Sharing in Your Sorrow

Sadly, I needed to make a card for a dear friend who lost her mother last night. It's made me very sad for her so I made a card to let her know she's in my thoughts. Luckily, I found the perfect sketch over on Clean & Simple which made my job a lot easier.

Recipe
Stamps : Loving Thoughts, Betsy's Blossoms
Ink : Basic Black, Raspberry Ripple
Cardstock : Shimmery White, Basic Black, Raspberry Ripple
Accessories : 1/2 Pearl, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Dotted EF, Big Shot

Graduation!

I was asked by a friend to make some Graduation Cards. The school colours are green and white ~ I'd seen the owl with a grad cap tons of times before but never actually had a go myself. I think these turned out to be very sweet!

Recipe
stamps : Teeny Tiny Wishes (sentiment)
Cardstock : Shimmery White, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, Patterned Pack
Ink : Wild Wasabi
Accessories : Owl Punch, Bird Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Pennant Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch

ETA : A few people wanted to know how I made the grad cap. Please see this post for all the details.

Everything Eleanor

I managed to fit in some play time this weekend with a new stamp set which they've had in England for a while now, but we are just getting in our new big Catalog. I have to admit that I find this set hard to use ... so I decided to try, try and try again until I made something I like. This is what I managed ... and I do like it!

Recipe

Stamps : Everything Eleanor, Loving Thoughts, French Foliage

Ink : Raspberry Ripple, Crumb Cake

Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Raspberry Ripple, Crumb Cake 

Accessories : Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Tasteful Trim Die, Big Shot, Dimensionals

Debossing

Happy Monday to you! There's a great 'older' technique challenge for today on SCS. It's to make a card using the 'debossing' technique. So, we all use EMbossing, where you run a folder through your Big Shot and get raised shapes on your cardstock. Well DEbossing is when you turn it over and the cardstock has the negative impression showing. I have never used this technique so decided to have a go ... AND I went out of my comfort zone and used a vintage style set called Nature's Pace. I am not very good at the vintage style, so I made a cross between Vintage and CAS. Ha! Not sure it worked out very well, but it's unique!!!

Recipe
Stamps : Nature's Pace
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry
Ink : Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, River Rock
Accessories : Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Embossing Folders, Big Shot, Markers, Ribbon

Katie's Birthday

It's my cousin Katie's birthday next week so I went looking for a couple of challenge blogs I could use as a starting place for her card. I found this sketch on the Clean & Simple stamping blog. I've only just starting using these wonderful crisp and clean sketches, they're fabulous for my style of cardmaking. Then I went over to the Simply Stampin' Challenge blog and chose to play along with this week's colour challenge. I used my new Apothecary Frames Framelit Die and the new 'Make a Cake' stamp set. Loving playing with new goodies this week!

Recipe

Stamps : Make a Cake, Curly Cute (sentiment), Distressed Dots (background)

Ink : Island Indigo, Real Red, Regal Rose

Cardstock : Shimmery White, Island Indigo

Accessories : Big Shot, Apothecary Labels Framelits, dimensionals, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Crystal Effects, 1/2 Crystal

Quite the Colour Challenge!

I struggled a little with the Colours on today's CC over at Splitcoast. Certainly Celery, Pacific Point & Crumb Cake! It was Pacific Point which threw me. I tried to watercolour the deep blue colour onto the Crumb Cake flowers and it didn't quite work, but after I'd spent some time working on it, I decided to post it here anyway. I think if I'd left the flowers the neutral Crumb Cake colour it would have looked MUCH better! Oh well, they're called 'challenges' for a reason!!!

Recipe

Stamps : Everything Eleanor

Cardstock : Watercolour paper, Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake

Ink : Crumb Cake, Pacific Point, Certainly Celery

Accessories : Oval Accents Die, Big Shot, Diagonal Scoring Plate, Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Sponge, Blender Pen

Sweet Sunday Sketch

This is the Sweet Sunday Sketch this week. I used the upcoming new 'Betsy's Blossoms' Set for this one, along with the cute little sentiment from 'Itty Bitty Banners'.

Recipe
Stamps : Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink : Baja Breeze, Summer Starfruit
Cardstock : Shimmery White, Summer Starfruit, Floral District DSP
Accessories : Bitty Banners Framelits, Big Shot, White Baker's Twine, 2 3/8" Circle Punch

Olivia's Gift Card Holder

I needed a quick and easy Gift Card Holder for Sarah's friend, Livvy so I pulled together this cute little thing. I love it! Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit and Whisper White. Perfect. I never thought I'd come to love Summer Starfruit as much as I have. I really see it more as a green than a yellow now ... strange!

To make this gift card holder. Cut your cardstock 8 1/2" x 4". Score along the long edge at 1 1/2" and 5". The main panel on the front is 3 1/2" x 3".

Recipe
Stamps : Papaya Collage, Memorable Moments
Ink : Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green
Cardstock : Whisper White, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit
Accessories : Simply Scored, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Gumball Green Ribbon, 1/2 Crystal

A Sketch & A Free 4 All Challenge

This is the latest Clean & Simple Sketch which I decided to use today in conjunction with Friday's Splitcoast Free for All Challenge (to make a boy's birthday card). Love this sketch, I'll be using it again :)

 Here's what I came up with. I love how simple this is and yet so visually interesting. I used the new cake set called "Make a Cake" along with "Itty Bitty Banners". The paper is new too, and the framelits for the sentiment! Oh, and don't forget that white grosgrain stitched ribbon ... all will be available in the new SU catalogue going live on June 1st!

Recipe
Stamps : Make a Cake, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink : Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse
Cardstock : Shimmery White, Midnight Muse, Patio Party DSP
Accessories : SU Markers, Bitty Banners Framelit, Big Shot, White grosgrain stitched 1/4" Ribbon, Scallop Border Punch, Metallic Brad

New In Colours

I wanted to show off some of the new In Colours so I made a card with Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple and Primrose Petals. The White layer at the bottom is part of the new Oval Accents Die ... it's huge, fills a whole card front. I'm going to love playing around with it!

Recipe

Stamps : Layered Labels, Forever With You

Ink : Primrose Petals, Gumball Green

Cardstock : Shimmery White, Gumball Green, Primrose Petals, Rasberry Ripple

Accessories : Oval Accents Die, Big Shot, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Raspberry, Primrose & Gumball Markers, Gumball Green Ribbon, Oval Punch, Dimensionals

Uncle Dick's 90th

It's my Uncle Dick's 90th Birthday this week so I wanted to make something to mark the occasion. He was a young pilot in WWII out in Burmah, I can't even begin to imagine what life was like for him back then. I used the new set "Papaya Collage" for his card, it's a touch feminine, but I don't think he'll mind! This set is very easy to use, you just layer it up and hey presto, you achieve something wonderful! There's no extra distressing on this one, I loved just a touch of vintage which the set provides. But imagine it all sponged up and spritzed. I feel another one coming on!!!!

On a 'technical' note. I used all new ink pads and wanted to let you know that they are amazing. The pad itself is much juicier with the new design and you ink up your images with total ease ... look at the coverage on that bird? So much better!

Recipe
Stamps : Papaya Collage, Memorable Moments
Cardstock : Naturals Ivory, Old Olive
Ink : Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit
Accessories Paper Snips & Dimensionals

Last One for Today ~ Layered Labels

.... and final post for today ~ Layered Labels and Comfort Cafe DSP. Lovely!

Recipe
Stamps : Layered Labels
Cardstock : Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Comfort Cafe DSP
Ink : Summer Startfruit, Cajun Craze
Accessories : Apothecary Accents Framelits Die, Big Shot, Oval Punch, Dimensionals, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch

The Splitcoast Sketch With (yes) New Stampin' Up Goodies!

Sketch Challenge 383 on SCS seemed like a good one for this new stamp set (Forever With You). It is simply delightful when you pair it with Comfort Cafe DSP. Isn't it heaven? Oh, and that wooden button ... sigh, this is TOO much fun!!!

Recipe
Stamps : Forever With You
Cardstock : Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla, Comfort Cafe DSP
Ink : SU Markers (new In-Colours)
Accessories : Wooden Button, Hemp Twine, SU Markers

Yet MORE Stampin' Up New Goodies with a Freshly Made Sketch

There's a great sketch over on Freshly Made Sketches this week ~ I used it to make yet another card today!  Sick of me yet? Hee hee.

Yep, I couldn't stop!!! This set is another new one ~ Betsy's Blossoms paired with new DSP "Floral District", new in-colours and new ribbon! 

Recipe
Stamps : Betsy's Blossoms
Ink : Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green
Cardstock : Shimmery White, Gumball Green, Floral District DSP
Accessories : 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Paper Snips, 3/8" Satin Stitched Ribbon, 1/2 Pearl