A Little (Blue) Bird Told Me...

A couple of years ago I did some humorous cards relating to a popular social networking site. Now I've come up with a couple more relating to another popular #socialnetworking site.

I'm sure you can guess which site I'm referring too here. I'm always trying to push card sales, not just because I make them, but also because I know how happy people are when they receive a card. Even better, a card in the mail. And even better than that, a handcrafted one!

I personally don't think wishing someone a happy birthday through social media is acceptable, but perhaps I'm "old school". hehe This card is the best of both worlds - fitting in with the social networking crowd, and giving cards. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Punches: 2-3/8" Scallop Circle, 2" Scallop Circle (non SU!), 1-3/4" Circle, Bird Builder
Accessories: Jewel Rhinestones, MDS Software

Colour Me... Bermuda Bay & Daffodil Delight!

It's not unlike me to be working away on a project and then get easily sidetracked (sometimes several times!) in the middle of it as ideas come rushing in. Rather than jot them down on a piece of paper, I have to implement it right that minute!!

This is one of those projects I created in the middle of 3 other projects I was working on. And as I was implementing the idea, I remembered the colour combo over at Colour Me...! this week. So here's my card:

I was working away on a custom order when I got a glimpse of my oval punch and next thing I knew, my mind was picturing bunny ears and a body made of punches. But not glued onto a card, punched through it so that you could see it from both sides. I added a piece of window sheet between my 2 layers so that I could add the tail (and you can see the bunny when the card is both open & closed). I also added a small strip of paper to write on because I didn't want someone to write across the entire card and ruin the clean image of the bunny when the card is closed. :)

Hope you like my idea!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Ink: Bermuda Bay
Punches: Oval, XL Oval, 1-3/8" Circle, 1-3/4" Circle, Artisan Label, Boho Blossom
Accessories: Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain
Challenge: Colour Me...!

Team Swap

Every month for the last few months, we've done a team swap. This past month the idea was a holiday card in non-traditional colours. I was still feeling Christmas cards, so that's what I did:

I got the inspiration from a card on Pinterest by Vicki Wu and the Eastern Elegance DSP. I love the colours and designs in it and thought "I could make that work for a Christmas card!". I pulled the colours from the DSP - Summer Starfruit and Smokey Slate and as my neutral, I used Naturals White.

I heat embossed the Beautifully Baroque stamp in Smokey Slate and used the coordinating TIEF of the same name for the background. I heat embossed the sentiment (inside & out) using Silver because I wanted it to stand out more... and what's a Christmas card (or any card for that matter) without some bling?! I randomly adhered some jewels and used some Silver Glimmer Paper. I gotta tell you, I am loving the look of scattering jewels randomly on a project. You should try it out!

Until next time, stay crafty!

Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Naturals Ivory, Eastern Elegance DSP, Summer Starfruit
Ink: Summer Starfruit
Stamps: Beautifully Baroque, Petite Pairs
Tools: 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Beautifully Baroque TIEF, Big Shot
Accessories: Jewels, Summer Starfruit Satin Stitched Ribbon
Techniques: Heat Embossing

So Frilly, I Love It!

It's been a while, I know. That's the story of my life right now. ;) Today I'm going to show you a card that I just love. I saw many examples floating around on several online forums and this is a combo of many of them, I was particularly inspired by Dani Dziama's card here.

Isn't the skirt to die for?! So frilly and feminine! I still had some mini cupcake-like wrappers from a kit from the last spring catalogue. They were actually meant to be flowers, but I wasn't feeling that. I cut each in half and then layered until I was happy with the look. 

I cut the figure using the Dress Up Framelits, added some ribbon and a clay flower on top of some embossing and the card was complete. I chose a sentiment that would be perfect for a bridal shower, but could also be used for a birthday or other similar occasion. 

Until next time, stay crafty!

Steph

RECIPE:

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Baja Breeze, Regal Rose

Ink: Baja Breeze

Stamps: Petite Pairs

Tools: Big Shot, Clay Molds, Simply Pressed Clay, 1" & 1-1/4" Circle Punches, Modern Mosaic TIEF

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians out there! I saved this turkey card especially for today. How cute is he?! I CASEd it from Sandie Conner, you can find her card here. I couldn't resist. :)

This little guy was pretty easy to make thanks to the Owl Builder Punch (you cut the ears off). Next, simply cut some ribbon, fold (held together with glue dots) and stick to the back of your turkey. The whites of the eyes and the wattle are also from the same punch - the wattle is the heart. I cut the beak free-hand.

After stamping the sentiment for the front that reads "Thanks is for giving", I thought it would be cute for the inside of the card to say "...and turkey eating! Happy Thanksgiving!!" so I created the inside in MDS.

If you would like to purchase this card, you can do so here.

Until next time, stay crafty!

Steph

 RECIPE
Paper: Crushed Curry
Stamps: Seasonal Sayings
Tools: 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Owl Builder Punch
Accessories: Gumball Green Satin Stitched Ribbon, Tangerine Tango Satin Ribbon (SAB 2013)

Santa Suit

Here's a fun and cute card for ya:

The pieces were actually leftover from a gum packet covering that I created last year (yes, I kept the pieces for an entire year!). I never got around to putting them all together. Those gum packs were a bust - too time consuming and not very popular compared to my other offerings. But I think these cards will be a hit!

What do you think?

You can purchase them here in my online store.

Until next time, stay crafty!

Steph

RECIPE
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Real Red
Stamps: Delightful Decorations (retired)
Tools: Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty TIEF, Curly Label Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch
Accessories: Glimmer Brads
Techniques: Dry Embossing

No Peeking for Sunday Stamps

It's a sketch challenge today at Sunday Stamps! I've been so excited for this one... check it out:

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Stamps: No Peeking
Tools: Artisan Label, 1-3/8" Circle Punch
Accessories: Washi Tape, Jewels

I created this card a while ago and am just noticing now how dark my picture is. Sorry about that! Anyway, Joan created such a great sketch for this week's challenge - it's so versatile! I know I'm using a retired set, but I just couldn't resist bringing out these adorable guys again this year.

Paired with some Washi Tape and a few jewels, this card took less than 10 minutes! Of course, I didn't forget the inside either:

I hope you'll play along with us - the challenge is open for two weeks. Be sure to check out what the rest of the Design Team has created to get you inspired and we look forward to seeing what you create!

 

Until next time, stay crafty!

Steph

Feather Wreath

Well, it's the last day of my Christmas in July sale (check out the product here), so I thought I'd show you another Christmas card:

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Silver Specialty
Ink: Midnight Muse, Island Indigo, Pool Party
Stamps: Fine Feathers, Petite Pairs
Tools: Circle Punches - 2-1/2, 1-3/4 & 1-3/8
Accessories: Jewels, Silver 1/8" Ribbon (sneak peek!)

This is likely not the last Christmas card you'll see from me (I've got TONS more and it's only July!), but one I wanted to show you sooner than later. I loved the Fine Feathers stamp set the moment I saw it in last year's catalogue. Sad to say though, I haven't used it too much as I've had trouble figuring it out.

Several months ago I did a happy dance because I had this vision of a feather wreath. I spend FOREVER executing my vision (several different ways) and all were epic fails! Last night I was perusing the internet and saw an image that was literally a few blurred swirls that formed a circle and that set off the light bulb. I ran to my craft loft, punched a hole in my paper and got to work.

This card is the result of that, and I love it! I finished it without the ribbon and liked it a lot, but felt it needed a little something else. I remembered about that gorgeous silver ribbon I pre-ordered from the Holiday Catalogue (live tomorrow!) and added a tiny bow. Perfect!

I know this turned out to be a long winded post, but happy you made it through. I thought my readers would want to know a little back story behind this card. I know it's not everyone's taste - non traditional colours and images - but I'm in love because I'm really happy with how it turned out and that my vision finally came to light!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Doily Thanks

This card was one I designed for Sunday Stamps several weeks ago, but never got around to blogging about it. :( My life lately has been insanely busy!

My design was partially inspired by a card seen on Pinterest - a large background stamp was used and cut into quarters (or I assume so anyway since that's what I did). The card on Pinterest was quite simple... I jazzed it up by stamping the fuller image again and then adding a sentiment. Check it out:

Paper: Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade
Stamps: Hello, Doily, A Round Array
Tools: Big Shot, Perfect Polk Dots TIEF, Punches: 7/8" Scallop, 1" Circle, Artisan Label

I'm really happy with the way this card turned out. I created an abstract layout that I felt fit with the way I stamped my image. I kept this card fairly simple... no bling! But I did add lots of dimension with some embossing and popping up my sentiment in two spots.

Hope you like my design... this is a great one if you have to whip up a lot of thank you cards!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Circle Butterfly CASE

I created this card a while back, but never got the opportunity to post it. So long ago in fact that I forget now who I CASEd this card from or where I even came across it! :s Sorry!

Paper: Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Lovely Flowers DSP (retired)
Tools: Circle Punches, Butterfly Punch
Accessories: Jewels

Is this card clean & simple (CAS) or what?! Sometimes simplicity is best, although, I can't believe I didn't do any stamping on this card! I popped up all the circles and added some small jewels for some bling. I think the Stripes TIEF was the best choice for this card... I think I'll even create more just like this, but in different colour tones. I like it so much!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

P.S. Don't forget that the SU! Retiring List will be posted tonight at midnight (MDT)!

Everybunny for Sunday Stamps

It's another week, which means it's another challenge over at Sunday Stamps. Joan has a wonderful colour challenge for us this week! Check it out:

Paper: Calypso Coral, So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry Paper Stack (Brights), Watercolour Paper
Ink: Brights Watercolour Crayons
Stamps: Everybunny
Tools: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots TIEF, Blossom Punch, 2-1/2" Circle Punch

I just love the bright colours for this week's challenge. I find So Saffron to be a rather dull yellow, but it seems much brighter when paired with the other colours, don't you think?! I kept the card fairly simple. I focused mainly on the image, which I watercoloured with my crayons and a Blender Pen. I hadn't used those in a while...

Instead of adding bling, I added a couple of banners from the Brights Paper Stack and cut three petals from the Blossom Punch. I popped up my image and the three petals for a little dimension.

Hope you like my design and head on over to Sunday Stamps to play along with us!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Let's Get Sketchy... Over at Sunday Stamps!

Welcome to another Sunday! Is the weekend almost over already?! Time is just going too fast around here... however, I do always love ending my weekend with Sunday Stamps! Holly's got a fun, simple sketch this week.

Paper: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Pretty in Pink
Stamps: Elements of Style
Tools: Big Shot, Lacy Brocade TIEF, Scallop Circle Punches, 2-1/2 Circle Punch
Accessories: Pearls, Shimmer Spritz

I liked the simplicity of the sketch and when I saw the flower, I thought about punching that space with my 2-1/2" Circle Punch. I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp the floral image from Elements of Style so that it expanded from my card base to my Very Vanilla piece. I used two different colours to give added interest.

I wanted to keep the card fairly simple, so I did some embossing and then created a 3D flower using several of my scallop circle punches from First Edition DSP, crumpled them and then spritzed them with some shimmer spritz. It added some shimmer and colour, plus it dries hard. To finish things off, I added a couple of pearls at the top.

Hope you'll play along... head on over to Sunday Stamps to check out what the rest of the Design Team has created for you!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

It's A Scrap Yard Series - Post #2

Back again today with another card I created from just scraps. If you missed my post yesterday, you might want to take a look at how I went about organizing my scraps and my first card in this series.

Now, I mentioned yesterday that I was going to get rid of all my die cuts and punches... but because I was actually going to (finally) use them, I held on to the ones I had so that I could created cards with them for my week-long posts on using scraps. Here's what I came up with:

Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, First Edition DSP
Ink: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler
Stamps: Established Elegance, Happiest Birthday Wishes (retired Hostess)
Accessories: Lace Trim, Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearls

Believe it or not, I had all the Cherry Cobbler & Whisper White (but sponged them in Crumb Cake) pieces cut from a Christmas card I made. They were punch outs from the Window Framelits. I just cut the Whisper White pieces into squares. I also had a large piece of First Edition Specialty DSP that I thought would work great.

I glued all the Cherry Cobbler pieces in a pattern and then used the Established Elegance stamp set on each of the Whisper White pieces. I stamped in Crumb Cake and then sponged in the same colour. I love this stamp set because there are so many different images that it works well for a collage type card!

The sentiment is from the retired Hostess set Happiest Birthday Wishes. I thought it was perfect because it was vintage looking and seemed to fit perfectly with Established Elegance set. I cut out the center circle and popped up the rest for dimension. To finish off, I added some trim, ribbon and pearls.

This card took longer than others I've created because there were so many elements and pieces to put together... but I'm glad that I finally got around to using these scraps!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Sunday Stamps Sketch Challenge!

I'm so excited to be a Designer for Sunday Stamps! This is my first official design for the team and I'd love for you to head on over and play along this week. It's lots of fun and gets your creative juices flowing! This week is a sketch challenge and here is my design:

Paper: Primrose Petals, Very Vanilla, Birds of a Feather DSP, First Edition DSP
Ink: Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Petite Pairs
Tools: 2-1/2" Circle Punch
Accessories: Jewels

I stuck pretty closely to the sketch and thought it would be fun to punch out the shape to have a "peek through" window. To coordinate the jewels, I coloured them with a Sharpie to mimic Midnight Muse. Did you know you can do that?!

So, what are you waiting for? Go check out Sunday Stamps and this week's sketch!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Christmas Circles

Here's a non-traditional Christmas card for ya! It uses Circle Circus, along with some Silver Glimmer Paper. I really like how this turned out... and it's thanks to a CASE of Leena Girsa's card seen here.

Paper: Real Red, Naturals Ivory, Silver Glimmer
Ink: Gumball Green, Basic Gray
Stamps: Circle Circus, Greetings of the Season
Tools: 3/4" & 1", 1-1/4" Circle Punches

Unlike Leena's card, I decided to stick to just a couple of colours for a more muted look. I used some Naturals Ivory for a bit of texture and then just randomly stamped images from Circle Circus. For some added bling, I punched some circles from Glimmer Paper and then popped up some images that I stamped in Gumball Green.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Triple Time Stampin'

I'm sure this technique has many different names, but I'll refer it to Triple Time Stampin' as it was Dawn Olchefske's video that taught me how to do it.

I've seen many gorgeous cards created with this technique all over the web and they all look so different! I've wanted to try it for quite some time now and finally made one thanks to a fellow Demo, Laurie Reaume, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the Hamilton Regionals. She swapped with me and her swap used this technique. You can check out her card here.

Paper: Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Perfect Plum, Riding Hood Red, Lucky Limeade, Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Quint-Essential Flower
Accessories: Button, Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon, Jewels

 

Unlike other cards I've seen with this technique, I wanted some more dimension, so I decided to pop-up and layer my focal image and then add a button to the center. The Quint-Essential Flower Á La Carte Stamp was the perfect choice to accomplish this. Many of SU! punches coordinate perfectly with this stamp so that you can do as much, or as little layering as you please.

The following SU! punches work with this stamp set:

• 2-3/8" Scallop Circle
• 1-3/4" Scallop Circle
• 1" Circle
• 3/4" Circle
• 1/2" Circle

This stamp is well worth the investment at only $10.95 cdn (w #126790) because of the endless possibilities you have with it! I'll be sure to feature some more cards with this stamp soon.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

For Royalty

Today's card uses colours from the Stampin' Royalty Colour Challenge this week. Here's the colour combo:

I think this colour combo would be great for Christmas (and I can't wait to try that out!), but I wasn't feeling Christmas today, so here's what I came up with:

Paper: Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Patio Party DSP
Ink: Gumball Green
Stamps: Circle Cirus
Tools: Simply Scored & Diagonal Plate, 1-1/4 Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8 Circle Punch
Accessories: Jewels

I started by scoring a faux quilted look using my Simply Scored with Diagonal Plate. I added a small border with a piece of DSP from the Patio Party pack and a small accent of Gumball Green card stock.

I stamped one of the stamps from Circle Circus in Gumball Green and punched it out using the 1-3/8" Circle Punch, mounting that on 1-1/4" scallop circles punched from Summer Starfruit. I popped the middle one with Dimensionals.

To finish things off, I thought the card could use a little bling. So, at every cross in my faux quilting, I added a tiny jewel.

I chose not to add a sentiment to this card so that it can be used for any occasion... or, I could always add one at a later date if I needed to.

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

Stipples and Blossoms

I just can't express my love enough for the new Stippled Blossoms stamp set from SU! It's so beautiful and two-step stampin' adds so much to a project!

Today I have another challenge card - seems to be my theme this week. I participated in challenge number 101 over at The Paper Players. This week's challenge was a sketch challenge. Here's the sketch:

As I often do with sketches, I turn them every which way until I find an angle that "speaks to me". For this challenge, I opted to create my card by flipping the sketch horizontally. Here's the card I came up with:

I originally wanted to use Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum and Raspberry Ripple... but I just couldn't get the Raspberry Ripple to work. You know how sometimes you get a vision in your head... but then it just doesn't turn out that way on paper?! That's what happened with my original vision - even though it was AMAZING in my head. ha.

Instead, I decided to keep it fairly natural with just the two colour tones. After omitting the Raspberry Ripple, I added the Victoria Crochet Trim - and I think that turned out fabulously. I also added some teeny tiny pearls (those take patience!) and some paper piercing using the new Essentials Paper Piercing Pack. I LOVE those templates!! I embossed the one strip with one of the beautiful folders from the new Delicate Designs Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. I sponged the entire thing in Perfect Plum so that it really pops!

I added my sentiment by stamping one from Petite Pairs and punched it out with the Modern Label punch (such a versatile punch!). I folded it to create a ribbon/banner look to it and added a knotted piece of the Victoria Crochet Trim. I finished off by stamping some more blossoms on the inside.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Royalty

I'm back, after a long hiatus. I've been busy over the last week working and creating, chasing my 2 year old around, attending a Demo event last weekend and watching the Euro. :) Don't worry though, I've got lots of posts and samples coming your way. In fact, it was hard to choose where to start...
Today, I have a post for the challenge over at Stampin' Royalty. It's my first time playing with the ladies over there. Here's the sketch for this week:

 

I decided to keep my design pretty simple. I used some new In Colors and the humming bird from Elements of Style. You're going to see me using this set a lot over the next while because I just recently got my inky hands on it and I LOVE IT! I accented with Baja Breeze, and used Midnight Muse (love it!!) and Summer Starfruit (learning to love it!) from the 5 new In Colors.

What do you think?

 

Like I said, I kept it pretty simple and other than the humming bird, didn't stamp any other images or sentiments. The Big Shot and punches were my friend for this card.


Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph