PP 440, WWYS 218 & SIP 198 - Butterfly Gala

Hello and welcome back! It's been waaaaaaay too long since I posted but I was inspired this week by a couple of challenges.

I have several packages of this Botanical Butterfly paper from Sale-A-Bration, but hadn't yet opened it. When I saw that the colored butterflies matched the ones on the black and white paper, I knew I had to do this. The colored butterfly is simply fussy cut and layered on top! I glued down the center and popped up the wings with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals. The trickiest part of this technique was figuring out where to cut the black and white paper so the colored butterfly would be well placed on the card front.

As you can see, there are lots of options depending on how you cut the paper. I also added some of the Gingham Gala ribbon from Sale-A-Bration to coordinate with the colored butterfly. 

Another trick I used was to edge the cut out butterfly with the Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to eliminate the white edge of the paper and to cover up any mistakes in my fussy cutting.

I think I'll be cutting some more of these butterflies tonight just to be prepared for the many cards I need to catch up on!

I'm entering these cards in the challenges at The Paper Players, What Will You Stamp?, and Stamp Ink Paper.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Butterfly Gala
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Basic Black and Whisper White Cardstock, Botanical Butterfly DSP (retired)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, Grapefruit Grove, Highland Heather
Accessories - Gingham Gala Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack (retired)
Tools - SNAIL, Tombow Multipurpose Glue, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals 

SIP 150 - It's graduation time!

Hello and welcome back! Today I've got a graduation card for you. 

 One of our younger cousins just graduated earlier this month from the University of Toledo, so I tried to match the school colors as closely as I could using only Stampin' Up! products. I've created this card using the double z-fold technique. The punched graduation cap idea came from Wendy Lee's blog HERE. I'm trying to use up some of my old retired DSP so it came in handy for this card.

Here are a couple of close up shots.

This card is for the fancy fold challenge this week at Stamp Ink Paper. Too bad I missed out last week on the Dads & Grads challenge! 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp sets - Amazing Congratulations, Bravo (retired)
Paper - Dapper Denim, Basic Black,  and Whisper White Cardstock, Regals DSP Stack (retired)
Ink - Dapper Denim, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight
Accessories - Neutrals Brads (retired), DMC pearl cotton #5 (for tassel)
Tools - Big Shot, Large Numbers Framelits, 1-3/8" square punch (retired), Large oval punch (retired), Paper-Piercing Tool, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, SNAIL, Mini Glue Dots

SIP 120 - Happy Birthday

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the color challenge at Stamp Ink Paper.

I have to say that these colors scream "Halloween" to me, but I don't send Halloween cards and since I just made one yesterday for another challenge, I needed to go in a different direction. And then I thought, "These colors are perfect for cake icing," so I pulled out the Icing on the Cake stamp set and made this:

The shell borders are the perfect size to frame the top layer of the card, and look great in that Lemon Lime Twist. The flowers and sentiment are stamped in Pumpkin Pie (my favorite orange shade!), but how to add the black was eluding me. Then it hit me - add a layer under the cake for a cake board! I wish I had some black glimmer paper - that would have been perfect! 

The flowers and leaves were fussy cut and added to the top, and I added a flower to the front of the envelope as well. I usually forget about the envelope, but stamping it adds a nice touch.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used:

Stamp set - Icing on the Cake
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Basic Black and Whisper White Cardstock
Ink - Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Lime Twist
Tools - Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Paper Snips, Stampin' Dimensionals

SIP 119, FMS 307 & CC&S 243 - Get Well

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is a triple challenge combo - the anything goes challenge at Stamp Ink Paper, the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, and the color challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.

And here is today's card:

One of my friends just had knee replacement surgery this week, so I needed a card for her. I know exactly how she feels - it's been 11 months since I had mine done. 

Somewhere this week, I saw a sample using the inlaid die cut technique, so I thought I'd try it for this card. It takes a little bit of patience but it wasn't too bad. The dies I used were not very detailed so that helped!

I'll be dropping this off with my friend this afternoon, with some flowers to brighten her day.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used:

Stamp set - Weather Together
Paper - Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz, and Early Espresso cardstock
Ink - Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories - Witches Brew Washi Tape (retired)
Tools - Big Shot, Umbrella Weather Framelits, Sunshine Wishes Framelits, Layering Ovals Framelits, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

SIP 118 & PCC 261 - Thank You Gift Box

Hello and welcome back! Today's project is for the "anything but a card" challenge at Stamp Ink Paper and the color challenge at Paper Craft Crew.

And here is today's project:

I've had this stamp set for almost a year and had not yet inked it up, so the SIP challenge offered the perfect opportunity. I have to say that the colors in the PCC challenge were not something I would have come up with on my own, so this project was a bit of a stretch!

I used Cajun Craze cardstock to create the box, added the Lemon Lime Twist in the ribbon, stamping, and inserts inside the box, and stamped the main part of the sentiment in Tranquil Tide.  I also added some stamping on the sides of the box with Tranquil Tide, but didn't stamp until the box was already assembled, so that didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Note to self: plan all stamping BEFORE assembly! :)

I popped up the sentiment on top of the box and threaded the ribbon underneath and tied the bow. The center of the sentiment was fussy cut and popped up with the Mini Stampin' Dimensionals. I love these little buggers!

Technique tip - To round the corners on the sentiment piece, I used the punch on the back side of the Envelope Punch Board.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used:

Stamp set - Window Shopping
Paper - Cajun Craze, Lemon Lime Twist, Whisper White cardstock
Ink - Lemon Lime Twist, Tranquil Tide
Accessories - Lemon Lime Twist Finely Woven Ribbon
Tools - Big Shot, Precision Plate, Window Box Thinlits, Envelope Punch Board, Multi-purpose Liquid Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

SIP 114 - Delightful Daisy Happy Birthday

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the challenge at Stamp Ink Paper, and here's a copy of the sketch.  

And here is today's card:

When I originally ordered this Daisy bundle, the punch was on backorder, so I didn't work with it right away. Then I read about several people having trouble with the punch. Luckily when mine arrived, it worked just fine!

Even though it's starting to feel like fall, this is a very spring-like card. I stamped, punched, and layered two daisies, but I think I could have done three. The stamping was done with Crushed Curry on Daffodil Delight cardstock so the stamp would show better. I added a few layers and the sentiment banner to finish off the card.

I hope you like it.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used:

Stamp sets - Daisy Delight, Birthday Banners
Paper - Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder, and Whisper White Cardstock, Delightful Daisy DSP
Ink - Crushed Curry, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories - Clear Faceted Gems
Tools - Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Layering Circles Framelits, Daisy Punch, Banner Punch (retired), Tombow Glue, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals 

SIP#101 & FMS#290 - It's Graduation Season!

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the graduation challenge at Stamp Ink Paper and the sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

And here is today's card:

I didn't think I'd have any use for a graduation card this year, until a friend I've known for about 50 years posted on Facebook that she was receiving her Master's Degree in Music. In the world of academic regalia, the master's hood for music is pink, so I knew I needed to incorporate that color in the card. The brand-new In Color, Powder Pink, is perfect! Luckily, I just received my first order from the new catalog so I had some new product to use. 

The card base is the new Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock - I love this for card bases! I added a layer of Powder Pink and then a layer of regular weight Very Vanilla, which I stamped with the "vintage" Music Notes Stampin' Around wheel stamp. (I have unmounted my wheel stamps, but that's a subject for another blog post.) The new Sheet Music background stamp could also be used here, but I don't own that one - yet! The half circle of Pear Pizzazz is embossed with the retired Square Lattice embossing folder, and then the seam is covered with some of the fabulous new Finely Woven Ribbon. A bow was added as a final touch, along with some stamping on the envelope flap. All stamping is done with Chocolate Chip ink.

I'm so proud of my friend for going back to school and furthering her education. I know how hard it is to do it later in life - I was 47 when I graduated from college with my Bachelor's Degree!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set - Suite Sentiments (retired), Music Notes Stampin' Around Wheel (retired)
Paper - Very Vanilla Thick Cardstock; Powder Pink, Pear Pizzazz, and Very Vanilla Cardstock
Ink - Chocolate Chip
Accessories - Powder Pink Finely Woven Ribbon
Tools - Big Shot, Circles Framelits (retired), Square Lattice TIEF (retired), SNAIL, Mini Glue Dots 

I'm back!!

Hello and welcome back! It's been nearly 4 months since I last posted - way too long! Gotta work on getting my mojo back, and what better way than with the challenges at Mojo Monday and Stamp Ink Paper. I've combined the sketch from Mojo Monday with the theme at SIP to create a cute kid's birthday card that would also be suitable for an adult.

Here's today's card:

I've had the Cool Treats stamp set since On Stage in November, but hadn't used it yet.  I stamped the ice cream scoops with Peekaboo Peach, Pool Party, and Watermelon Wonder, and used Chocolate Chip cardstock for the chocolate on top and the Tasty Treats DSP for the cone. The sentiment is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black on vellum and I added clear embossing powder to heat set the ink.

I hope you like this card - I think it's pretty cute! And our weather turned pretty warm today, so ice cream is a great idea!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi


Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamp set: Cool Treats
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Chocolate Chip, Watermelon Wonder, Peekaboo Peach, Pool Party, and Whisper White Cardstock; Tasty Treats Specialty DSP; Vellum Cardstock
Ink: Peekaboo Peach, Pool Party, Watermelon Wonder, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Peekaboo Peach Ruched Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder
Tools: Frozen Treats Framelits, Big Shot, Heat Tool, Triple Banner Punch, Tombow Multi Glue, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Up & Away Birthday

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is inspired by the sketch challenge at Stamp Ink Paper and the color challenge at Paper Craft Crew.

Here is today's card:

I used the Up & Away Thinlits to create the balloon and to cut the clouds out of the Whisper White layer. The sentiment is from the Lift Me Up stamp set. I cut the stamp apart and used the other half of the sentiment on the inside of the card.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi



Supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):

Stamp set: Lift Me Up
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock; Whisper White, Basic Gray, Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, and Elegant Eggplant cardstock, Carried Away DSP (Sale-A-Bration item available FREE with a $50 purchase!)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant
Tools: Big Shot, Magnetic Platform, Precision Plate, Paper Piercer, Up & Away Thinlits, Banner Punch (retired), Fine-Tip Glue Pen, SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals

SIP #29 - Sketch Challenge

Hello and welcome back! It's been quite a while since I posted - December was a very busy month! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! But now the holidays are over and it's back to real life. Today's card is for the sketch challenge at Stamp Ink Paper.

And here is today's card:

Unfortunately, I've had a need for sympathy cards recently, so I thought I'd use this sketch to make a few. Thoughts & Prayers always seems to be my go-to set for this type of card, even though there have been new sets since this one came out. I stamped the tree in Perfect Plum directly onto a doily, then stamped the sentiment in Versamark on vellum, embossed it with silver powder, and punched it out with the 2" circle punch and layered it on top. (I used some non-SU Tombow Vellum Adhesive for this. Just rolled it on behind the words so it would be invisible.) The banners are cut from "vintage" DSP from my stash. Although this color is still in the collection, I liked these more muted patterns from the past for this card. I added the "vintage" 1/4" taffeta ribbon from my stash as well.

That's all I have for today. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

SIP#20 & PP#268 Combo Challenge - It's a Girl!

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the sketch challenge at The Paper Players and the color challenge at Stamp Ink Paper.

Some dear friends were just blessed with a new granddaughter - she's the first baby girl in 7 generations! I think she deserves a beautiful card, don't you? Here's what I came up with:

The card was created on a base of Whisper White Thick Cardstock - I'm so glad we have this now! No more floppy white cards! The three pink panels are from the "vintage" Nursery Nest DSP. I wish we still had something with these "perfect for baby card" colors. The image and sentiment are from the retired Baby Prints stamp set and stamped in Blushing Bride. The "feet" are grounded with a circle of Early Espresso. Some touches of gold were added in the heart, the button and the sequins.

Welcome to the world, Scarlett Ann!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

SIP Challenge 18

Hello and welcome back! It's been over a week since I posted, but I had a bit of a blitz before that. I think I must have worn myself out! Anyhoo, I'm back today with a card for the sketch challenge at Stamp Ink Paper.

So here's today's card:

This is a pretty simple card with minimal stamping, but lots of layers. The card base is Whisper White Thick Cardstock, layered with Pool Party and embossed Bermuda Bay. I added a circle of Cherry on Top DSP layered with Crushed Curry, then stamped the sentiment on Whisper White and layered that with Watermelon Wonder. The sentiment is stapled onto the card, and voila! Done!

I've made a couple of these for upcoming birthdays, so they'll be going into the mail tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Challenge Combo - Again!

Hello and welcome back! I have another challenge combo today - a card inspired by the color challenge at Fab Friday, the sketch challenge at The Paper Players, and the card maker's choice challenge at Stamp Ink Paper. It's always fun to try and mashup the challenges!

So here is today's card:

I created this card on a Very Vanilla base, stamping the acorns in Soft Suede to create a background. The Soft Suede DSP is from the collection from a couple of years ago, and the Rich Razzleberry button also came from my retired stash. I added piercing on the Rich Razzleberry strips for a little bit of texture. All in all, a pretty simple card. I didn't even use any die cuts or punches!

I hope you like today's challenge combo card!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

SIP#15 & FMS#205 - Happy Anniversary!

Hello and welcome back! I think I've set a record this week - posting four days in a row! I guess I found this week's challenges especially appealing, and I was also able to combine several of them, so that helped a lot. Today's card is for the Stamp Ink Paper color challenge and the Freshly Made Sketches challenge. I have friends who have an anniversary coming up so this card is for them.

Here is today's card:

This card uses a combination of current and "vintage" products. The En Francais background stamp is one that I will never get rid of - it is one of my favorites! It's stamped in Pool Party to complement the embossed banner.  The sentiment is stamped in Basic Black Archival Ink, and I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the words lined up just right. After adding the little Daffodil Delight banner, I felt like it needed just a little more of that yellow accent, so I dug that "vintage" flower button out of my stash. The sliver of doily was sitting on my work table - a leftover from yesterday's card - so I added that too, just below the "vintage" satin ribbon.

I hope my friends enjoy this card and I hope you like it too!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

More September birthday cards!

Hello and welcome back! Today's card is for the challenges at Stamp Ink Paper #13 and Freshly Made Sketches #203.

Several days ago I posted what I thought was going to be my go-to birthday card for September, but these challenges inspired me to make something new. Here's my new card:

I still haven't gotten out of the spring/summer color combo mode, but the weather here has gotten considerably cooler over the last couple of days, so that may motivate me to switch over to fall colors!

Most of the products used to create this card are from my "retired" stash - Regal Rose cardstock, Rose Red patterned DSP, and the Starburst framelits. Current products are Rose Red cardstock and ink, Whisper White regular cardstock and thick cardstock, and the Hello You thinlits. (I just love that new heavyweight Whisper White cardstock for card bases!) This is a clean & simple card, but I still had to add just a bit of bling with the little pearls on the banner.

A couple of these cards went into the mail today; the rest will be sent before the end of the month. Soon I'll have to start thinking about October...

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--Cindi

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog