by Susan Itell | Oct 12, 2015 | Fun & Cute!, Thinking of you |
Good Monday morning and I have a super sweet, fun and simple card for you today! I made a switch back to the annual catalog as I as feeling sorry for it as once the Holiday Catalog comes out….the poor Annual one gets to the back-burner!
If you follow my blog, you already know that I adore single stamps and I was thrilled that this stamp was carried over! A great single stamp like this one, Kind Koala is a keeper as not only it is sweet but also it is super affordable at just $10.00.
I am trying to continue to show and share with you that using Designer Series Paper as a focal part to the front of a card nit only “WORKS” but also makes a great impact! To kick off the week – I have given you all of the dimensions so I do hope that you will try this card!
- The card is an A-2 card in the vertical position and I am using the Heavy Card Stock. If you have not worked with this…it is easy – YOU NEED TO and I can almost guarantee that once you try it, you will never go back.
- I cut another piece of white to 4” X 5 ¼” to use as a base for a mat to build the card on.
- Cutting the Designer Series paper at the same size (4” X 5 ¼”) I am able to make (2) of these cards at the same time. This paper is from the Into the Woods Paper Pack. I took the paper trimmer and placed it on the diagonal on the track and cut it in half. I adhere this to the white piece.
- I admit, I used the stamp-a-ma jig to place my little friend as I wanted it to be “JUST RIGHT” and I know that I am reassured of perfect placement each and every time with my “plastic friend”. I used the must have new Black Archival Ink.
- This ink allows you to watercolor with it and even though I am not using watercolor paper today, this heavy weight card stock will work fine with a small area like I am showcasing. The colors I used were Soft Suede and Hello Honey with the Aqua Painters.
- To carry the theme of this card, I took the soft suede and the hello honey and cut slivers of paper to adhere against the DSP for some fun interest.
- I added a little bow to our friend but pulling the threads from the 5/8" cotton ribbon and then added a fun bow to make him feel extra special!
- To make everything POP, I matted this to a piece of soft suede a smidge larger…. 4 1/8" X 5 3/8". To me, this is just the perfect POP to pull it all together and trust me, I used the centers and punched out some acorns! (No wasting a bit)
- You know me, my favorite part of my cards….the beloved envelope – I used 1/4" strips of paper and then the DSP….adhered it and then snipped the excess away!
Hopefully that this brought a smile to your face today and it also inspired you to pull of some DSP and use it as a focal part to your projects. I know that it is hard to do but once you give it a try, you will love it!
Please do not forget that I Rewards program – Paw Prints Rewards to "thank you" for your support. Who does not like free stamp sets….I know I sure do! Have a great day and here is to a great week ahead.
by Susan Itell | Oct 1, 2015 | Thinking of you |
It's Thursday and you know what that means….time to play with the Pals Paper Art! Today is my favorite – a color challenge and below you will see the palette that we are working with today!
I have a confession….Sahara Sand was probably one of my least favorite colors for a LONG time until one day I realized that I was out of Crumb Cake and needed a neutral so I thought – WHY NOT?
The rest is history and I hope that you try this as a base color and accent as it is just fabulous with so many different colors. It is a "sleeper" and I think that once you give it a try, you'll like it!
I am still feeling not 100% but I am determined that today is going to be a better day….I have been on an antibiotic and I am counting on tomorrow to be my "shining day" – Needless to say, I did not get to go to the Horse Show this week but there will be others and Hannah understands!
You really do not need me for this clean and classic card! With the tools that Stampin' Up! has for us at our fingertips we can make a beauty in no time!
This card is using the stamp from the Lighthearted Leaves Photopolymer Stamp Set from the Holiday Catalog, it is a keeper of all keepers and the fact that we have matching framelits makes it a "blue ribbon" card! (I just LOVE the ease of our speed tools, to me, framelits are total speed tools)
Here is a "funny" for you – the other day James said to me, "Mom did you know that it is proven that coloring helps you relax, it helps people with depression, there are so many benefits to taking time to sit and color" – Just then we were going past a local store that the sign said…."New Stock of Adult Coloring Books" -
This card is one of those "adult coloring" that is FUN – remember, no rules just have fun. Can you remember how much fun it was to color and get a fresh pack of crayons and a new coloring book! Happy times filled with great memories but I can also remember getting made at my brothers if they took my coloring book and did a page!
It is hard to see in the photos the richness and depth of this card, but when you hold it – I must say that it is stunning! I needed a card for a friend and I thought that this would "do the trick" and this sentiment is from theThoughts & Prayers Clear-Mount Stamp Set. (This has been in the stampin' up! catalog for a while and you can see why…..one great stamp set!)
All you need is to color, color and color! I used the brush tip end of our Stampin' Write Markers….I have had my original set for over 4 years now and besides me losing one….each one still work like a "dream machine". I realize that it is a HUGE investment to purchase the Many Marvelous Markers, but I will say that you will not regret it and I would love to help you get it for 50% off with a hostess reward!
The moral of this whole stampin' story is to HAVE FUN….and enjoy and cherish each and every time you can sneak some "me time" in!
I hope that this envelope makes you smile, I tried to pull all of the colors in ~ the fun print is from the Farmers Market Designer Series Paper – a beautiful collection of papers!
Please pop over to the Pals Paper Art Site and see what everyone else had up their sleeve this week and then YOU give it a try. I know that there is a ton of talent out there and it is FUN!
Pop back tomorrow and I will share with you another super simple card that will make you say – that is soooooo easy – I can do that! Guess what…I know you can!
Until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Aug 12, 2015 | Thinking of you |
Happy "HUMP" day….now this is my kind of card….clean and simple to the max. Just think of how you can use this for so many occasions….change up the color, you can change up the sentiment and PRESTO – a totally new card that will always bring a smile to your face!
I know that today is the PALS blog hop and I think that this is the 1st time I have missed the hop….I do hope that you pop on the hop trail and see what everyone created – with not having my computer over the weekend, I missed the confirmation but I think that you are going to like this post!
You know that I adore "Single Stamps" and this is a great example (Vivid Vases) of how great they are and you will see in the below picture how I "masked" off the sentiment that is on the stamp set and just used the floral part and then took another sentiment from a totally different stamp set (Sheltering Tree) and added that….
I like using the stamp-a-ma jig just so I can get it "just right" – and I think that this will give you a great idea with how to do this method.
While I have the ink on my stamp, I go ahead and stamp the DSP that I am going to be using. This is such an easy way to add a bit of bling without taking a bunch to time. Paper snips to the rescue and you can step up a card in a jif!
The over all card size is a 4" square card and then the stamped piece is 3 3/4" square. Can you see that the simplicity of this card is classic and the "peeps" of colors are just "spot on" – I used the blender pens to add the color….so fast and easy!
After I snipped out the vases, I used the green glue to adhere them to the stamped image of the vases. These are super easy to cut out – and I think that fun pop of color adds a ton.
Enjoy the pictures of different angles of this card – you can see how clean and simple it is and when you use the blender pens, simply squeeze the ink pads to get a bit of ink on the top of the ink pad and then dip the tip of the blender pen and have fun.
I adore the sentiment that is on the Vivid Vase Stamp but today I want to teach and share with you how easy it is to change things up a bit. The fonts on the sentiments in the Sheltering Tree are so sweet.
You what is left, the beloved envelope….the envelope punch board makes it a cinch to customize your own size. This wonderful tool is a must have and for just $20.00 – how can you go wrong in making so many different sizes of envelopes!
I think just about anyone would love to receive this card. What do you think? Please feel free to leave me a comment with your thoughts and also let me know if you need further help with this whole technique.
I adored your comments yesterday, I scanned through them before I typed this post. "Peep" Will is leaving early in the morning and once he is on the road, I am going to grab a cup of coffee and respond to your comments!
It feels great to be blogging….I have had a wonderful quick visit with Will and Hannah is driving back to Boston with him so they will have a fun sibling ride together! Until tomorrow – I hope that you enjoyed this card, it sure did make me smile!
by Susan Itell | May 18, 2015 | Thinking of you |
One thing I love is a single stamp! I am super happy that this fun stamp is being carried over into the new catalog. It is a “feel-good…instant smile stamp” The other thing that I like about the particular stamp is that you can use several different techniques when using it.
The stamp is appropriately called Kind Koloa and he is just too darn cute. Today I am showing you the easiest way to used it…a simple color with the Aqua Painter. (I must apologize that I took the picture too soon as the water-coloring did not get time to dry and it looks a bit splotchy) but guess what – IT IS HANDMADE!
This would also be a great stamp to practice paper piecing…or you could heat emboss it as well. Sometimes I think that we get "stuck" on just stampin'…and forget about other options…I will use this stamp in another way like I mentioned to show you the possibilities.
It has been ages…AGES – since I have used Crumb Cake and please do not forget that the crump cake comes in the note card size, this is what I used today!
Today I also used the water color paper and the Aqua Painters! They are so much fun to play with and I suggest that you throw away all expectations that you have one yourself and just GO FOR IT! I am not 100% happy with my coloring but…what the heck – I did it and it made me smile!
I touched on this yesterday and I am going to do so again today! In the new catalog there is a SUPER DUPER new punch that is a must have….true we could do it the good old fashion way but having a punch that will cut a banner in 3 different widths – its a total WOOT-WOOT….a true time saver!
The one punch will allow you to make a banner in 1", 1 1/2" or 2" – in any length that you need for your projects – a quick press and PRESTO a perfect banner!
This little guy is just adorable and you could also "mask off" the sentiment and change it up -hmmm….maybe I should do this for you!
I did a bunch of driving this weekend but it was well worth it – a fun weekend but I must admit, when I drive I start to think of card layouts….so let's hope that my mind will talk to my hands and provide you with some great projects!
Thanks for popping in and let's all have a great week! Please pop back tomorrow to see the NEW offerings of the weekly deals!
by Susan Itell | Apr 9, 2015 | PPA Challenges, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Thinking of you |
Well…it's a purple kind of day and today being Thursday is another PPA Challenge and today it is a color challenge using the below colors! At first I was scratching my head as wowzers, 3 bold colors….hmmmm…I like the end result!
This is a card that is super easy to make many of…I was running low on thinking of you cards so this was the pick. Remember, pace yourself and you can get the job done – free of stress.
The card is a vertical A-2 Very Vanilla card and then the stamped piece is 3 3/4" X 5" and then the Mat in Elegant Eggplant is a "smidge" bigger, 3 7/8" X 5 1/8" ( I know you love it when I give you measurements)
Let's talk about the (2) stamp sets I used today. The beautiful focal one is Summer Silhouette. I have not used this in eons and I do not know why as it is a fun and very versatile stamp. I will totally admit that when I first started stamping I would have probably been intimidated to purchase this.
WHY? when you look at the images of the set you see that you have to stamp twice to get the look of the flowers…this is super easy with the stamp-a-ma-jig and the end result is always fun!
I just think the flower with the little "sparkle" flowers are so sweet! I used the perfect plum and the elegant eggplant for these. A little "trip of dots" seem to be fitting today!
The color for the green is Pear Pizzazz and I would recommend that if you are to case this card, to stamp all of the green first and then fill in with the flowers. To sneak in the rich color of Blackberry Bliss, I used the smaller floral burst stamp 3 times on the leaves!
I knew that today was a purple day for the challenge but I felt the need to have a pop of color so this is where the crushed curry came in! The sentiment is from the "must have" sentiment set, A Dozen Thoughts",,,this is a set that I use all of the time – a true blue keeper!
When you look at this card and break it down, it is a very clean and classic card. You can easily see how you can make many all at the same time and just think of all of the incredible color combinations you could use. Also, it would be a cinch to change up the sentiment for a birthday etc….a very versatile card!
To the envelope we go…think about this – your stamps are already "inked" up…so why not? Below you can see the fun on the lower right corner of the envelope….the mailman needs a smile!
I hope that this card inspired you and brought a smile to your face this morning! The stampin' dimensionals gave the perfect lift to make this card a special one. You could easily make up this card without a sentiment and then when you need it….presto – stamp the appropriate sentiment and you are good to go!
The 2 day hour glass is on….I'm talking about the FREE SHIPPING!
I will be sending out a confirmation email to all of the people that are in the April Stamp of the Month Club later this morning letting them know the colors of ink I am showcasing this month in case they need to place an order!
Also, remember that I am giving to one person that places an order with me this week during the FREE SHIPPING this "basic" bundle.
- a pack of White 8 1/2" X 11 paper
- a bottle of mono Glue
- a pack of Stampin' Dimensionals
- a white gel pen
This is a great time to earn some Paw Prints for my rewards/loyalty program!
Enjoy the day…I am getting excited to be with Hannah at her show and watch her ride, she is a beautiful rider and her young horse and her are a great team. Oscar is doing great at home and it is a joy to see his head right from my front door!
Please feel free to email me and you know the deal…the products I used today are scrolling along right underneath! A simple click will let you preview it and then if you want it….PRESTO – into the shopping cart it goes!
by Susan Itell | Mar 2, 2015 | Thinking of you |
Here is to a new week… new month so what about a personal challenge! Last week was so much fun and I hope that you will be able to carve out some time and give this week a try!
What is it all about???? Well, today it is about trying to use (3) colors of card stock that you have not used so far this year. Today I am focusing on 3 that I have not blogged about….they are – Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Basic Gray.
I think that we all go in spurts of using a "new favorite color" and true we also use colors that "feel" like the season we are in from what the calendar is telling us but I think we all have certain colors that just get overlooked so how about pulling the out and saying hello to them!
I want you to be able to find some time…grab your stamps and look at you paper and find 3 colors that you have not used in a while. What can you win??? - well first of all – time having fun creating…and then just email me your card and you can be in the running for a pack of Stampin' Vitamins from me along with this card I made!
Let's get going….
Do you wonder what the FUN stripe paper is? It is the new freebie of a Sale-A-Bration item that Stampin' Up! is offering for this Month! You will get (2) sheets of each design of paper and all you need to so is place a $50.00 order and you can earn it!
I am able to "hide" the glue dots behind the flower and the banner and I am good to go! You can see my method as to why I placed the flowers where I did.
Vellum is luscious and it is a treat to work with but the tricky part is to conceal your adhesive! I decided to use one of my all time favorites, Flower Shop Stamp set! I adore this and even though I chose to only use (1) of the stamps, it is "keeper" as it has a matching punch….the pansy punch.
I must say…I really like these colors, I just have not used them for a while – maybe it is the time of the year…who knows – but I do think that we all get "set" into a comfort zone and it is fun to push through that!
Well…how about it – can you find some time to play? It is between you and me (unless you are the winner) and I will randomly pick the winner! You all are so inspiring and it is great fun to see what you come up with!
Email me you card and tomorrow I will share the winner! (I really do not like the word winner – as you all are – but I think you know where I am coming from!) Please remember that today is the last day to take advantage of the weekly deals but the great news is that tomorrow we will have a new week of weekly deals!
Let's all have a great week….think SPRING and until tomorrow!
p.s. – THANK YOU for all of your comments over the weekend – I am going to submit the "stepped up" version based on the comments….I am so glad that you are enjoying these posts!
