Christmas Deer

I know, Christmas in June is a little early, but if you are really planning to send a pile of homemade Christmas cards, you may already be behind! This card was made for a New Catty swap that I hope everyone has in their hot little hands before this is posted :)

I found out this weekend that I am not the only one that loves Crumb Cake as a base for Christmas cards! When I started this card, I reached for the Crumb Cake without conscious thought, that is home much I love it for Christmas cards :)
As for the stamp set I chose to use, as soon as I saw it in the new catty, I knew that it had to be mine. I love the swirls of the antlers and the little images you can add to it. And I discovered that I could lay the ornaments on the image where I wanted them and then just lay the acrylic block over the the top. Voila! Instead of inking and stamping 3 times for each card, I could do it once with the same placement on every card!
To start the card off was a little tricky though. I took a piece of Crumb Cake 4¼"x11" and scored at 5½".
Then I took a piece of Cherry Cobbler 1¼"x5½" and embossed with one of the Delicate Designs embossing folders. Adhered Choc Chip Scallop Dots ribbon to the 2 long edges, the adhered this strip to the center of the card front. Then it could finally be cut with the Oval Accent Bigz die with the folded edge just inside the die cutting edge and the strip centered properly. It took a couple trial and error runs, but I got it :)

The deer image here is inked with the new firm foam inkpad, stamped off, then stamped in the center. Then the sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip. Those firm foam pads are AWESOME! Especially with the solid image stamps, I ♥ firm foam :)

• Stamps: Christmas Deer, Petite Pairs
• Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
• Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
• Other: Big Shot with Oval Accent  and 3½" Circle dies and Delicate Designs EF, ½" Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots ribbon, 1" Square punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals

Birds and Branches

This is the last of the Blog Hop projects, and it is the one I chose to use for a swap I participated in recently. I am hoping that everyone has their swaps by the time this is posted :) And boy-howdy, did my Big Shot get a workout with this card!

This card has many layers and lots of sponging. I made 12 of these, and I should have thought about this a little more as it took me 5 hours to make them and I started at 7pm the night before they had to be mailed! I was a little short on sleep the next day at work, but the cards were done and in the mailbox by 1am, lol!
The card base is Naturals White, then there is a layer of Very Vanilla type-print DSP from the Neutrals DSP pack. I sponged the edges and corners with River Rock ink and stamped the birds and branches image in River rock in the lower left corner. I also distressed the edges and inked them with the River Rock inkpad. Of course, I outlined with white gel pen :)
All of the other layers of this card were sponged with River Rock and edges inked with a Soft Suede marker.
For the banner, I used a ½" strip of River Rock and stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso. I also took a ¾" of Naturals White and die cut it with the Finishing Touches edglelit, then glued this to the bottom edge of the River Rock strip. Next I used a 1" Square punch to make the dovetails.  Then I paper piercer faux stitches and added white gel pen thread.

I could go on with all the steps, but I don't think there were any tips or techniques that would be helpful to list :) I hope everyone who gets one of these is at least half as pleased with it as I am!

Inside is more sponging and the birds and branches again. Can't forget the white gel pen outline, which shows up nicely with the River Rock sponging :)

• Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Apothecary Art, Petite Pairs
• Ink: River Rock, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
• Paper: Naturals White, River Rock, Neutrals DSP pack
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits and Finishing Touches edgelits, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack with Paper Piercer and Piercing Mat, Sponge, Signo white gel pen, Pearls Basic Jewels, Vintage Faceted buttons, Naturals designer buttons, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Baker's Twine, Glue Dots

Sweet Thanks Mini Milk Cartons

These milk cartons come together so easily they are a natural quick little project for a last minute need.
I had found a cute holder for these by Becky Roberts last year and made some Easter gifts with the idea. I did tweak the tutorial a bit though to save some steps.

Take two 3¾" squares and score at 1" all four sides, then cut on score line to the 1" line on 2 sides to create four flaps. Then trim off half of each flap at a diagonal.
Then take a 1-5/8"x8" strip and score at 4" and fold in half. Then punch a Medium Oval handle.

 Assemble like so! I just used Tombow liquid glue to assemble this whole thing.

I couldn't decide which sway I liked the images stamped better so I used both the Summer Starfruit and Crumb Cake on the left, and the Whisper White with Crumb Cake shadows on the right. And on the holder I did some bold full-strength inking, and some stamped off images.

I also used the new mini punches from the Little Labels pack with the Lovely Little Labels set to make the tags. I will be stapling the cartons closed after I fill them with a tasty little treat, but they look pretty cute with the mini clothes pins for now :)

• Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Lovely Little Labels
• Ink: Summer Starfruit, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
• Paper: Summer Starfruit, Naturals White
• Other: Big Shot with Mini Milk Carton die, Simply Scored, Medium Oval punch, Little Labels punch pack, White Baker's Twine, large-eyed needle and piercing mat

Love and Sympathy

I think this is the hardest kind of card for me to make, so I have been trying to make more of them. Unfortunately, they don't last very long before I, or someone I know, needs to send one of these. The layout and images of this card could be used for many different occasions too.

I was having way too much fun with the Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack last week, lol! I have always loved the look of faux stitching so this is fast becoming one of my favorite new tools. The pack has a lot of fantastic guides. I hope you give them a try. I did find that using some pins to hold the guide in place to the mat worked great for keeping everything together while doing the piercing.
And did you notice how well the Extra Large Oval punch is framed by the square Apothecary Accent die? Love it!

Inside I used the coordinating sentiment from the Love & Sympathy set. More trees, and white gel pen to give it a nice finished touch.

• Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Love & Sympathy
• Ink: River Rock, Early Espresso
• Paper: River Rock, Early Espresso, Naturals White, Neutrals DSP pack-Very Vanilla type sheet
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits, Extra-Large Oval punch, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack with paper piercer and piercing mat, sponge, Signo white gel pen, Stampin's Dimensionals, Mini Silver Brads

Butterfly Silhouette Birthday

This week I will be showing you my blog hop projects in a little more detail. I really had a lot of fun making these projects, and I hope the details will be useful to everyone, or someone at least!

For this card, I chose the same layout as a Father's Day card I had made the week before and changed it up just a little bit.  I knew I wanted to used a soft neutral and Crumb Cake is my usual go-to color for that, then River Rock, neither of them seemed to work. Then I remembered poor neglected Sahara Sand! I really love that color, I just keep forgetting about it. Funny how we get stuck in color ruts, isn't it.

I also used the new Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack here. It is so much easier to make the faux stitching with the larger guide. The straight line of stitching is a full 5½" long on the 6" guide!

The Apothecary Accents framelits set has such wonderful shapes, I just can't stop using them! The shape I used is the only one that does not have a piercing guide. I would love one for it, and one for ovals.... maybe that will come in the future :) A girl can dream.

• Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Curly Cute, Woodgrain
• Ink: Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, Sahara Sand
• Paper: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits, 1¾" Circle punch, 1" Square punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Essentials Paper-Piercing pack with Paper Piercer and Piercing Mat, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Signo white gel pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

SA Blog Hop- Serene Silhouettes

Now that we have all had a chance to see the new annual catalog from Stampin' Up! , and some of us have gotten to play with the new toys, it is time to show it all off to you! There is so much to love about the new catty, it is hard to know where to start. I must confess, I made a REALLY long list of stuff I want out of the catalog. Then I went back and tried to make it smaller... I did n;t have much luck there, lol. Then I went back again and divided my wist list into 7 groups by theme with the plan to order one group a month. Sounds like a good plan? Maybe.
Now, allow us to make your list making harder ;)

If you  have just joined the hop, Welcome! Here is a link to the main thread in case you get lost. If you just came from Heidi's blog you will share in my delight in her projects! Who knew you could do that with The Great Outdoors set?

I will be featuring the Serene Silhouettes set. I am not sure why I chose this as one of the first sets to get, other than I don't have any other silhouettes sets right now. And these images are beautiful! I imaging more card ideas!

This is the first card I made with this set, and it has a vintage feel to it. See the Vintage Faceted button? They are so pretty! And next to it is a Naturals button. I love how they look so good together :) As you can see, I used a lot of new goodies on this card, lol.

How about some circles? And bright colors? And the under-used Sahara Sand. Every time I use Sahara Sand, I wonder why I don't use it more often. Add a little Woodgrain BG to the die cut piece, and some yummy little flowers with rhinestones, and I think it is a hit!

We all need a sympathy card or 3 in our stash. I know I am never in the mood, or inspired, when I need one of these cards. All of the images in this set, except maybe the round one, work well for a sympathy card.

My 3D project is a "Sweet Thanks" with milk cartons. This little holder has been around for awhile, and it is still so cute! The silhouette flowers and grass makes a pretty shadow effect with the White and Crumb Cake inks.

Now, on with the show! The next stop on this hop is Debra Burgin's blog where she will be featuring Fine Feathers, and she did a fabulous job! Go check it out!!

Next Blog--------->

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Motorcycle Dad

Motorcycles. I think almost every guy has owned one, or plans on it someday. And SU made this fabulous single stamp a couple years ago. I had actually forgotten to add this stamp to the stacks of stamps I had gathered for making Father's Day cards! Can you believer that?! Then my hubby made a comment that a motorcycle card "would be nice" when I asked him if there was something missing from my selection of complete cards.

I snuck some more banners into this card. After I had it assembled I realized I should have made the blue banner just a little longer so you could see all of the words "best" and "ever". Then I could have stamped "dad" under the motorcycle! Oh well, next time I will :)

Inside is part SU sentiment and part PTI sentiment. They mix really well :)

• Stamps: Motorcycle, Travel Log, Best Dad Ever, Father Knows Best (PTI)
• Ink: Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Early Espresso
• Paper: Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Early Espresso, Naturals White
• Other: Big Shot with Labels framelits, Corner Rounder, 1",and  1¼" Square punches. Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Signo white gel pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, black pen

 And don't forget to come back tomorrow to join us for the Blog Hop!

Funny Dad

Summer Starfruit. Hmmm. Kind of a tough color for me to love, until I saw this color combo on a non SU card on the web somewhere. Now, I love it!! I am so glad :) We only have this color for 2 years and sometimes a color will take 18 months to grow on me.

I had a request for a funny Father's Day card and Hambo Stamps came to the rescue for the phrases. I used a variety of stamp sets for the images :) The star clusters are from Extreme Elements, The argyle Dad is from Loved Ones, and the lower case dad is from Family Reunion. And I finally used some of the those wonderful Naturals buttons!

And the punchline for this card. I love it!!

Card #2 looks almost exactly the same, but has a different funny sentiment.

How can you not love these?!

• Stamps: Family Reunion, Extreme Elements, Loved Ones, Best Dad Ever, Hambo Stamps funny sayings
• Ink: Summer Starfuit, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake
• Paper: Summer Starfuit, Baja Breeze, Naturals White
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits, Large and Small Star punches, Naturals Designer buttons, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, Paper Piercer, Signo white gel pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

Still Waters

I couldn't resist making another card with this set, and I had not yet gotten my order from the new catalog, I really wanted the Chevrons embossing folder, so I used a Chevron set I had in my stash to simulate waves in the background.

This layout kind of reminds my of those kitschy wall plaques about fish stories, lol!

And inside looks a bit like twilight fishing, when the heat of the day has worn off, the water becomes still and looks like glass....perfection.

• Stamps: Angler, Best Dad Ever, Chevron (PTI)
• Ink: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Versamark
• Paper: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Naturals White
• Other: Apothecary Accents dies with Big Shot, Paper Piercer, Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine, 1" Square punch, Embossing Buddy, White embossing powder, Heat Gun, Stampin' Dimensionals

Trout Anyone?

Another oldie but goodie! Angler is one of those sets that will never leave my collection. I have made many a card with it, and I will make many more I am sure :)

Lots if action on this card, the alternating circle sizes make me think of waves on the lake. The fish swimming by promise a great day fishing!
Living in Minnesota makes fishing an automatic pass time, and both sides of our family have worked in the fishing boat industry, so this is such an amazing set of images for me.
My love of Pool Party has not diminished lately, but I am finding myself using the Island Indigo more now too :)
The boat image is embossed in white to make a vibrant image, and I stamped the lures in the background as the cardfront seemed too blah without it.

More fishies swimming inside!

• Stamps: Angler, Best Dad Ever
• Ink: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Versamark
• Paper: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Whisper White
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits, Embossing Buddy, White embossing powder, Heat Gun, Stampin' Dimensionals, ¾" and 1" Cir

Old Green Truck

This old truck just has to be used for a Father's Day card or two. I just love coloring it too. And I used 2 of the new In-Colors on this card.

Raspberry Ripple is such a deep, rich purply-red, I love it! And I have already gone on and on about how I love the new Gumball Green :) This image tends to make me think of autumn, but these colors are the lush colors of summer, right now anyway!

The inside is all ready for someone to pick a sentiment, and the River Rock truck is light enough to stamp and write right over the top of it.

• Stamps: Countryside, Teeny Tiny Wishes
• Ink: River Rock, Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Jet Black Stazon
• Paper: Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, River Rock, Naturals White, Watercolor paper
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents and Oval dies, Designer Label punch, Signo white gel pen, Aquapainters, Stampin' Dimensionals

Native Father

This stamp set (Dream Catcher) is retired and rare, and I paid  more for it than I care to admit. I bought it off Ebay shortly after I started working in Red Lake, and I am really glad I did. The vision for these cards came to me while driving home from work after a night shift on Friday morning, and I still love the way they turned out!

The new firm foam inkpads make this image so much more crisp and clear, so much more beautiful! I find myself more drawn to the intricately designed stamps because I can get an image I am happy with! I always assumed it was something I was doing that made the images a little mucky.
I used a non-SU set that really helped communicate the message I wanted for these cards. I love the crisp, clean imagery throughout this card.

And this is the second version. The print in the background gives the definition of the word Hero.

And the inside...

I am hoping that this is a popular card, but I only made 1 of each. Maybe I should make 1 more of each.

• Stamps: Dream Catcher (retired SU), My Hero My Dad (PTI)
• Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede
• Paper: Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso, Soft Suede
• Other: 1" Square punch, Stampin' Dimensionals