paper: Whisper White, Beyond the Garden DSP
Ink: Gumball Green, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Peach Parfait, Sahara Sand

Just a Friday funny for you... :) But seriously, I can't wait to really play with this set. It's just so adorable and lends itself to many possibilities!

This was just a quickie 3x3 card I whipped up. Hope it brought a smile to your face. I'll be back later on today with another post...

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Never Done This Before...

I created a card that works for THREE challenges this week! Now that's a challenge! :) The card I designed works for the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, the colour combo at The Paper Players and the picture inspiration over at Stampin' Royalty. Here are the details:

For my card, I switched the sketch layout from Freshly Made to portrait instead of landscape and shifted the focal box slightly to one side. I kept within the colour scheme from The Paper Players and from the picture inspiration at Stampin' Royalty, I went with the floral and vintage/cottage feel. Here is my card:

Paper: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Everyday Enchantment DSP
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight
Stamps: Fabulous Florets
Accessories: Vintage Brad
Tools: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

I started by embossing the Whisper White card base with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. I choose two patterns from the SAB Everyday Enchantment DSP pack and mounted them on Calypso Coral card stock. Next, I stamped the large leafy image from Fabulous Florets in Lucky Limeade, once, on Whisper White card stock. The rest of the images are also from the same stamp set. I stamped each on Whisper White as well and fussy-cut them all out. I layered them using Tombow and Dimensionals so that certain parts would pop-up to give added texture and dimension. To add even more depth to the flower I stamped in Calypso Coral, I cut it out three times in different sections of the image. I popped up each layer with Dimensionals again to give it a 3D look. I added a Vintage Brad to finish things up - perfect fit, I think!

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

The Olympics Are Coming!

I don't know about you, but when the Olympics are on, I'm pretty much glued to the TV. Perhaps a little more in the winter than in the summer, but I do enjoy watching the events. This week over at The Friday Mashup!, they've got an Olympic-inspired sketch. Here are the details:

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a project with "The Olympic Colour Combination of Marina Mist, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi & Real Red."
2. Or Make a Project using "Multiple Circles."
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project with the "Olympic Color Combo and Multiple Circles."

I usually tend to "Mash it Up" because I find it more challenging that way. This week was no exception! Here's what I came up with:

Stamps: Papaya Collage
Ink: StazOn Black, Marina Mist, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black
Embellies: Jewels
Tools: Big Shot, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, 1-3/8" Circle Punch

I just love Papaya Collage! It's such a versatile set - a flower, leaves, a bird, frames, a party hat and a butterfly. You wouldn't think they all go together, but they work! I choose this set because I just adore the rosette and knew it would work well in a punched out circle.

I first stamped the frame in black (isn't it gorgeous?!) and then I masked it so that I could stamp the leaves without stamping over the frame. I stamped and punched the rosettes and popped them up with Dimensionals. I also embossed a frame around the entire card using the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder and added some jewels around the inner frame for a little bling.

I like to pretty-up the inside of my cards to coordinate with the outside, so I stamped some leaves and then fussy-cut 2 rosettes. I popped the Real Red one with Dimensionals to give it all a bit of depth.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Freshly Made

Today I'm playing with the ladies at Freshly Made Sketches. It's my first time playing, but I liked the sketch and that this challenge site focuses on clean-lined and fresh creations. Here's the sketch:

It's actually quite fitting that I'm playing along today at Freshly Made because there's (finally) fresh air outside. It's been so hot and humid around here lately that I really missed having the windows open. Such a nice change!

Anyway, here is my card:

Okay, so I roughed up the edges just a tad. But not too much, so I think it still qualifies for "fresh" and "clean-lined", no?

I finally got around to using the Fine Feathers stamp set. It's one that drew my attention immediately in the new catty, but every time I pulled it out, I just couldn't come up with anything. This sketch certainly got my creativity flowing with it... and it's about dang time! :)

I started with a very detailed section from the Fan Fair DSP pack. It featured some lace, a flower, a washed out map and the Eiffel Tower (mostly hidden). I then layered with a piece of Island Indigo card stock that I embossed with the Fancy Fan embossing folder. Next, I stamped two feathers in Pool Party ink on Very Vanilla card stock and then cut one feather out and popped it up with some Dimensionals. I wrapped some Pool Party Bakers Twine around and added a punched tag. I stamped the sentiment from the Just My Type set and elongated the tag by pulling the paper up and through the Jewelry Tag Punch. The trick is to have your paper the same width as the punch. You can then make the tag as long (or short) as you want. Cool, eh?!

To finish off, I used the retired Lace Border Punch and added some pearls. I mimicked this on the inside too by stamping a couple of feathers and adding the border again with the pearls.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Baby, Baby, Baby

I finally got a chance to ink up Baby Boutique. I just fell in love with that set in the new catty... but then again, what set didn't I fall in love with?! Anyway, an idea popped into my head as I was surfing the net and came across a colour challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments. Here are the details:

As soon as I saw the colour Calypso Coral as part of the challenge, I thought about using some of the Calypso Coral Organdy Ribbon that was part of the last SAB bundle. It's just the perfect size for little bows. And my idea was to create little bows on the booties in Baby Boutique. Here's my card:

These certainly aren't your typical baby colours, but this card could work for either boy or girl. Aren't the booties adorable?! I stamped those in Daffodil Delight. The card base and Seam Binding Ribbon are also Daffodil Delight. The embossed polka dot panels are in Baja Breeze, along with the punched out mat with the Modern Label punch. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and stamped in Calypso Coral. For texture and dimension, I added lots of ruffles and bows and a couple of pearls.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

A Colour & Sketch Challenge Duo

It is hot, hot, hot here in Cambridge today... a perfect excuse to stay inside and get all inky! :) Today I decided to combine two challenges in one card. There was a sketch challenge over at Mojo Monday and a colour challenge over at Stampin' Royalty. Here are the details:

 

When the stamp set Tea Shoppe came out in the last Occasions Mini, I just fell in love. I haven't had much opportunity however, to play much with it, so it's probably a good thing that I gravitated to it when I sat down to work on a card for these challenges. The colour combo of Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight and Baja Breeze are also such a calm trio and also thought it would be a great fit for the stamp set. Here's my card:

I used the Rock & Roll technique on the smaller tea cups. First, I inked up in Daffodil Delight and then rocked and rolled the inked up stamp over the Baja Breeze ink pad. It gives the image kind of a vintage/patina look to it. Cool, eh?!

To add some dimension and texture to the card, I cut some labels from the Labels Collection Framelits in Baja Breeze and Very Vanilla and embossed them with the Fancy Fan embossing folder. I also stamped the largest tea cup from the stamp set in Baja Breeze on Very Vanilla card stock and fussy-cut it out. I do love to fussy-cut, honestly! I think I may be one of very few out there that do enjoy it. ha. To finish, I added some Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon, layered a few pieces together and stamped some flowers on the inside in Basic Gray. Viola!

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Lovely Flowers, Meet Fabulous Florets

I just love flowers, and the Fabulous Florets stamp set is one of my all time favs! I paired the stamp set with some of the Lovely Flowers DSP from the (retired) Hostess pack. That DSP just has such a beautiful and colourful array of floral images. I decided to fuse the two together and this is what I came up with:

I decided to keep this card blank both inside and out. Perhaps I'll add a sentiment later on if I need it, but for now, I didn't want to detract from the focal flowers on the front. I think this card could work for just about any occasion anyway...

I stamped the leaf image from Fabulous Florets in Old Olive on top of the two Old Olive DSP strips. The back of that DSP paper had Melon Mambo with tiny polka dots. How fabulous are Old Olive and Melon Mambo together, eh?! Next, I stamped a floral image from the same stamp set on to Melon Mambo card stock and cut them out. I flicked up the sides of the flowers to give them a 3D look and finished them off by adding a jewel to the centers.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

R is for Rest

Today is somewhat of a day of rest since here in Canada, most are taking today off in lieu of the Canada Day holiday yesterday. I found a small time-frame to stamp a little, but was having a creative block. So I turned to the Blogs out there...

One of my new favourite challenge blogs is Sunday Stamps. This week the ladies posted a sketch challenge and that's just what I needed to get inspired. Here's the sketch:

I've been using My Digital Studio (MDS) a lot lately for hybrid projects. This means that you create a portion of your project in MDS and then print it and finish creating with other stamps, paper, ribbon, etc. I have bought a lot of stamp brush sets in MDS that I don't have myself and especially ones that I might not use as often. It's an economical (and space-saving!) way to get all the images you desire. Plus, it's so easy to change the size or the colour and you can print right from your home computer!

Anyway, here is my hybrid card:

Although I've never been, sailing just seems like such a relaxing thing to do and since today is a day of relaxation, I thought this MDS stamp brush set was a perfect one to use. It's kind of funny that this is a Retirement card because this stamp set - Sail Away - is actually retired. Along with the Nautical Expeditions DSP, but the two are a perfect fit with one another. :)

I actually printed two sailboats and then cut the sail from one of them and popped it up. It gives a lot of dimension to an otherwise flat card. I also really distressed the edges of the DSP, sailboat and mat. I added some Bakers Twine and a Naturals Designer Button, both of which I thought looked a little nautical when paired with the DSP and sailboat. The sentiment on the front is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (my go-to sentiment set!) and the inside is from Occasions Alphabet. I must say that I don't use the latter set too often, but it really does pair well with many stamp sets and sentiments. Adds a little more oomph to a project.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

So Many Reasons to Smile :)

July 1st is a date that brings a smile to my face, for many reasons. First, it's Canada's Birthday - Happy Canada Day! Second, it's the start of my Christmas in July Promo over at Hofkissed. Check out my Facebook page here for more details on that. Third, it also happens to be the start of the "Reason to Smile" campaign with Stampin' Up! If you spend $60 in July, you get the opportunity to buy an EXCLUSIVE stamp set for only $5.00!! Click here to learn more. Lastly, it's a beautiful sunny day here in Cambridge and I got some time to myself to get my hands a little inky... but only after tidying up my workspace - that was loooong overdue! :) Now, aren't those all reasons to smile?!

I can't quite get into the Christmas spirit (besides, I haven't yet ordered any new Christmas stuff from SU!), but I made a Christmas-ish card to start off my Christmas in July Promo. It also happens to fit the challenge over at The Paper Players!

So, like I said, I haven't yet ordered any new Christmas stuff from SU!, so I had to get creative. Here's my card:

Don't you just love when a stamp set can work for many different occasions?! I worked with some retired DSP - Jolly Holiday, and the Stippled Blossoms stamp set - not your typical Christmas stamp set, that's for sure. I think it turned out well, for a Christmas in July card anyway. :) To add some dimension and texture, I ruffled some Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), wrapped some Lucky Limeade Bakers Twine around it and added a tiny tag from the Tiny Tags stamp set and coordinating punch. I popped up my flower that I punched out with the 2 3/8 Scallop Punch and added some teeny pearls to the center.

What do you think?

Again, Happy Canada Day and Merry Christmas... in July!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph