Color

My recent Papertrey order included Think Big #7 because, really, can you have too many big sentiments? Of course not, especially when they are just $5. I needed a few get well/thinking of you cards, so I pulled out a floral silhouette stamp from Clear and Simple Stamps and played with color.

First up: Monochromatic

The soft purple here is so soothing and calm. This would be a great card for someone who's going through a really stressful time, especially if there's no quick fix for it, don't you think?


Next: Happy Colors

This card, in contrast, has a lot of energy in the colors. Bahama Blue and Pear Tart are perk-me-up colors, and seem to imply that the illness is short-term and easily overcome.
I once received a sympathy card, handmade by a friend, that really should have been a birthday card. It's cheerful, perky colors shocked me in my grief and felt inappropriate. The friend's expression of sympathy in person was very appropriate, but I still remember that card.

Do colors affect you emotionally, beyond just a personal preference? Do you think about the effect of color and how it relates to the message of your cards, or is that too obsessive-compulsive for you?

Supplies
stamps: CSS, Papertrey
ink: Memento
paper: PTI
accessories: Corner Chomper

Botanical Silhouettes, Erin Lincoln, and Variations

I sat down to use all the images from Botanical Silhouettes, the PTI anniversary set that my friend Linda sent me. This was the second card I made:

This card was inspired TOTALLY by a card in PTI's DT gallery made by the amazing Erin Lincoln. This turned out so well, I wondered.

what
would
happen
if
I
varied
Erin's
layout
with
the
other
stamps
in
the
set?

Yes, I've been reading weird poetry again. What of it?

Not really. I'm just feeling weird tonight. Perhaps I should try to write some weird poetry.

Anyway, I started playing with Erin's design (hope she doesn't mind) and couldn't stop because it was just sooooo inspiring. So I made this by stamping the dandelions and poufs into the stems.

And then this happened. Love how easily the flower stamp lines up with the grass stamp. I was skeptical at first, but it's seriously easy.

Finally, I made this. At first, I tried grounding the dandelion as I grounded the previous two plants. It looked, well, awkward. So I redid it like this and I like it so much better.

Hope you do, too!

Supplies
stamps: Botanical Silhouettes, Text Style
ink: Memento
paper: PTI
accessories: rhinestones

One Layout, Two Ways, and Some Miscellaneous Chatter

Today's cards use Happy Trails, a recent release from Papertrey. There are a lot of different images in this set, and I think it's going to be hugely fun and versatile.

I started making a whole set of this one-layer card, just varying the colors.

Then, I wondered how it would look on a colored card base. I pulled out my Fiskar's label template and shape cutter UFO thingamabob and went to work trying to use up some colored card bases I'd already cut. That's why the blue of the card below is softer than the dark blue ink above (it's not your computer screen...it really is different).

So which do you prefer: one layer or two? I am totally on the fence. They both work for me.

Now, on the issue of photos and x's and weird looking computer screens....

1. If you ever have a problem viewing a web page (i.e., there are red x's where photos belong), try clicking the torn page icon next to the url box at the top of Internet Explorer. It might fix your problem. Thanks to Lorrinda for sharing this bit of enlightenment.

2. I'm loading the pictures into Blogger's edit mode, and that SEEMS to have fixed the problem for most of you. If you are still having trouble, it's likely your email program's security settings blocking the photos.

3. In the next few days, I'm going to post some pictures on my other blog of our hike yesterday in the Hocking Hills of Ohio. If you live anywhere around here and haven't been, get off your butt and go. The Old Man's Cave hike is totally amazing, and as with so many natural wonders, photos can't do it justice--although George got some good ones. Water sculpts rock in beautiful ways, and these hills are an awe-inspiring example of water's artistry.

Musings on New Product and Variations on a Set: Dot Spot Again

Two comments on yesterday's post really stood out for me. Take a gander:

Marty: "good news and bad news. good news...i LOVE these cards. bad news...i need BOTH of these sets and that is going to mess with my "no more ordering new stamps till i use the ones i already have" project."

Yoona: "My initial reaction: I wish I had those sets. My better judgement: Susan, you are actually showing me that I should and could use what I have to make totally different cards. And that's truly CREATING!"

Despite the fact that these two comments are polar opposites in meaning, they both reflect what I consider to be an essential truth about papercrafting: new product is both everything and nothing.

Whatever do I mean? Well, on the one hand, very little in papercrafting is as inspiring and satisfying as getting a cardboard box of new product on your doorstep. New product, if we have the discipline to use it rather than just collect it, is fun and necessary to keep us excited about what we're doing. It's like the rush we get when we buy new clothes...we feel pretty and hip and happy when we put them on. What a lift that is to our ego and sense of style! After a while, however, clothes stop being so wonderful and fresh. They start to look dated or shabby or ill-fitting. We get bored with them and start looking for something new, and the whole process starts over again.

On the other hand, creativity doesn't really need new product. Instead, seeing new product can make us look at our old product differently. What do I have on hand that would work in a similar way to the new stuff out there? How can I take something old and languishing and make it look fresh and new with a new color combo, embellishment, or layout? That's the essence of my Variations on a Set strategy: pull out old stuff and play around with it in fresh new ways.

My purchasing has slowed down considerably in the past two years. Partly, this slowdown is the result of my having accumulated a stash of stuff so big it stands as a lasting tribute to my obsessive nature. When you already have a bazzilion flower stamps, it's hard to keep buying more and feel fiscally and morally responsible at the same time.

But when too much time lapses between purchases, I find myself getting bored and creatively stale. It's time for an infusion of fun new things to stimulate my creativity.

The key, I think, is balance. After a couple of days playing with my new A Muse stamps, for instance, I found myself pulling out some paper that I haven't messed with in over a year and doing something completely different with it, something inspired by a set of cards in a magazine. The creative flourish that resulted will show up here, soon!

I guess the point behind these musings is to enjoy new stuff but don't forget about what you already have.

Now that I've typed that, it sounds pretty trivial. But I still think it's important.

Anyway, today's card using Papertrey's Dot Spot (an old set for me) really made me happy, mainly because it could be sent to a guy even though it has bling on it. The dark colors (Memento Rhubarb and Danube) work pretty well with all the white space, I think. Plus, the design is stable, solid, balanced, symmetrical, and somehow oddly serious. Just like guys can be.

How-To Tips: To line up the dot circles perfectly, use a gridded acrylic block. Stamp the center circle first, then the two smaller circles, and finally the outside blue circles. The sentiment is a horizontal one, so I stamped the Birthday first, then the Happy over it, also using the gridded block to get everything nice and straight and centered.

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Birthday Basics, Dot Spot
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey
accessories: rhinestones, corner chomper

Variations on a Set: Dot Spot Goes Pastel

Yesterday's cards used Dot Spot by Papertrey in bright, bold colors. But the set is equally at home in soft and subtle colors.

For the first card, I layered white on white and combined Everyday Button Bits with Dot Spot again, this time to make a little flower garden. The sentiment is from Birthday Basics, also from PTI.

The second card uses some very simple layering of three different circles from Dot Spot, with the top two layers popped up on dimensionals.

Simple Tip: Most of you probably already know this, but those who don't...prepare to be amazed! When you don't have the right color bling, use a Bic, Sharpie, or Copic marker to color clear bling to match whatever you need! That's what I had to do with the purple bling on both of these cards.

Now, aren't you going to stock up on clear bling next time you're at Michael's?

Supplies
stamps: Dot Spot, Birthday Basics, Everyday Button Bits
ink: Memento
paper: white
accessories: rhinestones, Bic marker, corner chomper, circle punches, dimensionals

Variations on a Set: Dot Spot

Note: If you are reading this in email, don't miss the two posts below!

Today's two cards with Dot Spot feature the big flower in dramatic settings. On both cards, I combined lines with the design to balance all the great big roundness of the big flower.

First up, a pink and black card. I stamped the small dot circle in pink in the middle of the black and accented it with a bit of pink bling. The lines come from Background Basics: Retro.

Creating a center for this monster-sized flower is important for obsessive stampers. Leaving it empty is like not putting thread on a button. You could do it, but it almost always looks like something is missing.

Note that I said almost. There are exceptions to every rule. But you won't see an exception on this post, and you know why. Because I'm obsessive.

The next card is a 4.25" square card. The lines were drawn with a Memento marker and ruler. Blue and orange are complementary colors, meaning they are opposite each other on the color wheel. Any time you want a peppy, high-energy color combo, pick complementary colors in bright hues. Guaranteed happiness!

And speaking of color wheels, if you don't have one and feel a bit color challenged, I highly recommend getting one. Small ones are available at the big box stores for very reasonable prices. There are all sorts of tried and true color combinations that a color wheel can help you find easily.

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Dot spot, Background Basics Retro, and one I don't remember for the friend sentiment; the thanks sentiment is from Hero Arts
ink: Memento
paper: Mark's Finest (top), PTI (bottom)
accessories: rhinestones, marker, ruler, corner chomper

Stuff and Things

First of all, I'm all off schedule, and this bothers me. I hope to get back on my regular posting schedule (so those of you who receive Simplicity in your email get it first thing in the morning), but the next few weeks may be a bit, um, unpredictable. It doesn't help that I can't trust Blogger to post when I pre-set the time for posting.

Second, my personal review of the summer issue of Take Ten is lukewarm. After a couple of perusings, I think there are some truly FABULOUS things in it (and you'll be seeing me playing with some brilliant ideas in the next month, I'm sure!), but the summer issue has nowhere near as much clean-and-simple gorgeousness as the spring issue. If you're looking for more embellished, shabby chic, distressed, or artsy card inspiration, however, you'll be extremely happy with it.

Third, here's my latest order from Mark's Finest Papers. [Full Disclosure: I paid for this stuff as I'm no longer on the DT. I will continue to use the free stuff I received during my time on the DT, but I want you to know that I'm putting real money there as well. The products and customer service are fabulous!]

The Smooch colors are Carrot and Kiwi. LOVE them for summer! The twine is nice, too, and I love the fact that it's wrapped on wooden clothespins. It's easy to tuck the loose end into the groove of the pin and it stays in place nicely. The orange twine is a fab summer color...very bright and happy. The lime twine, however, is more of a soft mint...a bit bluer, rather than yellower. Still very pretty but not true lime to my eyes.

The limeade cardstock is a perfect match for Memento's Pear Tart, and as I'd used up all my DT sheets of it, I had to order the pack. Also, the white 140lb cardstock is so nice and heavy and perfect for card bases. This is actually my second purchase of this particular cardstock, which is equal to PTI's in quality but has a smoother finish. That little difference is fun to play with for me, but then, I'm a white cardstock whore.

Fourth, here's my first order from A Muse. I ordered from Krystie, who was kind enough to send me a catalog when they first became available. All I've done with these cuties so far is put them in my catalog. The images are what you would expect from A Muse: crisp, perfect, and very clean. More on them later, after I've had a chance to play with them.  As you can tell, I'm in a summer groove right now....

Fifth, here's today's card. When I posted recently that Dot Spot was one of my favorite PTI sets, several people asked for ideas on how to use it. I've made about six cards this week with it and will post them over the next few days. This one is my favorite of the bunch, only because it's so incredibly simple, and y'all know how simple I am. Give me paper and ink, and I'm happy!

How-To and Design Tips: I stamped the cherry stem from Everyday Button Bits in Memento bamboo and then added the two smallest Dot Spot circles in Memento rhubarb. I filled in the center of the dotty circles with the solid circles in the set. The sentiment, from EBB like the cherry stem, is one line, but I stamped it as two to tuck it into the cherries. The red sweet and green you're so create two visual triangles of color that unify the very simple design. Rounding the bottom corners works with the round cherries and polka dot leaves.

Sixth, because five things just are not enough, please check the previous post for the winner of the washi tape!

Have a lovely, sunny weekend!

Variations on a Set: A Wreath for All Seasons, Part 3 and Some Mindless Blathering Thrown in for Free

Thursday is the last day of school.

I'm scared.

Very scared.

The noise.

You have no idea.

Unless you have or had small, loud boys living with you.

Then, you have an idea.

Pray for me.

Please.

At least this card is quiet. And pretty. And makes me happy.

Those three statements in the previous paragraph, however, do not make me happy. They are not grammatically parallel, thus rendering the use of the two fragments rhetorically ineffective rather than casually cute. More properly, the three statements should be combined and punctuated as follows: "At least this card is quiet and pretty, and makes me happy."

Now that I think about it, the corrected sentence might provoke scholarly debate over the comma. Some experts prefer the comma in such situations, but others avoid commas like split infinitives. Both groups of experts have a point, but I like the comma. Truly uptight grammarians might insist I add an it before makes. I used to be an uptight grammarian.

I have recovered.

I think.

I'll shut up now about grammar and get back to the card. First, it uses Memento's Pear Tart and SU's Real Red. Then, it uses some little flat red metallic nail heads (Hobby Lobby) as berries on the wreath, which means it's super flat and easy to mail. Finally, it has rounded corners, accomplished using my new corner-rounder thingy that Marty sent to me because she's the nicest person ever.

Supplies
stamps: PTI A Wreath for All Seasons, Signature Christmas
ink: Memento and SU
paper: white
accessories: nail heads, corner rounder

Variations on a Set: A Wreath for All Seasons, Part 2

I went square with the berry wreath and got jiggy with my Smooch!

First, I stamped the vine part of the wreath in rich cocoa Memento ink, then the berries in angel pink. Then, using my hot pink Smooch, I added shimmery dots over the angel pink. LOVE the shimmery effect and how it makes the wreath look so much more dimensional and interesting.

Take a closer look!

This weekend in America, we're celebrating Memorial Day Monday. We have parades and picnics and ceremonies honoring those who have died in service to our country. But there are people all over the world who have put on a uniform and fought--and died--so others can live in freedom. Let us honor their memory not just Monday but every day.

Variations on a Theme: A Wreath for All Seasons, Part 1

I saw a card using A Wreath for All Seasons from Papertrey in Card Creations, and it inspired me to do my variations on a theme on that set. My first layout uses the basic idea of the inspiration card by Maile Belles to accent the wreath with a button and punched leaves that you can see here.

I, of course, took her pretty card down to one layer and vastly simplified it because a) I don't have that patterned paper and b) I can't help myself. Here's the first layout using it...one card for each season!

Spring has pretty Memento angel pink berries on it (they show lighter than they are in the photo, though) and a darker pink for the sentiment. The button has a few leaves tucked under it just like Maile's

For Summer, I used cantaloupe and tangelo inks, and a fun flower button.

Fall uses potter's clay for the berries and sentiment. The brown button is the center of an improvised sunflower, made with two daisy punches layered askew.

Finally, the Winter card is stamped with red ink accented with a poinsettia (another, larger daisy punched twice and layered). The center is a gold half-bead rather than a button because none of my yellow buttons looked right.

For the record, I prefer buttons to have a bit of thread on them, as Maile's card shows. BUT given the super simple design of these cards, thread, which I tried, looked sort of busy. For once, I didn't thread the buttons, and for once, I'm good with that.

See? I told you yesterday there would be LOTS OF WHITE today.

Several of you commented yesterday that you own Dot Spot from PTI and haven't used it. Oh, the tragedy! I love that set and consider it the best $15 set PTI has ever offered for sale. Hope you can pull it out soon and discover its joys for yourselves!

Variations on a Set: Hero Arts Just a Note

Will be announcing the winner of the Zutter Round-It-All on Friday!

I've decided for simplicity's sake (*wink*), I'm going to title posts that show my resolution to make four cards from every set with Variations on a Set. I won't post all four variations on one post, though. Gotta spread them out a bit! But you can expect all four cards for a set to be posted within the same week, usually in two posts (two cards per post).

What I hope YOU get out of this resolution are ideas for using sets YOU own with more versatility. I've already completed four sets for this resolution, and it's really interesting to think about them from this angle. I highly recommend you give it a try!

Both of today's cards are one layer and both are colored with markers, but they are different layouts. First up, I LOVE the pencil stamp in this set, and I used it in a similar way to the line stamp on my blinged birthday card.

Next up is an arrow note. Obviously, the dominant design here is the visual triangle. Now that I'm looking at it on my screen, I REALLY wish I'd made the top arrow point down. Duh. That would make so much more sense. Oh, well.

Happy Friday, everyone.

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts Just a Note clear set
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white (pencils), PTI cream (arrows)
accessories: Memento Markers

Just a Note Variations on a Set: The Love Series

My new resolution is to use every set I own in four different layouts, so I pulled out Just a Note from Hero Arts for some fun office-supply themed cards. And then I proceeded to make this series of Love Notes, all using one layout. Please also note the use of 2.5 sheets of pretty in pink cardstock. GO, ME!

Whimsical Love

Elegant Love

Sweet, Yet Vaguely Obessive-Compulsive,  Love

Swirly Love

Directional Love

All the cards are top-fold, except the last. The arrow sort of required the card to open in the direction the arrow pointed, now, didn't it?

Which one is your favorite? I think mine is Swirly Love.

I didn't keep track of all the random hearts and sentiments I used. If you HAVE to know what one of them is, I'll try and figure it out. The notebook paper, however, is from the Just a Note set. I used a 1/8" circle punch to punch the holes, and popped each note on dimensionals.

Anyway, I have three more cards with this set to show you on Thursday. Tomorrow is, of course, One-Layer Wednesday. Hope you had a chance to play with Jennifer's OLW challenge last week!

Birthday with Paper Tray--Variations on a Set

Here's another layout with Papertrey Ink's Paper Tray set. This one is going to my sister for her birthday. Oh, it makes me giddy!

Design Discussion: My goal was to have three (not two or four...three!) lines staggered so that when I put bling in the exact middle of each line, the bling would form a visual triangle to help anchor the floating lines. And yes, I did use a ruler to position the bling because I'm AR that way. By starting on the left with the middle-height line, then the highest-height line, then the lowest line, I wanted to bring the eye down to the sentiment, which I stamped in black first...but it was way too bold. The Memento London Fog looks so much better!

I rounded the bottom corners with my new Crop-a-dile Corner Chomper. Thanks, Marty! You are such a sweetie!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey
accessories: rhinestones, Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper

OLW51 Three of a Kind

When I read the OLW51 post Wednesday on Jennifer's blog, I collapsed in hysterical laughter. By entirely freaky coincidence, late Tuesday night when I could not sleep, I made a set of one-layer cards that vary the color but use the same stamps and layout. There are two each of three colors for a set of six. This is one of the options for Jennifer's OLW this week!

So there you are. I'm psychic.

These three cards are part of my NEW RESOLUTION. That's right. I finally settled on a follow-on for my Ues-Every-Image-Stamp resolution. Now, I'm going to use every set to make at least four different layouts. If the set has reasonable sentiments (as in, NOT kind thoughts, cherish, or puppies poop rainbows), I can only use those.

Doesn't that sound like a cool challenge? Well, it sounds cool to me.

The idea came to me when I realized how little I'd used this set (Papertrey's Paper Tray). It's a fabulous little set, one of the first Papertrey sold, and perfect for the graphic, clean style I love. So many sets have little stamps, like the line in this one, that aren't exactly images (more like elements) that I almost never use. Also, while most sentiments in the set are ones I don't use that often, the Happy Birthday, Thank You, and With Sympathy stamps just haven't been used enough.

The new resolution encourages me to make use of sentiments and those little elements in sets without mandating it. I don't want to be told what to do...even by myself, LOL!

So, I'm psychic and resolute. And I laugh at pears. Now you know everything about me.

Using Small Stamps is Easy as 1, 2, 3!

If you're ever stumped for something to do with those awkwardly small stamps that litter sets, here's an easy way to use them as focal point on a standard 5.5" x 4.25" card.

1. Create a small panel in white or cream.

2. Stamp a sentiment.

3. Use the small image once, twice, or three times to accent the sentiment.

4. Adhere the panel to a colored card base using dimensional tape.
Here's one sun...

Two hearts...

Three flowers....

For these cards, I created my small panel with a notebook paper stamp from Hero Arts stamped in pale colors. To add a little interest, I punched holes in the sides using a 1/8" circle punch. Because the messages are rather informal and the images mostly look doodled, I placed the stamped panels askew. They looked rather artificial and stiff when placed straight.

Don't worry. Tomorrow I'll post something at nice, tidy right angles.  In the meantime, why not play with your smaller stamps and see how strong a focal point they can be!

Supplies
stamps: various Hero Arts clear sets
ink: Memento except for the red, which is SU classic
paper: SU pumpkin pie, bashful blue, almost amethyst; PTI white
accessories: dimensionals

Subtle Blue

As I've said before, it's hard to photograph subtle colors. This paper, a textured cardstock from I don't know where, is so very pretty and soft, and I wanted to make it into cards. To keep things subtle, I used vellum for the butterflies, Sea Breeze ink (VersaMagic), and light and airy stamps. Hopefully, your computer screen shows the details because these really do look lovely in real life.

First up, butterflies and Stem Silhouettes. This little 4.25" square card came together quite quickly with a scrap of white cardstock (with ugly stamping on the reverse) and scraps of vellum.


Next up, a cleaner, more taylored-looking card using another set from SU (Font of You). I used clear rhinestones colored with a Bic Mark-It.


Isn't it fun to take a color and let it inspire you? Why not pull out a color of cardstock that you haven't used in a while and see what happens?

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

Quilter's Sampler Samples and a Give Away

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law have birthdays this month. MIL quilts, and SIL likes quilts, so I pulled out PTI's Quilter's Sampler set to make some cards.

I started with Old Rose and Khaki VersaColor inks, and added a bit of SU's Close to Cocoa as needed. I like the soft colors after all the rich fall colors I've been using lately. The cardstock is from PTI (not sure the name of the pink, though).



I made this one first and wasn't sure about the popping. Quilts, after all, aren't popped. The stitch stamp is from PTI's Faux Ribbon set, and the sentiment is from Birthday Basics. And see, it's a 3x3 grid, not 2x2, so I'm keepin' my promise. (Insert maniacal laugh!)



I like this one better. It's the recent Fall To Layout from the totally rockin' Clean and Simple Blog. Aligning all the quilt blocks was a pain, and you can see a few places that I bobbled. But the overall effect is pleasing to me, and I like the flatness of the quilt panel with the popping of the sentiment and the dimension of the button. This is a layout I will definitely use again.



Finally, a really clean and simple card and, of course, my favorite of the three. To make placement easier, I stamped the quilt blocks on scrap paper and punched them out with the coordinating 3/4" square punch. Then I could align them quite easily using a clear quilting ruler. Once the squares were glued down flat, I stamped the sentiment (another from PTI Birthday Basics).

Now for the give-away. I've got a selection of loose glitter and a few little miscellaneous goodies from my last purge ready to send out. All you have to do for a chance to win is tell me which of the three quilter cards you like best and why. Yes, I'm shamelessly fishing for compliments, but I'm feeling hormonally insecure at the moment. I'm sure you understand.

Comments will close on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, at 9:47 pm EDST. Only one entry per person, please. Winner will be selected at random using an online random number generator.

Postscript I will have another give-away of a couple of small PTI sets courtesy of my friend Sue in South Carolina. Look for it toward the end of the week!

I'm not obsessive. I'm not obsessive. I'm not obsessive....

Nope. Nu-uh. Never.


















So, like, you know, last night I couldn't sleep because SOMEONE commented on this card and said, like, wow, you could so TOTALLY use different colors and get, you know, TOTALLY different looks. Her comment planted a seed in my brain that, you know, TOTALLY grew into a clinging vine of obsession insomnia until I had made, like, 6 cards and sorted scraps for two more and could finally, like, you know, go to SLEEP!

You know, I TOTALLY had three mochas for breakfast to bring out my inner Valley Girl. I'm like TOTALLY not going to sleep tonight either.

And no, I am not obsessed. Shame on you for even, you know, THINKING it.