Soft Summer IV

This is the fourth in my series of saying goodbye to the beautiful Soft Summer set from the Occasions Mini Catalog, which ends tomorrow. There are so many great sets in this mini catalog... it's been a really fun one!

I used the retiring In Color Baja Breeze, which we will miss so much, but Stampin' Up! always has great new In Colors and products awaiting us! These will officially be unveiled on Wednesday, July 1st!

I stamped the soft flower line image in Basic Gray then came back with the second matching solid image in Baja Breeze. You will notice I didn't stamp it exactly on top of the lines; that was intentional. I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to place the second stamp just where I wanted it so it would be offset and look somewhat like a shadow. Of course it can be stamped exactly on top of the line image if that is what you wish!

I colored a scalloped square frame from the On Board Essentials set of chipboard using Baja Breeze Classic ink and a Sponge Dauber. Those daubers are so easy to use and you don't get ink all over your fingers! While that was drying, I placed a layer of Baja Breeze card stock onto my Basic Gray card and added a patterned paper from the Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper to the lower 3/8ths of the card. The "seam" was covered with the coordinating Baja Breeze 5/8" Striped Grosgrain ribbon. A short piece of the ribbon was tied around the chipboard frame and then the stamped flower piece was adhered to the back.

The greeting from the Really Retro set was stamped in VersaMark and heat embossed with White Embossing Powder. For the final step, the square frame was adhered to the card using Snail Adhesive. Pretty quick and easy!

Stamps: Soft Summer, greeting from Really Retro
Ink: Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, VersaMark
Paper: Walk in the Park Designer Paper; Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Accessories: Sponge Daubers, Baja Breeze Grosgrain ribbon, On Board Essentials (scallop frame), White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Many of these products are retiring and can only be ordered through tomorrow, June 30. Both the Spring-Summer Idea Book and Catalog and the Occasions Mini Catalog expire tomorrow so if there is anything on the retiring lists or mini catalog that you want, you must order now or it will be unavailable.

Sorry I've not posted more in the last week but I've had a funeral and then a family reunion in Houston so I've been away.

I always appreciate your visits! Take care, and have fun stampin'!

Soft Summer III

Today is the third in the Soft Summer sample series; this is a card we did as a Make and Take in a workshop last week. These dogwood blooms are so pretty but I didn't know for sure what color they are in real life (IRL) since I've never lived in the part of the country where they grow wild. I googled them and found that in the wild they are white but the cultivated plants can be red to pink. So I went with a pink for our Make N Take.

The Rose Red background layer was run through the Big Shot with the gorgeous Damask Texturz Plate
for quick and easy dry embossing, then this was adhered to the Celery card base. The image was stamped in Basic Brown on Whisper White then colored in with Blender Pens and ink from the lids of the pads. An additional flower was stamped on a scrap of white, colored then cut out and layered onto the like image using a Dimensional . This really emphasizes the main flower. The corners were snipped with the Scallop Circle Punch then this was layered onto Garden Green.

Another favorite but retiring-in-a-week set is Elegant Cheer which I used for the sentiment. This was punched with the Wide Oval Punch and a Scallop Circle in Garden Green was layered behind it.

This was another quick and simple yet one with visual and textural interest due to using the Big Shot, Texturz Plates and also a simple Paper Tole. I'm really going to miss Soft Summer!

Stamps: Soft Summer, sentiment from the retiring Elegant Cheer set
Ink: Rose Red, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Riding Hood Red, Creamy Caramel
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Garden Green, Whisper White

Accessories: Big Shot, Texturz Plate, Scallop Circle Punch, Wide Oval

Punch, Paper Snips, Dimensionals

One more sample to come using the other flower image in the set! Tomorrow....

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you have a great day!

Margaret

Soft Summer II

Here's my next Soft Summer card...very simple and easy. This one uses the Two-Step Stamps: the outline image is stamped first then the second solid stamp which fills in the outline is stamped, hence the Two-Step name. Soft Summer is in the Occasions Mini which expires at the end of this month. :-(

This is a very simple card that can be made in a short period of time and yet it is very nice for a variety of occasions. The card base is Sahara Sand which is stamped in Basic Brown ink. A length of yummy 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon is tied around the cardfront and tied.

The outline image is stamped in Basic Brown on Whisper White cardstock. The second step is inking the solid image with markers; I used Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Artichoke and So Saffron. Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement (what a wonderful invention!!), I overstamped the color into the outline. I used some markers to fill in a few places like the lighter portions of the leaves. This was then layered onto a piece of Cameo Coral cardstock, adhered to the card and the sentiment stamped below.

Stamps: Soft Summer; sentiment from Hugs and Wishes (retiring)
Ink: Basic Brown pad; Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke So Saffron Stampin' Write Markers
Paper: Sahara Sand, Cameo Coral and Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you've had a really good weekend!

Margaret

Good-bye, So Long, ...

Saying good-bye is hard when you've had so much fun... nevertheless good-bye soon to Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette and the Soft Summer stamp set. But we have still a little time yet to enjoy their presence and we'll make the best of it!

Pink and green is such a wonderful combination and this contemporary combo of delicate Pink Pirouette and kicky Kiwi Kiss is no exception! The lovely embossing on the Kiwi background is thanks to the Big Shot and SU's Tapestry Texturz Plates. Just one run through the Big Shot and you have the grandest embossed background! So quick and easy!! This is adhered to the Pink Pirouette card and a scalloped strip of Walk in the Park Designer Paper added on that. That lovely white organza ribbon with a pearly sheen tops it off.

The image is stamped in Basic Brown ink and colored with Stampin' Write Markers, Blender Pens and Classic inks. The flower centers are covered with micro beads from the Green Duo bead set which give them a nice dimension. One corner of the white piece is pierced for interest. On the opposite corner the sentiment is punched out with the Large Oval Punch and layered on a Pink-sponged-with -Riding-Hood-Red Scallop Oval Punch-out.

Soft Summer makes beautiful cards for so many occasions! Just choose your sentiment and you're set. It is in the Occasions Mini and is only available until June 30, then gone away, just like the Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette In Color products.

Stamps: Soft Summer

Ink: Basic Brown, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive
Paper: Walk in the Park Designer Paper; Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Accessories: White Organza Ribbon, Crystal Effects, Green Duo Beads, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Mat Pack, Piercing Tool, Big Shot, Texturz Plate

Thanks for visiting! I'll have more Soft Summer tomorrow!

Margaret

Blogger's Challenge 103 - Manly Cards

Just in time for Father's Day, the Blogger's Challenge this week is for manly cards.

I ordered this Happiness is a Journey set not long after it came out. I so like realistic train sets that I couldn't resist this one, and the sentiment that comes with it is great: "Happiness is a journey, not a destination." Sadly, it is now retiring so I wanted to use it once again before it was gone. It makes great "manly cards"; this was my opportunity!

My paternal grandfather was a railroad engineer of a diesel locomotive but any railroad engine brings back thoughts of him. I remember him as the strong quiet type but he was kind-hearted and generous. When we would go visit he and my grandmother across town in Ft. Worth almost every Sunday afternoon, as we were leaving he would always reach in his pocket for his little leather coin purse and pull out some coins for my brother and I. What a treat! We could ride our bicycles to the drugstore the next day and buy some candy! He worked for the Texas & Pacific Railway for over fifty years! He also loved working with his hands and doing woodwork in his workshop. Great memories!

We made a card almost exactly like this last night for the make and take at my workshop so I kept it rather simple. I was pretty happy with the result; hope you enjoy it.

Stamps: Happiness is a Journey; "Thinking of You" from Trendy Trees set; "Happy Father's Day" inside from All Holidays
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Cardstock: Taken with Teal, Ruby Red, Going Gray (how long since I used THAT!)
Accessories: Big Shot, Texturz Plate (on background), Word Window Punch, Small brad from Star Brads Asst.

You can see a list of the other Blogger's Challenge gals here; take some time to see what they came up with!

Hope you have a wonderful Father's Day with your loved ones and make some good memories!

Margaret

Summertime, Bloggers Challenge #102

Here's my June 5th Blogger's Challenge #102.  Theme: Summertime! 

For my Summertime project I chose to do a butterfly "tree" using the Butterfly Sizzix Bigz Die. The die has four different sized butterflies on it; two of them are cut on a fold, so by folding a piece of Designer Paper into the size of the die and running it through the Big Shot, you actually get six butterflies with each pass! That sure makes it go faster! I stuck with my color scheme of predominately pink and brown and was really amazed at all my Designer Paper options within that scheme. I used both some retired DSP as well as currently available DSP in these colors.

I made my butterflies by putting together two sizes of butterflies with wire and twirling the tips with some little round tip jewelry pliers to make the antennae. I then ran some of the Mono Multi Liquid Glue along the wire and sprinkled on some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Let glue dry (it is white when applied but dries clear).

 I had purchased some dried "salt cedar tips as they were called, and put them in a vase with the acrylic marbles to stabilize them. I used Mini Glue Dots to adhere the butterflies to the branches.

Here are a few close-ups of some of the butterflies.

This was fun to make and I'm pretty happy with the end result. The ladies that were here this week for classes liked it too.

Thanks for dropping by!  I'll see you soon with more projects! Hope you enjoy!

Margaret

Chipboard Class

I'll be teaching a Chip Chip Chipboard class this Thursday evening, using our fab Stampin' Up! Chipboard, Designer Papers and accessories. We'll do five projects. If you haven't used chipboard in your scrapbooking, stamping or crafting, you should, lol, and you'll learn how! If you already know how, I trust you will learn some new ideas and enjoy some new projects!

If you live in the greater Oklahoma City area (Edmond, Guthrie, Yukon, Moore, MWC, etc.) and would be interested in attending, please click HERE to go to my demo website Events page for more details and my contact information. I have only five seats left in the evening class so don't delay if you are interested. : )

To see some of my past chipboard projects that are here on my blog, either click on the "Chipboard" on the left sidebar under "Posts" or click here.

I'll have more projects up soon! Thanks for visiting!

Margaret

Classic Sketches

I recently participated in an All Occasion swap with SSUS (Sensational Stampin' Up! Swappers) so I couldn't share the card I made for the swap. Since I received the cards from the other swappers back today, I can now share it. The cards I received were are all great! Thanks Ladies!

I used the set Classic Sketches for the focal image of my card, stamping it in Basic Gray on Sage Shadow card stock. I tore the bottom of the Sage and sponged it with Going Gray. The sentiment is from Sense of Time from the current Occasions Mini Catalog. (I'm obviously really drawn to the vintage style stamps!) The words were stamped in Basic Gray on Creamy Caramel, sponged and layered on Basic Gray again.

The card base is Creamy Caramel overlaid with Basic Gray with distressed edges, then a layer of Ruby Red stamped with the flourish from the Baroque Motifs set in Ruby Red, and the edges were also distressed on it.

Stamps: Classic Sketches, Sense of Time, Baroque Motifs
Inks: Basic Gray, Ruby Red, Going Gray
Paper: Creamy Caramel, Basic Gray, Ruby Red, Sage Shadow
Accessories: Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Distressing Tool from the Cutter Kit, Vintage Brads, 1 3/4 Circle Punch, Coluzzle, Stampin' Sponges.

Don't forget to check my Stampin' Up! website under "Stampin' Up! Products" then click "Promotions" to see the list of retiring stamps and Decor Elements! June 30 is the last day they will be available! You can order directly from my website just by clicking the "Shop Now" button.

Thanks for visiting today! I appreciate it! See you soon!

Margaret

And Many Mower - TSSChallenge #72

Happy Monday to you! It's the day for Technostamper's Monday Sketch Challenge! On the right is our sketch for today which I like very much. Even so, I had to rotate it to accommodate the idea I had for using it. I'm sure I'll be using this sketch again!

Father's Day is coming up on June 21st! My son-in-law plays golf as does my brother so I have good use for this set. Not to mention the images of the set that I didn't use are a lawn mower and some others that can be used for birthdays or even retirement! It's a fun and versatile set and a good investment for cards for guys!

I rotated the sketch because the placement of the sentiment didn't work with this image and had to be moved. I began with a base card of Pacific Point cardstock then layered 1 1/2" wide strip of Muirfield Designer Paper. Even though this DSP was retired from last fall's catalog, I just couldn't resist using the plaid with the golfer. Then I added a 2 1/2" strip of Kiwi Kiss cardstock. The golfer was stamped in Staz-On (so the lines won't blur with the Blender Pen) onto Very Vanilla cardstock (there is Vanilla in the plaid). I colored him in with the Blender Pen and ink from the lids of my ink pads. There is a soft Going Gray shading around the image to ground it. This was layered on Pacific Point cs.

The sentiment was stamped and punched out with the Large Oval Punch then sponged with Kiwi Kiss and layered on a Key Tag Punch out of Pacific Point. This was adhered over the Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain Ribbon that covers the seam of the two papers.

The "golf balls" were made by running a scrap of Whisper White cardstock through the Big Shot with the Small Dots Texturz Plates then punching out three 1/2" circles. These were mounted with "wrong side out", with the dimples going in, for the golf balls, and then on additional circles of Pacific Point.

This was a fun and easy card to make and I enjoyed the sketch! And Many Mower is found in the current Occasions Mini Catalog which ends on June 30! You may see Technostamper's card here and also links to others who've posted their cards done with this sketch.

Stamps: And Many Mower

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Black Staz-On, Going Gray, Blush Blossom

Paper: Muirfield DSP (retired); Pacific Point (retiring), Kiwi Kiss (retiring), Very Vanilla, Whisper White card stocks

Accessories: 1/2" Circle Punch; Key Tag Punch (retiring), Large Oval Punch, Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (retiring), Big Shot, Small Dots Texturz Plate, Stampin' Sponge, White Signo Gel Pen.

The list of stamps and also the accessories that are being retired from this catalog were posted today on the Stampin' Up! website! Once these are gone, they are GONE, so please order those things that you want TODAY so you won't be disappointed! You may order online from my Stampin' Up! website 24/7. Just click here to go there. Some of the accessories are on sale for 25 to 50% off! Don't miss this fabulous bargain and great way to stretch your dollars!!

Hope you have a wonderful day and week! Thanks for visiting and come back soon.

Margaret

Your comments are always encouraging and appreciated. Thanks!