More Snow Festival Cards

Here are a couple more Christmas cards using the (retired) Snow Festival Designer Series Paper. One sheet in particular is so cool - it is divided up into sixteen 3" square panels. Cut them all apart, and you have a focal point for sixteen different cards! This cute little owl is one of them. I'm entering this card into the SU-Only Challenge - Favorite Sentiment. I just love the font on this "merry"!

This next card was completely random - I wanted to do something with the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set, and punch things out. Then I realized: including Rudolph, Santa has 9 reindeer. So this cutie was created!

Stamps: Jolly Bingo Bits, Merry 
Paper: Snow Festival DSP, Cherry Cobbler CS, Gumball Green CS, Whisper White CS, Soft Suede Textured CS (but could use the current Core'dinations paper to achieve the same look) 
Colors: Soft Suede Ink, Cherry Cobbler Marker, Gumball Green Marker, Basic Black Marker (for the reindeer noses)
Tools: 1" Circle Punch, Paper-Piercer (for brad), Big Shot, Envelope Liners Framelits
Accessories: Googly Eyes, Real Red brad, Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

Manly Christmas Cards

While I was playing along with 'Tis the Season challenge #3, I came up with lots of other Christmas card ideas that didn't follow the sketch. Here are two that my friend thinks are "manly." I'm entering these into Great Impressions' November Challenge - Christmas (GISMC11), Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Keep it Clean and Simple, and the Penny Black Challenge - Anything Goes. On this first one, I love how Dasher fits perfectly inside one of the window frames. Although it's hard to see in the pictures, I paper-pierced around the edge of the brown layer.

I used the Window Frame Framelits on this next card as well, but added a little bit of a different twist. Instead of layering two frames, I layered one frame over a square. It gives it a different, funky look. Again, I used the Festive Paper-Piercing Pack to paper-pierce along the outside of the red window frame. I took a close-up, so you can see it on this card.

Stamps: Dasher, Perfect Presentation 
Paper: Merry Moments DSP, Real Red CS, Garden Green CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Very Vanilla CS
Colors: Chocolate Chip Ink/Marker, Garden Green Marker
Tools: Big Shot, Window Frame Framelits, Festive Paper-Piercing Pack, Paper-Piercer, Paper-Piercing Mat, Paper Snips (to cut out Christmas tree), Envelope Punch Board
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

Dog Talk for "Clean & Simple"

The inspiration for this card began with Around the World Challenge #4 (AW04). Then, I decided it applied to the Simon Wednesday Challenge (keep it clean and simple) for this week too! I'm also entering this card into the Loves Rubber Stamps Blog Challenge #77 (LRSBC77) - the challenge is anything goes. The color scheme began with the color challenge at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration (Cajun Craze, Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe) - but I just could NOT make it work. That Crisp Cantaloupe just didn't belong in there! So I left it out. :)

I got this stamp set earlier this year and hadn't inked it up yet - so I was excited to give it a go! Not only is the set a really cute concept, I love dogs and buy pretty much any stamp set that has a dog in it. Some day, I'll do a post on my little mini scrapbook dedicated to my dog Pearl. There are some old blog posts about her here and here. She's my fur child! :)

Ok, ok. On to the card! Even though I did not use the flash, the coloring looks a little different in each pic. I guess Cajun Craze is not that photogenic! I used Staz-On ink so I could watercolor the dog using Blender Pens and the ink pads. (With the ink pad closed, squeeze down on the middle of it - this creates a small "pool" of ink on the lid of the pad that you can dip your blender pen into.)

This simple color scheme seemed like it would work well for a man - so I left off the ribbon along the bottom. I made the envelope liner from the Cajun Craze paper in the Regals DSP Stack.

Stamps: Animal Talk
Paper: Baked Brown Sugar DSP, Cajun Craze DSP, Baked Brown Sugar CS, Cajun Craze CS, Whisper White CS
Colors: Staz-On Jet Black Ink, Baked Brown Sugar Ink Pad, Cajun Craze Ink Pad
Tools: Blender Pens, Stamp-a-ma-jig (for sentiment), Envelope Liners Framelits, Big Shot
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

And Another!

Christmas card #4 for TTS3 at the 'Tis the Season blog. I just love this little bird and the whole stamp set. I'm also entering this card into the Loves Rubber Stamps Blog Challenge #77 (LRSBC77) - the challenge is anything goes; and Great Impressions' November Challenge - Christmas (GISMC11).

Stamps: For the Birds   
Paper: Be of Good Cheer DSP, Gumball Green Core'dinations CS, Gumball Green CS, Soft Sky CS, Cherry Cobbler CS, Very Vanilla CS
Colors: Black Staz On Ink, Soft Sky Marker, Smoky Slate Marker, Pumpkin Pie Marker, Cherry Cobbler Marker, Gumball Green Marker   
Tools: Envelope Punch Board
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

Very Punny...

HAHAHA I crack myself up! With flu season now upon us, I thought I would share this card. I made it in 2009, in the midst of the swine flu outbreak/mayhem. Just for fun, I sent it to a friend that would truly appreciate the horrible pun. I still think it was freaking brilliant on my part.

"How did she find a stamp of pigs with wings?" you might ask. Well, I didn't. I'm so proud of myself for this too. With the essential help of my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I used the little piggy stamp from the Very Punny set, and then the bird's tail twice on each pig.

I think this was a Sale-a-Bration stamp set from 2007; one of the first sets I got. I will never sell this one, because I still just love them all! I still use the baby, and I've used the frog, the ladybug, the cow... They are great images for coloring with markers.

Also, I learned a neat little trick a long time ago. If you get a stamp set like this, with both images and words, you can cut them apart and mount them separately. That way, it's so much easier to use just one or the other!

I believe I stamped in black Staz-On, then colored in with Pink Passion, and Blush Blossom? (This was 4 years ago, people.) Hope you appreciate a good pun now and then!

Dashing Christmas Card

It's already November! I guess that means it's time to start thinking about Christmas cards! For this particular card, I used Sketch Saturday #282 for inspiration. I recently realized I have about 8 different retired packs of Christmas DSP... So expect to see a lot of cards (and envelopes!) using those in the coming weeks.

 

 

Last but not least, I had to make a coordinating envelope using the Envelope Punch Board! It is soooo easy to use and I just love the results. For a standard-size card, you need a piece of 8x8-inch DSP (or cardstock), and just 4 punches and scores later, you've got yourself an envelope. (And a productive way to use up old paper!)

Stamps: Dasher, Delightful Decorations 
Paper: Dashing DSP, River Rock CS, Real Red Textured CS (but could use the current Core'dinations paper to achieve the same look), Old Olive CS, Real Red CS, Very Vanilla CS
Colors: Old Olive Ink/Marker, Real Red Marker
Tools: 1-1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Paper Piercer (for brad), Envelope Punch Board
Accessories: Real Red Brad, Stampin' Dimensionals 

italics = retired product

Happy Birthday Pearl!

On Sunday my baby turns two!! It's hard to believe she's getting so old, while at the same time it seems like she's been with us forever. Today we are bringing treats to day care, so I wanted to make a little sign honoring her! Here's a picture of her playing courtesy of The Crate Escape. She's apparently queen of the slide and likes to scooch up the slide backwards. I don't know what goes on in that little dog's head.


The card is 5.5" x 8.5" (a full sheet folded in half). I chose the colors based on the picture and Pearl herself. Obviously she is black (that little stamp from Man's Best Friend is just perfect as her!), and her collar and leash are red. I love the contrast. Then I got the Sahara Sand from the sweater she is wearing in the picture. That was from her first Christmas, and you can tell she'd had enough at that point! I just love how the colors of the card work with the colors in the pic. I think I'm ready for scrap-booking now! :D

This adorable treat bag and hand-dipped peanut butter bone treats are from Two Bostons, a pet boutique in downtown Naperville. If you live in the Naperville area I highly recommend this store, as well as The Crate Escape.

Supplies: Happy Everything, Man's Best Friend, and Short Order Alphabet Stamp Sets; Real Red, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White cardstock; Real Red and Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pads; Scallop Circle, Scallop Edge, 1-3/8" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, 1" Circle, and 3/4" Circle Punches; Stampin' Dimensionals