A Winner, An Untrendy Tool, and Some Determined Chatter

First, the winner of our OLW13 Give-Away is Susan Garner, number 43. Congratulations, Susan! Click on her name to see her card, which is stunning for its use of ink-on-ink!

Second, a card using an extremely untrendy tool:


How-To Tips: Deco scissors are a great, very inexpensive way to enhance CAS cards. They do, however, require careful handling so the design lines up evenly. I use a piece of cardstock slightly larger on all sides than I want the final, edged piece to be. Then draw a line in pencil about a quarter inch in from the edge I want to cut. I start the cut as close to the joint of the scissors as I can and cut ALMOST to the end of the scissor. If you close the scissors completely, you'll get an unsightly divet in the edge. Then, I reposition the cardstock in the middle of the blade so that the already cut part of the paper is even with design of the blade, and cut again without closing the scissors. Repeat until the entire edge is cut.

Once the edge is cut, I trim the top and bottom to the size I need using my quilting ruler and craft knife so the design begins and ends in the same place, evenly.

I hope all this makes sense.

Design Discussion: This is, of course, the same Mark's Finest Papers butterfly and carnation stamp I used HERE and HERE. With the pumpkin pie scalloped border and tangelo butterfly and sentiment, we've got a visual triangle. The canteloupe carnation and pear tart stem keep the colors simple and direct and harmonious. And because the outlines aren't colored in, the white-on-white works beautifully.

Well, I think so!

Third, let's have a determined chat. I have eleven border punches and six decorative edge scissors. That's not enough, but I really try to limit my purchases to border punches that are more general-use. For instance, I don't have a snowflake, Easter bunny, or spider border punch, even though they are the cutest things EVER.

Why? Because flake, bunny, and spider punches are more determined punches. They have a limited meaning: snowflakes for winter, bunnies for Easter, spiders for Halloween. It would be really hard to use any of these for another purpose than the determined one.

Scalloped scallop borders are less determined, which means they don't have a strong association with any particular meaning or use. My choice of a border punch is usually based on shape: what shaped edge will enhance the rest of my design?

For those of us on limited budgets, this is a VERY important distinction. For instance, I would much rather own several halloween stamp sets than several halloween punches because for CAS purposes, I can make lots more different projects with stamps than with halloween punches. Remember, I hate mass production! Plus, I personally feel my creativity sparked more by cool stamps than by useful tools. It's just the way I work. You may work totally differently, and your preferences will differ as well.

When your budget simply doesn't allow you to "have it all," thinking through these trade-offs and your own personal preferences can result in greater flexibility and enhanced creativity.

For those of you on generous budgets, such thought processes are blissfully unnecessary. Buy what you want and enjoy it. The rest of us will just be green with envy.

Pear tart green.

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Memento tangelo, canteloupe, pear tart
paper: SU pumpkin pie, PTI white
accessories: cloud decorative scissors, dimensionals

Sucker for a Good Border Punch

Got a coupon? Get a border punch!

That's my motto.

Well, one of them. Along with "You can nevah, nevah, nevah have too many stamps." And "Too CAS? I don't know what you're talking about."

Today's card is one of my favorite color combinations: cool caribbean, sahara sand, and white. So peaceful. So beachy. So ahhhhhhhhh.


And the border punch makes the whole thing work.

Scalloped scallops. That Martha Stewart is brilliant. Well, whoever designs her punches is brilliant.

So, how many border punches do YOU have? Inquiring minds want to know.

She Colored!

It's shocking, I know.


How-To Tips: I used Bic and Sharpie markers to color this with the shading technique I described in this post.

Design Discussion: This lovely carnation and butterfly stamp is the same image I used yesterday on the One-Layer Wednesday post. Looks totally different colored in, doesn't it? I tried to do a white-on-white card but the dense coloring really needed a colored card base to set it off in a balanced way. I love the richness of the colors and think it's perfect for a get well card...perky, happy, yet peaceful with the butterfly. Because the image is so detailed, I opted to avoid any bling or other embellishments. This very flat card will mail easily.

Thank you all for your kind comments about Daisy, both here and over on my other blog. We're quite excited, as you can tell. She's such a love!

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Palette Noir
paper: SU pretty in pink and rose red (or maybe pomegranite, not sure); PTI white
accessories: Bic and Sharpie markers, SU ticket corner punch

One-Layer Wednesday 14: Square Outlines

First of all, OLW13 was an AMAZING success. Y'all are sooooo talented! I'm in awe! I will definitely make time to comment on all the submissions...puppy delays are inevitable in the next few weeks. I'll be picking a winner of the Mark's Finest Paper's set soon. And since it was so fun to give away a set last week, we're going to do it again this week!

OLW14 is a two-part challenge.

First, make a square card. It can be any size, but it has to be square. I like the 4.25" square because it fits in a standard A2 envelope, but you may choose any size you like, as long as it's a square.

Second, use an outline stamp. You may color it in if you wish, but for simplicity's sake, I stamped the outline in color, thus skipping the whole time-consuming coloring-in process. I'm lazy that way.

For my card, I used a pretty outline carnation and butterfly stamp from Mark's Finest Papers.


How-To Tips: I love my Memento dew-drop ink pads. They are ideal for putting multiple colors on one stamp without having to mask, ink, stamp, clean, remask, ink, and stamp again. Wow, just typing that process makes me tired.


Rules for OLW14

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.

2. Your card must be square and use an outline stamp. Remember to keep embellishments to a minimum.

3. Please share your creation by posting your card online and then using the InLinkz button in the sidebar of Simplicity to link to it.

4. Most important of all...HAVE FUN!




For those of you interested in my personal life, give a click to THIS POST on Questioning my Intelligence. It'll make you smile. And maybe cry a little. But definitely smile.

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white (of course!)
accessories: um, well, none
size: 4.25" square

Regrets

As I mentioned yesterday, occasionally a set comes along that tempts me into buying it and then fails to deliver on its promise. Well, to be honest, I fail to deliver with the set. Often, the very sets that I struggle with, in the hands of another stamper, shine beautifully.

Sigh. It's all very discouraging.

Such is the case with the set Cuckoo from Hero Arts. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but despite hours spent playing with it, I can't feel that it was money well spent.

You see, I sort of knew the outline clock would be tough for me, but I sincerely thought the block clock (snort) would be easy and fun. Plus, the sentiments work for another clock set I have from Hero that has no sentiments at all.

Yet this is my favorite card I've made with the set.


This card is fine. It's even prettier in real life, and it's definitely a LateBlossom. But oh the paper I've wasted getting here!

That block clock is a bear in my hands, and I can't wrestle it into something I like to save my life. WHY!?!?!? I don't know, but I am crying uncle. The clocks in this set are dead to me. I'll keep it for the sentiments and just enjoy what beauty OTHER stampers can create with the clocks.

Sometimes quitting is liberating. Very liberating. So here's your unofficial challenge from this post: give yourself one last try with a set that's fighting your efforts and then...give up. Let. It. Go.

And then tell the rest of us about it, so we can feel good about giving up, too.

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
ink: SU river rock
paper: PTI white, SU river rock
accessories: half-pearl, threading water punch, dimensionals
size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Another Rooster Card

Last week, I posted my first two cards using the watercolored chicken basket and rooster stamps from MFP's Chicken Scratch. The other non-sentiment stamp in the set is a little silhouette of a rooster.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love little silhouette stamps? No? Well, I do. I also love grids of punched shapes. Put the two together, and you might get something like this:


How-To Tips: Getting the circles all lined up nicely can be tricky. I used a quilting ruler and tweezers to place the three on the left, then placed the ones on the right from top to bottom by eyeballing them, again using the tweezers. Quilting rulers are hugely helpful because you can see through them and align them a set distance in from the edge of the card. Tweezers help you handle small objects very precisely. My thick fingers are completely unreliable for such precision.

That little chicken wire background is scaled perfectly for cards...nice and petite. Kraft, red, and cream are lovely together in a rustic, country sort of way that suits the rooster perfectly. The sentiment is rather small for this layout, so I knotted the ribbon just above it to draw the eye to it. Then I photographed it at the wrong angle to show that. Oh well. You get the idea.

So, now I've showed you three different cards with this set, using all the main images. I LOVE it when a set I buy results in such easy, clean designs! It doesn't always happen, but when it does, I get all warm and happy and giggly.

What set have you bought recently that gave you this happy feeling? Were you surprised, or did you expect the set would would be easy for you to work with? On the flip side, have you ever bought a set you THOUGHT would be easy to work with and had it turn out to be frustrating instead?

And let that last question be a teaser for tomorrow's post.

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: close to cocoa, real red
paper: kraft, vintage cream
accessories: circle punch, ribbon, dimensionals

On Blog Hops, Envelope Advice, and the SU Bird Punch

On Blog Hops

If you missed the Clean and Simple Blog Hop, please check it out. A bunch of very talented ladies made amazing cards to celebrate the Fall-To Layout's 100th sketch. You can join them by making your own card and linking to it on the C&S Blog.

Envelope Advice

Next, I have had several questions about card sizes and envelopes. I DO NOT MAKE ENVELOPES. I'm just too lazy, and besides, envelopes are even more likely than cards to end up in the trash. Too much effort for too little reward: that's my opinion. So I KEEP IT SIMPLE and limit my cards to sizes that will fit into envelopes I have on hand.

Fortunately, Marco's Paper has a brick-and-mortar store that's an easy drive from my house. It's a fun place to browse for envelopes, with lots of sizes, papers, and colors to choose from. Here are my favorite sizes, all of which take standard US postage:

A2, for 5.5" x 4.25" cards (standard for half an 8.5" x 11" sheet of cardstock)

A6, for 6.25" x 4.5" cards

A7, for 5" x 7" cards

#4, for 4 7/8" x 3.5" cards

#7.5, 7.25" x 3.75" cards

Marco's website for envelopes is confusing right now (looks like they might be updating it), so I'll not provide a link at this time. It's not listing sizes for the envelopes. But my advice for buying envelopes is to find an office supply store (mom-and-pops have more selection than, say, Office Depot, and often will sell by the envelope, not just prepackaged boxes) or a fine stationery store, and browse. Seeing and touching makes a huge difference.

Then, you can adapt your cards to what envelope sizes you have. For instance, you can make a square card using the smaller dimension that fits into a standard envelope (i.e., a 5" square card fits in an A7 envelope). The US Postal Service charges extra for square envelopes, and that's a great way to avoid the extra charge.

To remind me what sizes I can make, I post a notecard on the bulletin board over my desk listing the card sizes that fit the envelopes I have on hand. It's just a little index card with a handwritten list, but it works to remind me that I can change the size as needed.

I hope that helps newcomers to card-making feel a bit more oriented on card sizes. Get the envelopes; then make the cards to fit. It's far easier and less stressful that way!

SU Bird Punch

Today's cards use the StampinUp bird punch and PTI's Text Style background set. The first version uses bright colors, and the second is very subtle. I think changing the colors really changes the feel of the card.





Design Discussion: Once I saw these cards in photographs, I realized they would look better with either a) the sentiment on the left instead of the right or b) the bird facing right. I counted on the fact that the leaves point at the sentiment to guide the eye, but it bothers me that the bird is looking away from the sentiment. In fact, it's almost like he pooped out the sentiment. Ewwww.

Other than that little design faux pas, I'm very happy with these light and airy cards.

Supplies
stamps: PTI
ink: Versacolor
paper: PTI
accessories: SU bird punch, dimensionals, bling

Prayer and Card Request

Sue Berker's husband, John, had a stroke two nights ago. If you would like to send them a card and need their address, please email me at susanraihala at woh dot rr dot com.

Sue is such a sweet and generous person, a wonderful stamper, and a dedicated blogger who shares her considerable talent with all of us. Let's flood her and her husband with love, support, and prayers during this difficult time.

FTL100 Blog Hop

Tonight, the Clean & Simple Blog is celebrating its 100th Fall-To Layout with a blog hop! I've long admired the C&S team for its commitment to the simple style, and it's such an honor to participate in this hop with so many amazing stampers.

Here's the sketch...it's a beauty!



And here's my card!


How-To Tips: The Bow Easy helps you make pretty bows, but to make it look like you tied it onto the card, you have to create a pinch in the flat ribbon wrapped around the card. To do that, I took a piece of black thread, knotted it around the flat ribbon, and added the bow with glue dots. I also put a glue dot under the pinch in the flat ribbon to hold everything in place nicely. Nobody likes a saggy bow.

Have fun hopping!

Clean and Simple

Angie Tieman
Becky Carafa
Harriet Skelly
Heather Pulvirenti
Iwona Palamountain
Jen Carter
Julie Ebersole
Julie Lacey
Kelly Jo
Lea Lawson
Natasha Trupp
Silke Ledlow
Susan Raihala (You are here!)

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Palette noir
paper: PTI white, SU black
accessories: ribbon (MFP black satin), Bow Easy, glue dots, black thread

MFP Red Rooster

As I said yesterday, Mark's Finest Papers' Chicken Scratch set called to me. This card was the first thought I had the first time I saw the set, and it turned out even better than it was in my head.

Don't you love it when that happens? Of course, you do!


How-To Tips: That rooster is perfect not colored in...and you KNOW how happy that makes me. The stamp actually has some "ground" under the rooster (scratch) which would be great for coloring but didn't serve my CAS purposes here, so I masked it with a post-it note, inked the rooster, removed the post-its from the stamp, and stamped the rooster on the paper. When you do this, ALWAYS REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE POST-IT BEFORE STAMPING. You will swear if you don't. Ask me how I know.

For those who are wondering why Ms. Literary Geek/Obsessive CAS Stamper/Suburban Housewife bought a chicken set, there are two reasons. First, my favorite of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is the Nun's Priest's Tale, which is the story of Chauntecleer the Rooster. (I did my master's thesis on the Wife of Bath, though. She's hip and cool and a loose cannon.)

Second, my grandmother, who lived in urban Charlotte, North Carolina, kept a wild rooster in her back yard. No one knows where he came from, but he hung out around her yard because she loved all birds and made sure they had plenty of food. Whenever I see a rooster, I think of my grandmother and it feels so comforting.

I'll be posting again tonight for the 100th Fall-To Layout Blog Hop at the Clean & Simple Blog! I was so honored when Natasha asked me to participate and can't wait to see what all the other designers did with Natasha's very cool and CAS 100th sketch! Hope you'll join us!

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Palette Noir, SU Real Red
paper: PTI white
accessories: ribbon by Mark's Finest Papers

MFP Chicken Scratch

Since joining Mark's Finest Papers design team, I've been perusing their already released stamp sets to see what needed to come live in my rubber room. Chicken Scratch immediately grabbed my attention and was on my first order.

At first glance, this is an odd choice for me because the main images--a chicken sitting in a basket and a rooster--are outline images that pretty much scream, "Watercolor me!" And y'all know how I feel about watercoloring....

The thing is, I thought I might be able to manage coloring the chicken fairly easily and had several ideas for using the rooster as just an outline, and they are both just so gosh darn cute, as is the chicken wire background.

Here's my first effort watercoloring the chicken. Go, me!


How-To Tips: I used SU classic ink smooshed onto the lid and an SU blender pen to do the coloring. I picked up color off the lid with the pen, tested the intensity of color on a scrap of paper, then added it to the image (which I had stamped in Palette dark chocolate). I imagined the light was coming just a bit from the left and kept those areas lighter.

I really like how non-messy blender pens are and find they work pretty well AS LONG AS you're not coloring large areas. The blender pens just aren't wet enough to handle big spaces...although if someone has hints on how to pull this off without the results looking streaky, I'd love to hear it.

Design Discussion: Once the image was dry, I cut it out and popped it up on a white card, using a small strip of creamy caramel cardstock stamped with the chicken wire background to ground the image. Note that the strip is about one-third as high as the basket (that's on purpose 'cause thirds are useful proportions to get everything balanced). To arrange the two cut pieces, I just played with them until they looked right, then glued down the strip and popped the basket o' chicken.

I really like how the detailed watercolor draws your eye with the bit of ground and all that white space, and how the sentiment fits into the design because Madame Chicken is looking at it.

What do you think?

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Palette dark chocolate; SU creamy caramel, ruby red, more mustard
paper: PTI white, SU creamy caramel
accessories: SU blender pen, dimensionals

One-Layer Wednesday 13: Christmas in July

This week's OLW Challenge is to make a Christmas card. Living in the northern hemisphere, it's hard to think about winter and Christmas in July, especially given the unbelievably hot weather we've been having. When our AC went out, though, it helped me cool off by imagining snow and thinking about getting a head-start on my holiday planning.

Mind over matter, folks. It works.

Well, sometimes. The sweat trickling between my boobs really made it hard for my brain to pretend it was December. Man, it was HOT.

Anyway, my samples for today show how color can create a totally different feel on a card. The first is soft purple, very peaceful and serene. The second is bright blue, much more energetic and perky. Which you prefer probably says a lot about what you're craving at the moment.




Design Discussion: This card layout began with a card in a magazine, but the final product bears no resemblance to the original piece AT ALL. It's really an example of letting your creative spirit do what it wants. Sometimes giving that little voice free rein works, as here, and sometimes it doesn't, as in the many cards I've pitched in the recycle bin.

The reason I love this particular design so much is that the snowflakes form a visual triangle...connect the bling and you get a very obvious triangle. Visual triangles show relationship between the different parts of a design and create harmony and balance. Also, the sentiment cuts right across the hypotenuse of the triangle, giving the whole design a pulled-together, grounded look even though it's floating in the middle of the card.

Rules for OLW13

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.

2. The theme of your card must be Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza/winter. Remember to keep embellishments to a minimum.

3. Please share your creations by posting your card online and then using the InLinkz button in the sidebar of Simplicity to link to it.

4. Most important of all...HAVE FUN!

And since we give presents at Christmas, I'm offering a give-away with OLW13! One random entry will receive a stamp set from Mark's Finest Papers' August Release. How totally cool is that?

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Snowflake Serenade, Signature Christmas
ink: Memento black, Bahama blue, grape jelly, lu lu lavender
paper: PTI white
accessories: bling
size: 5.5" x 4.25"

CAS76 Ravengirl Sketch

In this week's CAS76 Challenge, Jen and Denise asked us to use a card by Toni (ravengirl) for our inspiration. What a pretty inspiration piece!

For my card, I used the Fiskar's wave border punch and a Martha Stewart sand dollar punch for an ocean theme. I just love cool caribbean, sahara sand, and white together, and I really wanted to go to the beach yesterday. I needed sun and sand and the relaxing sound of the waves. Sadly, I live in a land-locked state, so the beach might as well be on the moon. But making this card definitely soothed me, so I've got that going for me.


How-To Tips: To make the sand dollar, I punched it out of sahara sand cardstock. Then I punched a 1" circle and smeared it with a glue pen, added Doodlebug white glitter, and let it dry. To adhere it to the sand dollar, I put small glue dots on the back of the sand dollar, then stuck it down on the glittery circle.

Supplies
stamps: PTI Round and Round
ink: sahara sand, cool caribbean
paper: PTI white, SU cool caribbean and sahara sand
accessories: Fiskars and Martha Stewart punches, dimensionals

White Makes Bright Colors Pop!

Whew. All that colored cardstock on yesterday's post made me crave some white. Here's one of the many white-based cards I made after challenging myself (and wow what a challenge!) to use colored cardstock. It was like coming home. It feels so right. Ahhhhh.


How-To Tips: The best way to line up clear border stamps is to use a gridded acrylic block. After stamping all the borders, I realized I'd left a bit too much white on the bottom (it looked a tad unbalanced) so I trimmed about 5/8" off the bottom of a standard 5.5" x 4.25" card. Otherwise, this card is simplicity itself!

Design Thoughts: The awesome thing about white cardstock is that you can use spots of very bright color without making your eyes water. (Just try looking at a piece of yo-yo yellow cardstock by itself and you'll see what I mean.) Bright colors, used sparingly, pop right off of white cardstock.

Also, sprinkling bling is a fun way to liven-up a rather static design. I added three bits of each color of bling, trying to space them out randomly without leaving bare patches or creating unsightly clusters. The result is much more interesting and cheerful. I rounded the bottom corners because they asked me nicely.

Doesn't your cardstock talk to you? No? Well, you must not be talking to it. Open up a dialog, listen carefully, and great things will happen.

Yes, I live in my rubber room. Why do you ask?

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey
ink: Memento
paper: PTI
accessories: corner rounder, bling

Trying to Use Some Colored Cardstock

As part of my "you have too much colored cardstock to order more from SU's new colors" guilt-fest, I decided to make some cards with colored cardstock. The idea was to use up some of my stash so I can order more without guilt.

It didn't work. My effort made no noticeable difference in my stash and involved working WAY outside my comfort zone. All three cards I'm posting today are basically CASE'd from Ashley C. Newell's card on page 36 of Stamp It! (the Display until April 2010 issue). Her version is prettier than any of mine turned out, but then, she used prettier stamps and some yummy satin ribbon.

First up is Hero Arts in turquoise and kraft paper. It's amazing how wrong this feels to me. WHERE IS THE WHITE CARDSTOCK?!?!?! Sigh. I miss it.


Next up is Papertrey in celery and wasabi and kraft. I'm thrilled wasabi is now a permanent color in SU's revamped color families. I love it paired with, you guessed it, white. Heavy sigh.


Last up is another card with Hero Arts on apricot appeal and pumpkin pie and kraft. Of the three, this one is my favorite, even if I do think it would look way better on white cardstock. Those butterflies can do no wrong and begged, absolutely BEGGED, for bling. Who am I to refuse them?


So, I used some colored cardstock, and then immediately made about twenty one-layer cards with white cardstock to cleanse my palate. For those of you who have asked me to use more colored card bases, now you know why I don't do it more often.

LateBlossom likes white. Sometimes I get completely crazy and use ivory or kraft. But colored cardstock? It's like trying to speak a foreign language I never learned. Something gets lost in translation.

Check out Ashley's original in Stamp It! It's totally lovely. She speaks colored cardstock fluently.

Where Am I?

Do you ever have that feeling that you're headed in twenty different directions all at one time, wondering what your name is and how in the world you'll ever find out because there's JUST TOO MUCH OTHER STUFF TO THINK ABOUT? Add to that the fact your dog died, and you'll understand how I feel right now.

Weird, huh? I need to push the STOP button, rewind and regroup. Fortunately, for this blog, at least, I have a bazillion cards already photographed and ready to post. But as for getting organized enough to do the two tutorials I want to post, well...let's just say my directions at the moment would read something like instructions translated from Chinese to English by a ten-year-old whose native language is Swahili.

This, too, shall pass. I thank you for your patience in the meantime.

One cause for my distraction and confusion is all the new product doing a Chippendale strip-tease before my eyes. Papertrey's newest release (OH MY GOSH!), the new StampinUp catalog (which I am still drooling over daily and have yet to order from because I can't make up my mind about anything right now), all the Mark's Finest Papers goodness that is already in my possession just waiting to be played with. Memory Box, A Muse, and Clear and Simple Stamps joined those first three on stage as well. Life is too short to do them all.

Do them all. Egads, I'm such a stampin' slut!

Anyway, to calm myself during the sneak peeks from Papertrey, I pulled out stamps of the office supply/school/book themes that I already have and played. Today's cards are two of the results. Please note the use of paper clips. I want extra credit for using supplies that have languished in my collection for far too long.


I didn't like the sentiment on the first card when I made it...it seemed a bit too busy for me at the time. So I went simpler with the second, and changed the color scheme to something happy and upbeat and friendly. Plus, I used a big brad: extra-extra credit, don't you think?


In retrospect, I like them both and wonder why I ever felt that first sentiment was too busy. Whatever.

I hope y'all enjoyed the MFP blog hop as much as I did! I've had a few people say they really don't like sneak peeks and find it frustrating to see stamps used long before there's a chance to buy them. I'd love to hear more opinions on this issue. My plan for now is to wait until about ten days before the August release to post peeks of the August stamps. That way, it won't be too long a wait until you can purchase them. But what are your feelings on this?

Supplies
stamps: SU Office Accoutrement, Hero Arts sentiments
ink: Memento (except the SU real red)
paper: PTI
accessories: flower and heart punches, brad, paper clips, dimensionals

MFP Blog Hop: Day 4

Welcome to the final day of the July Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop! Our stamp set for today is Apples and Camellia, a very pretty set with this fun flourished apple stamp:

I love making apple pies with Granny Smith apples, so I chose to make my apple green rather than red. It's colored with a combination of Sharpie lime and Bic Key Lime markers. The bling balances the color on the card (and is, of course, bling, meaning it really needs no reason for being wherever it wants to be).

Blog Hop Details

Mark's Finest Papers' Design Teams are celebrating our NEWEST STAMP RELEASE with a Blog Hop. Sit back, and hold on to your mouse! This is going to be a FABULOUS ride!

We have 4 new stamp sets: Background Fun, Southwest Cowboy, Flourishes & Frame, and Apples & Camellia. All 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs on July 13, 14, 15, and 16, 2010. On Saturday, (July 17, 2010), a winner will be chosen FOR EACH DAY from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for that day. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day.)

THAT MEANS IF YOU MISSED A DAY, YOU STILL HAVE OTHER CHANCES TO WIN! And, you can go back and comment, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning!

July Guest Designer- Melisa Waldorf
Nancyruth
Lois
Vicky
Jeanne
Anne
Debbie
Peggysue
Faith
Vicki
Susan
Judi
Patty
Karen
Connie
Roxie
Liz
Claudine
Dawn
Mark’s Finest Papers

Happy Hoppin'!

MFP Blog Hop: Day 3

Welcome to the third day of our Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop! Details on the hop are below.

For the last two years, my mother has come to watch our children while George (the Ironman) and I (the Ironmate) go to Madison, Wisconsin, for the big race. This year, I wanted to make a little something for my mother to welcome her to the house. Flourishes and Frames, a July release from MFP, was the perfect set to make an elegant and yet still simple gift.


How-To Tips: The tone-on-tone color scheme is so simple and easy. I repeatedly stamped the large flourish from the set to create the background paper. Then I cut the panel for the card and a separate panel for the top of the tea candle box, and mounted them on black. The inside of the card has a piece of yellow cardstock with one flourish stamped in yellow and plenty of space to write a note. The ribbon is two pieces: one simply wrapped around the box and the other tied into a bow using a Bow Easy.

I may finally be getting the hang of that little device, but I'm sure not ready to get cocky about it. It seems diabolically easy to screw up a bow with it still.

Blog Hop Details:

Mark's Finest Papers' Design Teams are celebrating our NEWEST STAMP RELEASE with a Blog Hop. Sit back, and hold on to your mouse! This is going to be a FABULOUS ride!

We have 4 New Stamp Sets Released today: Background Fun, Southwest Cowboy, Flourishes & Frame, and Apples & Camellia. All 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs on July 13, 14, 15, and 16, 2010. On Saturday, (July 17, 2010), a winner will be chosen FOR EACH DAY from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for that day. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day.)

THAT MEANS IF YOU MISSED A DAY, YOU STILL HAVE OTHER CHANCES TO WIN! And, you can go back and comment, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning!

July Guest Designer- Melisa Waldorf
Nancyruth
Lois
Vicky
Jeanne
Anne
Debbie
Peggysue
Faith
Susan
Judi
Patty
Karen
Connie
Roxie
Vicki
Joanne
Dawn
Claudine
Liz
Mark’s Finest Papers
Happy Hoppin'!

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Memento daffodil and black
paper: Mark's Finest Papers
accessories: clear box of tea candles (Target), ribbon, Bow Easy
card size: 5.25" x 3.25"

MFP Blog Hop: Day 2

The theme for today's hop is the new Southwest Cowboy set from Mark's Finest Papers. It's an amazingly versatile set, just as my two cards today demonstrate.

First, a take on Andy Warhol using the wonderful image of a cowboy. Here, the set takes on a very modern and hip feel. All I did was stamp the image three times in black ink on red, yellow, and blue cardstock, punch them out with a square punch, and matte and pop the squares. This card is 7.25" x 3.75".


Second, a soft, desert card using my new favorite cardstock for krafty applications. Classic Flax cardstock is gorgeously natural and gives a much lighter feel to the card than regular kraft cardstock.


Hop Details:

Mark's Finest Papers' Design Teams are celebrating our NEWEST STAMP RELEASE with a Blog Hop. Sit back, and hold on to your mouse! This is going to be a FABULOUS ride! Come Hop along with us!

We have 4 New Stamp Sets: Background Fun, Southwest Cowboy, Flourishes & Frame, and Apples & Camellia. All 4 stamp sets are available for purchase NOW!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs on July 13, 14, 15, and 16, 2010. On Saturday, (July 17, 2010), a winner will be chosen FOR EACH DAY from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for that day. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day.)

THAT MEANS IF YOU MISSED A DAY, YOU STILL HAVE OTHER CHANCES TO WIN! And, you can go back and comment, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning!

July Guest Designer- Melisa Waldorf
Nancyruth
Lois
Vicky
Jeanne
Anne
Debbie
Peggysue
Faith
Susan
Judi
Patty
Karen
Connie
Roxie
Vicki
Julia
Claudine
Mark’s Finest Papers

Happy Hoppin'!

One-Layer Wednesday 12: Watercolor

This week's One-Layer Wednesday challenge is to use some form of watercolor on your card. You may use watercolor crayons, pencils, paints, or inks painted with watercolor, or water-based markers colored onto a stamp and spritzed with water.

My samples were made using Hero Arts Three Ferns stamp and a clear set of large sentiments, also from Hero Arts. The cards are Strathmore Watercolor cards that have languished in my hoard collection for many years. They are cut down a bit to 6.25" x 4.5" to fit the design.


The orange card is so cheerful, and the green card is so serene. Amazing how a change of color affects the mood of a card so dramatically!


I experimented with lots of color combinations.



How-To Tips: I colored the Three Ferns stamp with watercolor crayon using two shades (one light, one dark) of the same color. After laying a bunch of color onto the rubber, I spritzed the stamp with water and let it sit for about thirty seconds while the pigments dissolved. Then I stamped, spritzed, and stamped again on a second card. Often, you can push stamps prepared this way for a third impression, but I liked the more intense colors.

Rules for OLW12

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.

2. Use watercolor in some way to make the card. Embellishments must be kept to a minimum.

3. Remember to share your creations by posting your card online and then using the InLinkz button in the sidebar of Simplicity to link to it.

4. Most important of all...HAVE FUN!

MFP Blog Hop: Day 1

Yippy! My first Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop! (Details below.) I've had so much fun playing with the MFP July release, and I hope you've had fun seeing the sneak peeks.

On to the two cards for today. First up, a punchy flower basket using the basket weave background and birthday sentiment:


This will be my mother's birthday card, which I will deliver by hand so no need to worry about mailability. Isn't all that blue bling soooo pretty! The basket was made using my Scor-Pal and Scor-Tape. (It was super easy and would take five times longer to explain than to do, but if enough of you want, I can do a tutorial on it later.)

Next up, a card that just uses a sentiment from the set and a woven mat of pixie and passion pink cardstock strips (1/2" x 3" each).


Details:

Mark's Finest Papers' Design Teams are celebrating our NEWEST STAMP RELEASE with a Blog Hop. Sit back, and hold on to your mouse! This is going to be a FABULOUS ride! Come Hop along with us!

We have 4 New Stamp Sets Released today: Background Fun, Southwest Cowboy, Flourishes & Frame, and Apples & Camellia. All 4 stamp sets are available for purchase TODAY!

For your chance to win BLOG CANDY, (a set that will be released NEXT month), visit and comment on each of the following design team members' blogs on July 13, 14, 15, and 16, 2010. On Saturday, (July 17, 2010), a winner will be chosen FOR EACH DAY from those participants who visited all the blogs listed for that day. (There will be four different winners, one winner for each day.)

THAT MEANS IF YOU MISSED A DAY, YOU STILL HAVE OTHER CHANCES TO WIN! And, you can go back and comment, as the winners will be chosen Saturday morning!

July Guest Designer- Melisa Waldorf
Nancyruth
Lois
Vicky
Jeanne
Anne
Debbie
Peggysue
Faith
Susan
Judi
Patty
Karen
Connie
Roxie
Vicki
Cathleen
Claudine
Mark’s Finest Papers

Happy Hoppin'!

Supplies for Basket of Flowers
stamps: MFP Background Fun
ink: Memento baby blue, London fog
paper: MFP
accessories: ribbon, flower punches, Scor-Pal, Scor-Tape, rhinestones
size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Supplies for Woven Friendship
stamps: MFP Background Fun
ink: Memento tuxedo black
paper: MFP white, SU passion and pixie pinks
accessories: glue pen
size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Miss You Sailboat and Lustful Thoughts on Cardstock

Today's card came out of a desire to use every image stamp in Masculine Motifs before I buy another PTI set. The sailboat was the last image I used. (You'll see some of the other cards next week.) And yes, the waterline was made with deckled scissors...you know, those totally uncool and much maligned cheap scissors. Score one for old-school tools.


Design Thoughts: I wanted to challenge myself to make a card using dark cardstock, the reasons for which I will discuss below. This scrap of SU's night of navy works beautifully with the Memento London Fog ink, but it was a tad dark. So I wrapped the silver cord around to break up the dark space, popped the whole stamped piece on a white card that I cut down to give an even matte for the stamped panel; the panel is 3.25" x 3", the card is 4.5" x 4.25", giving a 5/8" matte all around. The boat is moving away from the miss you sentiment to reinforce the idea of someone having sailed away.

Not sure why I knotted the cord under the sailboat. I actually think the knot would look better under the sentiment. But I still like this card a lot and am pretty proud of myself for using that scrap of really dark cardstock.

Lustful Thoughts about Cardstock: I have tons of the stuff. Most of SU's old colors that I bought in the 24-sheet packs. A huge selection of 12" x 12" cardstock for scrapbooking. A couple packs of PTI's colored cardstock assortment. A two-inch thick pile of various cardstock from Mark's Finest Papers.

But mostly, I use PTI's neutrals, mainly white, because my style doesn't gravitate toward colored card bases. It's going to take me FOREVER to use all that colored cardstock if today's card is any measure of my happiness with using it.

Colored cardstock does, however, come in handly as backdrops for photos.

So why do I want to buy six of the new colors from SU? Ink and paper. My life will be incomplete without them!

I only want maybe five sheets of each, not an entire pack. My demo will likely sell them to me by the sheet because she totally rocks. But really, I don't need more colors of ink or cardstock. I am amply blessed with a huge collection of both.

Sigh. Common sense tells me one thing. My paper lust tells me another. Which will win?

Only time will tell.

Coming Up Tomorrow: The first day of Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop! Yeah! My first blog hop! I can't wait to show you the fun stuff I did with this month's release sets. They will be available TOMORROW for purchase PLUS if you participate in the hop, you could win a FREE SET from next month's release (which I have seen and it's fantastic)! How totally cool is that?!?!

Happy day, everyone. Make it a great Monday. The Spirit of Furry Golden Sunshine commands it, so who am I to argue?

Label Maintenance

FYI...

I'm updating and reorganizing the labels for posts to make it easier to find things. This will take a few days (494 posts...ohmygosh!), so please be patient. Hopefully, the new system is more consistent and will be easier to use.

Using Background Stamps on CAS Cards

Using background stamps on CAS cards can sometimes be a challenge, simply because you want to have lots of white space but backgrounds fill that white space up with pattern or faux texture. Still, I buy background stamps ALL THE TIME. I have no self-control in the matter.

But that's a topic for another post.

When I saw MFP's Background Fun set (to be released this Tuesday), I knew I wanted to make a vase with the crackled background stamp. Punching just a piece of a background image allows you to enhance your focal point without overwhelming your white space.


How-To Tips: The vase here was made using an SU oval punch and the SU slot punch. It took FOREVER, it was hopelessly complicated, and I'll never do it again. Instead, I'm on the lookout for a cool vase punch. If anyone knows of one, please let me know.

Even though it was hard to make, I love the result. The pretty satin ribbon provides a ground for the vase, and the big ol' bling sparkles so cheerfully!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Signature Blessings

Just a quick card I made for ALL OF YOU who have been so nice this past week with your comments, cyber-hugs, and emails. Special thanks to Susan F. who sent me a really sweet sympathy card that arrived today.



Design Thoughts: Well, I didn't think much on this one, actually. These two sets work so beautifully together. Placement of the half-pearls was trickiest. I wanted them to be balanced and harmonious to fit the theme of the card, so they are spaced pretty evenly with a bit of white space around each one. There are five because three looked lonely and an odd number usually looks better than an even number. I love these shades of blue and green together. They are so peaceful. Not sure why I rounded the two corners except that four pointy corners looked odd.

How-To Tips: The easiest way to place pearls is with a craft knife. I cut the glue strip holding the pearl down, then lift the pearl with the tip of the knife and place it where I want it.

--------------------

I picked up Hoover's remains today (we had him cremated like his big sister Shemya, but I simply refuse to use the term "cremains" which just sounds wrong to me). It was so hard! The boys were with me, and Jack just couldn't understand where Hoover was, even though I explained several times what happened to his body. When he saw the box we bought to hold the remains, he said, "That's too small for Hoover!" He just can't understand yet.

Nick did understand and was very helpful picking out a box and answering the very chatty lady's questions with lovely poise. If I'd had to answer her, I would have completely fallen apart and blubbered. He even joked as we pulled away from the pet cemetery that he'd be taking Hoover with him to college...his fur will be with us for a very long time.

I think a huge part of grieving for a pet is how everything you see in your house or do reminds you that the pet is gone. Hoover always "prewashed" the dishes as I loaded the dishwasher. Now I load alone. He always licked our ice cream bowls. Now the ice cream goes to waste. He slept by the side of our bed, so we'd have to step over him in the middle of the night. Now we step over him and then remember he isn't there.

Oh, how we miss him.

Supplies
stamps: PTI Turning a New Leaf and Signature Greetings
ink: Versacolor bamboo and atlantic
paper: PTI (of course)
accessories: half-pearls, corner rounder
size: 4.25" square

Asymmetry Is Fun!

I made today's card back in April, just when the OLW challenge was getting started. At the time, I thought, "Oh, wouldn't this be a great card for a one-layer challenge?"

Then I forgot about it. When I found it a few days ago, I realized that if I saved every one-layer card I make for an OLW challenge, I'd have a huge backlog of some of my favorite cards languishing unposted in the electrons of my Pictures file.

That thought made me sad. So here, fabulous Love card, be free! Go out into the World Wide Web and shine!


Design Thoughts: This clear alphabet set is HUGE! I bought it for boy scrapbook pages (its distressed look seemed appropriate for dirt-loving boys), but when I stumbled across it while making a card for the OLW challenge to use punctuation, I felt it could stand on its own on a one-layer card. The word love popped into my mind, and I ran with it. After fretting for a while over what colors to choose (all red? multicolored? red and black? which letters should be which color?), I decided to make the o red and the rest black. The asymmetry adds interest to the super simplicity of the card.

This is true for lots of designs: center everything and it looks sorta blah, but if you do something unexpected to throw off the symmetry, it can be fun and energize a blah design.

How-To Tips: The alphabet's letters differ in size (see how much bigger the e is than the v), and if I stamped each individually, it would have been really hard to get everything spaced properly on the card. So I put all four letters on my big gridded acrylic block, stamped the whole thing on scrap paper until all the letters were as lined up as they could get. Then, I removed the o, inked the l ve in black, and stamped it onto the card. Then, I stamped the o in red. Easy as can be!

I hope you all have a glorious weekend. The vicious heat we've had this week won't be so bad this weekend. Whew. Maybe we can go to the pool, though I imagine it'll feel like bath water.

Supplies
stamps: Art Warehouse Mini Monogram set
ink: Palette noir, SU real red
paper: PTI white
accessories: gridded acrylic block

I'm in Trouble AGAIN

OMGOSH! Have you seen THIS?

If you read my other blog, you know about my relationship with books. You can see pictures and read about my obsession here.

Let's just say I'm a happy, happy bibliophile stamper.

Glitter Paper...Makes Me Haaaappyyyyyyy

Just like sunshine on my shoulders, this glitter paper I picked up at Hobby Lobby makes me happy. Last year, I made Christmas ornaments with it, and now a card, the layout of which is taken from Tiffany Johnson's card in Papercrafts Go-To Sketches, page 51.


I did have to move the sentiment. (Tiffany put her sentiment on the circle, but her circle doesn't have a huge snowflake punched out of it....)

Hey, I bet y'all thought I'd forgotten about my resolution to use as many of the Go-To Sketches as possible on my Christmas cards this year. More upcoming, but I'm finding some of the sketches require massive overhaul to be made clean and simple. That's okay, though. It's a challenge.

I love a good challenge. And it just might help me stop seeing the dog who isn't here.

But I doubt that.

Thanks to all of you who gave me input on how to make the blog a place you really enjoy visiting. You've given me some good things to think about and ideas for future posts.

For those who haven't put their own 2 cents in, please feel free to share your answers to these questions: What can I do to make Simplicity more inspiring to you? What would you like to see more or less of here?

Supplies
stamps: PTI Perfect Poinsettia
ink: Palette Noir
paper: glittery paper from Hobby Lobby, PTI white
accessories: Martha Stewart snowflake and border punches, Marvy circle punches, ribbon, half-pearl, dimensionals

One-Layer Wednesday 11: Be Funny!

Given the very sad weekend I had, this challenge is perfectly timed. I prophetically scheduled it early last week when I made this card and giggled.

I want you to make the recipient of your card laugh! Let your humor loose and have fun!


My card uses an upcoming set from Mark's Finest Papers called Background Fun. I love the tumbling squares of crackle background (stamped using a mask made with a square punch and large post-it). The happy colors and looseness of the design create such fun contrast with the traditional way of looking at a crackle background as vintage or distressed.

Rules for OLW11

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of cardstock folded in half.

2. Use humor to communicate your message, either by using funny images, funny words, or both. Make sure the colors reinforce the fun! Embellishments must be kept to a minimum.

3. Remember to share your creations by posting your card online and then using the InLinkz button in the sidebar of Simplicity to link to it.

4. Most important of all...HAVE FUN!

And now I'm off to comment on the rest of last week's OLW10 cards...what fun!

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Memento
paper: Mark's Finest Papers
accessories: post-it, square punch

More Christmas in July

I'm on a Christmas roll, folks. Might have something to do with avoidance, or just the fact that I suddenly realized I'm hopelessly behind on my Christmas cards. Two hundred: THAT is how many I make every year. Right now, I have about 20. It's way more fun to panic about not having enough Christmas cards than to think about the dog that's not lying by my chair.

Thank you again for your support and encouragement and prayers.

Today's card uses Papertrey's Silent Night flourish and a sentiment from Signature Christmas, also by Papertrey. I wanted to make an ornament with the flourish, and spent a long time staring at it before deciding to use a hand-drawn box to frame the ornament and sentiment. The little bit of blue cardstock is punched from a small square.


It seriously bothers me that there is a tiny little bit of silver ink sticking up at the top of the "string"...I need to just let it go because I like everything else about this card.

The new One-Layer Wednesday will go up tomorrow. Y'all did a great job on the last one, and the next one should be lots of fun, too!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey
ink: Brilliance sky blue
paper: PTI
accessories: silver metallic pen, circle and square punches, template for drawing box, dimensionals

Thank You

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I really appreciate them. There will be a second post later today with a card. Hugs to you all.

A Question and Two Southwest Cards

Wow, I have a lot to say today! Sorry about that.

A few beginning stampers have requested more information on my cards and tips on supplies and techniques. I'm planning a tutorial on matting and sizes for next week, and also want to add a widget to the sidebar with links to older posts that might be good resources for beginners. Would this be useful?

I also wonder what else you would like to see, and by "you" I mean everyone, not just beginners. With the chaos of the last few months, I've felt a bit scattered on all three of my blogs and want to refocus them, if that makes any sense. Your input is important because I view this blog as more an artistic conversation than a monologue. I want it to be a place you feel comfortable participating in, if you want.

What can I do to make Simplicity more inspiring to you?

Today's card is a sneak peek at a Mark's Finest Papers July release set called Southwest Cowboy. When I first saw this set, I admit I wondered what the heck I would do with it because neither my husband's nor my family are cowboy-inclined. But to my great surprise, I found it amazingly easy to work with and made four cards that had me giggling with glee in just a couple of hours.

This simple one-layer card took three tries to get the placement just right. Anyone who says that CAS OLCs are easy never tried making one from scratch. The idea was so straightforward, but the execution was a bit tricky.


I had to do a bit of masking of the barbed wire stamp because leaving the end of it dangling under the horse's belly was, well, weird. Deeply weird. I thought about Pioneer Woman's blog when I made this card. Readers of PW can appreciate the need to keep our wild Mustangs safe. Such beautiful animals!

The second card today took only one try to get right. Thank heaven for gridded acrylic blocks, LOL! It's an odd size I made from a scrap: 5.5" x 3.25". I just love this saguaro stamp and will send this card to my MIL who loves the desert's subtle beauty.


Obviously, this set will be hugely useful for making cards for the troops. Dude cards are hard no matter what (for me, at least) but having fun dude stamps certainly makes it easier.

For those with extra cards lying around needing a good home, consider Operation Write Home. This wonderful organization sends non-glittery handmade cards to the troops overseas so they have cards to send home to their family and friends. After all, there's not a Hallmark store on every corner in Baghdad or Kabul. My DH was in the Air Force for 20 years, and I can say with certainty that grassroots efforts like this to lift the morale of our troops and show our support make a HUGE difference to them.

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers Southwest Cowboy
ink: VersaColor
paper: Mark's Finest Papers
accessories: corner rounder, post-it note mask

====================================

I wrote this post early yesterday and am glad I did. Yesterday afternoon, George and I decided that it was time to let our old dog go. He has lived almost two months longer than expected but the last four days have been pretty rough for him with no hope of improvement. The cancer has won. George will take Hoover to the vet this morning. Thirteen years ago today, God sent him to this earth just for us, our very own Furry Golden Sunshine. Today, on his birthday, we will send him back to God, with great good thanks and very sad hearts. I'll post a photo memorial of Hoover on Questioning my Intelligence later today.

Wrong Holiday, Cool Card

It's the Fourth of July here in the United States, so of course I'm posting a Christmas card.

I'm whimsical that way.


This stamp is old, old, old and huge, huge, huge. The card is oversized, roughly 5" x 7". The sentiment is from PTI, as are the button and twine and paper.

Happy Fourth of July!

Supplies
stamps: unknown, PTI sentiment
ink: SU white craft ink, close to cocoa classic ink
paper: PTI
accessories: white embossing powder, button, twine, dimensionals

Two for One

Today, I'm giving you two for one. First up is a card I made in May and forgot to post. Don't you feel sorry for it? I made this card for my sister, who is a fan of funky glasses. She had the coolest vintage cat's eye glasses in her days as a professional ballet dancer in New York City. She toured the world with American Ballet Theater when Baryshnikov was artistic director.

My little sister's life has been way more interesting than mine. Her legs are longer, too. Sadly, she doesn't stamp. I guess no one is perfect.

She comes close, though.


Can you believe I used three layers outside and another inside? What came over me?!?! I love it anyway. It's fun and happy and summery. But most importantly, my sis will LOVE it!

Next up, a card I made this week using two upcoming sets from Mark's Finest Papers. This actually works for the Speedy the Cat challenge that I prematurely announced on Thursday: use a die cut or punch on a card. Remember that if you link to your challenge card on the MFP blog, you could win a free MFP stamp set!


Crackle often ends up on distressed or vintage style cards, and I wanted to show a more elegant side of it. The crackle background stamp is from Background Fun and the sentiment is from Flourishes and Frame.This may also be the first time I've used my silver metallic pen on a non-Christmas card.

Go, me!

And it's just one layer plus a single punched shape. And lots of white.

I'm hopelessly CAS. Truly hopeless.

Supplies for Summer card
stamps: PTI A Day at the Beach
ink: Palette noir, SU real red
paper: SU real red, black; PTI white
accessories: ribbon, Bic Mark It Markers, corner rounder, dimensionals

Supplies for Wedding Thank you
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Colorbox Pigment Silver, Palette noir
paper: Mark's Finest Papers
accessories: post-its to mask, EK Success punch, silver beads, dimensionals, silver metallic pen

MFP Get Well Soon

Mark's Finest Papers has an upcoming set called Apples and Camellia that is my favorite of all the new releases. The small apples here are from a single border stamp of four apples (I just masked to ink one at a time to punch them out). As soon as I saw them, I thought GRID CARD.


Yep. Grids are my thing. So crisp and clean and tidy, don't you think? But the flourishes and flowers inside the apples make my heart sing. Each one is a little gem.

And if an apple a day keeps the doctor away, how much more effective must NINE be?

Just sayin'.

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Memento pear tart, tuxedo black; SU real red
paper: Mark's Finest Papers
accessories: 1" square punch, dimensionals

Speedy the Cat Challenge: Use a Die Cut

Edited to add...I let the cat out of the bag a bit early. The challenge doesn't start until Saturday. Ooops! I guess that just gives y'all who want to play extra time to make something AWESOME!

Here is my first challenge card for Mark's Finest Papers. Since I've been back from vacation, I've been trying to catch up on DT activities and am having so much fun!

The challenge was to use a die cut or punched image on a card. I immediately thought of my fabulous EK Success label punch, which marries beautifully with the soon-to-be-released MFP's Flourishes and Frame set.


Half pearls accent the flourish subtly, and the gray and white color scheme makes this a lovely wedding card, don't you think? What's funny is that I was thinking birthday card when I started and only once I put the pearls on did I palm-slap my forehead and think, "Not birthday. This is a WEDDING card!"

Sometimes I'm slow that way.

To play along with the challenge, check the Mark's Finest Papers blog later today. You can link to your challenge card there for a chance to win a FREE STAMP SET!

Supplies
stamps: Mark's Finest Papers
ink: Memento London Fog
paper: Mark's Finest Papers
accessories: EK Success punch, dimensionals, half pearls