Valentine's Day Card Game

Remember last month I had made a Christmas card with this concept? You can see that card by clicking here. I made this one with that very card in mind. My card was for the Stamp Share Card Challenge yesterday. The challenge was to make a card using the Stampin' Up! Sweet Treat Cups. Either the round or the heart. I had both and I was going to do the heart and use the word "love" on the inside and punch holes around the letters for the beads to fall in but the more I thought about it the more I was having problems envisioning it. SO I scrapped that and went with the round. I don't know how a ladybug came to mind but it did and this is what I ended up with. It looks like it's defying the laws of gravity! I took a picture of the card sitting on the floor. I wanted to show the beads and the dots at the same time. If I'd taken a photo of it sitting up all the beads would be at the bottom of the cup and that looked odd too. But not quite as odd as this!! I never said this was a "normal" blog, did I? LOL

It was a VERY fun card to make too! It's not just a card but a game too! I wanted to do it in red but I didn't have any current red decorative papers. SO I took this paper from the new 6" x 6" paper pack and went with the Ruby Red colors. They worked just fine.

First I cut all of my papers. I set the layers in place so I knew what I was looking at. Then I had to decide where I wanted the lady bug. I punched a hole in a piece of scrap paper and set that piece on top of my decorative paper to know where I wanted that hole to go. I traced around that circle and then punched out my circle. I set the paper over the cup and set it on top of my Ruby Red layer. I carefully removed the decorative paper while keeping the cup in place. I then traced around the cup so I knew where it would go when it was time to take the tape off and set it in place (permanently!!! - keep that word in mind when you are working with those cups!) After tracing that circle I removed the cup and drew a pencil line to mark the center. I took the Basic Black marker and a ruler and went over that line a couple of times until it was at a thickness I liked. I took the pencil and made the dots to be punched out. After I punched the dots out and set the Ruby Red card stock back in place the holes were white so I took the pencil and marked where they were. I took my black marker and colored over those pencil marks to the dots would appear to be black. Once I did that I was much happier with the look. Then I began to tape the layers together.

First I taped the Ruby Red card stock to the Whisper White. Then I took the Sweet Treats Cup and took off the tape. I set the beads in place and then the cup over them. I taped on the decorative paper and was then ready to finish up the ladybug along with the rest of the card.

I punched out a 1" circle using a piece of scrap paper. I took the other scrap circle I had and set it on top of the 1" circle. I eyed how big I wanted the head of the ladybug to be. I marked it and cut it out with a scissors. Punching that arch wouldn't work so cutting by hand had to be the way to go. When I got it to the size I thought looked good with the body size I then cut that size out of the Basic Black card stock.

Then I took the 1/4" circle punch and punched out two black circles for the ends of the antenna. The scary part was drawing in the antenna with the Basic Black marker. If I ruined it I'd have to start over. I wish those thoughts wouldn't enter my head the minute the marker goes on the paper! It happens every time too! Why Do I do that? But I just went ahead and it turned out just fine. I taped the little circles in place at the end of the antenna.

And finally I made the heart. I just couldn't leave the card as it was, it looked too plain above the ladybug. SO I punched out the "Love You Much" words from the Stampin' Up! "Well Scripted" set using the large heart punch. I sponged the edges of that heart. Next I punched out two 1-1/4" circles from Ruby Red card stock. Then I punched out two scalloped circles over the 1-1/4" hole. I clipped the circle and opened up the scallop so I could glue it to the back of the heart. A scalloped heart punch would be SO helpful here!!! But you make do with what you have and sometimes it actually works out! I set it in place with Dimenionals. And that was it! Pretty simple just a little time consuming.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Stamp Share Card Swap

I attended the quarterly Stamp Share today and had a wonderful time. It is such a fun event. Lots of samples to see, ideas to share and the FABULOUS Make n Takes that Terri has for us! She's so talented.

This was a fun card to make too. I used the Stampin' Up! "I (Heart) Hearts" set and the "Well Scripted" set. You see in the photo on my card is some red "stuff" under the bow. It's just fuzz from the ribbon. When I saw that in the photo I thought I had smudged the card. But on the original card it's not there!

I also used the new "Sending Love" specialty paper. I LOVE all the sparkle on these papers. They don't show up well in this photo and you can click on the photo for a closer view.

And once again, this was a very simple and quick card to make.

materials used here are:

I (Heart) Hearts set
Well Scripted set
Pinking Hearts Border punch
Real Red Satin ribbon
Real Red ink,
Pretty in Pink card stock
Real Red card stock
Sending Love Decorative paper
Very Vanilla card stock
Sponge
Dimensionals

When I put ribbon on that is suppose to go all the way around the card I will cut the ribbon and tape the edges onto the back of the card. I don't care for how the bow lays when you just tie it on all at once. I like to just tape my ends on the back and then slip a little piece of ribbon under and tie the bow that way. The bow lays flatter and the whole piece of ribbon lays nicer on the card. I don't have to try to tie it tight enough to take out any slack. There is no slack doing it this way. and the best part of doing it this way is that the bow moves across the ribbon so you can position it exactly where you want it to go. It doesn't get much better than that when it comes to positioning bows!

This is a clean and simple card and I made 17 of them!! Glad I liked the card, huh? LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Welcome Neighbor Designer Paper Card

I was SO glad I chose the Stampin' Up! "Welcome Neighbor" designer series paper pad. You get 72 sheets of 6" x 6" decorative paper that has designs on both sides! Such a deal!

It was still in the packing material until just tonight. I thought I would open it up and see how cute the pages were. I fell in love with these tiny hearts. Click on the photo to view them closer. They are just adorable. And there's so many colors in it that you can mix and match colors for a fabulous card!

I kept my card simple because I needed to make a quick one so I could finish up some things I need to do for the Stamp Share tomorrow. I will be sharing these things with you starting tomorrow afternoon when I get back home! It will be a full day of information, sharing and just plain fun!

I started out my card with a folded half sheet of black card stock. I layered on a piece of Real Red card stock and on top of that I layered on a piece of Pretty in Pink card stock that I ran though the Cuttlebug "Dotted Swiss" folder. Then I cut a piece of the "Welcome Neighbor" paper and layered it on top of a piece of black card stock. I taped it on top of the Pretty in Pink card stock. I added a piece of 5/8" red grosgrain ribbon. The "Thank you" is from a custom stamp I have and I layered it on top of ovals and an oval scallop. I set it in place on the card using Dimensionals.

A quick and fun card to make. And again, be sure to click on the photo to see those cute little hearts. When I first saw them I thought they were just polka dots, which was ok. I thought that was cute too. But when I saw it up close I was thrilled that it was hearts.

Be sure to check back this weekend for the fun things I will be showing for and from the Stamp Share.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Flower Fusion Get Well Card

It's not just a "Get Well" card, this layout and design can be used for other occasions too such as birthdays, friendship, thinking of you and a just for fun card as well.

Unfortunately I needed to make a "Get Well" card for a friend who had knee surgery on Tuesday. It's Thursday night and I'm a bit late with the card. My plan on Sunday was to make the card and have it in the mail so it would be at her home on the day of the surgery. Not that she'd be getting it that day but when family came home and got the mail they would be bringing it to her the next day. This was my plan for the card. Perhaps the family has the cards in a big pile waiting for her to come home and see them!!! Either way, my card is not there! Yet!

A while back I had made a card at a Shoebox Swap that had the quail on it from the Stampin' Up! "Happy Together" set and I liked the layout. I liked the whole card but I wanted to make something cheery. I looked through my stamps to see what looked like it would cheer some one up but didn't find anything I wanted to play with. As I was looking in my cupboard I saw the felt "Flower Fusion" tin and took it out. I opened it up and knew immediately what I wanted to do with them. And here you have it! I just put a few flowers together with brads. Then I cut up a green flower to use as leaves. I think it turned out bright and cheery. I will get it in the mail tomorrow and it will cheer her up!

The colors I used here are More Mustard and Naturals Ivory card stock. Yup, just the two colors! Simple, quick and easy! Gotta LOVE that!

The works at the bottom were done using the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set and the "Word Window" punch. The layer behind it was created using the new "Scallop Trim" border punch. I just cut off a slice from it for the words to fit into. Cute, huh?

To make the other scallop part of the card I used the Sizzix "Scallop Square" die cut. The card stock was folded before it was cut in the die. This allows that part of the card to open wider than to just put the card stock in the die and cut it as is. Thanks Denise for the cute layout. And I hope you recover quickly Peggy!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

I just LOVE this layout for this weeks SplitCoastStampers Wednesday Sketch Challenge. It was very fun and very easy to do too!

I did my words on the computer. I print out a full sheet of these so I can just punch them out as I need them.

I started out with the base of the card being a half sheet of Basic Black card stock. Then I layered a piece of Very Vanilla on top of that. I did run the vanilla through the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug folder first. The Real Red piece was also run through the Dotted Swiss folder. The smaller layer (#3) is a piece of the new Stampin' Up! "Sending Love" specialty paper. Such a pretty sparkly piece of decorative paper. This whole pack is full of glittery papers. I tied a Real Red satin ribbon around the layers (this was done before that final large vanilla layer (#1) was taped on top of the black card stock. I tied a bow separately and taped it in place.

The words were punched out using the 1-1/4" circle punch, the red behind it is a 1-3/8" circle and then the scallop punch was used on the black piece. I taped it in place and was happy with the way it looked. That doesn't usually happen. But this time I did like how this card turned out. I think it's the decorative paper that sets this card off!

It's a pretty basic and simple card. Play with this sketch if you have time, it's SO worth it.

I have some fun things to show you starting Saturday. I will be attending the quarterly Stamp Share and I have some new things I will be demonstrating and then posting on here. It's killing me to not show you now but I want to have everything new and fresh for the Stamp Share. So stay tuned!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Good Neighbors Masculine Card

I could not believe it when I looked at my day planner and saw that I missed my nephew's birthday. I'm usually good about getting the cards in the mail no more than a few days late if not on time! His birthday was the 13th. OOPS! Extremely late here!

This card didn't turn out the way I wanted it to either. Perhaps if the orientation would have been different it would have worked. I wanted the card to open from the bottom and to measure 4-1/4 wide by 5-1/2" tall. And I wanted three trees to go across the bottom. Well, to make them like I wanted to with the ring around them three would just not work. I could get two in but even numbers don't always look so great. SO I had to work with the one. And I actually liked it. It's very plain and very masculine. No ribbons, buttons, flowers or bows! Actually it's very flat and simple looking. Simple is good!

Here's how I made it:

I used a piece of Whisper Whit card stock for the base of the card
A piece of Sage Shadow printed paper from the Patterns Pack III
A scrap piece of Sage Shadow card stock
A scrap piece of Always Artichoke card stock
A scrap piece of white card stock
"Good Neighbors" stamp set (by Stampin' Up!)
"Well Scripted" stamp set (by Stampin' Up!)
1" Circle Punch
1-1/4" Circle Punch
Black StazOn ink

I cut the patterned paper 5-1/4" x 4" and taped it on top of the white base of the card. Then I cut the Always Artichoke card stock 2-1/4" x 4". The Sage Shadow piece of card stock was cut 2" x 4".

I stamped the tree on a piece of white card stock and then again on a scrap piece of Sage Shadow. The Sage Shadow piece I cut out with a scissors. Just the top part of the tree and I taped it over the stamped tree on the white card stock.

I took the Sage Shadow piece cut 2" x 4" and took the 1" circle punch and punched a hole in it, trying to keep it centered. If you don't get it centered enough and it looks off you can trim it on the paper cutter but remember to trim the Always Artichoke and white piece. Take another piece of scrap Always Artichoke and punch a 1" hole it it. Take the 1-1/4" punch and punch over the 1" hole keeping the punch centered over the 1" circle to get a nice even ring. Glue the ring around the 1" circle you punched in the Sage Shadow piece.

And finally stamp the words you want on the Sage Shadow piece and tape all the layers together. Very quick and very simple. And VERY late!!!

The color is a bit washed out from the flash, the colors are much prettier together in real life.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Stitched Felt Flowers Card!

I am a stamper! I stamp with a rubber stamp and ink. This card has no stamping on it and I felt like a fish out of water working on it. I wanted to play with the new Stampin' Up! "Stitched Felt" flowers. I mean, I buy these things and just set them aside. For what? I thought I would play with them while they are still new! Before they retire and even before I put them in a cupboard or drawer and forget about them.

SO I opened the package and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I knew I needed to make some thank you cards and a get well card this week so I was thinking on those lines. I took a half sheet of white card stock and folded it in half. I layered a piece of Chocolate Chip on top of that. I ran a piece of Pretty in Pink card stock through the Big Kick using the "Top Note" die. I also ran a white piece of card stock through it too. No, not at the same time! Then I took the white piece and ran it through the "Dotted Swiss" Cuttlebug folder. I trimmed the edges on the white and taped it on top of the Pretty in Pink card stock. The bird and "leaves" are from the new "Extra Large Two-Step Bird" punch. It's a very fun and easy punch to use too. Oh and I love how they lock shut and take up very little space when you stand them on end. These are definitely going to be a great space saver for me.

I punched the bird out of Brocade Blue and I sponged the edges. I used a marker to dot they eye and Pumpkin Pie marker to color in the beak. I then glued everything in place. I was going to use tape but I wasn't sure if it would stick very well so I went with the glue. Now I wished I'd have used the tape. As I look at the flower I think it could have been moved down more. But the glue is more permanent so I'm stuck with it as it is.

SO there you have it, a card with no stamping. An interesting concept for me. And get this, I may even try it again sometime!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Scrapbook Page

I'm on a roll here. It's my second set of scrapbook pages. I had scrapbook night on Friday evening and I played along with the other gals. I think I will be getting a lot of scrapbook pages done this year as compared to the one set last year!!! See, I'm on a roll.

In December I told you about a snowman I had made and was a bit embarrassed to talk about it. Well, I scrapbooked it. Maybe it will be my "scrapbook" of shame! Actually I'm not ashamed I'm just a bit embarrassed. It was all done out of desperation. We were not getting snow and then when we finally did get snow it came in the form of that fluffy dry blow away stuff. Well, how can you make a snowman with that? I'll tell you how!

First you take some snow and bring it in the house. You fill up hour kitchen sink with it and wait about 45 minutes for it to begin to melt. It's got to form a ball and you know it's ready. That does not require a thermometer, it's just the chilly ball stage! I actually stuck one of the balls in the freezer. It was the head ball and after a few minutes of thinking of the snowman head in my freezer I put it outside on the deck and I brought in some more snow for the next ball. I am the traditional 3 snowball snowman person. SO after making the three balls it was getting dark outside so I waited until the next day to make the snowman.

The next day came and with the subzero temps here the balls were hard as rocks. But did that stop me? NEVER! I got my coat and boots on. I took with me the scarf I crocheted and one of hubbies winter hats. I took some raisins for the mouth, a baby carrot for the nose (of course) and some malted milk balls for the eyes, buttons and smile. Oh and I took out the tea pot with boiled water in it. I needed to use it like a glue for the balls and to melt holes for the eyes, nose, buttons and mouth.

I got him all together and set him on the ledge of the deck. I took some photos and was going to leave him there but thought he would last longer if I set it on the deck. Plus I knew if I leaned him against the deck he would stay together longer too. It was a bit more shady and protected there for him.

So there's my sad pathetic story. On December 10, 2000 I brought snow into my house so I could make a snowman. I was having withdraws, what can I say? Those of you who love to make snowmen will understand the desperation. And those of you who don't like snow will know now that I'm officially crazy! Hubby and a few close friends already knew that!

And onto the layout. I found the layout at Stacy Cohen Designs. My scrapbookers like to have pages that are designed for more than one photo. SO I am on a quest to find some fun layouts to fulfill their wishes! I suppose I could actually sit down and draw up a few pages myself. How original would that be? I could give it a try. I mean if I can scrapbook I should be able to come up with a layout, right? I'll let you know how that went next month!

The embellishments here are from Sizzix dies and Cricut cartridges. Yup, I got a Cricut for Christmas and I am finally using it.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Stamping With Another GREAT Stamper!

This is the card Leah made at the Thursday night Stamp Till You Cramp. I LOVE the colors she used here and of course the buttons!

The base of this card is made using Creamy Caramel. The decorative paper is from one of those large decorative DCVW Provo Craft paper packs. A

And those fabulous buttons were done using Stampin' Up! card stock and the Martha Stewart Button embossing/cutting punch. This punch will emboss the ridges and punch out the holes and circle. SO cute and SO much fun.

Leah left some of the cards blank so she could use them for other occasions as she needs them. This one was stamped with the new Stampin' Up! "Well Scripted" set. A favorite set of mine now!! Just too cute!!

If you don't have the Martha Stewart punch you can make faux buttons using two different size punches for the buttons. Lay the smaller one on top and then punch the button holes through both layers. Or you can just punch one circle and sponge the edges for an added dimension. Add the button holes and tie on some thread, jute, hemp or linen fibers. It will still be cute!

Thank you Leah for letting me share your card with everyone!!

And thank you all for visiting today,
Wanda

I Get to Play Among the Best!

Last night at Stamp Till You Cramp Ann made this fabulous Valentine's Day card. She used the heart punch on the Stampin' Up! "Sending Love" specialty paper.

Then she used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the word "Love You Much" centered. Those are from the new "Well Scripted" set. I LOVE that set and I'm betting it's going to replace the "Sincere Salutations" set if it makes it into the new catalog!

The pink heart on the left is just the backside of the heart she punched out. She set it on with Dimensionals. And lastly she added the new "Pinking Hearts" border to the bottom of the decorative paper. You really need to click on the photo to see it better. The flash washed it out.

Her paper is some type of pink parchment paper. It was perfect for a Valentine's Day card!

Thank you Ann for letting me share your FABULOUS card with everyone! It's so much fun stamping with these gals. They are all SO talented and I am the lucky one!

Thank you all for visiting today,
Wanda

Valentine's for Friends

I thought it was about time I sit down and make a few Valentine's Day cards for some friends and of course one for my mom. I'm only sending out a few to those who are home bound. With the cost of postage I have to limit my bulk card sending to Christmas.

For this card I used the Dotted Swiss folder on the white background. I really wasn't sure where I was going with this card at first. I thought I would only do half of it in Dotted Swiss which would leave the other half for stamping some words on. But I decided to make this card a quicker card I would just go with the whole thing being Dotted Swiss.

I then took the new "Pinking Hearts" border punch and punched a 5-1/2" piece of Real Red card stock. I then cut that piece to 1-3/4" wide and punched the other side. I cut a 1" piece of Whisper White card stock strip for the center of the punched piece.

I stamped some hearts from the new "I (Heart) Hearts" set and I punched them out using the "Heart to Heart" punch. I also stamped the little "Love" image and used the new "Small Heart" punch on it. Boy, it sure beats cutting that little bugger out by hand! And it saves a LOT of time too!

I sporadically placed the hearts on the strip and then taped them in place. For the large friend one I used the large heart punch and set it in place using Dimensionals. It was a pretty simple card. The part that took the longest was punching the border and that really didn't take all that long. You can make this card in under 20 minutes. A great card if you want to make a bunch of them! just have all of your supplies setting out so you can stamp and punch away!! Now to add this to my slowly growing stash of Valentine's Day cards. I still have time so I should be able to get them all done in time!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

This week's Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers was a lot of fun. I liked it a lot because it had a lot of pieces to it. Layering is one of my favorite things to do on a card. Notice I mentioned "a" card. If I am making a bunch for a swap I don't use as many layers!

I used the Stampin' Up! "Bella Bleu" decorative paper along with Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla card stock. The image is from the "Thoughts & Prayers" stamp set and the words came from my computer. I print out a whole sheet of them in white and vanilla so I have them on hand when I need them. I didn't have any of these on hand so I had to print them out today. But now I have a bunch of them and hope not to need another one for the rest of the year.

I'll share a tip with you when I stamp images that have slid parts to them. I have found way too many times that the image didn't stamp as solidly as I had hoped it would. So now I huff on the stamp after I've inked it up and then immediately stamp it on the card stock. I stumbled on this by accident. I had inked up my image and got distracted by something and it had sat for a few minutes. Instead of re-inking I huffed on it and found that I got a very nice solid image. Then I thought it was because the ink had dried so I tried it again with fresh ink and I got the same fabulous results! So now I huff on my images when I want to make sure I will get a solid print. It's amazing that something as simple as that can make or bread an image.

Now I'm off to get my tax papers together. It's time to report sales tax to the state and I have entered nothing in all year last year. SO I will be chained to my computer in my spare time playing catch up and being grumpy because I had promised myself that I would tend to this stuff right away. *sighs*

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Memory Box Photo Holder

Ever been skeptical about something you're told in regards to stamping? I saw these cute "Memory Boxes" on a few blogs and everyone was stating how they took less than a half hour to do. I thought the boxes were adorable but was SO skeptical on the half hour thing. SO what did I do? I set the notion of making one aside and did something else. The thought of that box in a half hour kept bugging me and I decided to give it a try. It is true my friends, a half hour more or less. More or less is determined on how much you want to embellish it. Now if you are actually going to use these for your photos and store them you may want to go less on the embellishments. It's less things for the boxes to get caught on when you slide the next one in place.

I thought it was a great idea. You can store your photos in the boxes if you don't scrapbook and even if you you scrapbook you can store them in the boxes until you are ready to use them. Or just store the extra ones you don't want to put in your books. You can go to Gina K. Designs - Stamp TV and download the free box and a Journaling Card for the inside of the box to tell those who view it's contents who, what, when and where.

Remember when making these that the PDF file you download is a print out and not the actual size of the box. It's a template. The PDF file for the Journaling Card prints out four cards per page. I cut one off the page and affixed it to a piece of matching card stock and inserted it inside the box. I don't have any Valentine's Day photos yet but when I do they will be going into that box until I am ready to scrapbook them or they will just remain in the box nice and safe and all together!

I do plan to make many more of these boxes. I have lots of photos that need sorting and to have a date and names with them is a GREAT start!

Isn't this a pretty box? I used the Stampin' Up! "Sending Love" specialty paper (again). I just can't get enough of this paper. I used the "Heart to Heart" punch and Pretty in Pink card stock. I tied the top part with a piece of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon. I taped the hearts in place except for the center one. I used a brad to hold it in place. I need it to keep the lid of the box shut. And that is about all there is to this box. Yup, under a half hour and fun too!!

Now I'm off to get my messy workroom cleaned up for my stamping gals tomorrow. If they ever knew what a mess this room was before they came to stamp they would be picking their jaw up off the floor! LOL I don't like to clean up after myself anymore when it comes to crafting. I just like to move onto the next project.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Sending Love Specialty Paper Milk Carton

Yes, another milk carton. I just can't help myself with these!!! I am SO loving that die cut!!

This one has a special window in it. I wanted to make a round window centered on the carton but I didn't want to punch through the bottom of the carton flap. How to do that was the question. A side window! That was what would work! Now this did take a bit of thinking. Fortunately I used the Stampin' Up! "Sending Love" specialty decorative paper so I didn't have to decorate the outside first. I like to do the stamping on these die cuts before I fold the creases. It gives the images a more solid surface to stamp on.

I folded the scores in and folded the carton together to see where the front was going to be so I knew where to punch the window. This window takes several circle punches to do. First you punch a hole for the window in the carton. Then you punch a hole in some Real Red card stock. You take a larger punch and punch a ring around the hole you just made. Line it up so you get it as close to even all around as you can. Punch it out and you have a ring to go over the window.

I cut a piece of scrap acetate and scored it before I glued it in place. Once that dried enough to work with I glued the rest of the carton together except for the top.

To glue on the ring I first folded it in half so it would go on easier and also so I knew where the center was to set it in place on the corner.

I filled the box with some red candies and I actually glued this box shut. Whoever gets this is going to have to work for their candy!!! LOL

And the last thing I did was I took the "Heart to Heart" punch and some Real Red card stock and punched out the three hearts. I sponged the edges in Real Red ink and glued them in place on the carton. It gave it that festive "Valentine" look! As I look at this carton I think it would be cool to have windows on every corner!!! Hmmm! I may just have to give that a try!

These are very easy to make and extremely fun! I have yet to find anything that comes off that die cut not fun!!! And trust me I have a lot more ideas coming off that die cut! Those of you who have this die cut, are you having fun with it? And for those of you who don't, I hope you are enjoying these posts. I was thinking of sending out a few milk carton die cuts to a few of you and seeing if you would like to decorate one and send me a picture to display on here. Does it sound like a fun thing? Any takers???

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Sending Love Specialty Paper Gift Cover

At this rate I'm going to run out of this FABULOUS paper FAST!! I keep finding things that would be fun to alter and the paper I seem to be so fond of right now is the Stampin' Up! "Sending Love" specialty paper. And this pattern happens to be my most favorite in the pack too!

This was actually a scrap piece left from making a milk carton which I will show you tomorrow. Yup, yet another milk carton!!! I just can't help myself with those milk cartons! I'm having SO much fun with that die cut too!

So back to this project. I ran across this little hand cream gift gem in one of my cupboards. And NO Laurie they are not cleaned up enough to open them!! You know the rules here. You open a cupboard and you're cleaning it!!! I love it when I run across these little finds in my cupboards. It was a leftover from another project and it was stuffed way back in the cupboard. I don't think it started out that way, I just think it got pushed back there to make room for other gems and treasures!

To cover it I just too the piece of leftover paper from the milk carton cutting and wrapped it 3/4 of the way around the clear box. I didn't go all the way around because I thought it was important to see the ingredients. Just in case the one who gets it has allergies or skin sensitivities to the ingredients. I found center and punched out a heart window. I then trimmed the decorative paper just a bit so it looked even on each end. I didn't want the heart to be higher on one end than the other. After that I taped the decorative paper on with Red Line tape. Then I took the new hearts border punch and punched out two pieces 8-1/2" long and when I finished punching I cut them to 1/2" wide. I glued them in place on the top and bottom of the paper. I used glue because of the glitter. My regular double sided tape didn't want to hold it and the Red Line tape was not the right stuff for the job. I wanted to be able to have it a bit movable so I could get it exactly where I needed it. And as you can see I didn't get it exactly where I needed it. As I look at the front of this I can see that I should have moved the border down further to cover up the rest of the original colors on the box! Oh well!!!

After the glue set I tied a big red bow on the top using the new Real Red Satin ribbon. Man that stuff is SO pretty!

I wanted to make a tag for the front for gift giving so I took the large heart punch and a folded piece of Real Red card stock. I inserted the card stock in the punch and left a little of the fold showing on one side so I could have a heart that opened. I cut the heart out of Very Vanilla card stock and I sponged the edges with Real Red. I added a couple of other hearts to the front of the folded heart to give it a bit more of a punch. The "Love" heart came from the "I (Heart) Hearts" stamp set.

I wanted to add a gold cord to the card but I seem to have misplaced my cord. I'm sure I'll find it when I get this messy worktable cleaned off! So in the meantime I just tucked the back part of the heart under the heart border on the top so I wouldn't lose that too! I thought it looked cute there and may not add the cord after all.

It's always such fun to alter an item and when you have cute "stuff" to do it with it's even more fun! See how this scrap of paper dressed up the box?

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

I (Heart) Hearts Valentine's Day Card

I was experimenting with this card. My intentions with this card was to make the heart window have a scallop around it. There is no heart scallop punch in my drawers so I thought I could make a scallop. And I did!

To make this card I first took a half sheet of Whisper White card stock and folded it in half. Then I punched out a heart on scrap paper. I did this because I wanted to trace it on the top inside of the card. I did this because one side of the punch leaves some raw edges showing that I don't care much for. SO I traced the heart and then punched it out.

Next I took a piece of Real Red card stock and punched out a 1-3/8" circle and the took the Scallop Circle punch, lined it up with the circle and punched it out. I made two of them like that. I cut the punched out scallop to open it. I then straightened it out. To do this without ripping the ring you need to hold the scallops as you straighten them. Take the ring piece and put one scallop between your thumb and forefinger and then take the scallop next to it and put it between the thumb and forefinger of your other hand. Push the scallops towards each other until they form a straight line. Move to the next two scallops and repeat this. Straighten the scallops all the way across to the end. Now do this with the other scallop ring.

Take a little glue and place it on a piece of scrap paper. I used a toothpick to put the glue on each scallop. I did it 3 to 4 scallops at a time. You don't want to do them all at once it may get on areas of your card you don't want it to. I started where the ribbon meets the heart, meaning my seam (one of them) is under the ribbon. Slowly work your way around the heart. At the top I actually cut the scallop and set the next scallop on top positioning it until it looked like it belonged there. I didn't allow it to overlap the previous scallop too much. I wanted to keep that inset point defined. When I got to the bottom of the heart I again cut the piece off. I did have to trim it a bit to keep it looking uniform.

Once I was done with the scallop I tied the ribbon on. I used the new Real Red Satin ribbon. Isn't it pretty?

I thought the card could use just a little something more so I took the three heart image from the Stampin' Up! "I (Heart) Hearts" set. And I am showing you what happened when I stamped it on the card stock. The top part of the little heart got ink on the edge and it transferred to the card when I stamped it. UGH!!! You can click on the second photo to see that mark closer. I didn't want to redo the whole card and I did NOT like how it looked on there. I took the small "Love" stamp from the set and stamped the image on a piece of scrap card stock. Actually I stamped it on the heart shaped piece from punching the card! I then punched it out with the new small heart punch. I set it over that mark on the card using a Dimensional. Now no one will know it's there unless they saw this post on my blog! And after I cleaned the stamp I trimmed it so this won't happen again.

For the inside of the card I closed the card and traced the heart. It was not perfectly round because of the ribbon but it didn't need to be. I just needed to know where the majority of the heart is. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the words lined up nicely. These fabulous words are from the Stampin' Up! "Well Scripted" set. A very wonderful set I am loving to use! And that was pretty much it for the card! Pretty simple really. The scallop takes a little time to do, not much but it's SO worth it! And it sure did add a lot to the heart window, didn't it?

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

SUPER Quick Cards

I can not even begin to tell you how fast it was to whip up this card. I was trying for something simple but yet elegant. I am SO loving the new Stampin' Up! "Well Scripted" set. It may just replace my "Sincere Salutations" set. I am wondering if Stampin' Up! will be keeping this one and retiring the "Sincere Salutations" one!!!! I really like the font on this set. Though I do like the font on the other one too. Though choice here!

Anyway, first of all I cut a piece of white card stock in half and then folded that half in half. I use the Stampin' Up! "Elegant Bouquet" embossing folder to get my pretty texture.

Then I took the stamp and the Real Red ink pad and stamped in the left corner. And that is all there is to this card. SO simple and SO quick. Don't you think it has an elegant look to it? If you need to make a lot of cards for almost any occasion, this is the way to go.

I was a bit surprised at the card when was done stamping on it. I thought I would have to add something more to it. You know how I am! If it doesn't have at least a dozen layers to it.... LOL And here I have no layers. So WAY out of my comfort zone. But I do like the card! Oh and very limited supplies here too! Gotta LOVE that!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Taller Milk Carton

I do like the milk carton die cut but at times I wished it was a bit taller. Well, I solved that problem today. I cut it in the center and trimmed the edges to the size I wanted them and added a piece of acetate in the center. SO simple and a perfect way to solve the problem.

I took the Stampin' Up! "Sending Love" specialty decorative paper and cut it 6" wide and long enough to fit in on the "Milk Carton" die cut. I ran it through the Sizzix machine and cut it out. I cut the center out at about 1/4" from the top score and 1/2" from the bottom score. You need this part left on the carton so you can tape it to the acetate.

I ran a piece of acetate through the Sizzix using the "Milk Carton" die cut. I cut off the top and bottom part of the carton and kept the center. I folded it on the score lines and taped it. Now I should have added the tape to the bottom first and then taped the side seam. I added the tape to it after and I found it more difficult to put it on. It's much easier when it's flat.

I put the top and then the bottom part of the milk carton together and then inserted the acetate in the bottom. I laid it on it's side and pressed the tape into the paper so it stuck well.

I decorated a few fun size KitKat bars and put them on the inside of the carton. I made something like a belly band around the KitKat bars. I used the decorative paper I had cut off from the center of the carton. Nothing goes to waste around here!

I stamped the tiny heart from the "I (Heart) Hearts" set and punched it out with the new small heart punch. Yup, I finally broke down and ordered it! It sure beats cutting the hearts out by hand.

Then I taped the top part of the carton onto the acetate. I added a heart to the upper part of the carton and a red grosgrain ribbon around the carton. In the photo the ribbon is up a bit higher than I wanted it. I moved it there so you could see the KitKat bar belly band "thing." Click on the photo for a closer view.

I really did like making these and would do it again. Especially when I need a taller carton! I am having a LOT of fun with this die cut! This is another fun item that would be great for a teacher gift and something the kiddies can help with!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

WOW, this Wednesday snuck up me fast! It's almost the middle of the month, if you can believe that! I'm SO far behind already this year and it's SO early in the year!

But I did get to play with the sketch this week so that's a good thing!

It was an interesting sketch and I did struggle with it and it shows in my card.

It's kind of blah. I should have gone with one or two more colors in it and then the cake and stand would have stood out better. Oh well, what's done is done! And like I've said before, I share with you my successes and failures!

Materials used here are all from Stampin' Up! and are as follows:
Happy Birthday from "Well Scripted" set
Cake is from "On a Pedestal" set
Razzleberry Lemonade paper
Dusty Durango card stock
Crushed Currey card stock
Very Vanilla card stock
Dusty Durango ribbon
Dimensionals
Oval Punch
Scalloped oval from Movers and Shapers
Scallop Border punch

I do like this layout and I may give it another try later in the week, depending now the week goes! I have a lot of work ahead of me the next few weeks. The beginning of February is when sales tax has to be turned into the state. I have not entered a single thing in the computer all year long. SO I will be sorting receipts and will be glued to the computer for a few hours each day to get it all entered in. Last year I told myself I was going to start entering them when I got them. Then the first couple of weeks went by and I told myself I'd enter them in at the end of each month. That didn't happen either. SO now the long task of entering. Maybe this year I will be better at it after the hours I will be putting in on this! Fortunately it's done on a laptop so I can make myself comfortable while I'm slaving away!!! LOL

I hope you have time to play with this sketch, it is a lot of fun. Or at least head on over to SplitCoastStampers and take a look at what others are doing with it. It's always fun to see other people's perspectives on these!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Sending Love Speciality Paper Header

Here is a very quick and easy project for you to make for any of your friends, male or female! And it's a project that kids can help with too.

I bought some Brach's Jube Jel Cherry Hearts and put them in a pretzel bag that I had left over from Christmas. Ok, they were not exactly left over. I didn't get around to making the dipped pretzels this year. But I did have all the stuff for them! It's not like the baggies would go to waste, I could use them next Christmas but the problem there for me is where I put them! SO I thought I would use them in some Valentine's Day and hopefully Easter projects!

I wasn't sure at first where I was going with the bag header but after I punched out a heart I knew then how big I needed to make the header. I cut the paper 2-3/4" x 4-1/2". I folded it in half on the long side.

I added some candy hearts to the baggie. I did have to cut the baggie off a bit, I didn't want to fill it all the way, it looked silly like that. And folding the baggie over and over at the top was too bulky for the header. SO was best to cut it off. I stapled it shut using one staple though the decorative paper. When I staple headers I like to make it so the smooth flat side of the staple is on the back side of the header. It's easy enough to hide the bumps of the prongs on the staple with what ever you are embellishing it with. And Dimensionals help with this too. I do this with the staple because that way I am assured that no one will get poked from a wild prong. Safety first, especially if it something that may end up in the hands of children.

Now for the hearts. I stamped the word "Love you Much" from the Stampin' Up! I (Heart) Hearts set. I the punched out the heart and sponged the edges in red. I set it on top of the header and it still needed something more. SO I punched out a pink heart and set it behind the white heart and it gave it a nice dimension.

I left the photo sideways here because flipping it upright made it look even funnier. Plus it made it look smaller, this way you can see it closer. Click on the photo to see it closer, you'll even be able to see the pretty glitter on this beautiful paper.

This is a project that you can whip out pretty fast. There are other baggies out on the market you can use too, I just had these on hand and knew they were for food products.

It's another great teachers gift that even the kids can help you with! A wonderful office co-worker gift too! You can have lots of fun making these and even more fun giving them out!

Thank you for visiting today,
Wanda

A Handful of Hearts! Weekend Project

Not only a handful of hearts but a handful of different items to make this project. Everything to make this project was done using Stampin' Up! products (except for the candy of course).

First I took a piece of acetate and ran it through the Finial Press embossing folder. Then I used the Pillow Box die and cut that piece of acetate. After I cut it I did have to go over the score lines a bit to make sure I got a sharp crease. I then folded the score lines and taped the box together on the back seam using the Sticky Strip tape. You do need something very strong to hold the acetate together.

I folded the bottom end in and then filled the box with candy hearts. I tucked the top flap in and tied added a tiny piece of Sticky Strip to the flaps to help keep them shut. I wrapped a red grosgrain ribbon around the box and tied it in a bow.

Next I stamped the dotted heart from the "I (Heart) Hearts" set using black StazOn ink. I used the StazOn ink because I knew I would be handling it a bit while cutting and I didn't want the Basic Black ink to transfer onto my fingers and then back onto the card stock. After stamping the heart in black I got out my Stamp-a-Ma-jig and set up the "Love You Much" stamp from the "Well Scripted" set. I love the font on the images in this set. It's so elegant looking. I am not that great a stamper to get the words straight without the Stamp-a-Ma-jig. And as you can see I stamped those words in red. And you will also notice I got them in there SO nicely. Shocker! Even with the Stamp-a-Ma-jig I'm usually a bit off but I must have been living right today!

I cut the heart out and slid it under the bow to see how it looked. It looked like it needed something else. SO I stamped the little "Love" image from the "I (Heart) Hearts" set in Real Red ink and cut it out with a scissors. I put it on the heart with a half a Dimensional. It was just what the heart needed. And once I put it all together I thought it looked pretty cute!

This is a very fun and easy project to do. And it can be done using regular card stock if you don't have any acetate. You may want to color the card stock so it's not so plain looking though. With the acetate box you can let the "stuff" you put inside be your color.

This is a great teacher's gift too and it doesn't cost a lot to make. Gotta love that being frugal part! And you can even let the kids help with this one. They can cut hearts or fill the box or just watch as you do it all because something interesting came on the tv distracted them!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Milk Carton for the Birds!

I don't remember if it was last year or the year before that I had made a header for some bird seed and used this Valentine poem on. I still don't know who the author of the poem is so if anyone knows please let me know so I can give them credit.

For this fun milk carton I used the following items:

Stampin' Up! Milk Carton Sizzix die
Stampin' Up! "I (Heart) Hearts" stamp set
Birds & Branches die cut
Real Red ink,
Real Red card stock
Chocolate Chip card stock
Garden Green card stock
Whisper White card stock
Bashful Blue card stock
Bashful Blue ink pad
Real Red ink pad
Bird seed
Circle punches
Clear acetate

After running the die through the Sizzix machine I stamped the set of 3 hearts from the "I (Heart) Hearts" set using Real Red card stock.

I punched out the window and glued on a piece of acetate. I punched out the circles to form the red ring and I glued that in place. I then assembled the box using glue to hold it together.

I cut out the branches two times, once in the Chocolate Chip and once in the Garden Green. I cut the leaves off and glued them in place on top of the brown ones. I added glue to the back of the branch and set it in place over the window. I sponged the bird, colored in the beak and added a piece of black paper behind the eye. I glued that in place on the branch. I did have to position the branch so the bird could sit on it and I made sure the entire bird fit in the box area without any of it hanging over the edges. I also trimmed off the very end of the branch to make it fit too.

I filled the carton with bird seed and glued it shut on one half. On the front part I added one small dot of glue which will be easily broken when the carton is opened.

On the back side I affixed the poem. I had used a shipping label and printed the words right on it so all I had to do was cut it out, sponge the edges in red, peel and stick it. I plan on making a lot of these so I needed every short cut I could find!

The link to the other bird seed Valentine's Day gift is located here. You will also find the poem for the back of the carton there too. You should be able to just do a cut and paste on the words and not have to type them. I am not a big fan of typing though some of my posts here are quite wordy!! I use to have a program that typed what you said. It was a fun program, especially if you had a cold. It types what it "thinks" it heard you say! I spent more time laughing at it and when I'd laugh with the microphone on it would say "pardon me." Which would make me laugh even more and she'd say it again! LOL Little things amuse little minds!!! Needless to say I don't have the program anymore. It doesn't run on the newer computer systems. Plus I type fast enough that it really isn't necessary for me to use a program like that. I mostly used it when I was writing up my step by step instructions for polymer clay.

Ok, enough rambling. Have fun making these. It's a great way to pass out a Valentine's Day gift that doesn't involve chocolate! And it's a nice thing to do for the birds! Oh and they make wonderful gifts for teachers too!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

The New Sizzix Milk Carton Die Cut!

WOW! I can't even begin to tell you how THRILLED I was when I saw that Stampin' Up! is offering a milk carton die cut!!! I LOVE making milk cartons and filling them with "stuff!" I didn't enjoy having to cut and score them but I did like to make them. I have lots of fun things planned for this die cut. Some I have made already but will not be posting on here yet. I am going to be demoing them at the end of the month at the Stamp Share and then I will post them on here.

For today's post I made the milk carton using white card stock. It's filled with "love!" And Red Hots!! LOL I used the "Heart's O Plenty" wheel and Real Red ink. Those little hearts on that wheel are just the perfect size for this milk carton. I did stamp the hearts before I cut the milk carton out. Before I assembled it I cut out the circle for the window. You can use a 1" circle punch for that. But in doing this you will need to fold up the bottom flap and punch though it and the side of the milk carton. The only drawback in doing that is you will now have a circle cut out at the bottom of the carton. You could fold the flaps in so it doesn't show but you really want to fold that flap in last so you have a smooth front to your milk carton. Adding the heart punched border like I did hides the bottom edge.

After the hole is punched I covered it on the inside with a piece of acetate. Wheel that was drying I punched a 1" hole in a piece of scrap Real Red card stock. Then I took the 1-1/4" circle punch, lined it up over the 1" hole and punched out a ring to place on the window opening. The front just needed something more. Without the window it looks a bit plain.

Next you can tape or glue the carton together. I opted for the glue. Then I added the strips of the heart punched border to the top and bottom of the carton. Then I filled the carton with Red Hots. I glued one side shut on the top and the other side I used a half a small glue dot. I wanted it shut but not permanently. Removable tape wasn't strong enough to keep it shut. If I were making these for a craft fair I would probably use a few tiny dots of glue to hold it shut. Just enough to keep it shut but still be easy enough to open.

Looking at it all closed up I thought it could use something else. But what? A ribbon or a bow would look out of place on it. Oh and it did. I did tie a bow and well, let's say I was just TOO ugly to even take a photo of it on there!

I thought I would play with the "I (Heart) Hearts" stamp set. There is a cute "Love" stamp in it. I stamped it four times and cut each one out by hand. I do need to buy a small heart punch!!! After I cut them out I glued them in place on the carton. I started out with the three on the top part of the carton but it left the bottom part asking for something more. I was going to add the 4th "Love" I had cut out but it was too small in contrast for that window. I tried one of the new red corduroy buttons but it blended in too much and got lost. I needed something white! I got out a white jumbo brad and I had to cut the prong off to about 1/4" long. I folded them back into the back of the brad and stuck it on the carton using a pop up glue dot. Now this is something you will want to do BEFORE you put the box together. I had nothing to press the glue dot against when I pressed it in place. The box bent a bit adding it. Then I stuck the "Love" on using Crystal Effects. I have taped card stock to these brads but it doesn't stick for long. It does stick but not permanently. With the Crystal Effects I know it's not going anywhere.

And there you have it! And adorable milk carton ready to give to your Valentine! Isn't it SO cute? Like I said, I have lots of things I'm making with this die and I'll be sharing them with you so stay tuned!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Don't Toss Them! Weekend Project

I just LOVE it when I can recycle. These little containers from your brads, buttons, eyelets, etc. are a fun item to recycle. Getting the sticky off them is not so fun but it can be done. Just slowly peel them. I don't like to do it slow so I end up with a mess but baby oil helps remove the residue. You can also try putting the lid in the freezer for a couple of hours. I tried it and it works but it thaws out too fast and I'm back to a mess. And if you need a bunch of these you can always just order empty ones!

After I got mine all cleaned up from the sticky label, I washed it out and dried it. I filled it with some cinnamon gumdrops. I put the lid back on and it was ready to decorate.

I took a piece of red ribbon and tied a bow around the container. I was on my way. Now what to do next. I thought about putting a big heart or several hearts on the the top but I wanted something with a little more height.

I got out the "Flowers" Sizzix die and the new Stampin' Up! "Sending Love" Specialty Designer Paper. It's got glitter already on it and it's SO pretty! I cut out two sets of flowers and then put them together. I curled the petals a little with a wooden craft stick.

I added a jumbo vanilla brad to the center. But it looked too plain. SO I ended up using the heart stamp anyway. But just the small one from the "I (Heart) Hearts" set. I cut it out with a scissors. I don't have a small heart punch yet. I taped it on top of the brad. I used a pop-up dot to affix the flower to the container and that was it!

This was a quick and simple project (if you have the lids all done before you begin)! This is a great project for Stamp Camp, a Make n Take, Customer Appreciation gift, Hostess Appreciation gift, Teacher's gift, Craft Fairs and it's something even the kiddies can help make.

Now don't go dumping your brads in a box so you can make these!!! Oh and if you don't really care, you don't need to remove all of the label. That giant flower on the top covers it all. Just be sure you remove the side label/tabs, those will show. And actually that part of the label was the easiest to remove!

This is not a new idea. I made one a few years back. I had copied one that Sue had gotten from the ever SO talented Terri. It had a clear button on it and the tag punch was used I liked it because you could see more of what was inside than you can with this one.

I don't have a link to it and my blog has grown so big with all these posts that I wouldn't know where to begin to find it. I didn't label the items then like I so now. SO if you are looking around at my blog and find the other project using the Stampin' Up! containers please let me know!!! More than likely there is a prize awarded to you for finding it!


Have fun with these and thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Red is Still In! Weekend Project

Yup, red is still the "in" color for the season. It seems that Christmas we have the red and the green. Then after Christmas we keep the red until Valentine's Day and we don't need the green again until the next month for St. Patrick's Day! And after that it's all the fun pastels of spring! For us here in Minnesota it's like bringing color back into our lives. We see white here for at least 4 to 5 month out of the year and sometimes longer depending on how soon the first lasting snows came.

This is a fun little jar project. I ran across this jar in the cupboard. Yup, I'm still digging in cupboards. Not too deeply though, I already did that this month!! This jar measures 2-1/2" tall by 2-1/2" in diameter at the bottom tapering to 2" across at the top.

I filled it with some fun Valentine's Day candy (anything red will do) and I tied a bow on it. Then I stamped some hearts from the new Stampin' Up! "I (Heart) Hearts" set. I punched them out using the "Heart to Heart" punch. I taped them in place on the little jar. I wanted to add a little something to the top of the jar so I punched a red circle scallop and a white 1-3/8" circle. I taped them together and added another heart on the top of that. I taped that in place on top of the jar. It was just what that space needed. This was a quick little project and now I'm off to find more jars! I have a bunch out in the garage (not like this one but from baby food, etc.) and I am going to have a bit of fun decorating them! Hubby will be glad when I clean out some of my overflow from the garage! I have stuff everywhere!!

These make a wonderful Teacher's gift, Hostess Appreciation gift, Customer Appreciation gift, Make n Takes, Craft Fair items and Stamp Camp items or any other event you can think of for this project!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

The first Sketch Challenge of the New Year! It was a very fun one too!

I have had this Stampin' Up! "Wings of Friendship" set for quite a while now and have not used it. I wasn't saving it for anything special, I just hadn't had time to play with it. I did see a cute notebook on Beate's blog using this set but other things came up and I didn't get around to making it. I think there what held me back was the Bind-it-All. I had used it a couple of times and was not all that fond of it. I have trouble lining the wires up when I want to run them all across the spine. Maybe this weekend I will get some time to make that notebook and whine again how I can not line up paper!!

For this card I stamped the large piece of Very Vanilla card stock where the bird is using the En Francais on the background. I stamped it using Creamy Caramel ink and then stamped off once to get a lighter image on the piece I planned to use on the card. On top of that I stamped the image using Mellow Moss ink. I then stamped the bird and flowers using Not Quite Navy ink. I thought this ink went well with the vintage decorative paper I found in my stash. I didn't have much left but it was just enough to make this card!! And get this, I used up the majority of that piece and didn't feel bad nor did I want to go shopping for more!!! I think I'm cured!!! I type this as I glance over at the stacks of decorative paper that has never been opened! LOL

I cut the bird and flowers out. When I cut images out I always take a marker and run it around the raw edges. It makes it look like I cut the image out perfectly. Oh no, my secret is out now! Gift it a try, you will be amazed at how sharp the cut edges look when you are done.

I added a few brads to the flowers. I felt they needed a bit of color. And I put them in place using Dimensionals.

This card can be used for many occasions. It really doesn't lean toward any one genre. I will probably use it for a birthday or thank you card.

Materials I used to make this card:

Chocolate Chip card stock
Very Vanilla Card stock
Vintage Decorative Paper
Navy ribbon
Rich Regals brads
Dimensionals
Creamy Caramel Ink
Mellow Moss ink
En Francais Stampin' Up! set
Wings of Friendship Stampin' Up! set
And I used a sponge and sponged creamy caramel on the edges of the vanilla and DP

I really liked this layout. That little piece in the corner was such a nice touch. I can't wait to see what layout SplitCoastStampers comes up with next week! If you have time play with this layout!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda