Graduation Card No Ribbon

I was not happy with the card I posted yesterday so I had to try it again. It was the ribbon that was keeping me from liking the card so I took the ribbon off. But then without that strip of "something" going vertically in that spot it would no longer qualify to be the 126 Sketch card. SOOOOO!!! I took another piece of the embossed white and added the black layer to the back of it. Talk about BLAH! I dug out the brayer and we all know how much I hate to use the brayer. Not because it's difficult to use but because I hate to clean it!!! LOL I rolled it in Staz-0n and wheeled it over the embossed strip. I put the pieces in place and liked the card a lot better.

Venture on over to SplitCoastStampers sometime and participate in one of their sketches, it's a lot of fun and everyone over there is SO nice. I haven't participated in any of their challenges yet but I plan to sometime. For now I'm enjoying the sketches. I am loving new and different card layouts. And this card didn't have any buttons or brads so it qualifies as a "Machinable" card so it's only 41 cents to mail!!! With the postage increase I will be rethinking my Christmas cards. No brads, no eyelets or buttons. I sent out too many to have to pay that extra postage. SO I'll be racking my brain looking for just the right card to make for Christmas. I may have to post the components on here and get your creative minds working to help me out!! Sounds like a fun Blog Candy game, huh?

Have a safe and happy weekend!
Thanks for stopping by!
Wanda

Graduation Card/SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge

Here is my post for the Split Coast Wednesday Sketch Challenge. I'm not very happy with it. It's the ribbon that is throwing me off. As I was putting it together, I had done the stamping and the layers for the stamped items and at that point I liked it. Then I had to add the other component of the sketch and I didn't care for the card anymore. I'm going to rework it or try another one all together and see what I get. This card has sparked a new idea for a card so I may just go with that one. I posted my card in my gallery at SplitCoastStampers.

The stamps I used here are from two different companies. The cap and scroll are from a Penny Black stamp and the words are from Stampin' Up!'s Year Round Cheer III set. I used a blender pen and markers to color in the cap and scroll.

To join in on these sketches go to SplitCoastStampers website. At the top you'll see "forums," click on that and scroll down to "SplitCoast Challenges." Within that block is "Card Sketches." Click on that and every Wednesday you'll see a new sketch to play with. Come join the fun!! It's always nice to have new and different layouts for your cards!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wanda

New Postal Fees Chart

I scanned the sheet I received at the post office. There's a lot to learn about sending a package from home now. I use to just weigh it at home and throw on the required postage but now there's a thickness "thing" along with the weight thing. There's SO much to know. SO for now I'm just weighing things at home and going to the post office to see if I'm right!!! It's not going to change how I make cards. The additional amount is 17 cents. Those who receive cards from me are worth at least 17 cents!!! LOL If you click on the photo you can view the rules, regulations and prices a bit closer. You can always ask at the post office. They're learning this stuff too!!

Ruby Red Eat Cake

I needed a birthday card and I wanted to use the set "Eat Cake" so I went on Split Coast to the gallery and opened up "Eat Cake" and began looking at all the fabulous posts. I had hardly been looking when one caught my eye. It was a card made by coshorty. I didn't CASE it completely. I changed the colors and background. I didn't use brads, instead I used a gem from the Blog Candy I won!! I also added some glitter to the dots in the background. I had used the "Petals" jumbo wheel with Ruby Red ink. I sometimes prefer to use ink instead of VersaMark because the ink is a bit darker. And there are times when I want the look to be softer, that's when the VersaMark comes in to play. I used Bravo Burgundy as my main card color. I layered that with the Ruby Red and the new decorative papers. For the cake base I used Bravo Burgundy and the cake itself is Ruby Red and Pretty in Pink. It's a cheery birthday card. A few layers but not a lot of work or time involved in it. The decorative papers help to make a card like this a "quick card!"

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Postage Increase Information, Size Does Matter!!!

For those of you who mail your handmade cards the cost of them has changed. I thought I could get by with a 41 cent stamp today. My card was thinner than the quarter inch they now regulate. But it had buttons or brads or both on it and that no longer made it a smooth card so it now falls into a different category. I had to add a 17 cent stamp onto the 41 cent one. SO now to mail a handmade card that is not totally flat it will cost you 58 cents. SO I purchased a few more 17 cent stamps and a bunch of 58 cent stamps!!! Oh and the changes don't just stop there either. I use to mail out the Blog Candy in a padded envelope (when the items allowed), I'd weigh them and add the postage accordingly. Not anymore! Because that padded envelope is bulky in spots it can no longer be mailed like that. It is considered a box package and charged accordingly. SO much to learn just to mail a package. Keep these in mind when you mail out your handmade cards!

You can get more information at the post office website.

Sassy Stems Watercolor Crayons

I hope you all had a fun and safe holiday weekend! We had nice cool weather here in Minnesota. A little windy but very nice temperatures. It's the kickoff for summer. Many schools are finishing up this and next week. There's graduations coming up and cards to be made!!! I'll share those ideas with you this week.

Now for this card. I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE using the Watercolor Crayons. Give me a blender pen and the crayons and I can color with them for hours. And the great thing about them is that they have been used SO much but yet still have a lot of life left to them. I did use marker to outline the stem of the flower. I didn't trust myself with such fine detail and the blender pen!!!

Along with the Sassy Stems set I used the Canvas Background on both Bravo Burgundy layers. I also used Basic Black card stock and watercolor paper. I find that watercolor paper is easier to work with using the crayons or markers. If you make a mistake you just take a clean blender pen and lift it off your paper. You can work an area for a little while without it wearing the paper down. I am more thrilled with the fact that you can lift a mistake off with the blender pen! And yes, I do make mistakes!

The words "Celebrate You" are from Greetings Galore. This was a VERY quick and easy card to make. Gotta love those!!! And this card can be used for many other occasions!

Thank you for stopping by,
Wanda

A Fond Farewell to Petal Prints

This is one set I'm REALLY going to miss. I have created and CASED a lot of cards using this set. Including this one I think. SO if I did, I apologize for not knowing the creator of it. I liked the colors and the technique.

I LOVE the direct to rubber technique. Except if you're working with a bunch of people in an assembly line type thing, 4 to 6 cards each. Each one of us having a particular part of the card to do and mine was...... You guessed it. Coloring and misting the flowers! After 18 cards I was very tired of looking at this design but time has passed and with hours of therapy I'm over it now!!! LOL This card is a very versatile card. It can be used for Birthdays, Mother's Day, a Get Well card, etc. It's a brighten up your day type card with the colors and the way the flowers look like they are flying in the air!

I LOVE the direct to rubber (with markers) and I'm hoping that there will be a comparable set in the new catalog. If not I'll be hanging on to this set for a bit longer.

I hope you're having a safe and happy holiday weekend.
Thanks for checking in,
Wanda

Weekend Project Part 2

The night Leah and I were messing around with her graduation mints we were brainstorming on what other occasions we could use the mints for and in a VERY short time we came up with these in the photo.

There are TONS of occasions, weddings, bridal showers, birthdays, baby showers, Christmas gatherings, etc. Pretty much any occasion and there's a stamp out there for that occasion too!!

Thanks Leah for sharing your ideas, now there here on the blog when you need them!!!

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend.
Thanks for stopping by!
Wanda

I Won Blog Candy!!

I actually won some Blog Candy!!! Shocker!!! I don't enter many of these but I really REALLY wanted the magazine!!! I won it from a great blog "Debbi's Dribble." You will want to check her blog out. She is a "Proud Army Mom." She's also collecting cards to send to the troops. SO if you've got some extra cards around your workrooms contact Debbi. They go to a good cause.

I have an interesting though on all this war and fighting stuff. If we got the whole world in on stamping and scrapbooking, no one would have time to fight!!! Just a thought!!! Wouldn't that be fun????

I went to Debbi's blog and copied over her picture since the one I took disappeared. I have no idea what happened to it. I even went "dumpster diving!" LOL I opened up the recycling bin on my computer thinking it may have gotten put in there. But no.

Here's what was in the package: Michael's $1 Stamps & acrylic blocks to go with them, Joann's $1 stamps, some bling, 3" Scalloped ovals (cut from Wishblade not punch), current issue of Memory Makers & a Support our Troops pin. She also added black and red Scalloped ovals too oh and some red licorice. Already ate that!!! LOL And there was a REALLY cool "And the Winner Is" lettering in the package too. Debbi suggested I use it for scrapbooking. I just might have to do more scrapbooking. That can be the title of my scrapbook! I can just add winning pages as I go!!!!! Anyway, it was a fabulous package to receive! And it was VERY different being on the winning end of Blog Candy!

Thanks again Debbi.





P.S. Be sure to check out her blog!

Weekend Project, Pearson's Mint Graduation Favors

Here's a nice and fun item to make for a graduation party. My friend Leah brought this idea over last week. She made the red one in the pile (school colors). I made the other ones for my nephew's graduation party. His school colors are dark blue (Night of Navy) and silver, not as bright and vivid as Leah's. Like he's really going to care anyway! The nephew's on my side of the family are not really into that kind of stuff. Us moms think it's a bigger deal than they do, that's why we make these things, right? 

I used the words from Mini Mates and the cap was Leah's stamp. She said it was an incentive stamp. It was the perfect size. Though there is a graduation cap soon to be retired that would work if you stamp it lightly in the background like a watermark and then use the words over it. I used both of the large circle punches that Stampin' Up! sells. The 1 3/8" and the 1 1/4". Stamp your design first and then punch it out. It's a lot easier than trying to line up the words on a pre-punched piece. I used the Snail Tape to affix them to the mint patties. Now I wasn't aware of this until I was putting them together but the Pearson's Peppermint Patties are not as thick as the York Peppermint Patties are. I don't think it makes a difference. The York have a blue and silver label and the Pearson's have a green and silver label.

Leah and I made some other occasions ones but I forgot to take a picture of them. I'll do that tomorrow and post it on here.

The Blog Candy Winner Charmaine has emailed me. Her package will be mailed on Tuesday!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Thanks for stopping by,
Wanda

Blog Candy Winner!!

This was another fun Blog Candy "Perplexing" game.

A number of you made a comment about remembering the Highlight magazines at the doctor's or dentist office. If there happens to be one sitting next to me, and of course if NO ONE is around I will pick it up. I agree with you that it wasn't fun when some kid came along and circled all the answers. It was a treat to get to see one of those and then to have it ruined by a kid with a pencil!!! LOL

It was great that you all kept it fun! That's what it's all about.

To the rest of you who entered, there will be more Blog Candy coming. I'm close to 300 subscribers, so if you haven't subscribed please do. You are not bugged with spams or junk mail. You receive an automated email telling you that I have a new post, that's it. As simple as that!!! I like it too because you will have a reminder to check to see if you're the BLOG CANDY WINNER!!! I enter those too and sometimes forget where I entered. Another Blog Candy coming up is at the 300 posts mark. That one should happen in a little over 2 weeks, unless I get WAY too creative and post a lot of "stuff." And then I should be at 70,000 hits and what does that mean??? MORE BLOG CANDY!!!

Ok, down to the serious stuff. There REALLY is an elephant in the picture. Print it out and color in the trees and he will just pop out at you!!! He's hidden in there SO well!! Ok, the Blog Candy winner is Charmaine G! Here's her comment:

Cafe Ink said...
Wow you have rally challenged us again (giggle). I have studied and studied the picture and I think I found it.Thanks (wink)Charmaine G

Please email me your snail mail address Charmaine and I'll get the package out in the mail to you.

A REALLY Long Card!!!

Here's something that is TOTALLY out of my element. Long cards!!! This is not one of the long notes from Stampin' Up! It's a BIG piece of card stock! The card stock was cut 8" x 9 1/4" and folded in half to measure 4" x 9 1/4".

Click on the photo to enlarge the image. I used the new papers from Stampin' Up! I also used the Coluzzle to make the circles. I stamped the flower from "Doodle That" and the pots are painted wooden planters. They come already cut in half. I mixed the paint until I got it the color I needed. The dots were added to the pots using a gel pen. I added some vanilla grosgrain ribbon and then placed the circles. Once I got them on I had a lot of trouble deciding what I was going to do to fill that large purple area. I began regretting starting a large card like this. After perusing the catalog I found the birthday stamp set and decided I'd use two stamps on the front. Like it's a law to only use one??? LOL I didn't want to add buttons or other embellishments, I wanted to keep the wooden pots the focal point. It wasn't until after I added the words that I finally liked the card! I used a regular legal size envelope which I decorated a bit to go with the card! I'm sure this will cost extra postage to mail because of the wooden pots. Hmmm, I may have to hand deliver this one!!!

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Blog Candy!

Last chance to find the elephant before the drawing!!! Click here to enter. It's great that you're keeping it fun! I'm loving reading some of your comments! They make my day! I know these puzzles have been very difficult but I admire you for trying!!! LOL

A lucky winner will be revealed tomorrow!!
Good luck to you all!

SplitCoast Sketch Challenge

This is the third Split Coast Sketch Challenge I've participated in. This one was a fairly simple sketch so I was able to fit it in tonight! I used the "Four Seasons" decorative papers, Apricot Appeal, Marigold Morning and Whisper White. I sponged the Marigold Morning, Whisper White and Decorative paper with Marigold Morning. I stamped the Perennial Favorites butterfly with More Mustard. It was the only color that blended well and stood out on the white. I added matching brads because I felt the corners needed something. I added the brads in the corners and looked at the card and felt it needed just a little something more. SO I added brads to the butterflies and thought I'd better stop before I clutter the card up. Ever do that? Just keep adding "stuff" because you think it needs a little something more and that leads to a little something more and all of a sudden your card looks cluttered and you want to start over. Or better yet, you put it in a place where no one can see it because it's too horrible to show anyone? Got one of those places???? Me either! LOL

This was a very quick card to make. The sketch gives the measurements which makes card making a whole lot easier, doesn't it? This card can be used for a variety of occasions.

Don't forget about the Blog Candy! Some of the comments are just a riot! I love to see you having fun with this. Some days you just wish things were really that simple! I'll be drawing a name on Friday so get your name in there!

Thank you SO much for stopping by!
Wanda

Making Use of Information Given

Earlier this month I posted the measurements for the "Artfully Asian" card with a LOT of layers. I was directed to a card at Split Coast made by bsktnstamp thanking me for the measurements and showing me her fabulous creation! Be sure to take a look at it and also at the other cards in her gallery, she's a phenomenal stamper. Isn't her card fabulous?

Happy Anniversary!

I needed an Anniversary card for my brother and his wife and this is what I came up with. I have a stamping demonstrator friend Sandy who's anniversary card in the Split Coast gallery inspired me. She wheeled on the leaves and embossed them in silver. Such a beautiful and simply elegant card. I just loved the silver embossing on the white card stock. Thanks Sandy for the inspiration!

I used the Petals jumbo wheel by Stampin' Up! For the little circles on the left I just highlighted one design on the wheel and embossed it. A ribbon there looked silly and brads cheapened the look of the card. SO I incorporated the wheel into to bottom of the card. I think it ties it all together. I added a layer of the brushed silver card stock and had a very simple and quick anniversary card. I got it out in the mail today and they should get it just in time for their anniversary! I just LOVE using the silver embossing powder. It has to be one of the quickest colors to liquefy and not only that it is one of the smoothest looking colors too.

Don't forget to find the elephant and leave your time (no matter how long it takes you to find it, even if you must confess you don't see it!) and you will be entered in the drawing for the Blog Candy. Just click on the words Blog Candy and you will be directed to the page to leave your answer! I see a lot of you are having a lot of fun with this. You say it makes you smile, or makes your morning. Let me tell you. When I read some of your answers it makes me smile and makes my day as well!!

Have fun and thanks for stopping by!
Wanda

Suspended Words Card

Here is one of the cards we made last night at our monthly stamping event. The two different size Stampin' Up! oval punches were used here. The words were stamped and then punched out with the smaller punch and then another oval was punched out. Silver cording was placed between the two ovals and then attached to the oval on the card.

I took a photo of the card hanging on my blinds so you could see the words look suspended. It's a pretty simple and very impressive card! Something I'm going to have to play with a bit more with other sets!

Thank you for stopping by and don't forget to enter in the Blog Candy drawing!


Wanda

YUM! Blog Candy!

Ok, here it is. Some blog candy to celebrate this blog reaching and surpassing 60,000 hits. You want more blog candy, I want more hits and working together here is making this happen!!! LOL

Blog candy this time consists of some Accents fibers for your creations. Some antique square brads, a white embossing pad and an adorable Hero Arts flower set with an ink pad included!

Now you want to know how you can get this. Well.... you guessed it, another mind boggling game!! From what I read the last one was a very tough one but most of you stuck with it and muddled through! Same goes here, they're not getting any easier! But I have confidence in each and every one of you! Believe it and you can achieve it!

It's all about having fun!

Remember those Highlight magazines as a child? I use to LOVE find the hidden objects. Well, I have one for you. It took me a LONG time to find the elephant but if you sort of look away a bit you'll see it! Stick with it, never give up! I loved a lot of the comments that were left with the last "perplexing" puzzle! Keeping it fun is what it's all about! So again, leave a comment below on how long (if ever) it took you to find the elephant. Correct answers are not necessary! It's a random drawing. The first one to reply is #1 and so on. I plug the total numbers into the Random Number Generator and I find that entrant's number and viola that's the winner! I will draw the name of that lucky winner sometime on Friday. I know it's the holiday weekend so I will wait until Tuesday if I have not heard from the winner.

Ok, let the games begin!

Keep it fun!

Nugget Boxes Customer Appreciation Gifts

I'm submitting my daily post a little early. I have a VERY fun stamping "thing" this afternoon and into the evening. 6 hours of fun and dinner and a little business meeting! I can't wait! I'll be sure to show you what we make! I just LOVE these events!

Anyway, I'm gearing up for the Customer Appreciation event in July. So I thought I could get a start on my nugget boxes. I also decided I needed to use up my retired decorative papers. I still need to make a lot more boxes but at least I got a start on them. These are fabulous for, in this case, little "thank yous." They also make a great Hostess Gift. Oh and they are a BIG hit at Stamp Camp and are quick enough for a Make N Take too! I got the pattern for the three piece nugget box at Split Coast Stampers and the link to the boxes can be found here. This link also has other size boxes. You can do a lot with these, the possibilities are endless!

Now all I need to do is get the candies (closer to the event). I used the "Rough Texture" wheel by Stampin' Up! and Lovely Lilac ink to make the design on the mailing labels. I bought those at the local dollar store. 450 labels for $1 is not a bad deal. Granted the are very thin and if you were to run them through your printer I'd recommend hand feeding your printer one sheet at a time. They are not thick like the better quality labels are but they work for this. Click on the photo to see the items close up.

A note to my stampers:


I hope you forget you saw these when you come to the event in July!!!

I will post the blog candy tomorrow!

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Blog Candy!

It looks like I will be hitting 60,000 sooner than I thought I would. Thanks to all of you who stop by and view my blog!!! I will be posting some blog candy to commemorate the occasion! SO check back tomorrow for a new game or puzzle or something strange and out of the ordinary!!! And of course it will be fun!

Check back tomorrow!!!

Doodle All The Day!

This is a little notebook "purse" I made using the "Doodle This" and the "Doodle That" stamp sets. I cut a piece of copier paper 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" and folded it in half and then folded it in half once more. I then cut one side at an angle. This is my pattern for the Caribbean Blue card stock and the white copier paper inside. Trace and cut out the Caribbean Blue card stock and stamp on it with the Doodle That stamp. I used Staz-on Black ink. I wasn't sure if the gel pen would cause the Basic Black ink to smear. I stamped the flower from the "Doodle This" set on Caribbean Blue card stock, again using the Staz-on Black and cut it out. I colored in the white areas with the gel pen and let it dry. Once it was dry I used a glue pen and added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to it. I colored in the center of the flower with Basic Black marker and when it was dry I added Dazzling Diamonds there as well. On the purse part I added Dazzling Diamonds to the little flowers, leaves and dots, the stems I colored in with the gel pen. I took a piece of Whisper White card stock and set it on the upper part of the purse, covering about 1/3 of it. I traced the edges and then cut them out. I then set a piece of Basic Black card stock over that, sliding it up just a little so you could see about 1/8" of it on the edge. I traced again and cut it out. I taped it in place and then drew a line with the glue pen and added some Dazzling Diamonds. When that was dry I added the flower. I punched two holes in the top to tie on the ribbon. Before I added the ribbon I cut a piece of copier paper into 4 equal pieces. I traced the purse shape and cut the 4 sheets out at one time. I folded them in half, marked where the holes would go and punched them out. Then I attached the ribbon by inserting it in the hole and tying a knot on the inside. I twisted the ribbon and then inserted the other end in the next hole and tied the knot on the inside. It's a pretty simple note pad to make! I saw a design similar to this made by Kyla Maestas. I liked it so much I thought it would be cute as a note pad much like the chicken one I posted last week. This would be great for a Make N Take or a Hostess Gift.

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Fun With Garbage!

Ok, what normally is tossed out in the recycling I used on this card. I had punched out some black card stock using the Spiral Punch found in the Stampin' Up! Spring Mini Catalog. I cut the little piece of card stock that stick out on one side and used the squares on this card. Since Stampin' Up! doesn't have square brads I had to improvise. While laying out the card last night I got oohs and aahs from Cathy and Laurie (my adoring fans!!! *winks*). I had circles punched out and lined up the right side. I was using them as a visual for adding brads later. Well, later happened and I wasn't totally pleased with the brads, mostly because they were round. I wanted something to match the punched piece. Then it came to me, use the recycled garbage stuff from the black piece you punched out earlier. (Admitting here that I don't clean my work area off after each project!!)

The measurements and stamps used to make this card are as follows:

Cut a piece of Ruby Red card stock 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and fold it in half. Cut a piece of black card stock 5 1/4" x 4" and adhere it to the folded Ruby Red piece. Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 5" x 3 3/4". Using the "Well-Worn Words" background stamp and Ruby Red ink pad, stamp your image onto the white card stock. Sponge the edges with the same color. Next cut two pieces of black card stock measuring 2 1/4" x 4" and piece of Whisper White card stock and one piece of Ruby Red card stock measuring 2" x 3 3/4". Using the Spiral Punch, made 7 holes along the left side of the Ruby Red piece. Now instead of taking a piece of black card stock to get your little black squares you can use the piece that the smaller Ruby Red piece will be attached to. Just punch in the areas that the top layer will be covering. Once you assemble the card it won't show (if you punched it right that is!). Take the Itty Bitty Backgrounds splatter looking stamp and ink it up with black and cover the small Ruby Red piece. Attach that piece to one of the smaller black pieces. Next stamp your image. Here I used the Artfully Asian set. Color in the areas you'd like, sponge the edges with Ruby Red ink and affix it to the remaining small black piece of card stock. Line up your two layered pieces on top of the Well-Worn Words piece and tape them in place. Cut off the little pieces hanging from the black squares and line them up along the right side of the card. Here I used glue instead of tape. It was too difficult and too tiny of a piece to make tape work here. And you're done!!! Not as difficult as it sounded!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT weekend!

Wanda

Doodling on the New Papers!

Here's a fun little project that takes about all of 15 minutes to do. I think it took me longer to hunt down the bag of Life Savers than it did to make this. These are great for little "Thank Yous" or for a Make N Take. They are quick and fun to make and if you use the decorative papers it's even quicker!!! I used the 5 in 1 envelope template to make the pocket. It holds two Life Savers!

Once the envelope was done I stamped the Doodle That flower using Black Staz-on ink. I colored it in with the watercolor crayons and my blender pen. I sponged the edges and added the Pretty in Pink layer. I taped it to the envelope. I would recommend using glue. When you put the candy in the tape lifts up a bit off the edges. Glue would hold it in place much better. Add your candy and it's ready. You can tape or glue the flap shut or leave it open, either way it's cute! I am thinking about adhering mine shut but before I do that I want to add a brad to the flap. Or maybe a button! Just a little finishing touch makes a world of difference!

I hope you have fun with this.
Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Measurements to the Artfully Asian CASE Card

I have received a number of emails asking me for the measurements for this card. They are as follows:

For the stamped pieces you will need to cut the strips 7/8" wide. The long side pieces are 4 1/16" and the top and bottom pieces are 2 7/8".

The layer under those strips measures 1" wide. The long side pieces are 4 1/4" and the top and bottom pieces are 3".

The image piece is 1 3/4" wide by 3" long. And the layer under that is 1 15/16" wide by 3/16" long.

Add your brads and ribbon before you tape the layers to the white card stock.

Once you have the measurements it's a pretty quick card to make. I highly recommend you make one extra card to have on hand and put the measurements inside it on a post-it note for safe keeping. Then again you can always check back here on my blog. It will be listed on the right column under "Card Measurements." That's pretty simple. I just realized that now and I may never have to keep measurements around anymore! They will be here when I need them. Oh and the best thing about that idea is I will know where to find them!!! They can't get lost on here!!!!

I would LOVE to see what you make with this layout!

SplitCoast Sketch Challenge

There is a new Sketch Challenge at Split Coast Stampers every Wednesday. This is my second one I've been able to do. The challenges there are a lot of fun. And it just happened that the new Print Sampler papers came in my order on Monday and I got to use them on this card. I just LOVE these new papers. Both sides are fabulous which is a bad thing. It makes it SO difficult to choose which side I want to use. But I managed to find two colors that went well together and two designs also! I used the butterfly from the "Touch of Nature" set (which is NOT retiring) and the "Everyday Flexible Phrases" word (which is NOT retiring either). I added some hardware and buttons (I have no idea if those are retiring), sponged the edges and put it all together. I liked the way it turned out! If you have time go to Split Coast and try one of their challenges. They have a lot of them and I'm sure you'll find one that you will just LOVE the layout and HAVE to make it!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Wanda

Now for Something Really Different!

I don't do a lot of scrapbooking. It doesn't mean I don't know how to scrapbook. I don't know why I don't do it more. I really enjoy it. Maybe it's because I did my son's 18 years of his life in 6 months Scrapbook and I am still in shock! Now WAY back then it wasn't a popular thing to do and I had better things to do with my time. I was very faithful about keeping up with his baby book *patting my back* And I kept up on his shot! LOL I did keep a photo album for him which made it easy to do the scrapbook pages. I think it's that time you have to spend putting the photos in chronological order that slows us all up. Well, that and hunting the photos down! A lot of my favorite photos of our son are on slides. Yes, slides. I took them to the drug store to have them developed into prints and the kid (looked all of 12 years old!!! LOL) said to me "what's a slide?" Can you believe that? Am I that old? I'll field that question before any of you do!!! I must be old if I think the kid at the drug store looked like he was 12!

Ok, enough rambling. I had gotten out some photos of the cats I've had in my life. The center of the page reads "Every life should have nine cats!" I saw that saying a long time ago and just loved it. I actually stopped to see if I even had the unwritten quota of 9 cats in. I did and then some. I had several cats that I do not have photos of. It wasn't the "thing" to do as a child to waste film on a picture of a cat. They probably would have been black and white anyway! Again the cat stamp in the middle is "Cool Cat" and is retiring. The words in the background card stock was done using the Stampin' Up! fonts disk and printed out. I used the word window punch for the names and the two circle punches for the photos. It was SO much fun to make this because it brought back SO many good memories of my sweet kitties. I still have Boo, K.C. and Millie.

Pets are a part of your family too and I firmly believe they should be included in the albums.


Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Blog Candy Winner!

I know you're all waiting anxiously for the answer to that "perplexing" maze and who the lucky (random) winner is!!! Well, you need wait any longer.

Here's the answer to that puzzle. Some of you did get it right!!! I'm SO proud of you! LOL I knew it was such a difficult one and I apologize to those of you who lost sleep trying to figure it out. I know exactly how you feel! The sad thing is I have more!!! But that could be a good thing now couldn't it? That would mean more Blog Candy. Well, it looks like that will be happening next week when my counter is at 60,000 hits. Unless you all visit a lot more and make it happen sooner!!! You should be checking out every page on my blog!!!

Ok the answer is in the posted photo. And the lucky winner is:

Nancy said...
I haven't slept in two days because of the lure of this darn maze! I see it when I close my eyes at night and lay there and try to find my way through it!I hope you post some hints or the answer soon so I can sleep again!

Congratulations Nancy! Please email me with your snail mail address and I'll send you the Blog Candy!

Thank you all for playing. I LOVED your responses. It's all about keeping it fun and some of you REALLY did have fun with it. I can't wait to hear what your answers are to the next Blog Candy "Perplexing" Puzzle!

"Too Stinkin' Cute!"

Last Thursday evening I went to a stamping "thing" and we got to make these two items. The square one is a magnetic calendar for the refrigerator. And the other is an adorable notebook for the purse. They are such cute items and very fun to make!!! Thanks Sue!! I had a lot of fun making them!!! You know I'm going to CASE the pattern for the purse thing!!!

Thanks for looking!
Wanda

Blog Candy Drawing

Blog Candy drawing Tuesday night. See if you can solve the perplexing puzzle!!! Click here to be brought to the candy link where you can leave your comment. I will be drawing a name on Tuesday evening.

Good luck to you all!
Wanda

Mileage Notebook PDF File Pages Link

Here is the link to the pages to the mileage notebook I posted last week. I was able to print on one side and then turn the paper over and print on the other side and it lined up well. You may want to practice with one sheet, print it out, turn the sheet over and print the other side before you begin mass producing them! Nothing more frustrating than to find out you put the paper in upside down or backwards. Speaking from experience here! That's why you see those SO difficult puzzles on my blog! It's about all I can handle anymore!! LOL

I hope you have fun with this notebook. They make great gifts and also sell well at craft fairs!

Have fun!
Wanda

"That's Nice" Friendship Card

I hope you all enjoyed Mother's Day!

Today's card is from the "That's Nice" set in the Spring Mini Catalog. And I had to try out the new punch again. I'm actually using this punch on an altered notebook with wire binding. I'll be posting that when I'm done with it.

Ok, onto the card. For the background I used Mellow Moss card stock. I cut a and tore a small piece of Always Artichoke. I stamped on the Moss with the "Little Pieces" set using Always Artichoke and Mellow Moss ink. For the Always Artichoke piece I used the flower stamp in the "Little Pieces" set and the Very Vanilla ink pad. I had not used that pad yet and thought I should give it a try. The ink was separated on the pad and I ended up taking a paper towel and smearing the ink around to sort of "mix" it. Doing that worked somewhat. I think I was expecting more of a solid vanilla look to the image. I think I may need to work the pad a bit more or give Stampin' Up! a call and see what's up with it! While the ink was still wet I sprinkled clear embossing powder on it and heat set it.

I added the ribbon to the Always Artichoke piece and then taped it in place on top of the card. I punched the Very Vanilla card Stock first and then stamped on it. I sponged the edges and taped it to a piece of Always Artichoke. I used the white gel pen in the center of the flowers. (Stampin' Up! needs to make a vanilla gel pen). The darker flower on the Very Vanilla piece of card stock was stamped on a scrap piece of Mello Moss and cut out. It wasn't bad only because I was cutting just one flower! I inked up the small flower, stamped off and then stamped the flower in the upper corner of the Very Vanilla card stock. I then added the flower I cut out. In the center of that flower I added a tiny little Swarovski flat back gem I had. I could have used the gel pen but I wanted just a little bit more twinkle. It doesn't show up that well in the photo.

This was a pretty quick and simple card to make.

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Don't Forget the Blog Candy!

I'm seeing that this maze is just TOO difficult to get though. But many of you are sticking with it and managing to find your way to the end!!! LOL I am LOVIN' some of your silly comments, they make me laugh! Having fun is what this is all about!!

Please leave your comment on the original post. Just click here and you will be directed to that post! I will do a random drawing on Tuesday evening May 15th. Remember, you don't need to get through the maze to be in the drawing!!! Just have fun!

Thanks for playing,
Wanda

If CASING Was A Crime I'd Be In Jail!!!

I just can't help myself. There are SO many fabulous cards out there that I just love and HAVE to have. And since I don't know the creators of the cards I can hardly ask them to just send me one now can I? SO what does that leave me??? Not much of a choice now is it. I just have to CASE! And I do! Guilty!! Guilty!! Guilty!! And loving every minute of it. Though I do have to admit it would make it a lot easier if these people would just mail me their cards!!!

Here is one I HAD to CASE. It was originally done by a stamper named AlisaZoe. Her card can be found by clicking on her name. I didn't have more than one size of Prima's so I made due with what I did have. I had gotten some for a gift. I did not know they are made from pressed paper and are a bit fragile. I thought they were made of silk. I was given purple and white ones. I have not tried to "dye" the white ones with inkers or sponging them but I'm going to be trying that some time soon. I had this horrible image of adding inkers to the flower and watching it expand like a sponge getting moisture for the first time! It will be interesting and I'll be sure to keep you posted on that thought!!!

Ok, back to the card. This stamp set, "Touch of Nature" is one I've hardly go to use and I REALLY like it. It is NOT being retired but that's besides the point. I just HAD to make this card. I LOVE the richness of the colors and the combination of the colors was interesting too. Adding Cameo Coral to the Ruby Red was a stretch for me. But the sponging toned it down enough to pull the two off! I enjoyed every minute of CASING this card!

Stop by AlisaZoe's Gallery and see her other creations too. She's a fabulous stamper!



Thank you for checking in and don't forget to play with the maze for some Blog Candy!!!

Wanda

Don't Forget the Blog Candy "Perplexing" Maze

Don't forget to add your little comment to the "perplexing" maze! It's a tough one, I hope you manage to find your way out!!! LOL I am LOVIN' this. Your comments make me smile and I'm SO pleased you're having a good time with this. That's what it's all about!! Please leave your comment on the original post. Just click here and you will be directed to that post!

Have fun!

Blog Candy

Here's the Blog Candy you've been anxiously waiting for!!! A spool of Stampin' Up! (7/8" x 25 yards) of Old Willow (Old Olive color) Organza ribbon, a package of Magic Mesh Earth tones and a Stamp Craft "Floral" rubber stamp set.

Now how can you get this???? Hmmm. I think we'll do a puzzle!!! I know I've been making these things too easy for you so this one is going to be a lot more difficult. Print out the maze and time how long it takes you to get through it. Post your best time along with your first name and last initial on this post. You really don't have to be the fastest to get the gifts. Your name will be drawn randomly. I will draw a name on Tuesday evening May 15th. One entry per person!

I hope you can figure this one out, it sure is a tough one!!!!

Good luck to you and have fun!
Wanda

Weekend Project Mileage Book

I thought I'd better get this posted before the set retires. It's SO sad this set has to retire, there are not that many masculine sets in the catalog. Hopefully retiring this one means they are coming out with a lot more masculine ones. Keep your fingers crossed! I will be posting the PDF file for this on SplitCoastStampers in a couple of days. I am in the middle of a big project here and my time is limited at the moment. But I in the meantime you can find your notebooks (5 1/2" x 4 1/4") and work on the cover. Now I know you are going to want to make more than one so this will give you plenty of time to do that part of it. The PDF file is set up to print 4 on a page and you can turn the paper over and run it through the printer again to print the other sided. It's all lined up to print like that. I don't know if that changes from printer to printer or not.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!
Wanda

The Shameless CASING Continues!

I just can't help myself. There's SO many fabulous cards out there and I needed a short break from designing my own. But next week it's back to my own work! I just loved this card by lacyquilter over at SplitCoastStampers. I just had to make it. I did change the color of the ribbon. She used a blue grosgrain ribbon and I changed it out for the moss green grosgrain ribbon. I hadn't incorporated any blue into my card to accompany the ribbon. What I thought was fun here was the Lumiere I used on the berries. It game them a nice white shiny look. I don't get a chance to use that stuff very often and when I do I REALLY like the looks of it.

This card had a lot of pieces to it but it was SO worth it when I was done. And the best thing about this card is all of the stamps used in it are NOT retiring!!!

When making a card such as this be sure to write the measurements down on a post it and stick it on the inside of the card. This way they are always available for you. This layout is perfect for a lot of different stamps out there. The outer pieces here were done using a wheel but they can also be done using decorative papers. Play around with it and have fun! That's what it's all about!!

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Nikki's Card

I received a very nice card from Nikki B. You all remember her, right? But just in case you don't I'll refresh your memory. She was the luck winner of the last Blog Candy commemorating my 50,000 hits! She sent me a card using some of the items in the Blog Candy. Wasn't that sweet? Thank you Nikki. Here's your card for the world to see! I love the colors and this layout reminds me of an old notebook. In an email to me she said her cards weren't very creative. I do have to disagree with her! I think she did a great job! Thanks again Nikki for giving me permission to post your card!

Wanda

It's Blog Candy Time

I have 3 posts for today and when they are finally on the blog I will have 200 posts for the year so far! So to celebrate the 200 posts I will be giving away a little Blog Candy! I will post that tomorrow for my 201st post!!

Stay tuned!

Shameless Casing!

More shameless casing! I LOVE to C.A.S.E. (copy and study everything or copy and steal everything, I do them both). Though I don't "steal", I do give credit if I know who I cased the card from. And this one I cased from Michelle over at Painted Desert Serenade. I certainly didn't change it much. I did add a rhinestone in the center of the flower but for the most part it's just like her card. I even had just enough of the polka dot grosgrain ribbon. I didn't think I had any and I was all set to use black grosgrain and add white dots with the gel pen. Improvise where you can!!

This was a very fun card to make. The flowers were stamped, colored and the best part about that was the edges. You could color outside the lines because you were cutting that part off!!!! I LOVE it when I can do that! After they were cut out I put the Dazzling Diamonds on it and set it aside to dry. I added the background design using the Cool Caribbean, cut the layers and added those and by this time the glitter was dry. I put the flower together, added it to the card and the last thing I did was add the rhinestone. I can't wait until I can order the new ones from Stampin' Up! It's sure going to glitz up many of the cards I make!! It was fun casing Michelle's card! Thanks SO much Michelle!

Thank you all for checking in!
Wanda

Feedblitz

Did you all get your Feedblitz notification late today? I did. I figured they had server problems. The posts usually get mailed out around 1:00 am CDT. Today mine arrived at 5:15 pm. I'd sure hate to be a computer tech at that place when servers go down!!!! But it's up and running (obviously!) and I'd have to say they fixed the problem in a reasonable amount of time. You have to give them a hand for getting it back up within 24 hours. I appreciate it!!

I See Pea Soup!!!

I hope you weren't expecting to see a recipe!!!LOL The colors of

this card remind me of pea soup!! The greens of pea soup are swimming around in my head and that's all I can think of! Ok not just that. I am thinking of pea soup and cake. YUCK! What a horrible combination! LOL The whole plan behind this card was to try a circle inside the two square layers. Maybe if I would have used a bowl of soup the card wouldn't seem so bad to me! I promise tomorrow's card will be much better! And there will be a weekend project coming up too!!

Thanks for stopping by for a look at the soup!!!
Wanda

Multiplicity

No, not the movie but just a quote from it! "Did you ever make a copy of a copy and it didn't turn out quite right???" I saw this card on SplitCoastStampers and just had to CASE it! Of course they will NEVER be exact but you try so hard to make it as close to the one you just loved as you can. The multiplicity thing plays out this way. As I was reading what CraftCrazy98 wrote about her card she said it was a CASE. SO of course you have to check out that one too. And then again you're doing the comparing thing. I realized I just had to not compare my work to anyone else. We all see with different eyes and we all have our own personal style. SO, this is my version of the card I saw and liked on SCS!

Thank you for checking in!
Wanda

Just Being Fair

I had to be fair and make my mother-in-law a card for Mother's Day too. I wanted her to have a special one like I made for my mom. Here's her card. I made hers in blue and I did the layout just a little bit different. I didn't plan that, it just worked out that way because of the length of the photo. I'm sure she will like it. She did like the "Like Father, Like Son" hinged coasters I made for her.

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

The Perfect Mother's Day Card!

I was wracking my brains trying to figure out the most perfect unique Mother's Day card for my mom. Not that any handmade card wouldn't be unique or perfect (well, close to perfect)! I wanted one that would give a lasting memory only a mother would understand and hold near and dear to her heart. I have been working on an altered book of photos of me and I ran across one I had scanned that I thought would be ideal on a card for my mom.

I am not very far in my altered book of my photos but when I get it done I'll post it on here. It's been fun (so far) working on it. Actually working isn't the right word. Playing perhaps best describes it. The book has not become work yet. It's been fun and the stroll down Memory Lane has been an interesting one! I stepped back from the book and realized how strange it is to sum up your entire life in a few pages. I'll share more of that later when I get the book done.

As for this card. . . it's ready for next Sunday! I also made one for my Mother-in-law with my husband's photo of course!!! I don't think she'd find much sentimental value in a photo of me as a child!!! LOL

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Playing With the New Stuff!

I thought I'd better play with the new sets I have before they are retired too. *insert heavy sigh here!* I'm really liking this card. Probably because it has such a rich look to it. I seem to be attracted to the richer looking things. Doesn't it seem to work out that way? You're always drawn to the richer things you can't afford??? LOL

SO back to this card. I used Elegant Eggplant for the main body of the card. I added a layer of black on top of that and then the last larger layer is Perfect Plum with the "Lace" background stamp inked up with Perfect Plum. VersaMark just didn't get it to pop like the image of this I had in my mind. I used the new "Spiral Punch" on the left side of the Whisper White card stock and layered it on top of a piece of black. I wove a piece of the plum grosgrain ribbon in the holes the punch made. Leaving the holes open again took away from the richness. I added 4 black brads. I lined them up using the hole grid piece in the Mat Pack. That has to be one of the most used tools I have from Stampin' Up! It has come in handy for over half of my cards! I used the "Celebrate" stamp from the "That's Nice" set. On top of it I added the center flower from the set "Big Blooms". I stamped it in So Saffron and then took the Perfect Plum marker and colored over the small dots. The stem is done in Old Olive. It blended well with the other colors and continued to give the card that rich look I was striving for. Click on the card to get a closer view of it. It looks even richer up close!

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

"Too Busy in the Middle"

My card for today was created using the "Wild Roses" set. I just LOVE this set. It matches the Recollections decorative paper from Stampin' Up! I was just playing around with the set and came up with this. My son said it's too busy in the middle. Perhaps but the focal point is suppose to be in the middle! He doesn't have a degree as and art critic so . . . !

I use Bravo Burgundy and Old Olive for my colors. I did use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the black outline stamp. I wanted to get it as close to the lines in the first image as possible. I learned how to use that thing a few months back and I'm just LOVIN' it!!! I used it on the Fun Filled cards I posted earlier this week. It was used on the diamond background. I had to repeat that image several times. I was REALLY glad I only had to redo that card 5 times!!! I like using the Stamp-a-ma-jig but I don't think I'd be using it that much!! But the cards are done and next time I'm going to find one with an easier background!!! Anyway, this is the card I'm posting tonight. It's a quick versatile card which can be used for many different occasions.

Thank you for checking in.

Wanda

This is a Test!!

This is a test for my stampers. The first one to email me and tell me they read this post gets the finished notebook and the stamp. I got this stamp at the local dollar store. I didn't know they had stamps there. I thought it was pretty so I bought it. After all it was only a dollar!!! SO to anyone who has stamped at my house (you don't need to be a club member) this post is for you. The first one to email me saying they saw it gets the notebook and the stamp! This is to see if my stampers REALLY do read my blog!!! SO sneaky!!! LOL

I purchased small 3" x 4" notebooks and just added card stock to the front and back and then a stamped image with a layer or two depending on the stamp. This one only has one layer on top of the card stock that is used to cover the notebook! I added the three brads before I taped it to the Old Olive layer. I used the direct to rubber technique with a marker. A very fun and a very quick project. It's great for Stamp Camp, a Hostess Gift or even Make & Takes. I keep one in my purse for notes.

Who's going to be first??????

Stepping Out of My Box Card

Today I made a card using the "Doodle This" set. A set I'm hoping will be in the new catalog. I saw a card Rosella from "Corner of Enchantment" made and I LOVED the layout. It was so out of the ordinary that I had to give it a try. I wanted to play with the Sahara Sand card stock. I have SO much of it and hardly use any of it. I went to Scraptitude and entered in the Sahara Sand color and hit search knowing full well I'd get plenty of color choices. And I sure did! Well then I thougth I'd go with the Sage Shadow so I added that to the Sahara Sand and did another search. The Lavendar Lace color came up and I thought I could make those three colors work together with this shape I wanted. I didn't want to CASE Rosella's card, I only wanted the layout. I did like her flower but I didn't want a silk one on the card. My plan was to use current Stampin' Up! stamps. And I did and this is what I came up with! It's a lot different than what I'm use to making!

Thank you for stopping by!
Wanda

Blog Candy "What Is It?" Winner

Before I tell you what that odd piece of whatever is I have to tell you how I came upon it. If you read the right side of my blog you'll see that I am owned by three cats. So when I'm walking into my workroom I see this "thing" on the floor that looks like poo. My first thoughts are of trying to decide which cat would do this to me. As I approached it and saw the blue flecks I then began to change my choice on which cat I had in mind that would be going to the vet to have those flecks checked out. The whole time I'm wondering why I'm not smelling anything. I get down closer and see that it is safe to pick it up. Mind you I have on rubber gloves at this point. Oh and not to mention the excessive amount of paper towels in the other hand. I pick it up and see what it is. I had to look at it several times and then set it on top of my TV so I wouldn't lose it. I had no idea what it was. As I was cleaning I found the outsides of a toy mouse. The holes in that poo looking thing were the eye holes to the mouse. This thing was comprised of pressed sawdust and some type of paper clay material! TOO funny!

This is Boo, does she look innocent to you???? She's not the one I suspected until I found the other part of the mouse to put the puzzle together. She LOVES to play and I'm sure it was her that took the mouse apart. She's almost 3 but is very petite. She was such a sickly little thing the day after I brought her home and she went from 1 pound 8 ounces to 1 pound 4 ounces. Poor little thing. But now she's a whopping 6 pounds and is full of energy. Her favorite thing in the morning is to play "get you". I tell her "I'm going to get you" and she runs to the couch and hides her head under the pillow like a toddler would do. Only her head is hidden and I think she thinks you can't see her!! She's SO funny and SO much fun to have around. Except when she leaves strange things for me to find on the floor!!! But it did make a fun game!

SO now that the mystery is solved I want to say "Thank you" to all of you for checking in on my blog and helping it reach 50,000 hits! Keep checking in. 60,000 isn't that far off!!

Okay, here is the lucky winner of the stamp set is #28 Nikki B and this is her guess:

...I have my doubts but having put many many things through the wash that dont belong I think its a piece of cardbord roll of some sort that wet at some point and redried? :):)

I won't even begin to tell you thing things I've washed! And no, it has never been one of those toy mice! LOL

Nikki, please email me with your snail mail address and I'll get the package out in the mail to you! Congratulations and thanks for playing!

Thanks again to all of you!
Wanda

Adios to In Full Bloom!

This is another set that will be retiring. It was such a fun and yet elegant set. I have seen LOTS of samples using this set on SplitCoastStampers. I even CASED a clock off Split Coast using this set. I will take a picture of it and post it tomorrow along with the Blog Candy winner!!! I know you're all waiting with anticipation to find out what that piece of whatever is!!! LOL

So now onto this card! I used the new designer paper in the Spring Mini catalog. The pink is actually the backside of the striped paper. I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line up the flower stem. Now that I know how to work that thing. I used it MANY times when doing the Fun Filled background. UGH!!! Good thing I only chose to redo the card 5 times!! LOL

I used a blender pen for my coloring and around the edges of the flower I took the writing end of the marker and filled in the areas to give the flower a bit more depth. Stamping, coloring and cutting out another flower would also give it depth but I didn't want it to stand out that much. I wanted to keep it soft looking. I used Bashful Blue to color around the flower for the shadowing. A layer of Old Olive (because the card itself is in Old Olive) and some black brads I made using black embossing powder and regular office fasteners! Be sure to hold them with a clothes pin, they get VERY hot! For the "For You" I used the set "Fun Filled". Another set that is retiring.

Thank you for checking in!
Wanda

Blog Candy "What Is It?"

Tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon I will be posting the lucky winner of the Blog Candy. Please be sure to post your answer on that link only.

A few of the guesses are VERY close!!!

Fun Filled Fun!

Ok, here are the final three suggestions on how to improve my original card. The first card in this post is what Paula suggested I do:

"I would make the piece that has the diamonds a little narrower and longer to got with the focal point a bit better."

Now as I was making these I was assuming this is what they had in mind, hopefully I am right!!! Moving the top design to the side and making it longer did take the focal point away from the button!

Thank you Paula. Please email me your snail mail address and I'll send you the card and a little something for playing!!!

This next card was made using Denise's suggestion:

First of all I love the colors and textures you have created with this card. Keep everything the same but just move some things around. Take off the button and add a 3-D mounted flower in it's place. Take the main image and move it to the left and pop it so you can run some ribbon and twine under it. Secure the button to the right of the image with the twine. If you want to add some bling add gold brads in the corners of the card base.Hope that helps! Next time I am not feeling the love for a card I am going ask my blog readers to throw me a help line...cool idea.

Again, I'm hoping this is what you had in mind. I'm usually pretty good at following directions!!! The ribbon and Hemp didn't go together and brads in the corners didn't go with the newly placed button. But all in all I think it worked!

Thank you Denise, please email me with your snail mail address too.

And last but not least is Marcy's suggestion:

"Hey, I like the idea of popping up a flower definitely.Just a thought...what about clear embossing the boots. Might make them pop more."

Marcy, please email me with your snail mail address as well!

This was very fun. I will have to try this again! It was great to hear all of your suggestions and see such a wealth of talent out there!

I just saw today that this is one of the retiring sets. It's too bad because it's a fun set to play with. But I'm sure what Stampin' Up! is replacing it with will be even more fun!

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments and suggestions!
Wanda