Card of the Day - Happy First Anniversary!

Hello and welcome back! This weekend, my DH and I will be heading out of town to celebrate anniversaries with some friends. Their daughter had planned a big wedding last summer, but we all know what happened - they ended up having a small celebration with just family. However, they decided to have a big party this year for the kids' first anniversary and their 40th! This card is for the "kids."

The design was inspired by the invitation (you can see it in the last photo). I like to try to coordinate wedding cards with invitations, like this and this.

The Pearlescent Specialty Paper was a must for this card and the new In Colors Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen were a perfect match for some of the greenery on the invitation. The branches and leaves in Forever Fern and Painted Poppies were pretty close too!

Since the paper is so slick (but absolutely beautiful!), I had to be very careful with my stamping so it wouldn't smudge. Rather than waiting for it to dry, I decided to add clear embossing powder and heat set it so it would be permanent. The embossing also adds dimension to the images.

I wanted to add both colors of ribbon, but it was a bit much with both wrapped around, so I just added a bit at the end into the bow. Then a couple of Elegant Faceted Gems for bling. The envelope was made from some Neutrals DSP from my retired stash.

It's hard to tell in this photo, but the invitation is also on a pearly paper. I wish this photographed a little better!

The design is from the sketch challenge at Fab Friday.

 Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Forever Fern, Painted Poppies, Milestone Moments (inside sentiment)

Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Very Vanilla and Soft Succulent Cardstock; Pearlescent Specialty Paper

Ink - Evening Evergreen, Soft Succulent, Sahara Sand, Cinnamon Cider

Accessories - Soft Succulent Open Weave Ribbon, Evening Evergreen Open Weave Ribbon, Elegant Faceted Gems

Tools - Big Shot, Hippo and Friends Dies, Envelope Punch Board, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Card of the Day - Sweet Soiree Belated Birthday

 Hello and welcome back! I've gotten behind again this month so I needed these to catch up!

This is a pretty simple design but I wanted to take advantage of the many colors in the Designer Series Paper, so I made it in two different colorways. 

I pulled out an old Versamarker from my stash to make the silver embossed strip in the center. I was surprised that it still worked!

I originally planned to just trim out the rectangles but then decided to use my Stitched Rectangles Dies instead. I don't think I'll ever give those up!

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

Well, now I have to start signing and addressing these cards and more. I think I'm going to have about 25 cards going out this week!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Happiest of Birthdays, Approaching Perfection (inside sentiment and envelope)

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Calypso Coral, and Berry Burst Cardstock; Sweet Soiree Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink - Calypso Coral, Berry Burst, Versamarker

Accessories - Silver Embossing Powder

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

Card of the Day - Ornate Garden Happy Day

Hello and welcome back! Today I've got another birthday card - I never have enough of these!

I used some of the retiring Ornate Garden DSP as a backdrop and die cut a circle from the center before layering it on the card front. I had planned on diecutting the circle from the Soft Sea Foam layer and using the spotlight technique, but by doing it this way I was able to choose the area of the DSP that I wanted to color.

I used the Flirty Flamingo and Old Olive Stampin' Blends to color in the flowers and leaves and then layered it on a scalloped Terracotta Tile Layering Circle. That piece is popped up with dimensionals, then the sentiment banner was added, with glue on one end and a dimensional on the other to keep it level with the circle. A few Metallic Pearls were added to bling it up a bit and coordinate with the gold in the DSP.

 Not wanting to waste the leftover bits of DSP, I added them to the inside of the card.

This design was inspired by the color challenge at Fab Friday and the sketch challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day. Happy stamping!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Itty Bitty Birthdays, Approaching Perfection (inside sentiment), Ornate Style (envelope)

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Terracotta Tile, and Soft Sea Foam Cardstock; Ornate Garden DSP

Ink/Coloring Tools - Terracotta Tile; Stampin' Blends: Flirty Flamingo Dark and Light, Old Olive Light

Accessories - Metallic Pearls

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

Card of the Day - Another Birthday Chick!

Hello and welcome back! Today I've got another card made with the fabulous Hey Birthday Chick set.

I've got a few layers on this card, but otherwise it's pretty straight forward. I found some old retired Chicken Wire Elements in my stash and thought they'd be perfect for a chick card. 

The base layer is embossed with the Subtle embossing folder, then I added the chicken wire and a couple of stitched squares. The chick is lightly colored and die cut, then popped up with dimensionals. The sentiment is stamped on a narrow flagged strip and stapled to a bit of Granny Apple Green ribbon before being attached to the card front.

 And of course, I had to add the chick in the egg to the inside and the envelope. They are colored with Stampin' Write Markers.

This design was inspired by the sketch challenge at Fab Friday and the challenges at Paper Craft Crew and the Paper Players.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Hey Birthday Chick

Paper - Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, and Whisper White Cardstock

Ink/Coloring Tools - Granny Apple Green, Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Blends: Crumb Cake Light, Real Red Light; Stampin' Write Markers: Mango Melody, So Saffron, Granny Apple Green

Accessories - Chicken Wire Elements, Granny Apple Green Textured Weave Ribbon

Tools - Big Shot, Subtle Dynamic Embossing Folder, Birthday Chick Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Mini Stapler, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Card of the Day - Plaid Anniversary

 Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for my sister and brother-in-law's anniversary.

I created this card with a couple of challenges in mind, so that's where the color combination and plaid design come from. I used the Buffalo Check stamp in Just Jade and turned it into a plaid by drawing lines with the Bumblebee and Blushing Bride Stampin' Write Markers. The lines are very subtle and it's hard to tell what colors they are, so I added the layers of cardstock to help bring them out.

The challenges are the color challenge at Fab Friday and Stesha Bloodhart's plaid challenge at TGIF Challenges.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Buffalo Check, Itty Bitty Greetings, Always in My Heart (inside sentiment)

Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Blushing Bride, and Bumblebee Cardstock

Ink/Coloring Tools - Bumblebee, Just Jade; Stampin' Write Markers: Blushing Bride, Bumblebee

Accessories - Blushing Bride 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

Tools - Stamparatus, Big Shot, Happy Heart Embossing Folder, Stitched Be Mine Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Banners Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multipurpose Liquid Glue 

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

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 - 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 - Love of Leaves

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for some upcoming birthdays (and a few belated ones as well!).

Fall is definitely in the air around here, and some of the challenge blogs I follow had fall color challenges this week, so this is what I came up with. Most of the products I used are current, with the exception of the striped DSP. Also, something you can't see, but there is a piece of Always Artichoke cardstock under the stitched background, just to make the stitching stand out a bit more.

 This card will be entered in the challenges at Fab Friday, Sunday Stamps, and The Paper Players.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Love of Leaves

Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Mossy Meadow, and Crushed Curry cardstock; Regals Patterns DSP

Ink - Cajun Craze, Mossy Meadow, Cinnamon Cider, Crushed Curry

Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Leaves Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Card of the Day - Hippo Happiness

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is based on one of my favorite puns from when I was younger. Some of you may remember this Sandra Boynton illustration:

For one of my friends from waaaay back in elementary school, this was a greeting used by her family for many years, so when I saw the Hippo Happiness stamp set in the new Annual Catalog, I knew I would have a use for it. I had planned on CASEing the card in the catalog, but then these two challenges popped up and I decided to be a bit more creative. Here's the card:

I was inspired by the In Color challenge at Fab Friday and the sketch challenge at the Paper Players.

I have managed to use all of the In Colors - Bumblebee ribbon, Cinnamon Cider ewes and DSP, Just Jade sponged for grass and DSP, Magenta Madness for the hippo - because who doesn't love a bright pink hippo! - and Misty Moonlight sponged for the sky and the stamped sentiment.

I wish I could see the look on her face when this card arrives in the mail - I hope she loves it!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Hippo Happiness
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock, 2020-2022 In Color DSP
Ink - Magenta Madness, Cinnamon Cider, Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories - Bumblebee 1/4" Gingham Ribbon
Tools - Big Shot, Hippo & Friends dies, Stitched Rectangles Framelits, SNAIL, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Time for another Challenge Combo!

Hello and welcome back! It's been ages since I entered a challenge, but I needed to make a special birthday card today so I decided to see what was available out there. I found a nice color challenge and already had a stamp set in mind, so this is what I made:

I've had this foiled paper in my stash almost since it became available in the catalog but hadn't opened the package yet. It's so pretty! And the Pretty Peacock color fit right in to the challenge at Fab Friday this week.

The challenge also helped me choose the colors for the flowers. Luckily, Stampin' Blends come in all of those colors, so I was able to enter the coloring challenge at SUO.

I didn't know if there was another challenge out there that would fit this card, but then I found the tic-tac-toe challenge at the Paper Craft Crew.

This card hits all the blocks in the center column!

The challenge at #imbringingbirthdaysback has really kept me busy this year, but I'm determined to stick with it. So far, I've distributed 75 cards: birthdays, anniversaries, valentines, get well, and sympathy. March is a particularly busy month for me, as there are at least 34 card-sending occasions on my list and I'm deep into working tax season as a seasonal accountant. Today, I made 16 cards from a retired kit and the Paper Pumpkin kits are also a life saver!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Band Together
Paper - Very Vanilla and Mint Macaron cardstock, Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock, Noble Peacock Specialty DSP
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Pretty Peacock, Rococo Rose
Coloring Tools: Stampin' Blends - Petal Pink Light & Dark, Rococo Rose Light & Dark, Mint Macaron Light & Dark
Tools - Big Shot, Detailed Bands Dies, SNAIL, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals