A Charming Heart Birthday

Here's a quick birthday card using the new Hearts Framelit die. I wanted my card to be the size of the largest framelit, so I folded my 6x11 Pool Party CS in half lengthwise and placed one of the sides just inside the framelit to create a hinge that the card would open/close at. I used the upcoming Sale-A-Bration DSP Everyday Enchantment and cut out a smaller heart using the Hearts framelit, sponging Pool Party ink around the edges of the DSP heart. My stamped image is from the Charming stamp set which I used the Marker-to-Stamp technique on to get the variety of colors on my stamped image. I punched out the stamped image using the Extra-Large Oval punch, snailing it to a Perfect Polka Dot embossed 2-3/8" scallop circle. I also embossed the heart-shaped card front with the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder. The stamped/scallop circle is dimensionaled to the upper center of the heart. The Basic Black stamped  "Happy Birthday" is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes SS, which was punched with the Word Window punch and then the edges were sponged. I added a punched Itty Bitty Pool Party scallop to the left side of the punched sentiment with one of SU's Mini Brads attached to the flower center. This last little piece was dimensionaled to the card front...and voila! It's done :-) Thanks for stopping by!

Art Nouveau Blossom Petals

Do you ever end up with card parts just lying around? I do, I have little pieces and parts that pop up every now and then. One of the pieces that has been lying around for awhile is the largest flower petal from the Blossoms Petal Builder punch. Everytime I saw this little piece I kept seeing it as the focal point of some kind of Art Nouveau'ish type card. As I googled Art Nouveau images, the colors and the card began to emerge.
So what is Art Nouvea? Here's Wikipedia's definition: A style of decorative art, architecture, and design prominent in western Europe and the US from about 1890 until World War I and characterized by intricate linear designs and flowing curves based on natural forms. (Hmmm...that sounded to me like the flowing curves on the Blossom piece I was thinking about.)

So what I actually did was repunch the largest Blossoms Petal in Shimmery White CS. I used one of the little wooden tools that come with SU's rub-ons, and placed my punched petal on a piece of cardboard to dry emboss some curves onto the petal. I used the Reinker Spread technique (click on this video for a quick how-to) to create the light and dark areas on the petal. The embossed lines acted as little reservoirs for the ink to flow down into...kind of cool. The Old Olive leaves are punched from the Blossoms Petal punch, as well. I folded them in half and ran each one through the crimper, sponging Soft Suede over the surface and edges of the leaves and large reinker blossom. What a great tool the Stampamajig was to accurately place the small Charming medallion stamp around the perimeter of the circle.The rest of the supplies I used to create my card are listed below. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used
Cardstock: So Saffron, Old Olive, Basic Black, Shimmery White,Calypso Coral

Punches: Blossoms Petal, 1-3/8" circle, 1-1/4" circle, Itty Bitty scallop

Stamp Set: Charming

Ink: Calypso Coral (and Reinker), Peach Parfait (and Reinker), Early Espresso, Soft Suede

Big Shot: Scallop Circle; Ovals #2

Accessories: Jewels-Pearls, Circle Cutter, sponge dauber, Crimper

 Click to Order Stampin' Up! Supplies

Something Fun to Try

From Adriel:

Here's a different kind of bookmark that is simple to make, but looks awesome! I used the tutorial on Mary's blog which you can find HERE.

I used the Charming stamp set from Stampin' Up! and embossed in black and white. It's really an elegant bookmark and would make a great gift for anyone! Make a card to match, slide the bookmark over the corner and you've got an instant and lovely gift. Seriously, this bookmark takes less than 20 minutes to make... great for when you need a last minute something for a thank you or other occasion and you need a little something more than a card.

Here's another tutorial for a similar, but simpler bookmark made using the Petal Card die. I don't own that die, but this one looks like fun, too!

Have fun and enjoy yourself! We would love to see what you end up with... leave us a link to what you make! =)

Oh, and don't forget about our color challenge... there's still a few more days left. It ends Feb. 26th! Get all the details HERE!

Too Long...

From Adriel:

It's been too long since I've posted something on here! My problem is I don't have pictures of new projects... I'm going to go dig around in my photos and see if I can find something to share... be right back...

Okay, I found something! I intended to share this a couple of weeks ago and never did! So, here we go!

My mom was creating cards a couple of weeks ago for the Cracked Glass technique class we are teaching soon. Of course, I had to try my hand at it! =) I used the pretty new set "Charming" from Stampin' Up! and did the cracked glass technique on just the punched accent of my card. For those of you unfamiliar with the cracked glass technique, you basically apply several layers of special embossing powder (Glossy Glaze enamel) and then you apply a cold pack to it or put it in the freezer. When it is very cold, you can quickly crack it and it has this neat effect of "cracked glass". You can go back over the cracks with ink to add to the antique look. Anyway, neat effect and fun to try! Here's a link to a tutorial on SplitCoast.

I like how this card turned out, but after I made it into a friend card I looked at it and wondered why I didn't make it a Christmas card. It looks more like that to me. Don't know! =)

We doing our Tropical Stamping Bunco tonight! I worked on the tag directions this morning and am looking forward to our evening with some of you!

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day! =)

What's New With You?

From Adriel:

Well, as ambitious as my plans yesterday sounded, I actually did get most of them done! Yay! =) I just have to finish up my meal-planning and shopping list. I may be able to reward myself this afternoon with some creative time...

Just to let you know, September's newsletter is now up! All of this month's classes are listed in there, along with a classes at the Tumbleweed Rec. Center. There's a fun tutorial in there and specials from Stampin' Up!. You can view this month's newsletter HERE or by clicking on the special newsletter button on the side of our blog.

The big news is the Tropical Stamping Bunco Night on September 29th! All the details are in the newsletter! We have a limited number of spots for this event, so if you are planning on coming, let us know. =)

I'm sharing another gift tag with you today that I made with the new set from Stampin' Up! called "Charming". It's so pretty and it's now available for ordering!

Thanks for stopping by today! =)