Card of the Day - Accented Blooms

Hello and welcome back! I've got another birthday card today - for some reason, December seems to be a busy month!

I've done some coloring with Stampin' Blends and Stampin' Write Markers

The sentiment was stamped in Seaside Spray and punched out with the Tailored Tag Punch. A few Champagne Rhinestones were added in the flower centers.

I added a bit of texture with a vellum die cut from the Springtime Impressions set.

This design was inspired by the color challenge at Fab Friday.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Accented Blooms

Paper - Pear Pizzazz and Whisper White Cardstock, Vellum Cardstock, Gingham Garden DSP

Ink/Coloring Tools - Versamark Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Write Marker: Blushing Bride; Stampin' Blends: Poppy Parade Light and Dark, Seaside Spray Light and Dark, Shaded Spruce Light and Dark

Accessories - Champagne Rhinestones

Tools - Big Shot, Springtime Impressions Dies, Country Floral Embossing Folder, Tailored Tag Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets

Card of the Day - Abstract Impressions

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is another birthday card for my personal unloved stamps challenge.

I have to admit that a lot of these abstract two-step stamp sets are difficult for me to use. So I put a nice flower on the envelope and used one of the sentiments inside the card. The other elements of the suite are the die and the DSP under the butterfly.

There was no birthday sentiment in the set so I pulled another retired set for that.

This design was inspired by the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Abstract Impressions, Birthday Banners

Paper - Grapefruit Grove, Petal Pink, Shaded Spruce, and Whisper White cardstock; Garden Impressions DSP

Ink - Shaded Spruce

Accessories - Linen Thread

Tools - Big Shot, Springtime Impressions Dies, Subtle Dynamic Embossing Folder, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals
 

Card of the Day - Silver & Black Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for a friend's birthday next week.

Mary has silver hair and almost always wears black and white, so when I saw this color challenge, I knew it was perfect for her Christmas Eve Eve birthday!

This Silver Foil Vellum has been in my stash for years and I hadn't even opened it yet! It's the perfect background for the ornate die cuts. I can't believe how shiny that silver foil is - it's like a mirror!

Because I created a mini slimline card, I had to make a custom envelope. I found this old Neutrals patterned paper that has a silver sheen to it and it was striped on one side, so it matches the card! Since I'd already decided that this card would be hand-delivered, I figured I might as well go all out and use the really big clear epoxy droplets. I'd never be able to put those through the mail!

This card was inspired by the color challenge at The Paper Players and the sketch challenge at TGIF Challenges.

 I hope Mary likes this card - I think it's classy, just like her! :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Perennial Birthday

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Basic Black Cardstock, Silver Foil Paper, Silver Foil Vellum, Neutrals Patterns DSP

Ink - Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black (inside sentiment), Smoky Slate (envelope)

Accessories - Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets, Basic Black 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Silver Embossing Powder

Tools - Big Shot, Ornate Layers Dies, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Envelope Punch Board, Heat Tool

Cards of the Day - Layered Circles

Hello and welcome back! Today I've got two cards made with the same technique and colors but with different layouts. Here's the first one:

 This card was inspired by the challenge at As You See It.

I already had the patterned paper in mind and I chose the colors based on that. Unfortunately, I had it in my head that one of the papers in this pack had snowflakes, but no such luck! Oh well. I decided to use the stars instead for the background and then stuck on a few small iridescent snowflakes to fulfill that requirement. The circles are die-cut and the ribbon tied around the center of the card hides the straight edges to help with the illusion.

Since I had to cut two sets of circles to get the parts I needed for one card, I figured "why waste them?" and made another card:

This design was inspired by the challenge at Fab Friday. 

The circle would make a nice ornament, but I decided against it since this is a birthday card. Once again, the ribbon around the center hides the seams.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Posted for You, Many Mates (inside sentiment)

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Sahara Sand, Shaded Spruce Cardstock; Classic Christmas DSP

Ink - Cherry Cobbler

Accessories - Adhesive-Backed Snowflakes, Cherry Cobbler 3/8" Diagonal Stripe Ribbon

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Glue Dots

Card of the Day - Painted Harvest Birthday

Hello and welcome back! I've been busy the last several days making Christmas cards (that's a post for another day), but now that they are finally done and mailed, I can get back to birthday cards. I've got several birthdays this month and many of them are from the same group of friends, so I'll need different cards for each one. Here's the first one:

I was thinking that this would fit into my unloved stamp set challenge, but when I opened up the case, I realized that I have used this set. Oh well, I guess I must have liked it! I thought about making the flowers in some holiday colors, but then I thought maybe folks with December birthdays might be tired of sharing their special day. These colors are a bit sunnier for these dark days of winter.

Fussy cutting is not my favorite technique but sometimes you just don't have a choice! These flowers weren't too bad, but I wouldn't have wanted to do too many.

This design was inspired by this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Painted Harvest, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Mossy Meadow and Very Vanilla Cardstock

Ink - Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow

Accessories - Crushed Curry 3/8" Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon

Tools - Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Leaf Punch, Detailed Trio Punch, Paper Snips, Big Shot, Layered Leaves Dynamic Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue

Card of the Day - Tree Angle

 Hello and welcome back! I'm continuing with Christmas cards today with another new set.

Since this stamp set is photopolymer, these triangles are pretty easy to line up, whether you stamp before or after you die cut the pieces. I added the star to the top of the largest tree for a little bling. The sentiment is stamped on a strip of Whisper White and trimmed with the Lovely Labels Pick A Punch, then a strip of Real Red was glued to the back before being popped up with dimensionals. 

This design was inspired by the sketch challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Tree Angle

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, and Real Red Cardstock

Ink - Real Red, Shaded Spruce

Accessories - Star Designer Elements

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Triangle Dies, Subtle Dynamic Embossing Folder, Lovely Labels Pick A Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Card of the Day - Joy & Peace

Hello and welcome back! Well, now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to get started on my Christmas cards.

 Once again, I'm using a stamp set that hasn't been inked yet. But I have a good excuse - it's a new holiday set and this is one of my first holiday cards! The coordinating dies for this stamp set open up lots of possibilities for layering but I wanted to keep this card kind of simple. 

This design was inspired by the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Peace & Joy

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Seaside Spray, and Night of Navy Cardstock; Feels Like Frost Specialty DSP

Ink - Night of Navy, Seaside Spray

Accessories - Whisper White Polka-Dot Tulle Ribbon, Basic Jewels Rhinestones

Tools - Big Shot, Joy Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Stampin' Up! Merry & Bright Online Extravaganza

 

Are you just about ready to start your Christmas countdown? The big day is only a few weeks away, which means you might still be making your holiday paper crafting plans. Making an advent calendar? Prepping some scrapbook pages? Maybe designing some handmade holiday cards for special friends and family? The possibilities are endless!

So this is the perfect time to tell you about the Stampin' Up! Merry & Bright Online Extravaganza! It will be here soon, with 10% off select annual catalog items.

When: Tuesday, November 24, until 11:50 pm (MT)

What: Nearly all 2020-2021 Annual Catalog (see link in the sidebar) items are eligible for the 10% discount, but there are some exclusions, which you can find on this list.

From me: Place an online order through my website on November 24 of at least $50 in product (before S/H and tax) and I'll send you a package of Basic Jewels Rhinestones FREE and a handmade card. You must use the host code E7CFC7YN to earn your bonus gift. (If your order is over $150, don't use the host code - you'll get your own Stampin' Rewards!)

Make your list and check it twice to take advantage of this fabulous sale on November 24!

Happy stamping!

--Cindi

Card of the Day - Sending Sunshine

Hello and welcome back! The next stamp set up in my personal unloved stamps challenge is Sending Sunshine. The timing is perfect for this one because I need a birthday card for my sister-in-law, who just happens to love the beach!

I used the recipe from the Annual Catalog to design the focal point of the card. I stamped the water and the sun, and then masked it to brayer the sand. I then masked the bottom of the card and the sun to brayer the sky. After I added the grasses, rocks, and clouds, I felt like it needed something else. Then I remembered the birds in the My Meadow stamp set. Perfect!

To make the frame, I cut 1-1/4" wide strips from the retired Wood Textures DSP. I cut two of them to 5-1/2" and glued them to a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" piece of scrap cardstock. I then cut two more to 4-1/4" long and mitered the ends at 45 degrees and glued them to the other two sides of the frame. Once I decided how large my stamped piece needed to be, I used my Stampin' Trimmer to cut out the center of the frame. I used my Bronze Stampin' Blends marker to enhance the miters. The stamped panel and the frame were adhered to a Crumb Cake card base. The sentiment is stamped onto Crumb Cake cardstock with Soft Suede ink, then fussy cut and added to the frame with Mini Dimensionals.

I added a bit of Clear Wink of Stella to the sun, just to add a little shimmer. You might be able to see it in this photo. 

This design was inspired by the "Frame It" challenge at Inkspirational Challenges.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Sending Sunshine, My Meadow

Paper - Whisper White and Crumb Cake Cardstock, Wood Textures DSP Stack

Ink/Coloring Tools - Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Crumb Cake; Stampin' Blends: Bronze

Accessories - Clear Wink of Stella

Tools - Sponge Brayers, Paper Snips, Stampin' Trimmer, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Card of the Day - Parisian Anniversary

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is an anniversary card for a friend who studied in France when she was younger. I used the same stamp set to make a birthday card for her earlier this year. 

I die cut a circle from vellum and embossed it before layering it on the pink cardstock. To die cut the word, I added a bit of a Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet to the back of the cardstock before cutting it. Just peel off the backing and the word sticks perfectly!

I love the silver accents on this DSP!

The design for this card was inspired by the sketch at Just Add Ink.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Parisian Beauty, So Sentimental (inside sentiment)

Paper - Pool Party, Petal Pink, Cherry Cobbler, and Whisper White Cardstock; Vellum Cardstock; Parisian Blossoms DSP

Ink - Petal Pink, Cherry Cobbler (inside sentiment), Pool Party (envelope)

Tools - Big Shot, Parisian Dies, Parisian Flourish 3D Embossing Folder, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Multipurpose Liquid Glue 

Card of the Day - Tasteful Touches Birthday

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is a birthday card based on an old sketch from Operation Write Home.

I used Purple Posy for the card base and added a panel of DSP from the retired Twitterpated pack. The Blackberry Bliss ribbon is also retired. The panel with the sentiment is layered with Blackberry Bliss cardstock and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals. A couple of rhinestones for bling and the card is done!

There's a bit of Wink of Stella in the center of the flower, but it doesn't show up in the photo.

The color combination is from the challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Tasteful Touches, Here's A Card

Paper - Purple Posy, Blackberry Bliss, and Whisper White Cardstock; Twitterpated DSP

Ink - Purple Posy, Blackberry Bliss

Accessories - Basic Rhinestones Jewels, Blackberry Bliss 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, Clear Wink of Stella

Tools - Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Card of the Day - Pattern Play

Hello and welcome back! Continuing with my unloved stamps challenge, today I've got Pattern Play.

I needed some masculine birthday cards, so I thought this would be a good set to use. I used the hinge-step technique to stamp the card base, and then just added some of the coordinating Playing With Patterns DSP, and a sentiment from Happiest of Birthdays.

This design was inspired by the challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Pattern Play, Happiest of Birthdays

Paper - Night of Navy, Misty Moonlight, and Whisper White Cardstock; Playing With Patterns DSP

Ink - Night of Navy

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Stamparatus, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Card of the Day - Menagerie Mix-Up

Hello and welcome back! The next set up in my personal unloved stamps challenge is Menagerie Mix-Up. The timing was perfect, as my son has friends who just had a baby!

There are so many possibilities with this set - with the bodies, eyes, ears, faces, tails - you could probably make at least 15 different animals! Since this is a baby card, for me the logical choice was a lamb. The coordinating die set makes it easy to cut all the parts you need for any critter. The set also includes this cute little garland, which I cut from an old retired glimmer paper, just to add some bling to this card.

 This design was inspired by the sketch at Sunday Stamps Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Menagerie Mix-Up, Petite Pairs

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Balmy Blue, and Smoky Slate Cardstock; Gingham Gala DSP, Mint Macaron Glimmer Paper

Ink/Coloring Tools - Memento Tuxedo Black, Balmy Blue, Smoky Slate ink; Stampin' Blends: Pink Pirouette Light, Balmy Blue Dark and Light

Tools - Big Shot, Menagerie Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Card of the Day - Best Anniversary Ever

 Hello and welcome back! While today's card is not part of my unloved stamps challenge, I have used some retired paper and embellishments.

As it turns out, I do have several anniversaries this month, and since they are all members of my church, I felt like I needed to give them different cards. Not that they would be comparing, but you never know!

I love the bright and cheery colors in this suite, perfect for this time of year when the light is disappearing and everything looks dreary.

I'll be hand delivering this card because I don't think the buttons will make it through the mail, but they are cute!

This design was inspired by the sketch challenge at Fab Friday Challenges.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Peaceful Moments, Best Day Ever (inside sentiment and envelope)

Paper - Coastal Cabana and Whisper White Cardstock, Best Year Ever DSP

Ink - Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry

Accessories - Best Year Ever Ribbon and Buttons

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Card of the Day - Posted for You

Hello and welcome back! Today I'm back to my personal unloved stamp challenge. I found a card by Sharon Davies on Pinterest and decided to try it with some different colors. Here's my take:

Once again I'm in need of anniversary cards, so I thought this sentiment was appropriate. I wasn't sure if the Terracotta Tile ink would show up on the DSP and thought about using Mossy Meadow instead, but I think it works. I made a couple of adjustments to the original card, adding a layer of cardstock and DSP instead of stamping the background. The original post also had measurements, but the DSP added to the punched pieces needed to be trimmed a bit more to fit. I also added the bow with the new Mossy Meadow braided linen trim that's coming in the January-June 2021 catalog. Isn't it lovely?

A stamped flower from the set on the envelope and the card is ready to go. Remember, no naked envelopes! :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Posted for You, Many Mates (inside sentiment)

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Terracotta Tile and Whisper White Cardstock; Ornate Garden DSP

Ink - Terracotta Tile

Accessories - Mossy Meadow Braided Linen Trim

Tools - Rectangular Postage Stamp Punch, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Card of the Day - Magnolia Hello

 Hello and welcome back! Today's card is a simple stamping example, just stamps, ink, and paper - no embellishments, ribbon, die cuts, or punches. That's definitely a challenge for me, because I like to use everything on my cards!

This card uses the retired Magnolia Lane DSP. I created several cards earlier this year using a One Sheet Wonder diagram, and had these fussy cut flowers left over. I don't like to waste anything, so they've been sitting on my work table ever since, just waiting for the right time!

The Petal Pink motif behind the sentiment was stamped off once to lighten it a bit.

This card was inspired by the challenges at CAS(E) This Sketch and Just Add Ink.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Good Morning Magnolia

Paper - Thick Whisper White Cardstock; Early Espresso and Whisper White Cardstock; Magnolia Lane DSP

Ink - Petal Pink, Early Espresso

Tools - Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals