Gummy Gifts!!!

It's fun to recycle when you can and these gum boxes are fun to play with. I don't collect many of them because I don't go through much gum. By the time I'm at the end of a package the gum is hard and crumbly which means it's time (past time) to buy a new package. And when I do buy a new package I recycle the old one. If you click on the photo of the wrapper you can see the expiration date on the bottom. By the time I want a piece of gum it's too late!!! LOL

I just found that this package holds the Stampin' Up! Sizzlets! How great would that be for a gift for a friend, fellow stamper, Hostess Gift or Customer Appreciation?? It actually would hold two of them so it would have to be a REALLY good friend if you were to add two!! LOL

It's very simple to do this too. What I did was I took the gum package apart and tossed out the inside part that held the gum. Mine had 3 separate foil type holders. I laid the package on my card stock to make sure I knew which way I wanted the design to go. Then I turned it over and ran my tape runner across it covering most of it. I didn't cover the whole thing, it wasn't necessary. But you do need to make sure all of the edges are covered.

Once the tape is on set it in place on top of the decorative paper. Be careful when you do this, once the tape hits the decorative paper it's pretty much committed to that spot!!! You may be lucky and get it off if you do it very carefully but odds are the decorative paper will rip.

Once the taped was stuck to the paper I rubbed it with an open hand to make sure it was all secure. Then I cut out the paper using the original package as my guide/pattern. I folded the score lines and glued it where the package was originally glued down. I set it aside to dry for a few minutes. I didn't want to mess with it in case the glue let loose. I did check on it in the event I may have to add a bit more glue but it was all ok.

I then decorated the outside. And on the inside I added a small zip baggie of bath salts! I thought it looked like a relaxing bath salt type box!!! I used Stampin' Up!'s Razzleberry Lemonade decorative paper, Oval All and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets.

And that was all there was to that box!! Easy and I recycled. I like to try to use things I can at least one more time before it finds it's way into the trash/recycling.

You can click here for LOTS more "Weekend Projects." There are over 80 of them!!! Enough to keep you busy for quite a while!!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Take Out Box Weekend Project

A while back my sister and I went to A & W for lunch. The A & W here is also a Long John Silvers. I saw these cute boxes they put fishy stuff in. I asked if I could have one and the gal just gave it to me.

I have had this box here for a couple of months (at least!!!) and I ran across it the other day and decided to do something with it. SO I took it apart at the seams and taped it on top of this fun piece of decorative paper from the "Razzleberry Lemonade" pack. Yes, I actually still have a few pieces left in that pack but not many!!

There were small holes in the sides of the box. I didn't do anything with them until I was done decorating the box. Then I used the Crop-a-dial because it had a longer reach than my regular paper punch. I punched both sides and then I punched a piece of Razzleberry card stock with a 1/4" punch and then I used a 1/2" punch over it to make a paper washer. I wanted to reinforce the sides so the ribbon doesn't pull too hard on the holes.

I cut some ribbon and tied knots at the ends inside the box to secure the handle. It was pretty simple to do! The box really does need a handle.

The image came from the Stampin' Up! "Matchbox Messages" set. I was thinking of doing some Asian image on the box but I couldn't find one small enough that would work. SO I just thought i would go with the little something one and use the scallop punch to make it pop! Keeping it all simple!!!

It is now ready to fill. I was thinking of filling it with candies and giving it as a gift. This box has lots of possibilities!!

This was a simple and quick weekend project! Hope you have fun with it!!


Thanks SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

What a fun Sketch Challenge this was at SplitCoastStampers!! It was not only fun but an easy one!!

I wanted to go with a Halloween theme but didn't really have a stamp set that would fit in that #3 spot. Then I realized I had a wheel that would work. SO I got out my wheels and found the Stampin' Up! "Haunting" one! It's such a fun wheel to play with!!!

I embossed the image using VersaMark and black embossing powder. I sponged in Always Artichoke, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink and Night of Navy. That was pretty much it for the stamping. The rest of the card was decorative paper. Of course I don't have any of the new Halloween papers yet so I had to dig out some of the old stuff. Which is ok, I do need to use it up!! But using pieces this size doesn't exactly use up much now does it? LOL

The "Boo" was from a Halloween die cut I have. I just felt that the corner needed a little something and that was all it took!! And that was all there is to this card. Simple and quick too!!

If you have some time to play, hop on over to SplitCoast and give the sketch a try!!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Bath & Beauty Weekend Project

I can not even begin to tell you how fun it was to make this tote!!! I have seen these totes being done on many blogs and I thought they were cute but I never tried it. Well today I thought I'd give it a try and see if they were as easy as all of those bloggers were saying they were. Well, of course it was easy!!! It's one of those "why didn't I think of that" items!!

Here is how you make this. First you need the Stampin' Up! Box #2 Sizzix die. I cut two of them out of the new Dusty Durango card stock. I folded the score lines, except for the top flap, don't fold that at all. I did fold one of them and realized I shouldn't have. It doesn't really show on the box much but if you can remember, DON'T fold it!! I then put the box together like you normally would. You will need to remove the top side pieces that fold over into the top of the box. These pieces are hidden when the flap is normally folded over it and closed. These serve no purpose in this project. I suppose you could fold them in and tape them down but you don't really need any side support.

Once you have the two boxes ready take one of them and punch a hole for the handle. I used an oval punch for mine. Line it up with the second box, trace it and then punch it. Now you can tape or glue the two boxes together back to back. I used tape for mine, just regular double-sided tape. I thought glue might warp and the Sticky Strip was a bit too sticky for this.

I had gotten some of these fun bath scrubby puffs at the Dollar Tree. They come 6 in a container. I picked this yellow color because it complimented the Dusty Durango best of all of them. I tucked it in one side of the tote.

Then I found some fun hotel shampoo, conditioner and lotion bottles that I had in my cupboard. See these things do come in handy someday!!! And don't let anyone tell you any different!!! LOL

Now to keep them from tipping over in the tote I cut a piece of card stock 6" x 1-1/4" and then I score it at 7/8" intervals. The photo shows black card stock. That was my prototype!!! I had a scrap of black and I was playing around with it so I could get the inside piece right. Funny thing is, I got it right the first time. When I redid it using the Dusty Durango I taped the peaks together. That is an optional thing. It looks better if they are taped but there is more slack in each section. SO I put the black piece back in because I didn't want to cut a whole sheet of Dusty Durango just for that little strip. Now if I give it as a gift (which I probably will do) I will hopefully have a scrap piece of the Dusty Durango by then!! And if not then that person will have to be a very special one for me to sacrifice a whole sheet of card stock for them!!!! LOL

To decorate the outside of my box I used some fun scrap (yes I have scrap) decorative paper from the Razzleberry Lemonade package. I am using a lot of that paper, it's so fun!!! I may actually have to purchase another pack of it soon!!! I just measured the sides and cut the paper 1/4" less so I had a nice border on each panel.

I took out my Stampin' Up! "Oval All" set and stamped the image on Very Vanilla card stock. I did cover the words with a piece of tape. I wanted the butterfly on the oval but not the words that came with it. These words came from the new "Teeny Tiny Wished" set. I did have to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the words where I wanted them in the oval but after all isn't that what the Stamp-a-ma-jig is designed to do??? Quite a while back my upline Sue showed me how to use it. I only had the thing for a year and had no idea what I was doing with it. She showed me how to use it and with her hands on help I have found this to be one of the most fun and useful tools to have. I use it a lot now!! Thanks Sue, even the little things you do mean a LOT to me!! You're the best!!! She's one of those people you meet and you can't not like her!! I am so fortunate to have her in my life!!!

Well, this is how you make this cute tote!!! Wouldn't they make great teacher's gifts? I thought it would be fun to put cookies in them. Each side looks like it would hold 2 of my homemade chocolate chip cookies!!! Hmmm, I may have to get the new Halloween papers and make some fun spooky cookies for the tote!!! Endless possibilities with this tote!!! Go have some fun with it!!! And I LOVE it when you can use your die cuts for more than what they were designed for. It makes it seem like the cost of it just went down!!! LOL

I have another project using this die cut that I will share with you in a few days.

Thank you every SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

The More the Merrier!

I just LOVE the name of this Stampin' Up! set. And I LOVE that it has so many occasions in it!!! An extremely versatile set. It's a level 3 set I pre-ordered in July. I haven't used many of the images in this set but I will. That is a goal of mine this year, to use the images in the sets I buy and the ones I have before they retire!!! SO far it's been ok, not the best but I'm trying!!!

This card was made using the Rich Razzleberry card stock. I just can't seem to leave it alone!!! And have you noticed lately that the mode has been "monochromatic?" What's up with that??? I do own other colors!!! LOL Actually this one isn't 100% monochromatic, the snowmen do have orange noses!!!

The background layer behind the snowmen was fun to create. I took the Snowflake jumbo wheel and inked it up with Rich Razzleberry. I ran the wheel over the card stock and then I set it aside to dry. When it was dry I inked up the clean Snowflake wheel with the White Craft ink. I went over ares a couple of items. Once with fresh ink and then again with the ink rolled off once. It gave the background a bit more depth. It's a fun way to make decorative background paper. I cut it to size (2" x 3") and layered it on a piece of black card stock cut 2-1/8" x 3-1/8".

For the snowmen I cut a piece of white card stock 2" x 3" (it's the same size as the wooden block it's mounted on, that is how I usually cut the card stock I'm going to stamp on). I colored the snowmen in, punched the edges with the Ticket Punch, sponged the edges and taped it to a piece of black card stock cut 2-1/8" x 3-1/8".

I ran a piece of white card stock through the Cuttlebug Snowflake folder. I taped it on a piece of Rich Razzleberry and then ran a ribbon around the layers. I taped it on the backside. I taped that to a half sheet of black card stock that is folded in half.

I taped the layers in place but the card still needed a little something more. I punched out a Rich Razzleberry snowflake using the new Stampin' Up! Snowflake Punch. Isn't it just sweet? I want to get the snowflake stamp that matches it!! That will be LOTS of fun!!! I LOVE snow!!

Anyway, that is all there is to this card. If you make the background part first and let it dry it won't take you long to make this card. It's that waiting to dry that takes time. You can use your embossing tool to speed up the drying time!! Anything to make it go faster!!

This was a very fun card to make!!! Now I'm off to make some banana bread. I have bananas on the counter begging to be used and I thought I'd make banana bread with them because tomorrow I am getting more groceries and more bananas. For me there is a fine line of when a banana is edible!!! Somewhere between the green on it and black spots on it stages!!! I HATE squishy bananas and I hate crunchy ones too!!! LOL The ones in the kitchen are soft and spotted. Perfect for banana bread!!! So off I go to bake!!

Thank you SO much for visiting,
Wanda

Blog Candy Winner!

Isn't it just amazing how a song can get stuck in your head? Quite a few of the songs that were posted here got stuck in my head after reading the comments!!! LOL But it was a nice diversion from the one that was playing at the time!!! SO far today there is no "song of the day" playing and lets try to keep it that way!!!

And aren't you all glad to know that you are not the only one who has a "song of the day?" Even the same song that stretches beyond a single day!!! See, we're all just "normal!" Isn't that nice to know too??? LOL

The winner of the Blog Candy is kat and here is her comment and "song of the day:"

mmmmm, Rod Stewart's "Rhythm of my Heart" has been stuck in my head for 2 days. Nothing earth shattering how it go there: I heard it on the radio. Don't know why, but it keeps coming back over & over and my head is pretty sick of it!

SO kat, you need to email me so I can get the blog candy sent off to you.

If I don't hear from kat by Friday I will put the blog candy up for grabs again!!! When I threaten that the winner usually comes through! LOL

Thank you all for playing there will be more Blog Candy soon!
Wanda

Fresh Cuts Thank You Card

I was sitting at my worktable with some pieces of the Stampin' Up! Rich Razzleberry paper in front of me. Well, I just HAD to use it!!! I just LOVE that color and I know I've made a lot of cards from it but I just can't help myself. I was hoping that the more I used it the more I would get tired of it. Well, that's not happening. The more I use it the more I LOVE it!!! SO here is what I did with it.

I took out the "Fresh Cuts" set. I looked for a set that I have not used very much at all. It is my goal this year to use my sets a bit more before they retire!!! This plan would work REALLY well if I didn't have so many sets!!! LOL

This card brings in the old with the new. I started out with a half sheet of Basic Black card stock and I folded it in half. Then I added a layer of Rich Razzleberry on top of that. This piece was cut 5-3/8 x 4-1/8". On top of that I layerd a piece of Whisper White card stock that I ran through the Sizzix Big Shot using the new Stampin' Up! "Final Press" folder. It's SO pretty!!! I taped the white and Razzleberry layers together. Then I tied a piece of ribbon around it. Well, I didn't exactly tie it. I don't like doing that because the knot doesn't lay as nice. I cut the ribbon to go about 3/4" around the edges of the card. Then I taped the edges of the ribbon in place on the back of the Rich Razzleberry card stock.

I stamped my image on a piece of Whisper White card stock measuring 3" x 3-1/4". I cut the Rich Razzleberry card stock behind it to measure 3-1/8" x 3-3/8". And then I cut the Basic Black card stock to measure 3-1/4" x 3-1/2". I taped the layers together and taped it all on top of the white and ribbon.

The "thank you" came from the Holiday Blitz set. I stamped it using the Rich Razzleberry ink. I punched it out using the 1-1/4" round punch. The Razzleberry layer was punched out using the 1-3/8" punch and the black layer behind that was made using the Scallop punch. I taped that in the corner and it was done!!!

This card has several elements to it but yet it was a simple and quick card to make!!! And you know how much I LOVE to make simple and quick cards!! Give it a try, it's an easy layout to do too!!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

A Bit Dusty!!

I am just LOVIN' this new Dusty Durango color!!!

This card is simple. It's a simple layout. It's simple to make!

I used the "Shadow Brayer" technique on it. It's the piece behind the "Pocket's Silhouettes" image. I thought I'd try that technique in a different color. Ok, truth is, I HAD to use a different color than the Crushed Curry I had originally done the technique in. I didn't have any Crushed Curry ribbon yet! It's on my wish list (along with a ton of other things!!!).

I used the new Stampin' Up! "Elegant Bouquet" embossing folder. It's the same folder used for the "Shadow Brayer" technique so it blends in well with the other elements of the card.

I stamped the image using Dusty Durango and I sponged the edges in the same color too. Not a lot of extra colors here, is there??? But it worked!!

This card can be used for quite a few occasions. I LOVE versatile stamp sets, don't you?

Give this technique a try. It makes some nice background layers. I wish my brayer was REALLY thick so I could get the image to roll a longer distance off it. I'd like to do a full 5-1/4" x 4" piece of card stock as a background piece. I'll have to keep my eyes out to see if they even make a brayer that big!!!

I forgot to draw the name for the blog candy. I will do it on Monday, just to be fair to those who are gone for the weekends and don't check blogs until they are back! Sorry for the delay.

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Elegant Bouquet Folder Card

Oh my, this new Stampin' Up! "Elegant Bouquet" folder is FABULOUS!!!! I just LOVE it!!! If you can't see the photo well, just click on it and it will show a larger image for you to really critique!!! LOL

This card is SO simple and easy to make too. "Elegant" is a perfect word to describe this folder. I love how elegant it looks!!! It has a simplistic look to it too. If you need a quick card this is the one for you!!

I took a half sheet of Basic Black card stock and folded it in half. Then I cut a piece of Melon Mambo card stock 4-1/8" x 5-3/8". I cut the Whisper White card stock at 4" x 5-1/4". Then I ran the white card stock through the folder using the Sizzix Big Shot. I stamped the words on using Basic Black ink and the "Sincere Salutations" stamp set. It's such a fun and every so used set!!!

Isn't it a pretty card? It would be lovely in any color you made it in!!!

Oh and my dear friend Ann always stamps on her envelopes. When she was at my home stamping she copied my card and she embossed the envelope. SO I copied her!!! Isn't the envelope lovely too? I hope you are able to see it. Again, click on it for a closer view.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Shadow Brayer Technique Page

Here is my new technique page, "Shadow Brayer." It's a lot of fun to do too!! The step by step instructions can be found here.

It's very easy to do. I have found that I can get quite a few images from one piece of embossed card stock.

The "gist" of this technique is that the brayer leaves ink on the back side of the embossed card stock. You can only go over the area as far as the brayer will cover once. That is why I marked my brayer on the end/side with a white gel pen. This way I know where to start and end with one roll. What happens here is the ink gets transferred onto the card stock but not into the indented/embossed areas of it. The brayer still has fresh ink in those spots and it is like it's been "stamped off" on the rest of the brayer. SO taking the brayer onto a fresh piece of card stock transfers what ink is left on it. The brighter/darker areas are where the ink never touched the embossed card stock and the lighter areas is where it did roll across the embossed card stock.

When I look at what the finished item is like it reminds me of decorative paper. its got that soft background look and a darker flower image.

Give it a try, it's a lot of fun and I LOVE the effect. In a few days I will make and post a card using this technique.

But for now I'm showing you the technique page for this one!

This technique will make #10 in the third set of 20 pages. I'm half way there! I do have some extra packages of sets 1 and set 2. If you are interested in them please email me. You can also go to my webstore and purchase these pages on CD to use for technique page books for classes! It's a great way to bring in some new and fun things for your customers to attend, do and have for themselves or start a Technique Club with them!!! They are all set up for you to print out, trim the edges and make yourself. Each CD comes with an actual photo as seen above for reference. You will print out the words and decorate it as you please. All the major work is done for you!!

Thanks SO much for visiting today, Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Here is my card for the Wednesday Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoastStampers. I always look forward to this challenge and I'm SO happy when I actually have some time to play along with the rest of the gals on there. It's such a fun thing to do. And you all know how much I LOVE to try new sketches!!! I printed this one out and added it to my Sketch Challenge album!!! I have them all and I refer to them often!!

For this card I used the Stampin' Up! "Matchbox Messages" set. I found myself in need of a Thank You card too so this worked out perfectly!! I used a little piece of the Razzleberry Lemonade decorative paper. It had the Melon Mambo color in it, which was what I used to color in the flowers and the circles behind the stamped images. I used markers to color in the images. I did the outer ones first so there wouldn't be any chance of transfering the wording to the empty party of those circles. I added some brads and the Melon Mambo ribbon to the card to dress it up a bit. My brads came from the Earth Elements set, doesn't the color match pretty well?? I was impressed!!!

The white background was done using the new Stampin' Up! Textured Impressions "Final Press" embossing folder. It's SO pretty and I was glad I got the opportunity to use it!!! I am loving these folders SO much!!! I was thrilled that Stampin' Up! came out with two new ones!!!

Now to get the card in it's envelope and ready for the person it's intended for!!!

If you have the time, head on over to SplitCoastStampers and give the Sketch Challenge a try!! The are SO much fun!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Brayer Shadows Technique

Here's a fun technique I just discovered by accident. Isn't that how most techniques are discovered?? Well, most of the ones I discover are by accident!!! LOL

Take a piece of card stock and run it through your embossing folder. This folder is the new Stampin' Up! Textured Impressions "Elegant Bouquet." It's SO pretty and elegant really belongs in the title because it is VERY elegant!! It's really difficult to see the embossing in the photo but trust me, it's there. If you click on the photo you'll be able to see it better.

After you emboss it, turn it over. Ink up your brayer. Here I used Crushed Curry. I ran the brayer over the embossed are once. Then I took the brayer and ran it over a clean piece of card stock. It left a very fun impression on the new card stock. A wider brayer would be more effective for doing a background piece. But you do want to be careful because where you stop with the brayer you have a darker line that is not so attractive on your new card stock. I will be cutting my new card stock around the design area and placing that on my card. I'll work up a card later in the week using it. But for now I just wanted to show you this fun and quick technique. What's fun with this is that the piece you embossed can be inked many times before you have to set it aside to dry or toss it.

This one will make #10 in the third set of 20 pages. I'm half way there! I do have some extra packages of sets 1 and set 2. If you are interested in them please email me. You can also go to my webstore and purchase these pages on CD to use for technique page books for classes! It's a great way to bring in some new and fun things for your customers to attend, do and have for themselves!!!

The photo of the technique page is coming. I'm still in the process of putting it together.

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

It's Time For Some Blog Candy!!!

Ok, here is the official post for the Blog Candy!!! I plugged my camera battery in the charger thing that holds the battery. That was step one. The second step was to plug it into the wall. Somehow it works better if you do it that way!!! LOL

Anyway, it's all charged up and now I have the photo of the rubber stamps that are for today's Blog Candy. As usual I add extra things to the package before it's mailed off and I NEVER disclose what I add but no one has been disappointed with what I have added yet!!!

These clear stamp sets are by Scrappy Cat. The larger set is called "Tween Scene" and the smaller one is called "To Cheer You." I LOVE the flowers, hearts and butterflies in the larger set and the words in the smaller set are SO much fun to play with!! The two sets can be used together!

Ok, so now you want to know how you can get these sets plus the other mystery gifts!!! I usually as a question of you and you leave your comment. There are never any right or wrong answers, it's all done by a random drawing.

SO here it goes. The question has to deal with "The Song of the Day." What??? It's something hubby and I usually ask each other. There is usually some song rambling around in our heads that is just STUCK there ALL day long. Ever have that??? My dear friend Katie gave me one that has stuck with me off and on for quite a few days. Thank you Katie my dear!!! She had called me and I wasn't home so she left a message. In her message she started singing "Call me, da da da da da da call me." Well, that stuck in my head the moment I heard it and it returned a few times since then. Oh and of course it's now up there right now torturing me!!! LOL And a good sunny day will bring to mind the Sesame Street "Sunny Day" song. That one plays a very long time too!!! LOL

What is your "song of the day?" You can add how it got there if you like. It's interesting how they find their way there. Right Katie?? LOL

I will draw a name on Thursday using the Random Number Generator. If I don't hear from the winner by Sunday I will hold a second chance drawing on Monday!!! SO pay attention!!!

Please leave your song of the day to this post only.

Have fun!
Wanda

It's Time For Some Blog Candy!!!

Last week my blog reached 800,000 hits. Can you imagine?? How fabulous is that? So we must celebrate that milestone in my blogging. And we'll celebrate with not one clear stamp set but two!
These are Scrappy Cat stamps. One is called "Tween Scene" and the smaller one is called "To Cheer You.'

These are such fun sets. I LOVE the hearts, flowers and butterflies in the larger set and I LOVE all the words in the smaller set. They're both just SO cute.

I went to take photos of them so I could post them here but the battery is dead on my camera. We had gone to Fawn-Doe-Rosa today and I took SO many photos. What a fun place that was. It was fun to see the animals up close and pet most of them. I really liked the feel of the sheep. It felt like a fuzzy bathroom rug!!! LOL The goat's eyes kind of creeped me out. The black center is not round like most animals have it's more of a rectangle. And there were a couple of goats I found extremely entertaining. There was this little guy who was so tiny he could fit through a gap in the fences and when you'd get close to him he'd slip back in. I got some photos, thought I might show the management and bust the little guy and maybe get a season pass!!! LOL The gap in the fence was so small you would never guess he could fit through. A bit more grazing on the grass on the other side of the fence and he won't be able to make it back!!! LOL

And then there was this goat, he was small but the noise he made was SO loud and SO deep that it just didn't fit him and it cracked me up. Every time I heard him I just started laughing!!. Anyway, they are the reason my battery is dead. It is charging now and I'm hoping that by the time this is posted in your email box that everything is here.

I will not be posting the "game" I'm playing for the blog candy until after the photos are posted so please don't post a comment here in the event I need to scrap this post and redo it later or tomorrow.

Thanks SO much,
Wanda

Fifth Avenue Floral Thank You Card

I just had to share this card with you that Sue gave to me. It is absolutely stunning and of course you know I'm going to have to play with this one myself!!!

Do you ever look at a card and see that you own all of the elements to make it and then you think to yourself, "I could have done that?" LOL I do that all the time!!! And that is why I sometimes have to copy cards made by someone else!!!

This card looks simple enough to make too. I'm going to be guessing here on how it was made but I think I will be VERY close.

The flower was made using the Stampin' Up! "Fifth Avenue Floral" set. It was probably stamped using VersaMark on the Shimmering Card stock. It was embossed in white and then colored in using Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal and maybe a little bit of Summer Sun! Though it only looks like two colors were used here in the coloring. But you can use as many colors as you like!

The bottom piece was done using Barely Banana card stock. On that was stamped the large flower from the set again and it looks like Barely Banana ink was used to do that or maybe Apricot Appeal. I would think that VersaMark would be too light on the Barely Banana card stock.

The edge of the Barely Banana piece was done using the Eyelet Border punch. This was taped in place on top of a folded piece of Whisper White card stock. The "thank you" was done using Apricot Appeal ink.

The flower was taped in place using Dimensionals and the bow was also affixed with a Dimensional. It doesn't look like it's all that difficult to make. I would think the part that took the longest was the cutting out of that large flower and the coloring of it. The other elements of this card look pretty simple and quick to do.

So Sue, was I close??? Hopefully she will leave a comment. You'll have to check the comments to see if she replies!!!

I REALLY like this layout too, it's very simple and clean looking.

Thank you Sue for the FABULOUS card! I just LOVE it.

And thank you all for visiting today, hope your day is a creative one!
Wanda

Happy Together

I had gone to my manager's house last night to help her work on some cards for her church card rack. Denise had stopped by too and Denise brought her new stamp set "Happy Together." It's such a cute little set!!! I asked if I could play with it and the deal was that I had to make a card for each of us!!! Not a problem!!! Making 3 or 4 more is almost as easy as making just one. You have all the stuff out anyway!!! This stamp set reminds me of the tv show "The Partridge Family." That's an ok thing but the bad thing here is that song gets stuck in my head!!! UGH!!! LOL

SO off I went to create. I opened up my album that holds the Sketch Challenges from SplitCoastStampers. I print them out each week and put them in the album!! It's so nice to just take a stamp and find a layout that the image fits in, or fits in close enough and go from there.

To make this card you need the following items
Card stock: Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Chocolate Chip; Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Sponge
The technique used here is sponging and layering

It's a very simple card to do and isn't it just too cute? I didn't add any wording on mine, I am not sure what I want to use it for yet. I have done that with a lot of the cards I make. That way when I need a card I just add the wording for the occasion. But lately that hasn't been happening, I end up making a new fresh card!!! And that's ok too!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Oh No! NOT Again!

Yes, again. I found myself in need of another sympathy card. I very much LOVE making cards but this "theme" of a card is extremely difficult for me. I originally got out my Stampin' Up! "Close as a Memory" set. I did use the wording from that set on the inside and outside but I opted to use the "Upsy Daisy" set for the flower part of the card. It had a soft serene look to it.

Oh I know, I managed to use that Rich Razzleberry again now didn't I? Can you tell I just LOVE that color??? It's so rich (as it states) and very pretty! How can you not keep your hands off it.

Anyway, back to the card. I did use the Cuttlebug "Dotted Swiss" folder for the background. I layered everything in Basic Black and Rich Razzleberry. I only cut each one down 1/8" less than the layer above it. I only wanted a sliver of color showing.

It was a very easy card to make. I was actually thinking of making several up ahead of time. Maybe Murphy's Law would apply there. If I have a bunch of Sympathy cards I won't need them!!! Hmm, now there's a thought!

I must run, I have a group of gals coming over tonight to stamp. It's another fun time for me!!! I enjoy these times SO much and I can't believe how fast the time flies too. UGH, the next thing you know it's time for the gals to go home! I guess we were just having TOO much fun!!! LOL

Did you notice that my blog has passed the 800,000 hits mark today? I will be posting blog candy early next week to celebrate!!! Thank you all for visiting my blog, it REALLY does mean a lot to me!!!

Happy Stamping,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Another Wednesday is upon us and this one happens to be the middle of the month too. WOW, it's unreal how fast July is flying by! It just seems like only a few days ago it was the 4th of July!

This is the card I made for the Wednesday Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoastStampers. I love it when I have time to play with the new card sketch they post. I printed the sketch and cut it out so it's ready to go into my album of sketches. I actually opened that album the other day to find a layout for a stamp I had. I like to just take the mounted stamp to the book and set it on top of the sketch to see if it fits. And if it does then that's the layout I pick to do my new card. It's a lot easier than coming up with something on my own sometimes!! The easiest thing is to CASE (Copy And Study Everything)!! Admit it, it is the easiest!!! I LOVE to do that now and then when I find a card that I just HAVE to copy. And let me tell you, lately there have been a LOT of those out there on blogs. Such a great community of talented stampers! SO many cards to CASE, so little time!!! LOL

So, onto my card! I used the Stampin' Up! "Flight of the Butterfly." It's a set I have not used much at all. And the best thing about this set now is there is a brand new butterfly punch to go with it!!! Gotta LOVE that!!! My butterfly was done by using the Razzleberry Lemonade decorative paper. I stamped the dotted butterfly shape image on the paper and then punched it out. That was all there was to the butterfly. I didn't fold it in half, I gave it a little crease on each side of the bug body. That way it created a flat area for the glue to stick better!

I used a few flowers from the "Pretties Kit" and touched it a bit with the Crushed Curry ink.

So, lets back up here a bit. The background paper (layer 1) was done using the decorative paper. The next layer was done using a piece of Crushed Curry card stock that was run through the Cuttlebug "Dotted Swiss" folder. The layer #3 was done using the "Rough Texture" wheel on glossy card stock and VersaMark. I embossed it with clear embossing powder and then used the brayer and inked it up with Crushed Curry. You do need to wipe it off with paper towel when you are done. The ink will bead up on the embossed areas.

I stamped the words on white card stock and sponged the edges with the Crushed Curry color. It was a very easy card to make!!! And those are the kinds of cards I LOVE to make lately!! LOL

Hope you have time to play with the card sketch! It's a great way to enhance your images with multiple layers.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Trendy Tree Masculine Card

I had been shopping this past weekend at Joann's. I ran in to pick up a package of beading needles. Did I leave there with just the needles? No, of course not!!! But I was a very thrifty shopper. I was actually looking for a piece of paper I had used and I wanted to get a replacement one. But with my great memory I couldn't remember what the paper looked like. I thought if I saw it, it would jog my memory but after looking at several dozen papers I realized I wasn't going to remember that one paper. But in my looking I found this cute tree paper that reminded me of the Stampin' Up! "Trendy Trees" set. I thought it was SO cute and there actually was a tree that looked SO much like the one I used as the focal point of this card but it got buried behind all the other layers. But that's ok, the other trees are cute enough to allow this one to blend in with them!!!

The background of this card is Old Olive. Then the next layer is the decorative paper. The Happy Birthday" came from the Stampin' Up! "It's Your Birthday" retired set. And the texture on that Bordering Blue piece is wheeled on using the "Rough Texture" with Bordering Blue ink. And finally the tree was done using Old Olive and Certainly Celery for the leaves and Basic Brown for the trunk.

This makes a great masculine card, doesn't it? Bright and cheery and yet it has a rough rugged look to it!! This was fun to make too. I used an old SplitCoastStampers Sketch for this one. It
was #157. I print them out each week and put them in a photo album so I can refer back to them when I am looking for a layout for a stamp I want to use. I LOVE making cards with lots of layers. It just seems to give the card so much more depth. And then once in a while I like to make a card with little or no layers just to show that you don't need a lot of layers to make a pretty card!!

Well, that's it for today!!! The blog is getting SO close to 800,000 hits!!! Soon there will be blog candy!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Got It? Tote It!!! Weekend Project!

Do you have the Stampin' Up! "Matchbox" die cut? I have not used mine as much as I thought I would. But then again the plan was to be using it more this fall so I'll give it some more time and I'll know then if I will get the use out of it like I had hoped to!!

For this cute tote I set a piece of decorative paper only over the box bottom part of the die (I'm trying to use up the retired papers here). I ran it through the Big Shot and folded it together. Then I cut a piece of Very Vanilla card stock 2-5/8" x 7-1/2". I folded it in half. Then I scored the ends at 1". I folded them out. These will be taped or glued to the inside bottom of the box. I punched a hole to "carry" the tote. And finally I taped the newly formed handle together and then taped it to the bottom of the tote. Just as simple as that.

Decorate your candies or whatever you want to put in this cute little tote and add some bling or other embellishments to it and you have a fun and quick oh and not to mention ADORABLE little tote!!! And here I had this on your shelf all along!!! LOL

These would make great party favors, make & takes, hostess gifts, customer appreciation gifts and even a fun stamp camp item. This is something fun for the kids to do as well! It's simple, no mess and fun!! Oh and did you notice that this time when I took the picture I actually took it from an angle so you could see that it was a box, an actual 3-D item? LOL I'm finally getting wise, it took a while but at least it's happening!!! LOL This tote holds 2 Fun Size Snicker bars perfectly!! Have fun with this project, I know I did!!!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Bright Blessings Wheeling Along

I am such a sucker for stamping wheels. This is the new Stampin' Up! wheel "Bright Blessings." I used the Dusty Durango ink and card stock to make this card. I think it's a bit too busy myself. The background needed something and it's obvious it wasn't the wheel again!!! What do you think? Plain just didn't work, it REALLY did need something, but what????? Any suggestions? I'll give them a try!!

The acorn came from the Stampin' Up! "The More the Merrier" hostess set. There are SO many cute stamps in that set and I'm pretty sure I will be using most of them! I colored the acorn in using a blender pen, Chocolate Chip and Dusty Durango ink.

The acorn was stamped using Chocolate Chip ink. I punched out a scallop using Chocolate Chip card stock. And I layered the wheeled words using Chocolate Chip card stock too!

Again this was a quick and easy card to make!!! Just a bit too busy for my taste!!! Let me know what you think I should do on the background!!!

Have a wonderful day and thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A HUGE Medallion

WOW, I can't believe how big this Stampin' Up! "Medallion" stamp is. But it's fun!!! It doesn't take much to fill up your card stock with it!! LOL

I used the new Dusty Durango in color. Aren't you surprised I didn't use the Rich Razzleberry? LOL I'm still really stuck on that color!! But this one is running a close second!!

Now this card is very easy to make and I think the part that took the longest on this card was gluing on the pearls and that wasn't really a difficult thing. Those pearls by the way are from the "Pretties Kit" and I affixed them with Crystal Effects.

And I apologize here but I don't remember what set the "thank you" came from. I'll amend this post once I figure it out (if I figure it out!!). My lack of sleep is catching up to me here!

I thought it was fun making this card. I was amazed at how quick it went together too. I have lots of plans for this "Medallion" stamp!!! Oh boy!!! LOL

If you need a quick card, this is the way to go!!!

Did you notice the hits counter on my bog? I'm nearing 800,000 hits. What day do you think that day will happen???

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Two Rich!!!

Yes, "Two!" One "rich" is the Rich Razzleberry card stock and the other "rich" is the Certainly Celery card stock with the Always Artichoke ink donning it! The more I worked on this card the more I liked how "rich" it was looking.

To make this card I started out with a half sheet of Basic Black card stock folded in half. Then I cut a piece of Certainly Celery card stock 4" x 5-1/4". I stamped the "En Francais" background stamp on it. I used Always Artichoke ink and I stamped the image off once before it went on the card stock. Then I used the larger stamp from the "Baroque Motifs" set over the background image. I used Always Artichoke ink and did not stamp off. Then I sponged the edges using the Always Artichoke ink.

For the flower oval I used watercolor paper. I sprayed it lightly just to put a bit of moisture on the paper. You want the paper wet but not shiny wet. You'll understand what that means once you spray the paper. You'll see where it's got too much water on it. If you have too much water on the paper just take a paper towel and remove it. It will cause your image to bleed too much. If that is the look you are going for then leave the water on the paper!! I chose to just have the paper wet but no water visible. I stamped the leafy image from the Stampin' Up! "Kind & Caring Thoughts" set. I used Always Artichoke ink and stamped off once. I reinked the image, stamped off and stamped it again on the watercolor paper but this time I turned the stamp in a different direction than the last image. You do want to work a little quicker here as the paper is starting to dry and you won't get that soft bleeding look. I set the paper aside to dry. In the mean time I got out the flower image and colored it with markers. Once again I was SO thrilled that Stampin' Up! came out with markers in the new "in colors!" It made coloring the image a lot easier. Though it can be done without the marker. Just stamp the flower part of the image. Take a blender pen and remove that color from the stem. Then take the Always Artichoke marker and color in the stem. Huff on the image and stamp it on the watercolor paper.

I had gotten oval Nestabilities from hubby for Christmas and it's been within the last month or so that I've finally been using them. I won't even tell you what else I got for Christmas that I haven't even touched yet!!! So much to do, so little time!!! After cutting out the oval on the flower I sponged the edges using Always Artichoke. I taped the oval layers together and then taped that to the front of the card. I did my ribbon tying trick here! I cut a piece of ribbon 6" long. I taped it in place on the back of the card before I taped it on top of the main part of the card. After I taped the ribbon to the back then I taped the piece to the front of the card. Then I tied the ribbon on. And it was almost ready to use!!! With a black card you can write on the inside with the white gel pen or as I usually do, add a piece of white card stock. I don't add it right away, I usually write on it first and then tape it in place. It's pretty much guaranteed that if I tape it in place and then write on it I will screw it up and have to try to get it off without ripping the main card. But if I don't tape it in place and I make a mistake I can just cut another one and start over!!! But usually I don't make mistakes on them when they are not taped in!!! LOL Isn't that called "Murphy's Law?"

And isn't it just a rich looking card? I LOVE those two colors together!!! It can be used for SO many occasions too! Oh and once again this was a very simple card to make. It doesn't look simple but trust me, it really is!!

Thank you ever SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Sense of Time Notebook Weekend Project!

Here's a fun and quick "Weekend Project." Click here to see over 70 more weekend projects!

I took a notebook I had purchased at the dollar store. The decorative paper is from Joann's. I cut it to fit the front of the notebook. I removed the spiral and punched holes in the decorative paper using the RubiCoil punch machine. The pitch on the machine is the same used on the notebook.

I used several stamps here to create the cover of this notebook. I first stamped on the large clock image using Close to Cocoa ink. I wanted to make sure it was in place before I began adding more images. I wanted the clock image to not be very cluttered. Once I did that I stamped the gears image using Creamy Caramel ink. I stamped the image twice on the decorative paper before I inked it up again. Then I used the splatter image from the "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" set. That set has been in the Stampin' Up! catalog for a while now and it's still as fun to use as it was when it was first introduced! I sure do get a lot of use out of mine, especially that image.

Then I sponged the edges using Creamy Caramel ink. I stamped the words using Close to Cocoa ink and punched it out using a 1-3/4" circle punch. I cut a 2" circle out of Creamy Caramel card stock. I sponged both pieces using Creamy Caramel ink. I taped the layers together and taped them in place as you see it in the photo.

The notebook needed something more. I was just going to add the brad and call it done when I remembered I had a Sizzix Clock Hands die cut!! How fun was that??? I was SO thrilled with how it looked when I cut them out!!! I taped them in place, pierced the center of the hands so I could insert the gold brad. It was just enough to finish off the notebook without making it look too feminine. I was going to add some type of corners to it but I thought I'd just leave it as it is. The more layered stuff you add to it the more stuff that can rip off on it.

It's always fun to alter notebooks. I like to challenge myself to see what I can do with an ugly notebook. Ok, it wasn't really that ugly but it looks a lot better now!!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Fortunately I had time to play with the Wednesday Sketch Challenge. My car is back in the shop (again, hopefully they'll get it right this time - 4th time is a charm?? LOL) so needless to say, I'm stuck at home today. I suppose I could be cleaning something but it's not quite as fun as stamping is!!! LOL

I have been having LOTS of fun lately with the sketches that have been posted. And I know, I've made a lot of cards using this Stampin' Up! "Kind & Caring Thoughts" set. It's just such a fun set to play with. I found some other fun layouts for this set that I'm going to have to play with too. I will try to give this Rich Razzleberry color a rest for a bit. As much as I LOVE it I should move on to another color!!! No promises there though!!! LOL

For this card I did use the Cuttlebug "Dotted Swiss" folder. I sponged all the edges of the card stock except for the black of course!!!.

The flower was done using VersaMark and clear embossing powder. I sponged over the flower after it was heat set.

I taped a piece of ribbon to the back of the Rich Razzleberry piece on the card. Then I taped that to the black layer. After it was in place I took a small piece of ribbon and tied the bow.

The "Thank You" was from a custom stamp I had made for me. It fits in the oval perfectly and I will never retire it!! LOL

The original sketch does not show that oval piece but that area seemed to need a bit of "something" and that was just what it was calling for!!!

Now it's going to go out in the mail tomorrow to a very special friend of mine. It's a little late in being sent out but what's new in that area of my life lately?? LOL

If you have time go play with these sketches at SplitCoastStampers. Some of them really give you a way to use those scrap pieces of card stock and decorative papers!!! Gotta LOVE that!! I know I do! Especially now that I've been using them and not hoarding them!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Matchbook Notes! Weekend Project!

What? It's not the weekend already is it? Nope, just a little fun project you can do alone or with friends & family on the weekend. And guess what? You don't even have to wait until the weekend to try it!!! LOL

This matchbook is bigger than most of them and I like it that way. You can at least add more than 5 words on a page in the notebook part!!!

To make this notebook you will need the following items:
Decorative paper cut 10-1/2" x 4"
Copier paper cut 3-7/8" x 4-7/8" (this notebook contains about 20 sheets of cut copier paper)
Crop-a-dial
Ribbon

Score your decorative paper on the long side at 7/8", 1", 6" and 6-1/8"
Fold the scored lines.

Jog your cut copier paper on a flat so the ends are all even. Insert the paper in the 7/8" scored area and center it within that space. Holding the papers firmly in your hand, punch a hole on the right side with the crop-a-dial. Repeat for the left side. I set my punch so it went as deep as it could and I eyed the center of the 7/8" area.

Insert the ribbon and tie a bow to hold it all in place. With all the scored lines folded the front of the notebook should just fold over the copier paper and tuck in just behind the 7/8" piece with the ribbon on it. Now the front is ready to decorate as you like.

My decorative paper is from the Stampin' Up! Razzleberry Lemonade package. The card stock used here is Summer Sun and Rich Razzleberry.

I used the oval punches and the scalloped oval punch on the "Notes" word. That came from a custom made stamp. The flower image is from the Stampin' Up! "Kind & Caring Thoughts" Hostess set. I am just LOVING this set. It's so fun, pretty and very versatile!!! I thought it would look cute with this decorative paper!!

These are VERY simple and impressive to make. These would make a fun Stamp Camp project, Hostess Gift, Customer Appreciation Gift, Make & Take, Craft Fair Item and even fun for an Open House project.

Just have fun making them!!!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Simply Pretty and Pretty Simple

If you need a really quick card, this is the way to go!!! I can not believe how fast this card went together. And I didn't even plan it that way. I was just going for something pretty!!!

I used the flower from the Stampin' Up! "Kind & Caring Thoughts" set. I colored in the flower with the Lavender Lace marker. I then took the Lovely Lilac marker and colored in the tips. I colored in the stem using the Mellow Moss marker. I huffed on the image and stamped it on the center of my cut piece of card stock.

The words are from the Stampin' Up! "Sincere Salutations" set. That is one of my most favorite word sets. The font used is perfect for this type of card!

For the card itself I used Lavender Lace card stock. I layered a piece of black on top of that. It was cut at 4" x 5-1/4". The white piece of card stock was cut at 3-7/8" x 5-1/8". There was no sponging on this card at all. It has a clean and simple look to it. It really does speak "get well."

Give this a try, you will be very surprised at how quickly you can make a card!! This layout can be used for other occasions too! I LOVE versatile cards!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

By the Book!

Of all the Stampin' Up! catalogs I've had and of all the times I've paged through them I have never once made a card from the book. Well, it was time to challenge myself. I paged through the catalog to find a card that I knew I had all the components to do it. I had the fun ""Fresh-Cuts Notes"note paper. I just punched the flower out and got out my Stampin' Up! "Fresh Cuts" set. I stamped the image using the new Rich Razzleberry ink and stamped off once. Then I stamped the image on the note card.

The "Thank You" was in the same set and I stamped that on using Old Olive.

I had the buttons so I got one out but I didn't have the white thick thread that they used in the catalog so I did have to use hemp. And it worked just fine but it was no longer exactly like the one in the catalog!!!

I taped a piece of the Rich Razzleberry card stock behind the flower on the card. Then I taped the button in place with Dimensionals. And that was it. Pretty simple and quick to do!!!

Challenge yourself now and then. Go look through the catalog and find a card you like and copy it!!! I like to copy cards now and then. It's nice to do a card that someone else did all the thinking and planning. It's great to take a break now and then from that!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Happy 4th of July!

Here's another fun and fast 4th of July card. I was having a lot of fun with the stars!!! It's a pretty simple card to make too!!! The small "celebrate" words are from the Stampin' Up! "Fundamental Phrases" set. It was nice to have a small stamp that fit within the spaces I had since I had already glued in the stars. I had been gluing in the stars and having some of them hang over the edges so I could just clip them off. I wanted it to look a little more natural than staged. I didn't want all the stars confined in the white piece of card stock. After I got the stars on and of course the red strip on I thought the card needed something more. I used my die cut and cut out the number 4 for the 4th. I set it on the right side on the strip but it just looked out of place there. SO I decided to add a couple more stars instead. Then I looked through my stamps and saw I did have the "celebrate" word. I stamped it on trying not to hit the stars or the red scalloped piece. It was just what the card needed!!!

I hope you have a fun and safe 4th of July!
Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Fun Fold Masculine Card

I just don't seem to make and post enough masculine cards. It seems to be a card in great demand lately and all you can usually find on blogs is "girly" cards!!! Around Father's Day you can usually find quite a few masculine cards floating around but after that it's back to flowers and fun!!

I was playing around with this fold and I thought I would make a masculine card. And get this, I didn't even need one!!!

The fabulous decorative paper is from the "Manchester" pack by Stampin' Up! Isn't it just rich looking? I absolutely LOVE it!!!

The little golfer guy is from the Stampin' Up! "And Many Mower" set. I don't believe it made it into the catalog. It was from the spring mini catalog collection. He's just TOO cute. I colored him in with markers, no blender pen at all, just fresh from the tip of the marker!!

My card stock colors are Night of Navy and Always Artichoke. The marker colors are not the same as the paper. Had I used those dark colors in markers they would have been too dark and the details in the images would have been lost. For the hat and shorts I used Not Quite Navy and for the shirt I uses Sage Shadow. When used on the white card stock the colors blended well with the card stock colors and they worked themselves in well. The shoes were colored in using Close to Cocoa. I colored the skin in using Blush Blossom. I used Going Grey on the golf club and Garden Green on the grass and that was it. Pretty simple to do!!!

I sponged the edges of the white card stock using Night of Navy and a make up sponge. I wanted a soft smooth sponged in look. I layered it on top of a piece of Night of Navy, I tied a ribbon around it and added a know. Actually I didn't tie the ribbon I cut a piece of ribbon and taped it to the back. I slipped another piece of ribbon under that taped down piece and tied a knot. The ribbon doesn't lay as flat if you just tie it on. I don't like that look of the ribbon having a bit of a twist to it. I prefer to tape the ends to the back and tie on a piece.

To make the main part of the card I cut the Night of Navy card stock on the short end, I cut it at 4-1/4". I folded that in half. Then I cut the front flap in half at 2-3/4". I cut the Always Artichoke card stock 4" x 5-1/4" for the inside piece and 2-1/2" x 4" for the piece on the flap. I cut the decorative paper 1/8" smaller than the Artichoke paper. I just wanted a little sliver of the Artichoke paper showing. I taped them in place and this is what I got. I just LOVE that decorative paper and how these colors just go together so well.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Celebrate the 4th of July!

Isn't this card just adorable? I saw it on Gretchen's Blog Inspiration in Action. I don't think I've ever made a 4th of July card before!!! There's a first time for everything, isn't there? And I wouldn't have made one this year either had I not been blog hopping and found this card. I just couldn't help myself. It was just too cute and it was actually pretty simple to make too!!! This would also be a great masculine birthday card too!!!

I just love the little background dots, it gives it the appearance of fire works! I made it using the Stampin' Up! "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" set and Brilliant Blue ink.

The card stock used here is Whisper White, Brilliant Blue and Real Red. To make the stars you use the small star punch first and then line up the larger one over the punched out one and get it centered. Then punch it out. I made two of those in red and two in blue. The centers that were first punched out were used around the larger stars. See, that is what helped to make it simple! The word was done using the "All About U" set. It's a retired set but I was glad I still had it, I didn't have any other set that had the word "celebrate" in it that was large enough to read without being up close!!!

Isn't it a fun card?? If you are heading out of town for the holiday weekend I hope you have a very fun and safe time!

Thank you SO much for visiting today, Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Here is the card I did for the Wednesday Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoastStampers. This was quite a challenge for me. I rarely do square cards. This is my very first 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" card. This layout was very fun to do but the square card almost made me decide NOT to participate in the challenge. Then it dawned on me this is a "challenge" and one should challenge themselves now and then to venture into areas that they are not very familiar with to test the waters. But I managed to come up with an idea and I ran with it. It did not turn out the way I had visioned it, it actually turned out better!!!

I was looking through my decorative papers and I ran across the "Let it snow" paper. I was actually looking for something in more of a tan or aged look. I was thinking of doing something with butterflies. But when I saw that paper I thought I would do snowflakes on the circles. I was going to stamp them on but then I thought it would be fun to punch out some snowflakes from the Cuttlebug folder. SO I ran some Bashful Blue card stock through the Snowflake Cuttlebug folder. Then I took the craft white ink pad and smeared the ink across the raised snowflakes. I heat set the ink to dry it quicker. Then I punched out 8 snowflakes. Actually I had punched out 9 but as I was setting them in place on the card I thought it should say "Let it Snow" in the center. I looked through my stamps but didn't have wording that small. SO onto the computer to print the words out. And of course my printer had been acting up so I had to save the words in a PDF format and email them to myself and then I headed upstairs to the guest room where the tower computer is and a better printers. I tried to get it to print on the HP but it was having some type of issue. I think there is something stuck in queue!!! SO I fired up the colored laser printer. Man that thing takes a long time to warm up. It even makes the lights dim at times. Not a good thing. That thing must really be drawing some heavy duty power!! So sad to warm it up for 3 words! It was actually the second time I used it. We bought it because we thought it would be great to have it for photos. I printed out a photo on it and a photo on the HP and I let hubby and our son pick the one they thought was the laser printer. They both picked the HP one!!! Hmmm. Makes me regret getting that laser printer. Ok, enough about the printer issues. I got the words printed and headed back to my workroom to punch them out. I sponged the edge of the circle with Bashful Blue and I layered all the circles on black card stock. Oh, the snowflake circles are 1" and the black layered circles are 1-1/4".

I taped the background paper down and then proceeded to tape the circles in place. After I got them all on it just wasn't that appealing to me. I thought maybe it could use a snowflake. But after setting one down and then another I saw that each circle needed a snowflake and that is what I did. I stuck them in place with Crystal Effects. I LOVE that stuff!!! And there you have it, my card for the Sketch Challenge!!! I know it's a bit early for Christmas cards but when you think about it the tree goes up in 5 months so it's not that far off!!! LOL

Challenge yourself and give this sketch a try!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda