SUOC18 Butterflies!

This week's challenge over at SU-Only Challenges is to create any project with butterflies. There's lot of butterfly options in the catalog, stamps, punches, and dies.

I made a card like this a couple years ago, and I never posted it. I thought I would save it for class or club, and I never got back to it. But it's always been in the back of my mind. So I thought I would recreate it with fresh papers. I made it back when I didn't use lots of embellishments, and I like the clean-and-simple design of it.

Now the issue is if you write your greeting inside the card, you can see it through the window. That's no good! So I improved the design by including a folded 5-1/4 x 8" panel. That way you can still have a place to write your greeting and hide it away when the card is displayed. Then the inside of the panel looked so bare, so I decorated it with a strip of DSP and Scallop Trim.

And as an extra bonus, this one also qualifies for the pirate-themed VSN challenge on SCS from this past weekend, Pretty Polly. That is, use parrot colors on your card, e.g., green, orange, yellow, and splash of blue.

Stamps: Dreams Du Jour, Inspired by Nature, Sincere Salutations; Paper: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Very Vanilla, Beyond the Garden DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Black Stazon; Accessories: Window sheet, Scallop Trim punch, Top Note die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun in the Sun

It's time for some summer fun with the Summer Mini catalog! This is one of the cards I made for the Stampin' Addicts mini swap.

OMGosh, brayering multiple cards in a row. What was I thinking?!? Lots of fun little details here - the sand is speckled with the Color Spritzer tool, the water is texturized and sponged for depth and dimension, and I made my own little buttons.

Stamps: Summer Splash; Paper: Bashful Blue, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Brights Collection DSP; Ink: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, So Saffron, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Crumb Cake marker, Basic Gray marker; Sponge dauber, Sponge, Linen thread, Crystal Effects, Color Spritzer Tool, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Buttons #5 die, Texture Plates Kit #4, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop! Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy a sneak peek of the Summer mini catalog, releasing on May 1.

If you have been following the blog hop in order, you have just come from Jennifer's blog featuring the single stamp set Sail Away. Didn't she do an amazing job with a single stamp?

I totally love travel stamp sets and coordinated accessories, and this mini has some beautiful options! Today I will share some projects using the stamp set Travel Log. Road trip! First, a bon voyage card.

This card served double-duty, as it was also my card for Paula's Summer mini card swap over at Stampin' Addicts. I created my own suitcase by rounding the corners and embossing with the Square Lattice embossing folder. The Bon Voyage sentiment was printed with My Digital Studio. Although faint, I used an embossing plate to texturize the background as well.

Stamps: Travel Log; Paper: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Nautical Expedition DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy; Accessories: Early Espresso baker's twine, Eyelet, Word Window punch, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Corner Rounder punch, My Digital Studio sentiment (Bradley Hand ITC), Circle Scissors Plus, 3-1/2" Circle die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Travel Log is a perfect scrapbooking stamp set. Here is a page of the weekend trip we took to Ducktown, TN for hubby's 100-mile mountain bike race.

We looked around the Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympics canoe, kayak, and slalom events, while we waited for him to finish. You can see DH didn't feel so peppy when he was done. Little Missy is gonna drive tired Papa back home. :)

Stamps: Travel Log; Paper: Pacific Point, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Melon Mambo, Very Vanilla, Nautical Expedition DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Melon Mambo, Versamark; Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Early Espresso baker's twine, Scallop Square punch, Tasteful Trim, Big Shot.

And hopefully this project isn't too much of a stretch. This set seems to lend itself to masculine color palettes, but I wanted to create a more feminine and colorful travel journal.

I kept the front free of bulky accessories, while still adding layers. I used "supporting" stamps in this set to create tabs and a cute border on the inside page.

Stamps: Travel Log; Paper: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Beyond the Garden DSP; Ink: Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Stampin' Write markers; Accessories: Scallop Trim punch, Curly Label punch, Decorative Label punch, On Board chipboard sheets, Bind-It-All.

If you aren't yet a member of Stampin' Addicts, you can sign up here. Make sure you check out the next stop to see what Cheryl put together using the Best Dad Ever. She's made some amazing projects.









The complete blog hop listing:
1. Holly P (hollylogic): Blossom Bouquet triple layer punch
2. Holly K (catrules): Hello Blossoms
3. Allison (alliohran): Nautical Expedition DSP
4. Carmen: The Open Sea
5. Sarah (willsygirl): Pretty Postage
6. Jennifer (SunfowerStamper): Sail Away
7. Heidi (hlw966): Travel Log
8. Cheryl (lovetostampandscrap): Best Dad Ever
9. Adriana (escape2stamp): Proud Peacock
10. Debra (WebDeb): On the Grow
11. Rhonda (rhondag): Sunny Fun
12. Sara (lilyinkpad): Summer Splash
13. Tanya (tanya27): Recess
14. Yapha: Builder Wheels
15. [intentionally left blank]
16. Lisa (genesis): Fabulous Florets
17. Barbara (cre8tivestamper): Beyond the Garden DSP
18. Betty (kittystamp): Embossing Powders
19. Cindy (CindyE): Flower Garden embossing folder
20. Twila (tjdstampsalot): Touch of Kindness
21. Mickey (MickeyRoberts): Happy Greetings
22. Kim (s1itcher46): Strength and Hope

Thanks for stopping by!

3-D Thursday: VIA Travel Pouch

Have you seen these Via pouches, packets of Starbucks instant coffee to go? I am a huge coffee lover, if you didn't know. I consider Starbucks to be liquid gold, so I always think that it is the perfect gift.

To dress it up a bit, consider packaging it in a travel pouch. Sometimes it is all about the packaging, and this little pouch comes together so easily!

Here is the inside of the pouch, complete with a little pocket for sugar.

And a close-up of the staple stamp set of any coffee or tea drinker, Morning Cup.

This template is part of the discounted past Paper Crafters Sampler issues available in the Paper Crafters Sampler Library, December 2010 issue. Please use code PCSHB.

Stamps: Morning Cup; Paper: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Afternoon Tea DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, Groovy Guava; Accessories: Aquapainter, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Wide Oval punch, Scallop Trim edge punch, Button, Linen thread, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Springtime Flowers

Morning Everyone, I wanted to make a special birthday card for a fellow stamper. Since it was a milestone birthday, it had to be a WOW card. I started with the Beautiful Life set (one of my favorite retired sets) and Mojo Monday layout #185 for the front.

And inside...

The beautiful pop-up flower box was designed by Brenda Quintana. She graciously provided a tutorial here. This card is a great candidate for the Splitcoaststampers' Creative Crew catalog focus challenge this month, punches. This card certainly used a few!

Stamps: Beautiful Life, Woodgrain BG; Paper: Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade, Regal Rose, Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, retired Certainly Celery and So Saffron DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade, Regal Rose, Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush, Marina Mist; Accessories: Sponges, Apricot Appeal grosgrain ribbon, Brads, Eyelet Border punch, Various punches for flowers, Coluzzle, Scallop Circle #2 die, Tasteful Trim die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Thanks for stopping by!

PCS Avian Art Blog Hop

Hi Everyone, Welcome to the Paper Crafters Sampler blop hop. This month's issue is titled Avian Art, and this birdbath template is included in the issue.

If you are following the hop, you have arrived from Lisa's blog. Wasn't her version of the birdbath fabulous? Here is what I came up with.

Mom came over and helped me make the fabric bird a while back. He is a perfect addition to the birdbath.

I stamped grass with the Inspired by Nature set on the pedestal before assembling. I also created a morning glory vine by gluing Little Leaves die-cuts and adding Itty Bitty punch pack flowers with pearl jewel centers.

If you would like to sign up for this month's issue and get a copy of this template, go to Paper Crafters Sampler. Next along our little hop is our fearless leader, Melanie. OMGosh, you are going to love her interpretation! Enjoy the trip!

Stamps: Inspired by Nature; Paper: Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Greenhouse Gala DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Marina Mist; Accessories: Sponge, Deck the Halls fabric, Buttons, Embroidery floss, Itty Bitty punch pack, Pearl Jewels, Little Leaves die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

April Stamp Club Projects

Here are the projects we made at the April Stamp Club meeting. First I wanted to highlight the Plane & Simple stamp set with a Father's Day card. I really love making masculine cards.

My new favorite thing is making clouds with the Build A Cupcake punch. We sponged behind the plane with Bashful Blue ink and a scallop circle mask and also highlighted the cloud punch-out with more sponging. This card uses Inkspirations sketch #65.

Stamps: Plane & Simple, Sanded BG; Paper: Early Espresso, Bravo Burgundy, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Botanical Gazette DSP, First Edition DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Bashful Blue; Accessories: Brad, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Linen thread, Build A Cupcake punch, Scallop Trim edge punch, Scallop Circle punch, 3" Circle die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

We hadn't used Nature Walk yet, so I turned to the Splitcoaststampers' Creative Crew color combo challenge this month to pull this one together. This also used Mojo Monday #186 layout.

We watercolored the butterfly with both Pacific Point and Not Quite Navy and sanded the tulip-embossed design on the DSP to get it to stand out a bit more.

**TIP - I learned NOT to leave water in my aquapainter over a long period of time. It got clogged! :( I am currently trying to declog it with vinegar, which is sort of working. Don't make my mistake, and dry out your aquapainter after use.

Stamps: Nature Walk; Paper: Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Pacific Point, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP, Botanical Gazette DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, Not Quite Navy, Pacific Point, Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy marker; Accessories: Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, Aquapainter, Sanding block, Scallop circle punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Tasteful Trim die, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Big Shot.

And we made a little Easter or Mother's Day basket with the Petal Cone die and Easter Blossoms stamp set. After cutting two petal cone die-cuts, fold each die-cut in half, and lining up your top "petal" score line, score at 2" and cut at 2-3/4". We added 1-1/2" square pieces in the bottom of the box for extra stability.

Stamps: Easter Blossoms; Paper: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Springtime Vintage DSP; Ink: Baja Breeze; Accessories: Vintage Flower Adornment, Baja Breeze seam binding, Crop-o-dile, Little Leaves die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

A bonus project, I reworked the carrot box from the previous stamp club into a carrot pouch using the Petal Cone die-cuts I had left over.

Stamps: Something to Celebrate; Paper: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla; Ink: Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White Craft, Pumpkin Pie marker; Accessories: Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

Don't forget that the Occasions mini items, highlighted in the projects here, are only available until April 30.

Thanks for stopping by!