Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Birthday Card

I loved the look of this "Happy Birthday" Thinlit but pieces were not getting cut out nicely until I discovered to put waxed paper between the card stock and the die.  Then I liked it more.  But I didn't like trying to get it to stick to the paper. I find that the double sided sticky sheets are a bit expensive so I shelved the words for a while.  Then the other day it dawned on me (did you see it get brighter in the north?  That was me with my bright idea!!! LOL).  I poured some of the fine tip pen glue in a mister bottle and thought I would give it a try. All would be out would be some words, a bit of glue, maybe a mister bottle and a little bit of my time.  I thought it was worth a try.  

The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Whisper White card stock.  Then I cut a 3-1/2" x 4-1/4" piece of Tangerine Tango card stock.  On top of that I taped a piece of 3-1/4" x 4-1/4" piece of Whisper White.  I set the two layers in place but I didn't tape them down.  I wanted to see where to put the flowers.  

The flowers are from the "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" set.  I used Pumpkin Pie for the solid part of the flower and Tangerine Tango for the outline.  I used Pear Pizzazz for the leaves.  After I stamped those I taped the word panel in place.  Then I took a piece of Tangerine Tango card stock and die cut the words.  I sprayed the back of them with the mister bottle of glue and set them in place.  I set something heavy on top for a few minutes for the glue to set up.  Now I'm THRILLED with this die.  I can not only cut it cleanly but I can glue it all down in a very short time and have all surfaces covered!!!  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

I didn't come up with this layout, I found it on the net, it was made by Conibaer. The site is in German and so was the video on how to make the card.  I don't understand German but it was easy to follow. You can see that video here.

Thank you SO very much for visiting today,
Wanda

Rose Wonder, Painted Autumn, Fall Birthday Card

I was thinking of making a masculine birthday card but as hard as I tried, these sunflowers still screamed "female".  So it's a female birthday card!  It's also a super simple card to make.  The Decorative Series Paper (DSP) carried the card.  Not a lot of stamping here.

The base of this card is a folded half-sheet of Chocolate Chip card stock.  On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Tangerine Tango card stock.  And on top of that is a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of the "Painted Autumn" DSP.  The DSP was taped to the Tangerine Tango and then a piece of Crushed Curry Mini Chevron ribbon was taped to the back of the card.  There's about 1-1/2" folded over to the back and taped in place. I also taped it down with some Scotch tape as well.  Then I taped those layers to the card base.  

The words are from the "Rose Wonder" set and I stamped them using Tangerine Tango ink.  I stamped the border around them using Soft Suede ink. That border is also from the "Rose Wonder" set.  I die cut it out using the die from the "Rose Garden" Thinlits.  I set the words in place using Dimensionals. 

I cut a 3" piece of ribbon and tied a knot on the left side of the words.  I trimmed them up and the card was done! Super fast and easy, plus it's SO pretty!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Hershey Bar Holder, Weekend Project

It's been a while since I've done a "Weekend Project".  I was going to make something fun for Halloween, but with it only a couple of days away I thought I would look towards November stamping instead.  SO while I was trying to decide on what kind of card I wanted to make, I thought it would be fun to do a project.  Yup, a fairly quick project.  SO I decided on a candy bar holder for fall.  

These are easy to make and if you cut the card stock a certain way, you won't have to measure for the belly band unless you want a wider one.  When I cut my card stock 7-1/4" x 7-1/2", I cut my card stock on the long (11") side.  Then when I turned it to cut the 7-1/2", I had a 1" strip to use for the belly band.  I did not measure the score lines on the belly band.  I just wrapped it around the finished holder and then used those marks to make my fold lines.  It's an easier way to "mark" the fold lines.  Why not save yourself some time?  It still looks great because you do make the fold lines nice and sharp.  I also like to keep the seam of my belly band in the front.  Whatever you are putting on the front will hide it.  That allows the back of the band to look and feel smooth. It just gives it a more professional look.  Plus you don't have to worry about the back seam getting caught on anything and pulling open.  Oh, and I always glue my belly bands.  I do NOT trust tape. 

For my holder I used Cajun Craze card stock.  I used the Painted Autumn" Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  I used the "Painted Harvest" stamp set for the words.  I stamped them using Soft Suede ink.  The leaves are from the same set and I stamped them using Pear Pizzazz ink.  I did find it easier to stamp the leaf vein image first and then the solid leaf image second.  I don't know if it is easier, I thought it was for me.  I thought it felt less stressful to get it right!!

To make this fun candy bar holder, just click here.  It will take you to my Halloween candy bar holder from a couple of years back and there's a link in there that will take you to a more female orientated holder.  There's a link on that one that will take you directly to the Score Pal instructions.  I just thought you might like to see a couple of other ones I've done so you get an idea of how much or how little you want to decorate them!

Have fun making them.  Wouldn't they make a great teacher gift?  And it's not very expensive to make either, depending on how much embellishing you do.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Creep it Real, Halloween Card, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

Mindful stamping is the key here.  And on 2 elements of this card.  First I was stamping the little candies from the "Creep it Real" set. I knew I had to make sure I stamped on the ink pad straight on or I would catch an edge.  Thinking that I was doing pretty well, I became sloppy for a few images and you can see the lines on the card.  On a few of the stampings, I took a baby wipe and gently wiped the edges before I stamped.  I had made enough mistakes.  I had made too many candy images to redo the whole card. Plus I was hoping that I'd catch a break and one of the images or the words "Creep it Real" would cover it.  The Frankenstein did cover one of the marks but another still shows.  And the "Real" didn't cover the one I was hoping it would.

PLUS, the background should have just gone around the words.  I should have stamped the words first and then the candies.  I just thought the words were thick enough to carry the card, but they weren't.  Close but not close enough!!!  But it is what it is.

I stamped the images using colored card stock, Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie and Wild Wasabi.  I colored in the candies with a marker. It's a pretty simple card to make and the coloring didn't take all that long to do.  I'd like it much more if the candies weren't all over the words.  But....  oh well!  You get what you see today!! Plus now you know what not to do!!

Thank you SO very much for visiting today,
Wanda

Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Birthday Card

It's not that I'm into super quick cards but lately I've been finding them or creating them.  This one I actually created! I had a folded half-sheet of Whisper White card stock sitting on my worktable.  I was actually going to put it away and I thought I would see what I could come up with.

I had the "Whole Lot of Lovely" Decorative Series Paper (DSP) sitting on edge on the floor, but it was crooked and some of the pre-cut pieces were hanging out. I was going to put them back in and this one was sticking out the most, so I grabbed it. I did trim off 3/4" from it and I taped that strip inside the card on the right edge.  The front piece of DSP measures 2-1/2".  I cut a 3/4" strip of Pool Party card stock and taped it to the edge of the DSP.  I taped the two pieces on top of the Whisper White card base.

Next I taped on a paper doily.  I die cut a Pool Party scalloped circle measuring 2-9/16".  I die cut a Basic Black circle measuring 2-7/16" and the Whisper White circle was cut 2-1/8".  I cut the Whisper White circle after I stamped the "Happy Birthday" on it.  Those words are from the "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" set and I used black Memento ink to stamp it.  I taped the circle layers together and set them in place with Dimensionals.  And that was it.  I told you it was super quick!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Creep it Real, Halloween Card, Tri-fold Technique, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

I found a fun and easy "Tri-fold Technique" while looking at some "Creep it Real" samples on Pinterest.  You can see the original card here.  I did change it a bit, but the concept is still the same.   

For my card I used a folded half-sheet of Elegant Eggplant.  On the front I used a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Old Olive card stock. On top of that I used a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of the "Painted Autumn" Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  I didn't have any Hallowee DSP, so this was close enough.  It worked so I ran with it!

The words are from the "Creep it Real" set, I stamped them on Whisper White card stock using black Memento ink.  The scalloped layer is Elegant Eggplant.  I set the words layer in place using Dimensionals. 

On the inside is where the fun is!!  I used the 1-7/16" square die for the faces.  The 1-5/8" square die for the Basic Black squares.  And for the Old Olive squares I used the 1-15/16" square die.  I was able to cut each layer of squares out in one round through the Big Shot, so I only had to do it 4 times. I was hoping that my card stock would fit in there so I didn't have to run it more than 4 times.  And it worked!!  Not that it was a big deal to just cut them out with only 2 squares on the cutting pad, but I had other things I needed to do and this sped things up!

Once the squares were cut, I colored them in with markers. I did use the Smoky Slate marker and a blender pen on the skull, I wanted it to have a little color, after all rest of the characters are colored.

I cut a 1" x 8-1/2" piece of DSP and folded it in half.  Then I folded the two ends towards the center fold of the strip so I had a valley, mountain and valley fold.  I taped the ends of the strip in place using strong tape. Snail is not strong enough to hold.  Then I taped the characters layers together and taped them in place with snail.  And that was it.  I thought it was a fun and simple technique to do.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Basics 3 Washi Tape, Daisy Punch, Birthday Card

I was SO thrilled to get the new Washi Tape.  The tape here is from the Basic 3 collection. I LOVED the blues and I figured I would get more use out of them than the other colors. But the trick there is, you have to use them!  Mine got lost on my worktable and while trying to straighten it up I saw it and thought I would play with it before I misplace it or forget!  And this is what I came up with.

I LOVE Washi tape because you can just add a few strips and the background is done!  Such a deal. I used three strips for my card.  

The base of my card is a folded half-sheet of Whisper White card stock.  On top of that is a piece of Dapper Denim card stock cut 4" x 5-1/4".  And on top of that is a piece of Whisper White cut 3-3/4" x 5".  

I started in the middle with the Washi tape.  The small thin strip first and I set the other two on either side of it.  Then I punched out two flowers and taped them together.  I curled the edges up just a little with my thumb and forefinger.  Then I set it in place using a Dimensional. I added the Clear Faceted Gem to the center of the flower and stamped the words from the "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" set using Dapper Denim ink.  I taped it to the Dapper Denim layer and taped those two layers to the card base and it was done!!  SO super easy and quick.  

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Happy Birthday Thinlits, Iridescent Sequins, Inker Misting Technique

I found a card on Pinterest that I just HAD to make, but as I was doing the sponging, it wasn't turning out the way the original card was.  You can see the original card here.  I wasn't getting the blend, I had distinct lines between my colors and it just wasn't working right.  SO, I thougth, "what if I use the mister bottles and spray on my color"?  It didn't turn out as dark as the original and it may have if I would have used more ink and less water? Maybe!  But I'm guessing that was the issue with mine.  Though I do like the softness of the colors so I decided to keep it and die cut the words.  Next time I will know to use more inker and less water.  But that is how we learn right, by making some mistakes.  Though I do like my mistake, so does that make it a mistake????

The base of my card is a folded half-sheet of Bermuda Bay.  On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Lemon Lime Twist.  And on top of that is a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White that was textured using the "Falling Snow" embossing folder.  

Once I got the words from the "Happy Birthday" Thinlits die cut, I glued them in place.  I know, I hate gluing things like this just as much as you do, BUT I did figure out an easy way to do it.  It's a little messy but SO worth it to me.  I took one of the misting bottles and I filled it about half way with the "Fine-Tip Glue Pen" glue.  I sprayed the back of the letters and set them in place. Now because they were on a textured surface, they didn't want to stick very well, so I just put them under something heavy to set up.  It was about 10 minutes before I got back to them and they were stuck.  As simple as that.  While they were setting up, I took my mister and a small cup of water and stuck the "straw" part of the mister in the water to rinse out the piece.  I didn't want the nozzle to be clogged up the next time I come to use it.  Now I don't just plan to use this mister on only these words, I plan to use it on anything that I need to glue in place and don't want to use the "Fine-Tip Glue Pen" or glue and a toothpick.  This was SO much quicker than drawing over each letter with that wonderful time saving glue pen, but I saved even more time this way!  So there you have it, a technique and a great tip, all in one post!!!  Lucky you!!! LOL

When the glued piece was set, I taped it to the Lemon Lime Twist piece and then added Dimensionals to the back and set it in place on top of the card base.  I did use the "Fine-Tip Glue Pen" to add the sequins.  I have a feeling I will be buying another one of those glue pens soon!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Happy Birthday Thinlits, Wood Textures Paper

This was a fun, quick and simple find.  I was looking for an easy masculine card on Pinterest and my clicking and clicking and getting stuck in a loop finally landed me to the post where I found this card.  So, after all that clicking I decided that I was going to make this card.  My time for stamping was running out from all the hunting of the one card I REALLY wanted to make, but oh well, this is what I ended up with today. You can see the original card here.

The base of this card is a folded half-sheet of Basic Black card stock.  On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of the "Wood Textures" Decorative Series Paper in the 6" x 6" stack.  

The words are from the "Happy Birthday" Thinlits and were die cut using Basic Black card stock.  They were glue din place.

The "it's your day" words are from the "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" set and I stamped them on a scrap piece of Whisper White card stock using Memento black ink.  I should have used Very Vanilla card stock, the white is kind of bright for the wood background.  But is a guy really going to notice that?  I doubt it!  I set the word in place using Dimensionals and the card was done.  I told you it was quick!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Fall Birthday Card, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

I found this fun card on Pinterest. It caught my eye because of the background, which mine turned out darker than the one posted.  I was tempted to use Soft Smoke instead of Early Espresso stamped off twice.  But it's still pretty.  You can see the original card here.  

This was very easy to make.  The base of the card is a folded half-sheet of Early Espresso card stock. On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Early Espresso card stock cut 5" x 3-3/4". Yup, you read that right, Early Espresso on top of Early Espresso.  I think I would have chosen Cajun Craze for the base instead, but I was just going by what I saw, because what I saw I did like.  And the top layer is Very Vanilla.

I stamped the flowers on the Very Vanilla using Early Espresso ink and stamping off twice before I stamped on the card stock.  Then I added a 1-1/2" x 3-3/4"piece of "Painted Autumn" Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  I stamped the words from the "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" set using Early Espresso ink.  I taped it to the Early Espresso piece of card stock and then tied some jute around it and knotted it.  

I stamped another flower using Crushed Curry first and then Tangerine Tango on top of that.  The center of the flower is Early Espresso.  Then the flower was die cut using the stitched circle die.

Next I stamped the leaves and the leaf veins using Lemon Line Twist.  I punched them out and set them on the back of the die cut circle using Dimensionals.  The Dimensionals were on double duty.  There were to raise the flower up and at the same time the stems caught a little of it and it held them in place as well.  And for the final step, I added Dimensionals to the back of the front panel and set it in place and the card was done. 

I still like how this card looks, even though my background is a little darker.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Seasonal Layers from the Colorful Season Bundle, Fall Masculine Card, Polished Stone Technique

Here is another "Polished Stone" technique sample.  With the return of the glossy card stock, it's fun to play with some of these old techniques.  Though Stampin' Up! does not carry the gold or silver inkers anymore, the technique had to be modified.  Water was used instead of rubbing alcohol and Wink of Stella was used instead of the gold or silver inkers.  And as usual, other colors of inkers were used.

This card was from the latest swap I attended at Terri's Technique night.  Tanya was the designer of this fun card. The base of her card is Crushed Curry, then the glossy card stock that was colored using the new technique. She added a strip of Pumpkin Pie and on top of that is a piece of the burlap ribbon.  She die cut three leaves, one of Crushed Curry, one of Cajun Craze and one of Pumpkin Pie.  She tied a linen bow at the end of the leaf stems.  It's a pretty simple card to make.  You can see my swap card here.  I used a strip of the technique card stock on my card. 

The original "Polished Stone" technique instructions can be found here.  

This is a fun and effective technique to play with.  Give it a try.  I do highly recommend rubber gloves or your fingers could get just as colorful as the glossy card stock!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Hometown Greetings, Oh What Fun, Christmas Card, Polished Stone Technique

I'm trying not to make too many Christmas cards right now. It's still Halloween and fall, so I want to concentrate more on those two themes for now.  I have a few fun sets to use and I want to make sure I play with them enough because more than likely they will not find their way to the new 2018-2019 Catalog.

This is a very simple card to make.  Once the Polished Stone Technique is dry then you can cut the circle. You can see how to do the Polished Stone technique by clicking here. What I did here was I die cut the house line from the "Hometown Greetings" Edgelets set using Whisper White card stock.  The Dazzling Diamonds glitter paper would be pretty too, but you can't stamp the words on the bottom part.  If I would have opted to go that way, I would have moved the house line down so more of the sky was visible and then I would have just stamped the words on the card base.

So, after I got the house line die cut, I used a large round die and cut the sky piece and the edgelet images at the same time. I stamped the words from the "Oh, What Fun" set using Night of Navy ink and then I taped those two pieces together.

I added Dimensionals to the back and taped it to a half sheet of Whisper White that was cut on the short side at 4-1/4".  This card opens from the bottom. And that was it.  Why didn't I think of this card earlier?  I could be done with my Christmas cards by now!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,

Wanda

Guy Greetings, Masculine Birthday Card, Tarnished Foil Technique

I saw this "Tarnished Foil" technique and had to give it a try. I found a card on Pinterest showing the beautiful image and I wondered how the background was done and what it was called. You can see that card I found here. And P.S., I didn't copy that card, I created my own. Mostly because the images used in the linked card are retired. 

There's several steps to creating this technique.  First I took a piece of the silver foil card stock. I cut it 4" x 5-1/4".  I should not have cut it at all.  That way you can trim up the edges nicer. 

Next I ran it through the Big Shot using the wood grain embossing folder.

Then you take your StazOn black pad and run it over the surface. I did press harder on the wider areas of the embossed piece.  Then you take your embossing buddy and wipe it over the whole card.

Next you take your Versa Mark pad and tap it all over the place.  I think it would look better if you swirled it instead of tapped it, then you don't get those sharp corner edges from the pad.  Now sprinkle it with silver embossing powder and heat it up.

Take your StazOn pad and go over it again, followed by the stamping buddy.  Then you take the Versa Mark pad again and tap around the front.  This time you will be adding copper embossing powder.  I had to take my fingers and rub some off where it was looking like there were sharp corners.  You can rub off as little or as much as you want.  Then use your embossing heat tool and melt the powder.  I found the copper to be thicker than the silver, so I stopped and brushed off more of the powder before I continued.  And your final step is to go over the top with the black StazOn again.  And you are done. It's not hard to do, just a lot of steps to get there!

The base of my card is a folded half sheet of Cajun Craze.  On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Basic Black.  On top of that is a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of the finished Silver Foil card stock.  I taped the foil piece to the black and I added the black glitter ribbon. Then I wrapped and tied the copper thread. I ran the thread around the card about 6 or 7 times and tied it in a knot on the front.

I decided to use the "Guy Greetings" set.  I stamped the car and words using Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla card stock.  Then I die cut them with the oval Framelits.  And I die cut scalloped ovals for the layer.  I set those in place using Dimensionals and my card was done!!!  I LOVE the look of this technique and it is SO much prettier in person.

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Colorful Season, Seasonal Layers, Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Masculine Birthday Card, Marbling Technique

Well, if this wasn't a fun and simple looking card.  It actually wasn't that bad to make either.  It's done kind of like you would with polished stone, except you use water on the cotton ball with the ink refills. I used the heat tool to dry the card stock faster.  Yes, card stock, not glossy paper, just regular Whisper White card stock.

After the paper was dry I stamped the skeleton leaf image from the "Colorful Season" set, using Cajun Craze ink.  Then I die cut it out using "Seasonal Layers" Thinlits die. 

I set the leaf in place but didn't affix it. I wanted to see where it should go so I could stamp the words.  I stamped the words using Cajun Craze ink and they were from the "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" set.  I used Dimensionals behind the leaf and set it in place above the words.  And that was it.

The colors I used on the leaf were Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango.  My cotton ball was pretty wet (with water). I did use a rubber glove.  If you don't have any, grab a sandwich bag or some other type of plastic bag and use it to pick up the cotton ball.  

This was very fun to make.  I wish I would have colored a larger piece of card stock.  My piece was only 2-1/8" x 2-3/4".  I was going to use that as a background layer.  Don't add any green to your inks. I thought it would look great, boy was I wrong. I tossed it and started over.  More yellows could be added, but stay away from the greens.  Have fun with this.  

Thank you SO very much for visiting today,
Wanda

Colorful Season, Seasonal Layers, Rose Wonder, Masculine Birthday Card, Polishes Stone Technique

This was a fun card to make.  It's my swap card for tonight. It has lots of pieces.  I suppose if you were only making one it wouldn't seem like lots, but I had a number of them to make and I thought it was a lot of die cut work.  But I also thought it was SO worth it!!  I do like how the card turned out.

First I did the "Polished Stone" technique.  And you can see how to do the polished stone technique by clicking here.  I set them aside to dry while I worked on the other elements of the card.

First I stamped the leaves and then die cut them out.  Then I sponged the edges.  You can see how I did the leaves by clicking here.  

The words are from the "Rose Wonder" set and I used the oval die to cut them out and the scalloped oval for the Cajun Craze layer behind it.

I cut a 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" square of Chocolate Chip card stock to go under the leaves.  I worked off that square to assemble the leaves.  The first two leaves were just taped on, the third one was set in place with a Dimensional. The Copper Foil leaf frame was set in place with a glue dot and the little Garden Green leaf was glued in place.

I added the word layers.  I used Dimensionals only at the bottom of the oval.  Assembling them was fun, not to mention it was the last thing you do before the card is finished!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Guy Greetings, Masculine Birthday Card

I found this super easy and quick masculine card on Pinterest.  You can see the original card here.  I thought it looked like it would be an easy card to make since there's not a lot to it.  It is!

The base of the card is a folded half-sheet of Wild Wasabi card stock. On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Garden Green card stock.  You will also need a scrap piece of Basic Black cut 4" x 1-3/8".  And then your Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  Mine is from the "Wood Texture" DSP 6" x 6" pack.  The piece I used here was cut 1-1/2" x 4".

I taped the DSP to the Basic Black piece.  I taped that piece in place on the Garden Green card stock about 1-1/4" from the top.  Then I got out my scoring board and marked to little scorelines on each side of the DSP layer.  I turned the card stock over, found those lines and scored them on the backside.  It just looked nicer with the grooves on the front instead. I stamped the words from the "Guy Greetings" set using Basic Black ink and I taped the Garden Green layer to the Wild Wasabi base.  And that was it.  Such a super quick and easy card to make!

Now I'm off to work on my card for the Tuesday night swap.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,

Wanda

Happy Birthday Gorgeous, Colorful Season Bundle, 2017 Stampin' Up Holiday Catalog, Masculine Birthday Card

I found this fun layout on Pinterest.  You can see the original card here.  I should have used the smaller squares, but oh well, I know better now.  I love how quick and easy this card was to make.  How fun would this layout be with other focal images?  I'm going to have to give it a try some other time.

The base of my card is a folded half-sheet of Whisper White card stock.  I die cut the 4 stitched squares using Soft Suede card stock.

The leaf is copper foil card stock and was die cut using the "Colorful Season" bundle.  I LOVE that bundle, it's so fun to play with and has several seasons in it!  I set that leaf in place using a Dimensional.

The words are from the "Happy Birthday Gorgeous" set and I stamped them using Soft Suede ink.  And that was it.  A very fun and quick card to make.  I can't wait to play with this layout again but using the next size smaller square.  Stay tuned for that one!!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Birthday Card, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

I took a photo of a card SO much like this at Terri's wonderful Stamp a Stack on Thursday. She has lots of cards on display.  The Stamp-a-Stack was such a fun time. I'll share those cards with you as the days go on.  I have a few others to share with you first.  There is Holiday Stamp-a-Stack coming up next month.  If you live in or near the Champlain or Brooklyn Park area I would love for you to come and meet you there. I know some of you have asked to meet me.  I'll post when the next one is and then you can email me for more details.  You can always email me anytime with any questions.  My email is found on the right sidebar under "Got a question".  

So, now let's talk about this fun card.  I took a photo of it because I knew I wanted to copy it.  I wanted to use that Decorative Series Paper (DSP). It was one in the package that I was struggling with because I found it a bit too busy for my taste.  But when I saw this card I knew I could use at least a little of the 2 matching sheets in the "Painted Autumn" DSP 12" x 12" pack.  

I stamped the flower from the "Painted Harvest" set using Crushed Curry and Cajun Craze ink. The center of the flower and the words were stamped using Soft Suede.  The words are from the "Rose Wonder" set.  It's one of my go to sets for a fun birthday greeting.

The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Whisper White card stock.  On top of that is a piece of Chocolate Chip (or you can use Early Espresso), cut 2-3/4" x 5-1/4".  The Crushed Curry piece of card stock was cut 2-1/2" x 5" and the DSP was cut 2-1/4" x 4-3/4".  I taped those layers together and set them on top of the card front.  I stamped the words on and then I taped the layers to the card front. I needed to see where the words went before taping. I could have taped than stamped but somehow I always ruin the stamping. It must be some mental thing because when I don't tape first I don't mess up!!!  Strange, huh?  LOL  

Next I die cut the flower and added a scalloped Cajun Craze circle for a layer behind it.  Then I set it in place on the card using Dimensionals.  I tied a knot in a piece of Crushed Curry "Mini Chevron" ribbon and I set it in place with a glue dot.  And that was it.  Super fun and very easy!  Plus it's a great masculine birthday card.  It would also make a great thinking of you card or even a sympathy card.

Thank you ever so much for visiting today,
Wanda

Night in Bethlehem, Polished Stone Technique

Do you remember the "Polished Stone Technique"?  Well, now with the glossy card stock back in the catalog we can do polished stone once again!!  For this technique, on this particular card, we did it a little bit differently.  We used water on the cotton ball and the inkers as you normally would but we used "Wink of Stella" for the shimmery part.  It's VERY pretty on here and I do like how it looked. Of course, this photo does not do the card justice.

The "Night in Bethlehem" set was used here.  The city and star were cut out using the silver foil paper.  The star was set in place using a Dimensional and the city was just taped in place.

Give this technique a try.  I think I'm going to do this technique for the swap next week. I have an idea for a card in my head. I hope it turns out on paper what I'm seeing in my head!!! LOL

The instructions for the polished stone technique can be found by clicking here.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Beautiful Bouquet, Butterfly Thinlit, Birthday Card

This was a super fun and easy birthday card to make.  This photo does not do the card justice. The butterfly was die cut using the silver glitter paper.  It's VERY elegant looking.  It would make a lovely wedding or anniversary card too.

The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Whisper White card stock. On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Smoky Slate card stock.  On top of that is the 3-3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White card stock.  

Smoky Slate ink was used to make the splatters.  They were from the "Timeless Textures" set.  You need to stamp a lot of them because the stamp is rather small.

Next the silver foil strip was added.  It measures 5" x 1/2".  Then the butterfly was die cut and set in place with Dimensionals.  And lastly the words were from the "Beautiful Bouquet" set and were stamped using Smoky Slate ink. They were die cut using the oval Framelits and the scalloped layer was done using Smoky Slate card stock. The words were taped together and set in place using Dimensionals.  And that was it.  Ya gotta love those super easy and yet very elegant looking cards.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, You've Got This, Get Well Card

I was thinking about making a Halloween card today because there's only 20 more days until Halloween and I haven't made that many cards.  Not that I need that many but I do like to make Halloween cards in October!  But my brain had another idea instead.

I saw the "Painted Harvest" set sitting out and thought I would play with it. There's so many fun color combinations you can use with this set.  Here I used Crushed Curry and Tangerine Tango.  I  like those two colors together.  I wanted to make an actual flower so I hunted in my sets for a nice stem.  I was going to use the "Tranquil Tulips" set but I didn't really like the stem and leaves.  Especially the stem, it was too thin to support a big sunflower like this.  So I kept looking and then I ran across the "You've Got This" set and liked that stem so much better.  I stamped the stem using Pear Pizzazz ink.  I did have to mask a bit of the top part of the image off.  The stem and flower are one piece on that stamp.  I colored in the leaf with the Pear Pizzazz marker.  The center of the flower is Soft Suede.

The words are from my computer.  I need to finish getting the word sets done and in my web store but there's so many other things occupying my time lately.  But I will eventually get them done.  I die cut them out and I also die cut a Chocolate Chip scalloped piece for the back layer. 

The base of my card is a folded half-sheet of Chocolate Chip card stock. On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  I was going to go with Tangerine Tango but once I set the card stock in place it was too dark.  The Crushed Curry ink mellowed out the Tangerine Tango ink in the flower and the fusion of the two made Pumpkin Pie card stock look much better.

I taped the Whisper White stamped piece in place.  That piece was cut 3-3/4" x 5".  And then I set the words in place using Dimensionals.

And that was it. Pretty simple and just plain pretty!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Creep it Real, Halloween Card

I was having some fun with the "Creep it Real" set.  I thought I would play with some of the other images in the set.  I LOVE the candy corn images, even though I'm not a big fan of eating candy corn.  

The "trick or treat" words have the three little candies on the stamp.  If you just wanted the words, you can mask off the candy.  I thought the candy was cute, though as I look at the card now I think I should have masked it off, they really don't blend in well with the candy corn.  Oh well.  I think it's cute the way it is.

I didn't buy any Halloween Decorative Series Paper (DSP).  My DSP came from the "Painted Autumn" DSP 12" x 12" pack.  

The base of my card is a folded half-sheet of Basic Black card stock. On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Tangerine Tango.  On top of that is the DSP and then a 2-1/4" x 3-3/4" piece of Basic Black and the top layer is a 3-3/4" x 2" piece of Whisper White.

This was super easy to make, even with the coloring.  Sometimes I love to color and other times I don't.  I guess it just depends what mood I'm in.  And today I was in the mood for a little coloring.  I used Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight markers.  It went pretty fast too! 

It was a fun card to make and I do like how it turned out.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Colorful Season, Double Dutch Door Technique

Today I'm going to share with you a card I made at one of Terri's Tuesday Technique Nights.  This is called the "Double Dutch Door" technique.  It's super easy to do too! You can find the instructions to do this technique here.

The color used here is Old Olive.  The Decorative Series Paper (DSP) is from the "Color Theory" pack.  This DSP comes in a 6" x 6" stack.  I LOVE these stacks, there is a lot of paper in them and I have yet to use one up!

The leaf is from the Colorful Season" set.  Well, it's actually from the "Seasonal Layers" Thinlits set.  It's die cut using the gold foil paper.  You really can't see that in the photo, but the gold foil is REALLY pretty on here.

The top layers are set in place using Dimensionals.  Make sure you only use tape or Dimensionals on the upper part or you will tape your card shut!  (Been there, done that! and not so proud of it!  LOL).

It's a very simple and fun technique to do, so give it a try!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Colorful Season, Flourishing Phrases, Seasonal Layers, Thank You Card

Now I'm not one for fussy cutting, but I will do it if there's only one thing to cut out or if I'm really in the mood for it.  This card did not have any fussy cutting but it did have a lot of die cutting at the Big Shot.  I don't mind die cutting either, as long as I don't have to do a lot of it. There were 9 elements to cut out here.  I love how the card turned out, so it was worth it, but I don't see myself making another one like this.  I found this card on the net, you can see the original here.  

The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Whisper White. It was cut on the 8-1/2" side so the fold is at the top and the card opens from the bottom.

I stamped the leaves using Daffodil Delight, then I sponged on some Tangerine Tango and then a little Cajun Craze on the very edge.  The veins were stamped using Tangerine Tango.  I didn't want them really dark.  Then I die cut them.  I didn't like the white around the edges so I took a Q-tip and tapped it on the ink pad and inked the edges so they were all colored.  They looked more lifelike after I did that.  I didn't do it to the green one and I probably should have.  It's stuck on with a Dimensional so I can't remove it nicely to sponge the edges. 

I used a strip of Decorative Series Paper (DSP) from the "Painted Autumn" 12" x 12" pack.  I cut that strip 4-1/4" x 3/4".  I cut a piece of the burlap ribbon a 3-3/4" and tapered each end. I taped it in place on top of the DSP.  Next I added the leaves using Dimensionals.  Everything had Dimensionals except for the branches.  I glued them in place.

The words are from the "Flourishing Phrases" set, I stamped them using Cajun Craze ink. The skeleton leaf and the scalloped oval were die cut using the copper foil paper.  I added some of the enamel dots and it was done.  I didn't have the dots that were used in the original card but if no one compares the two cards, no one will know!!

It was a fun card to make but a lot of Big Shot work.  I do like how it turned out though!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Hometown Greetings, Peek-a-boo Technique, Christmas Card, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

There's several card techniques named "Peek-a-boo".  But this is one I have not done before and I thought I would share it with you.  I did change the size of the card stock and the score lines. I didn't like it that the finished card wasn't a regular size card, so I had to work on it a bit to change it.  I often use recycled card stock to practice with until I get the measurements right.  I went through quite a bit of copier paper before I finally got it all right.  You can still follow the You Tube video on how to put it together. You can see that video here.  

I cut two 6-1/4" x 5-1/2" pieces of Whisper White card stock. Next score both sides at 3/4" and 1-1/4", repeat for both pieces.  I used the scalloped die to cut an opening in the front. I moved it up a little so I had room for some wording. You will need a larger size oval (or circle) cut for the center.  Though I didn't really find it necessary to cut any.  My background was white, but if you use colored card stock for the base of your card, you will probably need to cut that inside piece.  

I used the "Hometown Greetings" edglits dies to make this card.  I die cut them using the Dazzling Diamonds glitter paper.  I colored in the trees by using markers.  I just used the side of the marker and pressed it into the paper.  I added some gold foil paper behind each house. Before setting it in place, I traced around the areas that weren't windows and colored them in using a black Sharpe.  Then I glued the gold card stock on.  

You will also need two 1" x 2" strips to attach the images on.  Those strips will be taped to the inside scored area.  You will understand this more when you watch the how-to video.  Once everything is taped in place, then you tape the front piece to the back piece and your card is ready to "move".

This was super fun to make and I wish I were more creative with this, I would make some fun cards! Maybe another time!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Lovely as a Tree, Colorful Season, Seasonal Layers, Thank You Card, Bendy Card Technique

Have you tried making a "Bendy Card"?  They are not as complicated as they seemed, I was very surprised at how easy it was to do. the difficulty comes in how much you want to decorate it.  The instructions to a bendy card are found here.  It's a great video and the card displayed there had LOTS of pieces to it but it's SO worth it if you really get into this. 

This was a card I received in a swap, so all I can tell you about it is that the "Lovely as a Tree" set was used.  I didn't know that set came with a die, but the image was die cut.  Then the leaves and branches were from the "Colorful Season" and "Seasonal Layers" dies.  I think the words are from the "Teeny Tiny Wishes" set.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Painted Harvest, Background Bits, Colorful Season, Thank You Card

When I found this card on Pinterest, I knew I just had to make it.  It was just too darn pretty to pass up.  I wasn't sure if it would be a lot of work and time or not. I did know that there was fussy cutting on that big flower.  But that flower is SO pretty that the fussy cutting is very much worth it!  Plus if you have the tv on you can cut away and watch at the same time and the next thing you know the flower is all cut out.  Or you can daydream about how pretty the card is going to be when you are done and the cutting goes faster too!  I thought the cutting went pretty fast, I was very anxious to make this card.  There were no instructions on how to make it so I will share with you how I did it.  You can see the original card here.

First I took a half-sheet of Whisper White card stock and I folded it in half on the long side. My fold is on the left side, my card opens from the right, like you would open a book. Next I took the 2-3/8" square die and centered it equally at the top and sides.  I used a post it note to hold it in place while I headed on over to my Big Shot.  I cut out that square and saved the inside piece to stamp my flower on.  Then I took a piece of the dotted orangish Decorative Series Paper (DSP) from the "Painted Autumn" pack and cut it a little wider around than the square I punched out.  

Next I stamped the "thank you" words from the "Background Bits" set using Soft Suede ink.

I taped the DSP to the back of the front cover of the card and then I took a piece 1/4 sheet of Whisper White and trimmed the edges just enough so I could tape it to the inside of the card to hide/cover the DSP square. I didn't cut it exact because I didn't want to have to be careful lining it up, plus I can never get the card to close nicely when it's exact.  So having a little off works out so much better for me.

Now comes the fun stuff. I stamped the flower using Crushed Curry first on the larger flower image and then Pumpkin Pie on the smaller flower image. The center was stamped using Soft Suede. Then I fussy cut the flower out.  I set it aside and stamped the leaves using Pear Pizzazz first and then the outline of the leaves is in Old Olive.  I punched those out and set them aside.

Then I used the rounded end berry looking stem images and Soft Suede card stock and die cut two of those out. That is from the "Seasonal Layers" Thinlits dies.  I also die cut a leaf from that set using Cajun Craze card stock.  I grabbed my spool of copper colored thread and I was ready to assemble.

I ran a little tape across the center of the DSP square.  Then I took the thread and wrapped it around my hand about 5 or 6 times, holding the raw end between my thumb and forefinger. I ended with the new end between my thumb and forefinger. I pressed all the threads between my thumb and forefinger onto the tape.  Then I moved the other threads around, bring some inward more and pressing them into the tape.  I mostly just let them be where they laid.  Because they were all on one side, I took some and put them towards the bottom, like splitting the circle of threads in half.  It's kind of hard to explain, but you want some threads on the bottom and sides as well, so just move them around.  If you need to add more tape, do so but keep it towards the center where it won't show.

After I got the thread in place, I added Dimensionals to the fussy cut flower and I removed the backing.  I hovered over the DSP square to see where I wanted the leaves to go.  I stuck the stems to the Dimensionals.  I did the same with the other elements I die cut. I did add a little more snail tape to the back to make sure that it stuck on those spots that the Dimensional was covered with the pieces and I pressed the flower in place.  And the card was done. It's too darn pretty!! I want to keep it, but I am going to be sending it out.  But I do have the photo of it on my blog, so I'm good!!

Have fun making one.  I thought it was a lot of fun. I may try another one with a different background, maybe one that stands out more.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Creep it Real, Halloween Card, 2017 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

I found another fun "Creep it Real" Halloween card on Pinterest.  You can see the original card here.  I did change it a little.  I didn't have the rectangle background image, so I used the fun foam one I created when I made the card yesterday.  And I changed the color of the ribbon and card stock.

This card was made pretty much like the one I made yesterday.  I first stamped the words and then I uses Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, and Perfect  Plum ink (the plum was stamped off once before I stamped it on the card stock.

Next I stamped the faces on using Basic Black ink.  I added the Black glitter ribbon around the 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" piece of Whisper White card stock.  Then a piece of 4" x 5-1/4" Pumpkin Pie card stock was added and both layers were taped to a piece of Basic Black card stock.

This was a fun and quick card to make.  I could see making a bunch of these for Halloween.

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Creep it Real, Halloween Card

I found this fun card on Pinterest.  I wanted to make an easy Halloween card and this one was pretty simple.  

I did not have the set that had the scratched circle so what ended up doing was taking a circle die and cutting 2 out of fun foam.  I taped the two together and then used removable tape and set it on my acrylic block and stamped away.  For those lines, I just took my craft knife and made lines in the foam.  It worked.

The base of this card is a folded half sheet of Lemon Lime Twist.  On top of that is a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Basic Black card stock.  On top of that is a 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" piece of Whisper White card stock.

Stamp the word first.  Then stamp the circles.  I used Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist, and Perfect Plum (I did stamp off once with the Perfect Plum color only).

Then I stamped the images using Basic Black ink. And that was it. I'm saving that foam circle so I can use it for some leaves I want to stamp later, maybe!!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Snowflake Sentiments, Hearts Come Home, Peek a Boo Flip Card Technique

I spent some time in my workroom trying to find a good Peek a Boo card.  I thought found one and when put it together I could see the edge of the one piece through the window.  Totally NOT acceptable, so I had to search again.  This was the second one I found. The orientation was different than the other card plus this one had 3 pieces while the other one had 2.  But this one, when closed, didn't show that edge.  SO I ran with this one.  

I found the instructions on You Tube.  You can view them here.  They are very easy to follow. There's just one important thing you need to know.  Looking at the top of my card, notice that there isn't as much distance between the top as there is on the side of the circle?  That is where you get in trouble with that paper edge showing. You need to move your punch over just enough or you catch that edge.  The instructions show to turn the piece over, that is where I liked up my punch with the edge and I made my circle.  Other than that, the rest of the card was pretty easy to do.  Well, that part was easy to do but when I made my first one, I had my circle on the side too close and I saw the edge of the card stock. It was me, not the instructions.

After finishing it, I thought it looked pretty cool until I realized that the wording should have been something more Santa like because of his image in the opening.  But it is what it is and it's done!!!  Chalk it up to experience and I know now how to make another one without any issues, right? 

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Background Bits, Painted Harvest, Thank You Card

I found this fun layout on Pinterest.  I thought it would be a super fun card to make.  I don't care for fussy cutting and this flower had lots of tips to clip, but I toughed it out and got it cut!! LOL  You can see the original card here, I did change the color and I may have changed the wording, I don't know. It's in German and I didn't try to translate it but from what I can surmise, it says something like thankful for your kindness.

I didn't have the stitched square dies but I actually do.  I looked in my set and all I saw were circles and ovals.  The squares are between the paper backing and the cover.  DUH!! Well, I do have them so maybe I'll try this card using some other image, some other time!

The colors I used here are Pumpkin Pie and Tangerine Tango. I used Soft Suede for the center of the flower. For the leaves I used Pear Pizzazz and then Old Olive for the details on the leaves.  I die cut the leaves and then began the assembly.

I set the square in place but I didn't stick it on. I needed to see where I was going to stamp the words. I stamped the words using Soft Suede.  Then I affixed the frame. using Dimensionals.  I added Dimensionals to the bottom left corner of the frame and set the flower on top to see which direction I wanted it to go.  I removed the protective pack and set the leaves in place and then the flower on top. I tied a linen bow and that was it.  It's a pretty simple card to make and the fussy cutting wasn't all that bad.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda