Simple Butterflies

I just love punches and coordinating stamp sets! This card is incredibly simple to make, it only takes a few minutes. The hardest part is picking the colors - I chose two of our current InColors, Wisteria Wonder and Concord Crush. The butterflies are stamped from Butterfly Prints, then punched out and mounted on the Wisteria, the middle one is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals. The card is finished with the sentiment in Basic Black, and Whisper White 3/8" taffeta ribbon.

This is a really good basic design, play around with it. Stick with the butterfly them and change the colors, add a background stamp or technique. Add a color for contrast. Try a different punch. Don't have a punch? Cut out small images with paper snips, or punch on squares or circles. Whatever you decide to do, have fun!

Card Ingredients: Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush and Whisper White. Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush and Basic Black. Stamps: Butterfly Prints Stamp Set. Other: Butterfly Punch, Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals.

It's Simply the Nicest Thing

I love this stamp set (The Nicest Things). For some reason, it reminds me of my six year old granddaughters, even though they look nothing like the girls in the image. They just look so sweet.

The main image is stamped with Basic Black classic ink on Whisper White cardstock and watercolored with Brights Water Color Wonder crayons and an Aquapainter. The little redheads hair was a happy accident, she was going to be a Daffodil Delight blonde like her cousin, but the Aquapainter got a little too close to her Melon Mambo hair bow, I liked the result so I finished her hair that way. The skin tone is also a mix of colors, in this case Regal Rose and and Pumpkin Pie scribbled together on the lid of the crayon box and then used very lightly.

The background is the long flower stamp from the set with Pacific Point ink on Pacific Point cardstock, stamped repeatedly on the diagonal. No accessories on this card as it didn't seem to need it to me.

Detailed ingredients: Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise and Pacific Point. Stamps: The Nicest Things. Ink: Whisper White. Other: Brights Water Color Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter and the Scallop Edge Border punch.

Next up for me will be a smaller image stamp set, as I don't like using the same basic layout all the time. What simple cards have you been thinking of lately?

A Simple Challenge to Me

I've been suffering from a major case of creative stamper's block for months, it's been very frustrating. I spent a couple of hours this afternoon trying to find ideas to get over it. I looked at the catalog and the Stampin' Up website. I searched for cures for creative block. I looked at several galleries. My answer came in a swap I found on Stampin' Addicts, a demonstrator swap for "Workshop Friendly" cards. The requirements include using only one stamp set (a sentiment from another set can be added), only one color family and only one accessory. That sparked a light bulb moment for me - I'm challenging myself to make and post a simple card for as many of my current stamp sets as I can between now and next month when I get new stuff. These will be simple cards, easily recreated, maybe they'll help you when you're stumped for an idea.

Here is today's card:

I chose the Flower Fest stamp set, a set of outlines that can be used in many different ways. I randomly stamped three of the flowers and the leaves on a piece of Whisper White cardstock for the background, stamped the biggest flower on Pretty in Pink with Rose Red ink, and the leaf with Wild Wasabi on Wild Wasabi. The large flower matches our 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, but I don't have one (yet) so cut it and the leaf out. I sponged the background for the focal image with Rose Red ink, and finished the card off with Rose Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon. Easy peasy, and I even like it.

Ingredients: Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, Whisper White and Pretty in Pink. Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi and So Saffron. Stamp Set: Flower Fest. Accessory: 1/4" Rose Red grosgrain ribbon.

Happy Stamping!

Beary Bubbly Birthday

There are so many cool techniques out there using reinkers in various ways! Here's another one I found that uses an every day household product - liquid dish soap. It makes a great background.

This will be messy, so do it over newspaper and don't wear good clothes! To make the background: mix 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 cup of waterin a small mug or bowl. Stir them with a straw, then blow bubbles up to the top of your mug. I kept blowing for awhile so they were running over the side to make sure there were plenty. Then carefully add a few drops ofre-inker to your bubbles. Touch your cardstock to the bubbles so that they pop, the ink will stick to your cardstock in an interesting pattern. You will probably need to reblow the bubbles a few times to get the effect you want. Experiment with it, this was my second try. I used Real Red ink which made a really pretty, delicate pink background - not really appropriate for a little boy's birthday card.

Children grow up WAY to fast. My baby will be twenty on Tuesday (her older sisters would probably not appreciate it if I told you how old they are) and my grandson just turned four. This card is for Wyatt. In addition to the Not Quite Navy bubble backgound I used the masking technique to line up the balloons and added Crystal Effects after I colored them. Ingreients: Cardstock: Whisper White, YoYo Yellow, Real Red and Not Quite Navy. Ink: Basic Black classic and craft. Stamps: Beary Best Friends and Beary Best Wishes. Other: Black Stampin' Emboss Powder, Real Red brads, Not Quite Navy, Real Red, YoYo Yellow, Sahara Sand and River Rock Stampin' Write Markers.

I still need to come up with a fantabulous idea for cards for a few daughters' birthdays, think I'll look for some more reinker techniques. Stay tuned!

Second Life for a Dryer Sheet

I've missed stamping, I've missed blogging. So I'm treating myself to both again. I hope to have some readers, but for now I'll just enjoy the crafting and writing. Here is my welcome back project:

Yesterday I spent awhile looking for technique ideas and ran across the Glittered Dryer Sheet technique. Many, many years ago I'd done the same thing and stuffed a tiny drawer with used dryer sheets just so I could try it out but I never did. Packrat that I am, I still have that tiny drawer full of dryer sheets and finally put them to use.

This is an incredibly simple technique. Just stamp your image on whisper white cardstock. Let the ink set for a few minutes then cover the cardstock with a used dryer sheet and smooth it over the image. Then, sprinkle with Dazzling Diamonds glitter and press it into the glue. Shake off the excess, let it dry for awhile, trim the excess dryer sheet and finish your card. Stunning results, but very simple.

Ingredients: Stamps - Pony Pals and the party hat from Sock Monkey which found it's way into the wrong stamp box. Cardstock - Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White. Ink - Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi and Melon Mambo. Other - Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Pretty in Pink and Melon Mambo markers, Stamp-a-ma-jig and Early Espresso 1/8" taffeta ribbon.

Have fun trying this technique yourself, let me know if you have any questions, I'd be glad to help. I'll be back soon with more ideas.