With Sympathy

 I made this Sympathy card for my sister last night because her best friend passed away yesterday.  I saw a very elegant card demonstrated by Susan Campfield and cased it because it is not only elegant but also quick and easy.  I added an extra layer and some gemstones and, since  I still have SU Blendabilities I used the light, medium, and dark cherry cobbler Blendabilities as my accent color.

Swirling Butterflies

I am finally getting a chance to post a card I made the other day for the SUO154 - Delightful Dies challenge.  

Dies:  Rose Garden Thinlits Die; Florish Thinlits Dies
Punches:  Bitty Butterfly; Elegant Butterfly
Paper:  Very Vanilla; Basic Black; Basic Gray; Flirty Flamingo; Timeless Elegance DSP

My card base is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" scored in half at 4 1/4".  I cut 2 1/8" from the right side of the front of the card.  I watched France Martin's YouTube Video for instructions on the Fun Frame that I attached to the half-front (easier to see the half-front panel in the second and third blog photos).

I used the Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Write marker to color the flowers on the Timeless Elegance DSP.

     

A Field of Flowers

Another entry for the Just Add Ink Challenge to Just Add Nature.  I made a card for this challenge a few days ago using this same flower stamp using Stampin' Up!'s 'You've Got This'.  Since I was up in the air over whether I wanted to add a dragonfly or butterflies, I decided I needed butterflies with all these flowers.



Visit My Splitcoaststampers Gallery

On the Fringe

I am so glad to have time to play along with this very first Color Tree Challenge.  I thought it would be easy-peasy until I sat down in my craft room getting ready to craft ... My mind went blank.  I was in need of inspiration to start this project and found it on page 5 of the current Stampin' Up! Catalog.

The base of my card is 'Early Espresso' topped with a layer of 'Very Vanilla'.  I used my Stampin' Up! Fringe Scissors to fringe the So Saffron, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, and Perfect Plum layers.  The image panel is 'So Saffron' embossed with the Stampin' Up! Butterfly Textured Embossing Folder.  I stamped the flowers using the 'Remarkable You' stamp set onto 'Very Vanilla' card stock and fussy-cut them out and popped them up using 'Dimensionals'.  I colored the stamens in the flowers with 'Early Espresso' ink. I stamped the butterfly from the 'Butterfly Basics' stamp set onto 'So Saffron' card stock using 'Perfect Plum' ink.  The 'Venetian Crochet Trim' is topped by a bow made with 'Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon'. 

Here is an image of The Color Tree listing the colors for this challenge (Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, and Early Espresso).  So glad Perfect Plum was on the list because I was not aware of how low my supply was ... adding it to my next Stampin' Up! order.

I would love to add The Color Tree Badge to my blog but, for some reason, the link does not appear when I click the badge.  Nevertheless, I am looking forward to more of these challenges in the future.

Thanks So Much

Front of Card

Inside of Card

I've never tried the Chalkboard Marker Magic Technique before.  I don't have many solid image stamps but after trying this technique, I'll probably add more to my collection. 

Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Basic Black
Blendabilities: Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, and Old Olive

VersaMark Ink and White Embossing Powder

Calypso Coral Ribbon

Butterfly Basics Die (Inside of Card)

Stamps:Oh, Hello; En Francais; Serene Silhouettes

Happy Mother's Day

Card Front and Envelope

My Mother was admitted to the hospital a few days after the big finale of her 95th birthday celebration.  After her health improved, she was released to rehab.  Great news... she goes home tomorrow and she gets to spend Mother's Day in the comfort of her own home... there's no place like home.

The latest SUO Challenge #121 is to make a Mother's Day card or project; this card is for my mother.  After the new SU! catalog was revealed on line, I fell in love with a card pictured on page 26 ... I CASE'd it but  used my Honeycomb EF. Other SCS challenges for this card: WT530, SUO, WT528 Inside and Out. 
All products are from Stampin' Up!

Inside of Card

Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Butterfly Basics, Sweet Laughter, a Delightful Dozen

Card Stock:  Pool Party, Whisper White

Other Products:  Basic Jewels, White Detailed Embossing Powder, Honeycomb EF

Ink: StazOn Black Ink, VersaMark

Dies: Ovals Framelits, Butterfly Basics Die

Another View

Spring Forward

Today is National Daughter's Day and I really miss my eldest.  Spring is just around the corner and I had her in mind as I made this card.  When she and her sister were little girls, they would always be on the look-out for the first flowers of Spring to pick and give me.  Next week her dad and I will place fresh flowers on her grave.  Angela... this card is for you...

SCS Challenges:

• IC484 Beautiful Cookies: As I waded through the cookies on today's Inspirational Challenge, I was reminded of the old mason jars I displayed my flowers in from my daughters when I came across these cookies.
• TLC524 Stamped Acrylic Block Background: I loaded my acrylic block with Soft Sky, misted with water, then stamped onto Whisper White cardstock.  I then loaded my acrylic block with Pink Pirouette, misted the block again, then stamped it on top of the Soft Sky ink.
•  F4A264 Baby Pinks & Blues: Pink Pirouette and Soft Sky.  I also used Lost Lagoon, Rose Coral, Strawberry Slush.  I really wanted a spring feel on this card.
• To get the dimension on the flowers, I used the rounded tip of a ball point pin to roll over the backs of the flowers to break down the fibers in the Cardstock and puff the flowers up in the centers. I attached the flowers with glue dots to slivers of clear plastic and extended them from the jar through a slit that I cut in the top of the jar, 
• CAS315 Ribbon:  Is any card really complete without adding ribbon or a butterfly.  I used some of the Rose Coral ribbon on the jar, then tucked a butterfly behind one of the flowers.
• WT521 Hoop It Up: My got plenty of use from my Framelits today.  I also used my Petite Petals Punch to punch out my flowers and added brads to the centers (Brights, Neutrals, & Vintage).

Stamps:  Perfectly Preserved, Petite Petals, Papillon Potpourri 

Framelits: Cannery Set, Ovals Collection, Circles Collection, Starburst, Edgelits

Papers: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette DSP & Pink Pirouette Cardstock 

Inks: Memento Black, Rose Coral Chalk, Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette, Lost Lagoon, Strawberry Slush

Brads: Brights, Neutrals, Vintage

Ribbon: Rose Red

Thanks So Much

Sneak Peak of Front and Back

Catching up on my Blog Posts:

SCS Challenges:
Wednesday's Pop-Up Diorama Card
Wednesday's Sketch Challenge: SC524
Ways to Use it - Ovals: WT515
New Technique - Triple the Possibilities: TLC517

Stamps & Accessories (Stampin' Up! Only:
Image Stamps: Papillon Potpourri
Sentiments: For Your Country, Blooming with Kindness

Papers:
Whisper White Card Stock; Paisley Petals DSP
Inks: Tangerine Tango, Memento Tuxedo Black

Punch/Framelits:
Ovals Collection;2" Punch
Butterfly Punch

Front View

Front

Inside of Card

Stretching My Creativity

As part of the Stampin' Up! Creative Crew, this month we were to use a technique of our own and to choose colors that imitate the Stampin' Up! watercolor wonder designer papers.  

My project is a Gatefold Easel Card.  I stamped whisper white card stock with one of the SU! Flower Shop stamps to imitate the SU! Watercolor Wonder DSP & adhered it to the center of card Gatefold card.


Stamps: Blooming With Kindness, Flower Shop
Inks: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Gumball Green, Smoky Slate
Card Stock: Island Indigo, Whisper White
Ribbon: Daffodil Delight
Punches: Artisan Label, Pansy 



Here's another view.

Happy Birthday Mother

This is a card I made for my mother and mailed to her in celebration of her 94th birthday this month (she turned 94 on Wednesday, March 19th).  We will have the large family gathering on Sunday at her home and I plan to make another card for that occasion.

Sunday will be both a celebration of her birthday and a time when we will reflect on the life of my brother who passed away last month.  We are all still mourning his loss but our plan is to share our memories of him in an effort to bring smiles to the faces of our mother and our sister-in-law.

I CASE'd this card from Karen Barber's gallery.  I am a huge fan of hers and admire each and every card she makes.  Her card can be found Here.

Swirling Butterfly Sympathy

Sympathy cards are ones we don't really want to need but they are necessary.  I am always caught off guard and, as a result, ending up making one at the last minute.  I really love this stamp set from Stampin' Up! because it makes a quick and easy card with minimal coloring.  It's been a while since I've used the Center Step Fold method and this stamp set seems perfect for it.  This is for one of the ladies in our church choir who recently lost a family member.

This is the outside of the card.  Below is a view of what the card looks like inside.  The image is colored with Island Indigo and Pear Pizzazz markers and the sentiment is stamped in StazOn Black.  I stamped the butterflies in VersaMark ink then embossed in white detailed embossing powder.  I used the Honeycomb embossing folder also.  Card stock: Very Vanilla and Island Indigo.

Imagine

This SCS Creative Crew Challenge was to copy someone's artwork who loves brads or candy dots; we are to use candy dots generously on our projects.  I CASE'd Jan Tink's 'Papillon Potpourri meets Hello Lovely & World Map' found here.

Stamps:  Papillon Potpourri; Loving Thoughts, Very Vintage Wheel
Punches: Bitty Butterfly; Elegant Butterfly
DSP: Modern Medley
Card Stock: Very Vanilla; Basic Black
Neutrals Candy Dots; VersaMark Ink; Black Embossing Powder

Just For You

This is my second submission for the Creative Crew September Challenge - Catalog Focus: use any of the stamp sets on pages 111-119 in the annual catalog.  Make a project in a new way to you by using a technique you've never tried or a special fold never used by you before. Continue to use at least two of the colors from the color focus, crushed curry, coastal cabana, smoky slate or whisper white.

Supplies:
DSP: Eastern Elegance,
Card Stock: Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Inks:  Coastal Cabana and Smoky Slate Stampin’ Write Markers
Paper Piercing Pack (Festive), Sticky Strip, Half-back Pearls, Stampin’ Dimensionals
Elegant Butterfly Punch, Word Window Punch, Framelits Labels Collection, Big Shot Machine
Stamp Sets: Beautifully Baroque, Papillon Potpourri, Label Love
Simply Scored Scoring Tool & Stylus, Bone Folder

Just For You:  The Carol Duvall Show was a crafting show that I looked forward to watching a few years back and was sad to see it cancelled.  One of her guests made a ‘Flag’ Album as a closing gift to Carol on her very last show.  I loved this album and was happy to see the instructions in the SCS Resources section (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/mini_album/).  I was really amazed at how easily it came together.  I plan to add pictures and journaling of my little grand and give it to our daughter & SIL (her parents) as one of their stocking stuffers this Christmas.

Memories

I have been selected to be one of the guest members of the Stampin' Up! Creative Crew Design Team on the Splitcoaststampers Website (big ole smile on my face because this is such an honor for me ... my Creative Crew Badge is on the right). This is my exciting news that I referred to in my post on July 29th.

This "Memories" box is my submission for our first assignment:

DSP/Color Focus: Our journey of self improvement begins with Eastern Elegance designer papers or the colors crushed curry, coastal cabana, smoky slate and whisper white.  Make a project using these colors for someone you admire. Tell us why this person is significant to you.

This memory box is for my mother, my go-to person ... my encyclopedia of knowledge these past few years as I traced our family lineage.  Most of the information I needed was not available on the ancestry.com website but my mother’s memory of family history filled in the gaps for me.  She turned 93 this past March and she is one of the strongest women I know.  She still cooks huge family meals for holidays and, during inclement weather, she calls each of her children (there are 10 of us) and many of her grands to make sure we are safely tucked in from the storm.

I have not placed photos in her memory box yet but there will be plenty of room to add photos of each of her children.  The pockets give additional space to add photos of her grands, great grands, and great-great grands.  I added a butterfly in the center of the box to represent my mother as being the nucleus of our family and to exemplify her strength because she became stronger as a result of the many trials and struggles she endured over the years.

Supplies:
DSP: Eastern Elegance
Card Stock: Crushed Curry, Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Inks:  Crushed Curry, Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate
Embossing Folders: Square Lattice, Lacy Brocade,
3/4” Circle Punch, Framelits Labels Collection, Gift Bow Bigz L Die, Bigz Butterfly Die, Papillon Potpourri Punch, Big Shot Machine
Stamp Sets: My Friend, Beautifully Baroque, Label of Love, Too Kind, Blooming with Kindness
Simply Scored Scoring Tool & Stylus, Bone Folder

Good Thoughts

Just got my new Thinlits Label Dies from Stampin' Up! Using them was like cutting butter; I can't wait to order the other set. This card was made using SUO products (of course).  I am entering it into the "Just Add Ink" JAI#177 Colour Challenge: Smoky Slate, Soft Sky,  Calypso Coral.  Stamps: Too Kind; Nature Walk; Embossing Folder: Lacy Brocade. I also used a tiny brad from the Subtles collection.

To participate in this challenge, jump on over: http://just-add-ink.blogspot.com/

Happiest Birthday

SUO Challenge #74 – Favorite Stampin’ Up! Accessories.  
SCS challenge, WT435 (It's Not Hard to Use) I added six brads as my hardware on this card.

There are so many Stampin' Up! products that I love; it was really hard for me to make a decision as to which accessory was my favorite since it constantly changes. I needed to make a birthday card for a friend of mine and decided to start out with one of my favorite stamp sets, Apothecary Art.  One of the things I love about it is that it includes a birthday greeting and had an accompanying die in the Framelits Labels Collections.

I stamped the image on card stock vellum (another of my favorite accessories) and colored the flowers and leaves on the back of the vellum with Stampin' Write markers. Since I wanted a 'Window' effect over this image, I double-stacked my Stampin' Dimensionals on my panel before layering it over my vellum image to give added height. I stamped the butterflies with VersaMark ink, embossed with white detailed embossing powder, colored the backs of the butterflies with the Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Write marker, then punched them out. I added a half-back pearl to the center of three Boho Blossom punched flowers, then added a flower to the back of each butterfly with a glue dot.

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri , Apothecary Art

Card Stock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Vellum

DSP: Sycamore Street

Inks:  Black StazOn, VersaMark

Stampin' Write Markers: Rich Razzleberry, Wild Wasabi 

White Detailed Embossing Powder

Stampin' Dimensionals

Brads (Brights Collection 3/16")

Embossing Folders: Petals-a-Plenty, Textured Impressions

Dies: Adorning Accents Edgelits, Framelits Labels Collections

Punches: Bitty Butterfly, Elegant Butterfly, Boho Blossoms

Adhesives: Glue Dots, Snail

Since retirement, my friend and only I keep in touch with each other via birthday and Christmas cards with an added 'catch-up' letter included.  I do hope she likes her card.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day.


This is my Mother's Day card for my Mother. She turned 93 this past March and we are so blessed to still have her with us. As I dressed for church this morning, I found myself wishing I had a red rose to wear. As a child growing up, my mother made sure each of her children wore a red rose on Mother's Day to signify life (if your mother was still alive, you wore a red rose, if your mother had passed on, you wore a white rose). She always wore a white rose since her mother passed away when she and her brothers were small children.


I needed a small container to place her gift in and made this Pillow Box. I wanted to coordinate it with her card so I used the color-washing technique on it after die-cutting it. I used one of the other framelits from the Secret Garden Framelets set and cut several flowers from SU! paper vellum and attached it to the front of the box.

Here are the two together


All supplies are from Stampin' Up!

Cardstock:Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Cardstock Vellum, Paper Vellum
Ink: Whisper White Pigment Ink, Midnight Muse Classic Ink, Signo Gel Pen
Embossing Folders: Finial Press, Square Lattice
Stamp Sets: Secret Garden, Field Flowers (Sentiment)
Other: Secret Garden Framelets, Stampin' Dimensionals, Half-Back Pears; Very Vanilla 5/8" Ribbon

Fluttering into Spring

I love butterflies... they are so graceful and they have such a soothing effect as they soar through the air.

Fluttering By

This is not only the last day of March... it is my birthday also... Happy Birthday to Me. I wanted to start out my new year doing something I have not done in a while... making a card. I was inspired by an entry on SCS and here is my take on the FS card.

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!

Card Stock:
Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory

Stamps:
Decorate a Daisy, Swallowtail

Punches:
Scallop Trim Border
Scallop Trim Corner
Dotted Scallop Ribbon
1" Circle
1 1/4" Circle

Embossing Folder:
Lacy Brocade

Wintry Butterfly

Trying to a get a little stamping done. I am still in the process of getting my Craft Room settled.