Love

Recently, Jennifer McGuire did a video on a design for an Interlocking Gatefold card. It captivated me and I gave it a try . . .

 

LOVE IT!  It’s fun, easy to do, and packs perfectly flat for mailing.  The simple instructions are on her blog – I highly recommend taking a look at them and trying out this charming technique.

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Ruby Slippers, Neenah #110 Solar White, 

Scraps Red, Black   

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up Itty Bitty Background

Inks:             Superior India Ink Black

Dies:            Impression Obsession Large Frame, Goodculler 

Stitched Rectangles, Spellbinders Hearts Two,

Shoot!, Avery Elle Peace, Love, & Joy set: “Love”              

Love

This seemed the right time to use a floral edger die I hadn’t used before . . .

The inside message was put a little to the left so that it wouldn’t show around the cutout. Happily, the card stands up nicely even though only half of the bottom edge is available.  I think the cutout rose is a lovely one and I’ll be looking for other occasions to use it!

Cardstock:   Mohawk Carnival Cover Red       

Stamps:       Clearly Besotted Diagonal Stripes

Inks:             Superior India Ink Black

Dies:            Waffle Flower Lacy Layers 2, TTina Fans 

Flower Background            

Doo Dads:    Studio G Pearls      

With Love

Holiday Category – Blue Ribbon

I love making window cards . . .

 

Perfect placement of the inside images is so easy:

1. Die cut the shapes into the card front

2. Decorate the pieces as desired

3. Close the card front and glue the corresponding shapes through the openings.

Easy peasy!

Cardstock:   Bazill White, Scraps Red, White

  American Crafts POW! Gold glitter   

Stamps:       Assorted texture stamps

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Judikins White Diamond

Dies:            DieNamics Hearts a Plenty, Spellbinders Fleur

de Lis Squares

Doo Dads:    Woven Ribbon, Silver Metallic Cord, Crystals

Wild About You

I thought Valentine’s Day would be the perfect time to dig into my printed pink and red papers and make up a slew of Bay Window cards.   All eight of the cards are different – scroll down to view two of them . . .

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Cardstock:   Bazzill White, Pear, Pomegranate, Light Rosy, Salmon,

Scraps Assorted     

Stamps:       Inky Antics “Wild About You”

Inks:             ColorBox Black

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Papertrey Ink Doily Details          

Doo Dads:    Stampendous stickers Circle Silver        

For You

I can never stay away from Kraft cardstock for very long, even for Valentine’s Day . . .

  . . . there’s just something about the warm and friendly color that seems to work for almost any application and for any recipient.

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Fox River Crushed Leaf Cream   

Stamps:        Stampin’ Up “For you”, Impression Obsession Music

Inks:              Distress Aged Mahogany

Emb Pwdr:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Poppy Shaker Heart                   

Doo Dads:    K&Company Paper Ribbon Wild Saffron, Christmas

Cheer sets, Mrs Grossman’s Design Lines 

Love

You’re getting a two-fer today:  be sure to scroll down for the second card!

 This very novel heart die really grabbed me . . .

 

I lifted the inner curved edges of the heart with tiny pop dots to emphasize the shapes.  Next time, I may experiment with trying different coordinating patterns that might accomplish the same thing.

 

Cardstock:   Nicole #140 Premiere Watercolor, Bazzill Pomegranate,

Mirri Reflective Silver        

Stamps:        Judikins Origami Background

Inks:               ColorBox Cream White

Emb Pwdr:   Stamp ‘n Stuff Ivory Pearl

Dies:              InLoveArtShop Heart Shaper Background, Papertrey Ink

Super Succulents Set Love”, Poppy Grosgrain Bow              

This second card was born of a need to quickly respond to a dear friend who was not on my original Valentine’s Day list.  But she is now!  Very similar to my first card, I used a different die which kept the design very simple.  Time was short and I had to hustle . . .

Cardstock:   Nicole #140 Premiere Watercolor, Bazzill Pomegranate,

Mirri Reflective Silver                   

Stamps:        Judikins Origami Background

Inks:               ColorBox Cream White

Emb Pwdr:   Stamp ‘n Stuff Ivory Pearl

Dies:              InLoveArtShop Heart Shape, DeeCee Love                

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Black

Wild About You

 While I'd wanted to use snippets of doily edges or even white woven fabric trims on my Valentine's cards, the image didn't seem to lend itself to such traditionally lacy embellishments . . .

So I went for my stash of paper trims which seemed to work much better with the dramatic artwork.  I wish for a very Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Kisses, Strathmore Ultimate White         

Stamps:       Treasure Cay “Love Goddess”, Inky Antics “Wild

                     about you”

Inks:             Gina K Amalgam Black, ColorBox Frost White, Hero

                     Unicorn

Emb Pwdr:  Hero White

Dies:            Sweet ‘n Sassy Hearts set, Cottage Cutz Nested         

                     Stitched Scalloped Square                     

Doo Dads:    Deckle Edge Trimmer, Martha Stewart Paper Borders 

Love

Some more fun with alcohol ink backgrounds . . .

For a little variety, I also did this layout using gold embossing powder applied with a marble image stamp.  Both products are listed below.

One of the occasional drawbacks with the use of alcohol inks is their tendency to remain sticky, especially when used with glossy paper.  A handy work-around for that is to brush on some gilding flakes.  In this case I used a mixture of reds plus some silver.  Voila!  End of sticky and a little glitz to rescue the situation and liven things up a bit.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Kisses, Glossy cardstock White   

Stamps:       Kaiser Marble

Inks:             Adirondack Alcohol Inks Red Pepper, Raisin, ColorBox Gold,                                                 Silver, VersaMark

Emb Powder:   Pipe Dream Ink Zeehan OR WOW Gold Ultra High,

                         Stamp A Mania Desert Fire

Dies:            Our Daily Bread Ornate Hearts, Mama Elephant Peek a

                     Frame, Dee See Love                            

Doo Dads:    Mark Richards Nailheads Silver

Wild About You

Last year's Valentine cards never happened:  with both of us ill and a triple-break in my right ankle, I finally realized I needed to put my initial design ideas into a plastic bag and hold off until next year.  And here we are . . .

Was it worth the wait?  You decide . . . meanwhile, Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!

Cardstock:   Bazzill White, Conqueror Lightspeck Sky, Wausau

                     Firecracker Red           

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up By Definition: Love, Our Daily Bread Boho

                     Love, Stamp Warehouse Squiggles, All Night Media XOXO,

                     Inky Antics Wild About You, Vippies Dotty Snow

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Black, Hero Black, Distress Pumice

                     Stone

Emb Powder:   Sweet Stamps Fine Detail White

Dies:            Memory Box Wrapped Stitch Rectangles, DieNamics

                     Hearts a Plenty, Cottage Cuts Nested Stitched Scallop

                     Square, Spellbinders Shoot!, All Night Media punch

                     Tiny Heart 

Doo Dads:    Viva Pearl Pen Ice White, Glossy Accents   

Love

Thanks to yet another  broken ankle, compliments of the icy winter we've had, my card-making has stopped for the time being.  Happily, my blog is well stocked into March so that eases the angst a little.  But I was saving this weekend for the fun of doing my Valentines cards.  Sadly, not gonna happen.  So I dug out this sample I made a few years ago . . .

I was into mulberry paper at the time and really should get back to it - lovely stuff.  The wooden heart was mounted over a heart-shaped piece of white corrugated paper, and the corner heart punch-outs were backed with red cardstock to make them stand out.

Happy Valentines Day to one and all!

Cardstock:            Beckett Iceberg, Generic Black, Red Mulberry

Stamps:                  Rubber Tree Whimsical Alphabet          

Inks:                       ColorBox Frost

Emb Powder:         Judikins Opaque White

Doo Dads:              Red wooden heart, red 1/8" ribbon

Love

I fell in love with these feathery wings just two weeks ago and thought that Valentine's Day was the perfect time to take them on their maiden flight . . .

The red stencil paste worked well with Tim's Doily stencil and all of the details in his intricate design came out beautifully.  

Bear with me, folks – still hooked on stenciling!

Cardstock    Neenah Dessert Storm, Bazzill Maraschino

Stamps:        Wordsworth “Love Love Love”, Will ‘n Way “XOXO”, Moon 

                            Rose “Love”

Inks:               VersaMark, Distress Brushed Corduroy

Emb Powder:   PSX Woven Tapestry

Dies:              Cheery Lynn Steampunk Wings, Spellbinders Hearts Two

Emb Folder: Spellbinders Bricks and Bark      

Stencil:          Tim Holtz Doily

Doo Dads:    Delta Texture Magic Dimensional Paint Country Red

Love

Yes, this is a little late for Valentine's Day.  But I liked it enough to share it anyway.  Besides, aren't loving greetings welcome any time of the year?

 Actually, this was my Valentine's card for my husband.  I thought it would be fun to go for a masculine feel, so after heat embossing the white sketchy hearts, I went with some dark and light browns, using my favorite background technique:  both browns were smooshed onto my craft sheet, misted with water, and then I laid the watercolor panel into the droplets. 

A blast with the heat gun to dry things up, then back onto the craft sheet to pick up the remaining droplets.  More heat, and then some fun with white and clear mist solutions that I applied with the dropper instead of the mister in order to get more concentrated results.  Things got freshened up with plenty of white and then I added a small pop of red as a nod to tradition.  Not too fussy and my guy loved it – yay!

Cardstock:   Champion Snow Day, The Paper Cut Watercolor paper,

                           Generic Red

Stamps:        Hero Floating Hearts, Unknown “Love”

Inks:               Distress Walnut Stain, Brushed Corduroy, Mister Huey’s

                           Color Mists Calico White, Calico Shine, Warm Calico,

                           Ancient Page Cardinal

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White, BMuse Ruby Red

Dies:              Lil Inkers Stitched Mats Rectangles, Simon Says Sketch Heart,

                           Wplus9 Banner Trio

Wild About You

Quite awhile ago, I bought a 12" x 12" variety pack of handmade Indian papers.  The top piece in the package consisted of strips of each of the papers inside so you could see what you were getting.  I figured that trimming them down to card size ought to make some great ready-made backgrounds . . .

I got eight pieces, which was exactly what I needed.  Happy Valentine's Day!

PS  Sorry about the blurry photo - I'm having camera problems and am crossing fingers I can get this fixed ASAP . . .

Cardstock:   Generic Red, Handmade Indian paper scraps, Spellbinders

                           Vellum White

Stamps:        Impression Obsession Ornate Borders, Inky Antics “Wild

                           about you”

Inks:               ColorBox Frost White, Uni Posca Marker White

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              Our Daily Bread Ornate Hearts, Spellbinders Fleur de

                           Lis Squares

Love

Definitely not  a card for mass production . . .

 . . . took me three days just to get the prototype put together, and another seven to finish the collection.  Good thing I love to stamp, because there sure was a heck of a lot of it on this card!  I hope my eight extremely dear recipients feel the love that went into this one . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Kisses, Generic White, Black

Stamps:        All images: Inkadinkado One Plus One Equals Love

Inks:               ColorBox Black, Frost White, Brilliance Rocket Red

Emb Powder:   Judikins Detail Black, Opaque White, BMuse Ruby Red

Dies:              Cheery Lynn A2 Frame

Doo Dads:    Red wood heart, cherub charm, red floss

Love

Yes, Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but this could be used as a fun anniversary card as well . . .

For those like me who have a ton of Washi tapes but have no real idea what to do with them, here’s a good start:  just lay them down side by side.  If you like, cover the seams with various paper and/or fabric trims.  Use a punch or die to cut out shapes from another panel to be layered over the top, and you’re good to go!

Tip:  Washi is known for coming loose at the ends sometimes – this is its wonderful feature (re-positionable) as well as its drawback, as no one wants their art to self-destruct.  Options to prevent this include putting your layout on a panel and wrapping the tape around to the back before affixing it to your card front.  Or layering as I did above which will keep any errant strips from coming loose.  Prevention beats problems any day, in my book . . .

 Cardstock:             Marcos Jute, Bazzill Black

Stamps:                   Serendipity Leafy Heart Background, Craft Smart “Love”
Inks:                         CB Frost White
Colored Pencils:     Prisma White
Emb Powder:          Judikins Opaque White
Dies:                         Die-Namics Hearts A Plenty, Spellbinders Ribbon
                                    Tags Trio
Doo Dads:                Various Washi tapes, paper and fabric borders/trims

Wild About You

 This card appeared in Paper Creations Winter 2013 issue and is one of the few I’ve done that I admit to liking without reservation.  Everything just seemed to flow once I started on this layout and it easily came together without mishap.  Don’t we wish that they all went that way?

 

The heart is actually two leaves stamped side by side and I’m finding that this very small one dollar clear set from Memory Keepers is one of the most useful sets I’ve ever bought.  Containing just two sizes each of leaves and pumpkins, I reach for the leaves countless times and never seem to tire of them. 

As for the bows, they’ve been trimmed down from the original die cuts as their smaller sizes were a better fit for this layout.  Nowhere is it written that we stampers can’t alter stuff as we see fit – indeed, this is one of the joys of the hobby!  Many a card has been saved by a judicious slash-and-burn and this has also been helpful in getting me to see various elements in newly useful ways.

Cardstock:     Generic Kraft, Oatmeal, Cocoa, Red scraps      

Stamps:          We R Memory Keepers Pumpkins and Leaves, Zettiology
                           “Once as a Child” text, Inky Antics “Wild About You”
Inks:                 Distress Worn Lipstick, Barn Door, Vintage Photo
Emb Powder: Vippies Transcendence           
Dies/Punches:      Fiskars Eyelet border, Memory Box Crisp Bows, Grove
                                    Branch, Resting Birds,  Marvy 1” sq scalloped punch
Impression Plate: Cheery Lynn Cement, Papertrey Ink Linen
Doo Dads:              Deckled scissors           

Cupid

This is my Valentine’s card for this year, and with this card, thus endeth my Valentines series until next year!

Some of my favorite background images are word definitions, and this one about friends surely works well as a Valentine sentiment.  White-embossed and used as a resist, the text becomes a great counterpoint to the exuberant hearts in the middle of the card.  It also gives me the opportunity to say to all of my blog friends and followers both near and far, that I send you love and many thanks for stopping by!

Cardstock:         Bazzill Medium Purple, Marcos White Linen, generic Purple,

                                Pink, Red scraps, Watercolor cardstock

Stamps:              Hero Friends Definition background, Floating Hearts

Inks:                    Distress Stains Fired Brick, Barn Door, Worn Lipstick, Dusty

                                 Concord, Mustard Seed, ColorBox Black, VersaMark Clear,

                                 ColorBox Frost White, Gelly Roll Clear Star, White

Emb Powder:      Judikins Detail Black, Clear, Opaque White

Dies/Punches:    Spellbinders Abstract Frame, Punch Bunch Cupid, Heart

Doo Dads:          Judikins Diamond Glaze

Purple Love

As much as I love using traditional Red for Valentines, I think Purple plus some pretty White lace can work too . . .

 

This was a remake of a card that was kind of blah.  It started out with great intentions originally but wound up being on the lame side.  Didn’t think it was possible to do that with anything Purple, but I was wrong.  After removing the offending elements, I had no clue as to what to do next.  But I made a start anyway and just kept going.  Occasionally, that can be a very good strategy . . .

Cardstock:         Generic Purple, Black, Beckett Iceberg

Stamps:              Craft Smart ‘Love’, Alias Smith & Rowe Swirl Frenzy

Inks:                    Distress Dusty Concord, ColorBox Silver, Perfect Pearls spray

Emb Powder:    B’Muse Silver

Dies/Punches:   DieNamics Hearts a Plenty, Nellie Snellen MFD008 Frames

Impression Plate:  Cheery Lynn Cement

Doo Dads:          Lilac crystals, Silver stickers, wavy paper corrugator