Category: Blog

Posted on

Maritime Birthday

Today was my good friend Brian’s birthday. He’s a really nice guy and will do anything for anyone. He a real manly man, being he’s a fireman and all! So, for his card I got to use one of my favorite Stampin’ Up! Sets, Open Sea. I love the detail in the stamps and the set has a nice masculine quality about it. The greeting is from the Happiest Birthday Wishes set. I’m huge fan of navy blue and vanilla card stock and those colors work well with this set. The silver star brad in the corner balances out the card front and gives it a little shine. Thanks for looking!

Posted on

Pals Paper Arts 112

This weeks challenge was to use lace. I am not a lacy kind of guy but I do have the Martha Stewart Crafts Doily Lace Trim Deep Edge Punch from EK Tools which I thought was perfect for this. The stamp is from the Stampin’ Up! Simply Soft Stamp Set. I colored in the leaves with a colored pencil. The Stampin’ Up! For All You Do Set provided the thank you. I love the color combination of red, beige and ivory. Thanks for looking!

Posted on

Today’s the Day!

I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to become an Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator. After running in to my friend Sandy and seeing all of the beautiful cards that she makes I was intrigued about the products. After attending her workshop I was impressed. The quality of the stamps, inks, markers and other accessories was better than anything I had seen before. I stopped by her house and spoke to her about what joining entailed and signed up when I got home that night. I have been patiently waiting for my starter kit to arrive and after much package stalking it will be here today. I can’t wait to get it and start creating new cards with all of the great stuff. Hopefully I will be able to post something later on today. Wish me luck! And a special thanks to Sandy, for being a great and talented friend! 🙂

Posted on

Cool Seasons Greetings

And by cool I mean color wise! This is a nice simple card that has a wintry feel about it. I used the new EK Tools Snowflake Layering Punch. I really like the layering punches, they give you a great look with minimal effort. I also used another one of my favorites, the CuttleBug Snowflake Embossing Folder for the background. The stamp I actually found in a box from years ago, still in great shape and very nice. For a final subtle touch, a nice thin natural string bow. I’m looking forward to making many more holiday  cards!

Posted on

Happy Anniversary

Today is my parent’s wedding anniversary. I think they have been together for 43 years! I like to make cards specific to a persons taste. My mom loves the color purple and butterflies. That made designing this card simple. I used my Butterfly Layering Punch from EK Tools and punched out two different shades of purple. I also used the CuttleBug Swirls Embossing Folder for the background. The stamps are from studio g. Unfortunately I didn’t have a happy anniversary stamp so I used two different ones that convey the same message. My mom loved the card and the fact that I used her favorite color and that I used butterflies which she commented on as soon as she opened it! I hope that they have many more happy years together!

Posted on

Mojo Monday 207

It seems like forever since the last Mojo Monday, but it’s only been two weeks. I’m glad that they are back and hope they all had a nice vacation! This weeks sketch challenge is a nice one. I love all of the pieces that are on the card. I have been trying to get into the Christmas spirit early this year so I can start making my Christmas cards now. This sketch was a perfect one for a holiday card. I used the CuttleBug Snow Embossing Folder for the background and the red rectangle. I also used the CuttleBug Dots Embossing Folder for the oval. The homemade “designer” paper was made using a Martha Stewart Holiday stamp set that I got from Michael’s in March for $.01! It has bout 14 stamps in it. I also used it for the Season’s Greetings. The Holly and Snowflakes are Mini EK Tools punches. I love all of the texture on the card. I think it gives it a nice warm feeling. Thanks for looking!

Posted on

Nautical Thinking of You

I made this card a while ago but I didn’t want to post it until I knew the person I sent it to had received it. I think that she reads my blog from time to time! The stamp set if from the Stampin’ Up! Summer Mini Catalog. I love all of the stamps that came with this set but I am particularly fond of the world map. There is so much detail in the stamp it’s amazing! This card is nice and simple, I used the compass stamp from the set to make a nice background paper. The card stock is a nice beep blue, fitting with the theme. The thinking of you stamp is from studio g. It had a flower on it that I did’t want but thanks to my techniques class (given by the talented Sandy!) and a stamp marker I was able to eliminate the flower and just use the part of the stamp that I wanted. I hope that you like the card as much as my friend did.

Posted on

Some More Flowers

It was my Birthday last week and while I love getting cards (like the beautiful one from my friend Sandy!) I love making them and sending them out even more. I sent out some thank you cards to friends and family but I had to make a special simple card for my grandmother. She’s in her 90’s and lives in Pennsylvania. I’ll always remember all of the flowers that she used to plant in her garden every spring. There was every kind imaginable. She doesn’t get to do that anymore so I thought she might like some on her card. I used the Polka Dots Embossing Folder from CuttleBug for the background. The stamp is from the Stampin’ Up! retired Terrific Tags set along with the Tag Punch. I used EK Tools Flower and Retro Flower Two Piece Punch set to punch out the flowers and the GingerBread Man Builder Punch to punch out the centers for the flowers. A little bit of jute string finishes off the tag.

Posted on

Celebration Maple Leaf

The cooler temperatures are making me think of warm clothes, hot chocolate and falling leaves which makes me think of the EK Tools Maple Leaf Layering Punch. It creates a very nice dimensional effect with minimal effort. I used my “new” retired host(ess) Stampin’ Up! set Afterthoughts for the greeting. I got it from Etsy from this really nice lady that included all kinds of presents with it. I love it when you buy something on-line and you think I’d be friends with that person because they were so great! I also used the Tim Holtz Tree Trunk Embossing Folder by Sizzix for a nice additional texture. They would make great invitations to a Thanksgiving celebration or a fall apple picking outing!

Posted on

CR84FN Color Challenge

I’m a big fan of Sunday mornings. I try to make sure that I have nothing to do so I can craft for a bit, read the paper with my coffee and play with my dog Winston. I have been looking at the CR84FN blog for a while and I decided to enter this week. The challenge colors remind me of Good ‘n Plenty candies! As soon as I saw the challenge I knew what I wanted to do. The background is the Tim Holtz by Sizzix Brick Wall Embossing Folder. I love it because I think it looks quite realistic! I used one of my Phrase Stamps from studio g, I really like the script and typewriter font together. The Flower Punched are from EK Tools and I finished them off with some silver mirrored circle that I have had for years. The 3D dots give it some depth and the abstract flower pot is a nice finishing touch. Thanks for looking!