My 150th post! - On Stage Swaps

Hello and welcome back! This has been a busy blogging week for me, but as promised, here are the cards I created to swap at OnStage in Orlando last month. I forgot to take "nice" pictures before I left, so these were taken on the fly. They're a little wonky because all of my cards were in clear envelopes. 

This card was CASEd from the Annual Catalog with just a few alterations.

Supplies used:

Stamp set - Hold on to Hope

Paper - Whisper White and Old Olive Cardstock, Vellum Cardstock

Ink - Petal Pink and Calypso Coral

Stampin' Write Markers - Old Olive, Calypso Coral

Accessories - White Baker's Twine

Tools - Big Shot, Cross of Hope Framelits, Seaside TIEF, Detailed Trio Punch, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Supplies used:

Stamp set - Lettter Board Messages

Paper - Crumb Cake, Whisper White, and Bermuda Bay Cardstock

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz

Accessories - Bermuda Bay 1/4" Mini Striped Ribbon

Tools - Big Shot, Petal Burst TIEF, Layering Squares Framelits, SNAIL, Tombow Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

This is a variation of a card I created earlier this year, which can be found HERE.

Supplies used:

Stamp set - Petal Palette

Paper - Night of Navy, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, and Mint Macaron Cardstock

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Blends - Flirty Flamingo Light and Dark, Mint Macaron Light and Dark

Tools - Big Shot, Petals & More Thinlits, Petal Pair TIEF, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals

Supplies used:

Stamp set - Detailed With Love

Paper - So Saffron, Whisper White, and Basic Black Cardstock; Share What You Love DSP

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Tools - Big Shot, Layering Ovals Framelits, Subtle TIEF, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals

DISCLAIMER - While I'm pretty sure the supplies used are correct, I'm not 100% sure of the colors. In my haste to create my swaps - at the last minute - I forgot to write down what I used! And I can't always count on my phone to accurately depict cardstock and ink colors. What appears above are my best guesses based on my inventory.

Well, that's a wrap for 2018! For those who may have been keeping track of my #imbringingbackbirthdays posts, I sent a total of 388 cards this year. That is a combination of birthday, anniversary, thank you, Christmas, Valentines, and other assorted occasions. I don't know if I can do that again, but I'm going to give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy New Year!

--Cindi

FMS 368 - Hummingbird Birthday

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is another sketch challenge. Here you go!

I figured since I've had some of these brand new (almost available!) stamp sets for a while, it was time to start using them! I got this one at On Stage last month and pre-ordered the matching framelits - so much easier than fussy cutting!

I nearly assembled the card after putting the elements together but decided that it needed a little something extra, so I dry embossed a layer to add to the front. I think it makes a big difference!

I'm still getting the hang of coloring with the Stampin' Blends, but this stamp set is perfect for them.

This card is for the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

Tomorrow's post will finally have my swap cards from On Stage in Orlando last month - a great way to end the year.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Humming Along

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Balmy Blue, and Lemon Lime Twist Cardstock, Gingham Gala DSP

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Blends - Old Olive Light and Dark, Balmy Blue Light and Dark, Smoky Slate Light and Dark, Pumpkin Pie Dark

Tools - Big Shot, Hummingbird Framelits, Garden Trellis TIEF, 3/4" Circle Punch, SNAIL, Tombow Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Christmas cards - part 6

Hello and welcome back! Today's post contains the rest of my Christmas cards for this year. All of these were made with the November Paper Pumpkin kit.  Here's what came in the kit:

And this is what the instructions showed you how to make:

I made two of each of the originally planned designs, but then I discovered Rachel Tessmann! She is so creative and thinks outside the box. By adding some additional cardstock and envelopes, she was able to make 40 cards from this kit! Using her designs (which can be found in a video HERE), I ended up making a total of 20 cards from this kit, in addition to the other 60 cards I made this year. I used to make all of one design but that got boring after awhile, so in recent years I've usually made at least 4 different designs.

Here are my cards from the kit, both originals and Rachel's designs:

Even after making all of these cards, I still have some supplies left to use for other projects. I haven't yet figured out what those are, but I'm sure I could find some ideas on Rachel's blog! Lucky for me that all of these cards used a Crumb Cake or Very Vanilla base, so I could use Very Vanilla envelopes. I'm nearly out of Whisper White envelopes, so I need to put in an order soon!

That's the last post with Christmas cards. Tomorrow I'll be posting another challenge card, and for the last day of the year, I'm finally getting around to posting the swaps I made for On Stage last month in Orlando. Hope to see you back here for those!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

SSC 194 - Sketch Challenge

Hello and welcome back! I'm taking a break from my Christmas cards today to show you a new birthday card for a challenge. Here it is:

Once again, I've pulled some DSP out of my stash of retired products. This is from It's My Party. It was a nice big stack of 48 sheets of 12 x 12 paper, so I've got a lot to work with.

The card base is Whisper White Thick Cardstock with a layer of one of the DSP patterns. I cut a rectangle of another pattern and backed it with a layer of Pool Party, then tied the It's My Party bakers twine around it before adding it to the front of the card. The circle for the sentiment is Whisper White die cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelits and backed with Pool Party die cut with the Layering Circles Framelits. "happy" is from the Well Written Thinlits in the upcoming Occasions Catalog (available January 3) and "birthday" is from the coordinating Well Said stamp set. While the bundle for these two items is a bit pricey, there are so many possibilities with these products, so well worth the spend. And when you buy the bundle, you get a 10% discount, so there's that! :)

I also made a few cards for belated birthdays with Melon Mambo/Basic Black bakers twine.

And here is why I rarely toss my scraps when creating cards. 

The circle at the upper right was left over from one of my Christmas cards, seen here. It turned out to be the perfect size for me to cut the circle I needed for these birthday cards. The skinny circle on the left is all that was left over. I probably won't save that!

This card is for the sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps. 

Hopefully I can get these in the mail today, since some of them are already late! 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Well Said
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; It's My Party DSP (retired); Whisper White, Crushed Curry, and Pool Party Cardstock
Ink - Crushed Curry
Accessories - It's My Party Baker's Twine
Tools - Big Shot, Well Written Thinlits, Layering Circles Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Multi-Purpose Adhesive Sheets, SNAIL, Tombow Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Christmas cards - part 5

Hello and welcome back! Here is the next batch of cards I sent out this year. All of these were CASEd (Copy and Share Everything) from the 2017 Holiday Catalog.

Card #1

This first card uses the Hearts Come Home stamp set and the Hometown Greetings Edgelits, which are both current in the Annual Catalog. I made a card base of Crumb Cake Cardstock, then used Shimmery White Cardstock to die cut the street scene. I colored in the houses, trees, and snowman with Stampin' Blends and stamped the Santa with Memento Tuxedo Black. The sentiment is stamped in Poppy Parade and punched out with the Pretty Label punch. I added a jute twine bow around the fold for some interest.

Card #2

The next card was created with the Iconic Christmas stamp set and the Ornamental Christmas framelits, both of which are retired. I used some Gumball Green ink, cardstock, and DSP from my stash, along with some Real Red striped ribbon. I actually considered including the tiny die cut pieces as confetti in the envelopes, but thought better of it. At least it wouldn't have been as bad as glitter!

This card was created with the Christmas Quilt stamp set and the Quilt Builder framelits. I used the Quilt Top embossing folder on some Quilted Christmas DSP before adhering it to the card front. The quilt star is popped up with dimensionals and I added some Garden Green ribbon and a banner sentiment, along with a bit of felt holly from several years ago. I had completely forgotten about these!

This last card was created with the Carols of Christmas stamp set and the Merry Little Christmas DSP. I used my Stamparatus to line up the sentiment, and was able to stamp it over several times to get a nice, deep color.  The little banner pieces were added to the back of the large sentiment banner, then the whole thing was popped up with dimensionals.

The last batch of cards will be posted later this week. I'll be taking a break tomorrow to post a card for a sketch challenge. Hope to see you back here then!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Card #1 - 
Stamp set - Hearts Come Home
Paper - Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Poppy Parade, and Shimmery White Cardstock
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Poppy Parade, Stampin' Blends Markers
Accessories - Jute Twine
Tools - Big Shot, Layering Circles Framelits, Hometown Greetings Edgelits, Pretty Label Punch, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals

Card #2 -
Stamp set - Iconic Christmas (retired)
Paper - Crumb Cake and Gumball Green (retired) Cardstock, Gumball Green Background DSP (retired)
Ink - Gumball Green (retired), Early Espresso
Accessories - Real Red Striped Ribbon (retired)
Tools - Stamparatus, Big Shot, Ornamental Christmas Framelits (retired), SNAIL, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Card #3 -
Stamp set - Christmas Quilt (retired)
Paper - Real Red and Whisper White Cardstock, Quilted Christmas DSP (retired)
Ink - Real Red, Pool Party, Lemon Lime Twist
Accessories - Garden Green Striped Ribbon (retired), Winter Wishes Stitched Felt Embellishments (retired)
Tools - Big Shot, Quilt Builder Framelits (retired), Quilt Top TIEF, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Card #4 -
Stamp set - Carols of Christmas (retired)
Paper - Old Olive and Whisper White Cardstock, Merry Little Christmas DSP (retired)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive
Tools - Stamparatus, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals 

Christmas cards - Part 4

Hello and welcome back! Next up is the 4th of the cards I sent this year:

It's hard to see in this photo, but the base is Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock. When I was going through my stash before I made my cards, I realized I was running low on white envelopes but had plenty of vanilla ones. Thus, I had to make some cards with vanilla bases! 

This card has a layer of Lovely Lipstick which is stamped with the flourish from Flourish Filigree in the center. I used my Stamparatus to help me line up the motif so it would be in the exact center on all of the cards. I used my Trio Corner Punch to round the corners and add the little floral detail as well. The ribbon is Mossy Meadow (from my retired stash) and it was attached with glue dots. The sentiment is also from Flourish Filigree and was punched out with the Pretty Label Punch. I popped it up with dimensionals and added the rhinestones on the dots at the ends.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day! Card #5 is coming tomorrow.

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Flourish Filigree
Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Very Vanilla and Lovely Lipstick Cardstock
Ink - Lovely Lipstick
Accessories - Mossy Meadow 5/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones
Tools - Stamparatus, Pretty Label Punch, Trio Corner Punch, SNAIL, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Christmas cards - part 3

Hello and welcome back! Merry Christmas to all! As promised, here is the third of the cards I sent this year:

For this card I only used two retired products - the Brushed Silver cardstock and the 1/8" silver ribbon. When I first saw this bundle in the Holiday Catalog, I think the framelits spoke to me before the stamp set. I love this border - it looks like a doily to me!

The card base is Whisper White Thick Cardstock, with a layer of the Brushed Silver. (I wish they would bring back these Brushed Silver and Gold cardstocks.) On top of that is a layer of regular Whisper White which has been die-cut with the doily from the Detailed Baubles Framelits, which allows the Brushed Silver to show through. The sentiment from Beautiful Baubles has been stamped with Night of Navy ink. The ornament has been stamped on Night of Navy cardstock with Versamark, then embossed with silver embossing powder and cut out with a Layering Circle framelit. I popped it up with some Stampin' Dimensionals and centered it over the doily cutout, then added the ribbon knot at the top. Not too complicated at all!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day! Card #4 is coming up tomorrow.

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Beautiful Baubles
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Brushed Silver Cardstock (retired); Whisper White and Night of Navy Cardstock
Ink - Versamark, Night of Navy
Accessories - 1/8" Silver Ribbon (retired), Silver Embossing Powder
Tools - Big Shot, Heat Tool, Detailed Baubles Framelits, Layering Circles Framelits, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Die Brush

SUOC #213 - Merriest Christmas Wishes

Hello and welcome back! As promised, here's another card I sent this year for Christmas:

Once again, I raided my stash of retired products to create this card. The base is Bermuda Bay, with a layer from the Winter Frost Stack DSP. I rounded the corners for some additional interest. The large circle is an older style of Silver Glimmer Paper, and the sentiment from last year's Watercolor Christmas stamp set is stamped in Bermuda Bay on Whisper White, then die cut with one of the snowflakes from the Festive Flurry Framelits. I added Basic Rhinestones to dot the "i"s, then popped up the circle with Stampin' Dimensionals. Done!

This card is entered in the designer's choice challenge at SUO Challenges.

I'll have another card tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Holidays!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Watercolor Christmas (retired)
Paper - Bermuda Bay and Whisper White Cardstock; Winter Frost Stack DSP (retired); Silver Glimmer Paper (old style - retired)
Ink - Bermuda Bay
Accessories - Basic Rhinestones
Tools - Big Shot, Festive Flurry Framelits (retired), Layering Circles Framelits, Trio Corner Punch, SNAIL, Fast Fuse (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals

Ink #176 - Merry Christmas!

Hello and welcome back! Now that my Christmas cards are in the mail - finally! - my next few posts will highlight this year's creations. 

First up is this card:

This card was made with nearly all retired product, but I think it is beautiful! The photo doesn't show it well, but this card is really shiny! There is a layer of Brushed Gold cardstock, along with the Year of Cheer DSP  and Foil Snowflake from the 2017 Holiday Catalog. Also, the sentiment is embossed in gold as well.

This card is entered in the Inkspirational Challenge #176.

I'll be posting more of my cards over the next few days, so keep an eye out for them!

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Holidays!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Your Presents (retired)
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White and Vellum Cardstock; Year of Cheer DSP and Brushed Gold Cardstock (both retired)
Ink - Versamark
Accessories - Gold Foil Snowflake (retired), Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
Tools - Heat Tool, Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, SNAIL, Tombow Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals 

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Hello and welcome back! Once again today I have a card that is not for a challenge. Some friends have moved from suburban Chicago to suburban Atlanta and into a brand new home. Definitely a card-worthy occasion!

My inspiration for this card came from Brian King. Instead of using DSP for the first layer, I made my own using some retired Soft Sky cardstock and the Buffalo Check stamp. My Stamparatus was really helpful for this because I needed to ink up the stamp a couple of times to really get good coverage. I turned the check into a plaid by drawing lines through the pattern with a Basic Black Stampin' Write marker. The birdhouses are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Stampin' Blends. I got the outside sentiment from the retired host set In the City and the inside sentiment from the retired set Home Life (sorry, no pic of the inside). It went together pretty quickly.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Flying Home (retired), Buffalo Check, In the City (retired), Home Life (retired)
Paper - Crumb Cake, Soft Sky (retired), and Whisper White cardstock
Ink - Call Me Clover, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories - Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Stampin' Blends
Tools - Stamparatus, Stampin' Dimensionals, SNAIL

Iowa Hawkeye birthday card

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is not for a challenge - unusual for me! A friend who is an Iowa Hawkeyes fan had a birthday this week, so I wanted to make something special just for her. What do you think?

I got some inspiration from Pinterest and changed the card up just a bit. Instead of using DSP for the punched pieces, I used the Hawkeyes colors and ran the pieces through my Big Shot with the Subtle Dynamic embossing folder. The base layer is also embossed.

Since this is a birthday card, I used the Happy Birthday thinlit and cut it out of gold foil paper and black cardstock. I added the multi-purpose adhesive sheet to the back of the cardstock before die cutting and layered the die cuts so they would stick up a bit. It's a lot easier than trying to put dimensionals on the back!

A couple of gold sequins added for bling, and it's done! I hope she likes it!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Endless Birthday Wishes (retired, for inside sentiment)
Paper - Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White cardstock, Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Gold Foil Paper
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories - Gold Sequin Trim (retired)
Tools - Big Shot, Happy Birthday Thinlit, Subtle Dynamic Embossing Folder, Tailored Tag Punch, Tombow Glue, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets

FMS 360 & Ink 172 - an anniversary card

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and the designer's choice challenge at Inkspirational Challenges.

And here is today's card:

As soon as I saw the sketch, I knew that I had to use the Floral Frames stamp set and coordinating framelits. I used the new color coach to come up with the palette of Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, and Mango Melody. I incorporated the vellum in the leaves and the sentiment piece. The sentiment was stamped in Granny Apple Green and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. This is my favorite technique for stamping on vellum with inks other than Staz-On. There's a bit of Wink of Stella on the flower centers for just a touch of shimmer.

I'll be using this as an anniversary card for some friends and family this month. Hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Floral Frames, Express Yourself (retired, for inside sentiment)
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, and Daffodil Delight Cardstock, Vellum Cardstock
Ink - Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green
Accessories - Clear Wink of Stella, Clear Embossing Powder
Tools - Big Shot, Foliage Frame Framelits, 2" Circle Punch, Starburst Punch, Heat Tool, Tombow Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

A Fancy Fold for the Paper Craft Crew!

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the tic-tac-toe challenge at the Paper Craft Crew. 

I decided to make a card using the middle row - leaves, fancy fold, and baker's twine. And here is my card:

I found the tutorial for this fancy fold at The Craft Spa (thanks, Amanda James!).

Since one of the elements I needed was leaves, the Rooted in Nature suite was the perfect fit. I even had some 12 x 12 Soft Suede in my stash from several years ago, so it was just what I needed for the card base. There are a lot of little bits and pieces to this card, but it goes together pretty quickly. 

The front is kind of plain, and it doesn't stay closed very well, so I created a belly band to keep it together. It turned out to be the perfect place to add the baker's twine!

The Nature's Poem DSP had lots of patterns with leaves, so that was very helpful.

This will be a birthday card for a dear friend - I hope she likes it!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used:

Stamp set - Rooted in Nature
Paper - Soft Suede, Mint Macaron, Whisper White cardstock, Nature's Poem DSP
Ink - Crumb Cake, Tranquil Tide, Mint Macaron
Accessories - Nature's Twine
Tools - Big Shot, Nature's Roots Framelits, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Simply Scored, Tombow Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Fast Fuse

A New Baby Girl is Here!

Hello and welcome back! Here's my card for the theme challenge at SUO Challenges and the sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.

I had to get this post up quickly because I ran out of time. Now I can fill in some info! 

I've had my Stampin' Blends for a while but haven't really used them much. This is a great image from the retired Moon Baby stamp set. I think that maybe I didn't let the Memento ink dry enough because it bled a bit when I did my coloring. I'm not totally unhappy though because it softens the image a bit.

Hope you like this card! 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day! 

--Cindi



Supplies used:

Stamp set - Moon Baby (retired)
Paper - Thick Whisper White Cardstock, Smoky Slate and Pink Pirouette (retired) cardstock, Shimmery White Cardstock, Subtles Background DSP from 2011
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Stampin' Blends - Light & Dark Pink Pirouette, Light & Dark Daffodil Delight, Ivory, Color Lifter
Accessories - Clear Wink of Stella
Tools - SNAIL, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Large Oval Punch (retired), Scallop Oval Punch (retired)

Baby's First Birthday!

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for my great-niece's first birthday! She spent the week with her mom and dad at the beach - the pictures on Facebook are too cute! :)

Lots of things in her nursery are dinosaur themed - her dad even sculpted a dino in the snow this winter! I borrowed the stamp set from a friend and used lots of retired stuff from my stash to make this - no worries; there's still a lot left! 

I was inspired by a card made by Erica Cerwin, but I changed up a few things. I wanted to use the apatosaurus but it was too big for a standard card, so I chose the stegosaurus instead. I changed the base to a landscape orientation to fit the wider stamps. The window was cut with the retired Ovals Collection framelits and I used the retired extra-large oval punch and Timeless Type Sizzlits for the sentiment on the front.

The tricky part was trying to figure out where to add sentiments on the inside without having them show through the window. I added the cardstock on the inside front to cover the edges of the window, so that gave me a little extra room.

Last year I made a framed art piece and a card when she was born, and also a card for her baby shower which you can see HERE and HERE.

I hope J (and her mom and dad) will like this card!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all retired Stampin' Up! unless specified):

Stamp sets - No Bones About It, Number of Years
Paper - Pretty in Pink cardstock, Lap of Luxury DSP, Whisper White and Basic Gray cardstock (current)
Ink - Regal Rose, Basic Gray (current), Jet Black Staz-On (current)
Accessories - Whisper White bakers twine (current), Window Sheets (current)
Tools - Big Shot (current), Ovals Collection Framelits, Extra-Large Oval Punch, Timeless Type Sizzlits, Stampin' Dimensionals (current), Mini Glue Dots (current), Fast Fuse