You and Me

You and Me

I made this card for a friend. I love the new SU stamp set called, Nature Silhouettes. I think my favorite image in that stamp set is the tree. To see more cards made with this stamp set:
Click here: Splitcoaststampers Gallery - Nature Silhouettes *

At first, I had a little trouble getting this card to come together. I loved the tree image, which I embossed atop glossy cardstock, which I used in creating a "sky" using the sky technique. But, it was missing something...until I put the butterfly/hardware in the top right color and it pulled the card together instantly.

I think it's that "triangle" concept...you know, have 3 points on the card that guide the eye...that helped to finally get the card the way I wanted it.

1. butterfly/hardware 2. main image 3. knot in the ribbon



You see that the little butterfly has two colors. I used the rock-n-roll technique to achieve this. You could also use a marker technique called "ommitting" or "thumping". This is where you ink your stamp up with ink...then using a marker...apply marker ink to the area of the rubber image that you want the different color. Huff on the rubber image before stamping, in order to moisten the ink.

Rock-n-Roll Technique click here

Thumping Technique click here


Here's the CARD RECIPE:

Stamp sets by Stampin Up:

Nature Silhouettes, Best yet (hostess only, level 1), canvas background stamp....I used the canvas stamp on the darker blue cardstock to give texture. I also sponged the edges of the blue in the matching ink color, in order shade it.

Paper: Baja Breeze, Not quite navy, kiwi kiss, vanilla, glossy cardstock

Ink: kiwi kiss, baja breeze, not quite navy, navy
Tree is embossed by stamping on versa mark ink, then on night of navy ink, then heat set with clear embossing powder

Tools: Curly label punch by SU (LOVE this punch), brayer tool to do the sky technique

Ribbon: 5/8" grosgrain kiwi kiss

Hardware: hodgepodge hardware...retired SU (but you can find at any craft store)

The technique I used to make the colored sky: Click here: Splitcoaststampers - Tutorial

This card layout could be easily used to do so many types of cards, whatever you have on hand will work, pull out last years leftover christmas scrapbook paper and ..............think Christmas!

Spotting Spring Tulips

I met with my papercraft buddies last night and we made spring cards, featuring a spotlight on tulips!


The card says, "May God's everlasting love bring you never-ending joy". What an awesome thought.... "never-ending Joy". Eternal Love. I love this stamp set called, Never-ending Joy. It's an older set that is still in the current catalog 2008. I have used it each spring.

Spotlighting an area of an image is a very dramatic effect. To learn more about spotlighting and this card specifically, click here: SPOTLIGHTING

Card Recipe:

Stamp Set: Never-ending Joy
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Going Gray, shimmery white, Celery, Basic Gray
Ink: Going Gray, Celery, Pretty in Pink,
white craft ink (for sponging edge of card),
gray marker (for edging spotlighted area)
Tools: Key Tag punch (for the spotlight), Tag corner punch,
Photo corner punch,
Other: pink crystal brads, pink grosgrain ribbon

Double Daffodil

Dancing with the Daffodils!

I love the daffodil stamp set called, "Beautiful Life". It is a two-step stamp set, which means it has solid and outlined images of the flower. This allows you to give your flowers more depth.
I used this stamp set to make my Easter Cards this year and I also used a fancy feature called a Double-Slider. See the Card Recipe at the bottom of this post.
Click picture to enlarge

Daffodils
a poem by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

You can see the tutorial for the double-slider and the card sketch here: Double Daffodils

Card Recipe: All products SU!

Stamps: Beautiful Life, Pretty petals background stamp
Paper: Soft Sky, So saffron, Vanilla, River Rock, Mellow moss and
Designer paper called, "Le jardin"
Ink: so saffron, river rock, mellow moss, soft sky (for sponging)
Other: Soft Sky striped grosgrain ribbon, Boho Blossoms flower punch, blue crystal brad, scallop punch, dazzling diamond glitter, ticket corner punch

The Daffodils:
For the stems of the daffodil, I used mellow moss ink. I stamped with the solid stem image first...stamping off, so that my ink would be lighter. The I stamped over the solid image, using the detailed stem image and mellow moss ink.

For the flowers...I recommed using a stamp-a-ma-jig to help you place your flower where you want them.

For the Flower:
I used the Boho Blossom punch to punch out several small flowers from the designer paper. Then I layered the pieces and secured them with the blue crystal brad. I attached the flower to the card using a dimensional


To see more pictures of cards that are using the "Beautiful Life" stamp set click here: Daffodils

Grown from the Heart

A friend of mine adopted her 2nd child. He is an 18th month old little boy and as cute as he can be! What a blessing! I am so happy for them! The shower was this past Saturday and below is the card I made for them.

The stamp set I used is from the SU Occasions Mini catalog 2008. It is an adorable stamp set to have for baby cards, twin cards, or adoption cards. Visit my SU website to view the catalog.


Below is my sketch for this card. I encourage you to use this sketch and make a card!

Card Recipe: (everything is SU)

Stamps: By ones and by twos,
I also used a little heart stamp from an old valetine's day stamp set
Inks: Black, brocade blue, celery, and saffron yellow
Paper: Saffron, celery, brocade, and retired SU designer series paper called "Sarah"
Other: Blue Bayou Ribbon, retired SU silver diamond brads, brocade blue buttons, Ticket corner punch, oval coluzzle.
Technique: stamping on designer paper

Card thoughts:

I sponged saffron ink around the oval. I used Blue Bayou colored ribbon because I didn't have brocade blue ribbon....but it worked because the blue bayou color has a green tone and so it pulled the blues and the greens from my paper and cardstock. I stamped the onsies twice, once on designer paper and then I cut out the onsie and then I stamped it again on the saffron oval. I mounted the cut out onsies onto the oval with dimensionals. As always I had to challenge myself to use hardware, but I think the diamond brads pulled the diamonds out of the designer paper on the onsie.

To view more cards using this stamp set, click here SCS By ones and by twos

Everything needs Margin

Enjoy, Hope, Heartfelt, Love, Everything

This card will be duplicated and sent to two special people that have margin in their life to help others. Do you have margin in your life?

Margin is being able to have the time or money or resources to help someone at a moments notice....when God calls you to help. You don't have to be rich or have great skill or keep your schedule clear. But, being a good steward of your resources and not overloading your schedule with too many activities, will help you to join God where he is working.

Sometimes we say "yes" to too many things or activities that are not really supposed to be for us....for God's plan for us. This can cause "no margin" in your life.

Having margin is something that I strive to do and am thankful for those people in my life that have plenty of margin when needed.

Color challenge: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, So Saffron

To see more card designs using this combo click here: Wild Pomegranate

Sketch challenge: To see more cards with this sketch click here SC166

My Card RECIPE ~

Stamps: Always, Trec' Chic background, Stitched Exotics
Paper: Wasabi, pomegranate, saffron, white, black
Ink: Saffron, pomegranate, wasabi, black
other: black polka dot ribbon (non su), black brads, black embossing powder, ticket corner punch

The heart is embossed with black emobossing powder. You can get the same effect by using black ink with versamark or craft black ink...and clear embossing powder. I didn't have markers in the colors I needed so I used a blending pen and ink from my ink pads to color in the heart. The heart is also stamped twice, once on white paper and I cut out the main center heart of the image. Then I stamped the heart with wasabi green on saffron yellow paper and cut it out completely which leaves the dotted outline. I attached the center heart on the background heart with a dimensional to pop it up.

a NATURAL thanks

a NATURAL thanks

I needed to make a thank you card and I wanted to use a nature set. I also combined several splitcoast challenges together to inspire me.


Here are the challenges I used:

Sketch Challenge: SC165

Color Combo Challenge: River Rock, Basic Black, and Whisper White

Technique Challenge: Use two types of patterned paper

Technique Tutorial link: Chalkboard

The sketch challenge wanted you to use an image that was stamped and cut out, as the focal point. So I decided to use my bear and I thought it worked well....looks like he is walking through the woods!

I also used a technique called "Chalkboard" to color my bear. I stamped the solid bear image, using white craft ink, onto black cardstock. Then I chalked in the bear using SU chalk and a sponge dauber. I did not have chalk that was the river rock color so I combine the following chalk colors: barely banana, old olive, and really rust. I cut the bear out leaving a thin black outline from the cardstock. It worked great!

Card Recipe: all products by SU!

Stamp sets ~ Pines (retired), flannel background, all-year cheer (retired)
Paper ~ river rock, basic black, whisper white, Le Jardin designer series paper
Ink ~ black, white craft, chalk
other ~ ticket corner punch, hardware kit

Spring Sympathy

I decided to use a splitcoast sketch challenge to help me make a sympathy card for a friend. This is a part of the card ministry that I lead at my church.


Here is the sketch:

To see more cards using this sketch click the gallery: SC164

Card Recipe: all SU! products

stamps ~ Stitched Exotics, Words of Wisdom, Leaves a la carte jumbo wheel
paper ~ bashful blue, mellow moss, artichoke, so saffron, Le Jardin designer series paper
ink ~ bashful blue, mellow moss craft, river rock
other ~ crystal brad in light blue, gold ribbon with polka dots is non SU
tools ~ ticket corner punch, 5 petal punch