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My Scrap Stash yielded two small pieces of mahogany-colored paper printed in a foulard pattern that I thought would make a great background for a guy card.  But I needed a bigger piece for the layout I had in mind . . .

 . . . so I spaced the two pieces where I wanted them and taped an arrangement of die cuts over the opening.  Now the printed papers look like one single piece.  I absolutely love how you can cheat while rubber stamping and have it be the right thing to do!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute  

Inks:             Distress Aged Mahogany, Brushed Corduroy

Dies:            DieNamics Horizontal Stitch Strip, Kaiser Craft Cobblestone,

                       Tim Holtz Handwritten Journey: “Journey”, Prima

                        Forest Leaves, Studio Calico Small Leaf, WeBuys

                        Cute Ovals               

Emb Folder: Spellbinders Horsehair

Doo Dads:    Adirondack Acrylics Raisin           

Flowers

A few more rescues from my Scrap Stash found their happy new home on this card . . .

With a fuller calendar than usual, and time therefore at a premium, it is a real help to get a head start by digging into that box of previous work that is way too good to throw away.  The stenciled flower background was used on my Valentine's cards this year and I had a few test runs left over.  So it seemed just right for this card:  lots of texture, a smooth hemstitched oval to set it off, and this card came together rather well, I believe.  I hope you think so too!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Wausau Firecracker Red   

Stamps:       Raindrops on Roses Watercolor Splashes, Serendipity

                        “Flowers”

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy, Hero Shadow Ink Soft Brown,

                        Ancient Page Cardinal

Emb Powder:   B’Muse Raspberry Dazzle

Dies:            Spellbinders Hemstitch Ovals, Anemone Flower Topper,

                        Floral Berry Accents, Momenta Thanks set: Label, Punch

                        Bunch Flower Centers                   

Stencil:        Tim Holtz Doily

Emb Folder: Sheena Snowfall

Doo Dads:    Delta Texture Magic: Country Red           

Happy Birthday

One of the many neat things about our hobby is the tremendous opportunity to recycle and re-purpose materials at hand.  In this case, the floral banner . . .

 It started out as a lovely bow that was attached to a huge basket of flowers a friend gave to my husband.  To get rid of the wrinkles, I dipped it in water and draped it over a rod to dry.  Then to give it body and keep it from curling, I used my Xyron to glue it to a scrap piece of cardstock.  This trick will work with almost any fabric and for very thin decorative papers, such as Asian ones.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Velvet, Pear, Leapfrog, Strathmore Ultimate White,

                        #90 watercolor paper  

Stamps:       Stacy Stamps Antique Lace, Seth Apter Edges, Technique

                        Junkies Simple Sentiments: Set 1

Inks:             Distress Peeled Paint, VersaMark, ColorBox Silver

Emb Powder:   Delafield Silver

Dies:            DieNamics Wonky Stitch Rectangle Stax, Sentiment Strips,

                        La La Land Stitched Ribbon, Elizabeth Craft Ribbons 1,

                        Tim Holtz Labels, Spellbinders Shoot!, Marianne Butterflies  

Doo Dads:    Flowered fabric ribbon        

Persevere, Play, Live

With Father's Day just around the corner, this is the card I'm sending out this year . . .

I've seen many lovely cards featuring black and white layouts with just a partial coloring of a few elements.  So I thought I'd give it a try.  I'm quite happy with the look, and if you're on a time crunch as I am at the moment, it does save some valuable time . . .

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Generic White, Black    

Stamps:       Magenta Golfer and Caddy, Starving Artistamps

                        Positive Words: “Persevere, Play, Live”

Inks:             Hero Black, Distress Old Paper

Watercolors:   Zig Clean Color Brick Beige, Oatmeal, Haze Blue,

                           Flesh Colour

Dies:            Goodculler Stitched Rectangles               

Emb Folder:   Stampin’ Up Blistered

Thank You

As a Staff Writer for Rubber Stamp Madness magazine, I've had numerous interviews with other rubber artists.  Barbara Jean is one of them and this card is for her . . .

When she found out that my husband was in Hospice, she sent me a lovely card filled with uplifting sentiments and promises of prayers to sustain Igor and me through this heavy journey towards the end of his life on earth.  As Barbara Jean's kind outreach demonstrates, the stamping world is a vibrant and loving community - how very blessed we are to have each other . . .  

Cardstock:   Bazzill Buckeye, The Paper Cut watercolor cardstock,

                        Strathmore Ultimate White

Stamps:        Wendy Vecchi Berry Tree, Silver Crow “Thank You”

Inks:               Distress Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Walnut Stain,

                        ColorBox Frost White

Emb Powder:   Sweet Stamps Fine Detail White

Dies:              Family Treasures punch Scalloped Rectangle,

                        Impression Obsession All-in-One Frames:

                        Rectangles Two                  

Doo Dads:    Antique brass brads           

Happy Birthday

As promised, here's another slightly different look with the Hero's Formula Fun background stamp . . .

My friend Richard loves cats so it's pretty much a given that his cards will feature at least one of them.  This one is sitting on the windowsill, enjoying the flowers and the butterflies, and happy to be living in a house that has mathematical formulas for wallpaper!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Strathmore Ultimate White, Generic scraps

                        Black         

Stamps:       Hero Formula Fun, Art Impressions Background #2,

                        ZimPrints Cat, Verve Poppy Birthday  

Inks:             Hero Black, ColorBox Black, Distress Brushed Corduroy

Colorants:    Zig Clean Color Light Pink, Inktense Watercolor Pencils

                        Hot Red, Tangerine, Golden Yellow, Hooker’s Green     

Emb Powder:   Distress Black Soot

Dies:            JustRite Four in a Square, Verve Poppy Birthday, Marianne

                        Butterflies, AliExpress Happy Birthday  

Always

A rare card for me, as this one has no stamping . . .

My husband Igor is in Hospice care now and his lucid moments are becoming less frequent.  So this card is a very simple one and I hope he'll be able to feel the main message - that I have loved him with all my heart and I always will . . .

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Wausau Firecracker Red, The Paper Cut

                        Eames White

Dies:              Our Daily Bread Ornate Hearts, Dee’s Distinctively

                        “With Love”, Die Versions Noodles: “Always”                    

Emb Folder: Spellbinders Blistered