simply flat..with {tExTuRe}

Happy Friday to you!  Hope you all had a great week.  Just wanted to pop in with a simple card I created.  After making this one, I decided that I should sit down and make a stash of these simple one layered cards to have on hand..especially thank yous!  The inspiration for this card is actually from a couple things - 1) the chevron arrow stamp from the Border Banter stamp set and 2) the leaf from the Wonderfall stamp set, both of which are in the Holiday Mini catalog.  I've been wanting to play with both of these and I happened to have a white 3 1/2" x 5" card in close proximity to my computer, so, as I was sitting on a conference call, I thought I'd try these stamps out.  I found it to be very effective multi-tasking!  I was really pleased with how it came out - for no layers at all, it seemed to be chock-full of texture.  Here's another view, so you can see what I mean about flat texture:

So, what do you think?  I thought it had a nice retro-modern look to it, especially with these colors.  I used the brand new In Color, Summer Starfruit, and paired it with a classic favorite - Pumpkin Pie.  For the Thank You sentiment from the Itty Bitty Banners set, I used Early Espresso Ink to make it stand out, in a subtle sort of way.  Here's the recipe for you:

 

{Wonderfall Chevron Thanks}

• Stamps: Wonderfall, Border Banter, Itty Bitty Banners
• Cardstock: Whisper White Notecards & Envelopes (3 1/2" x 5')
• Inks: Summer Starfruit, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso

Now, the fun part.  Last but not least, I was blurfing {aka blog surfing} a little bit ago and saw that my sketch actually fits Pals Paper Art's sketch challenge for the week, so without even intending, by serendipitous luck, I'm actually getting to play in a card challenge!  Woohoo!  It's been awhile for me. :) 

 

In any case, I hope you guys like the card, or, at least come away with an idea for trying to create texture with a one dimensional card.  Patterns really do a lot - be it stamps or paper - and they're fun to dabble with!  Give it a whirl and see what you come up with.  Thanks for popping by and have a great weekend!

 



Birthday Bazaar!

Hello there blog friends!  How goes your week so far?  Today, I've got a fun birthday card to share for you, using the cool Chevron embossing folder and the Delicate Doilies Sizzlits.  How about my little scallop flower?  I love the smaller sized 1 1/4" scallop punch {from the Holiday Mini Catalog} that nests so perfectly to add an inner layer to my flower!  I created the flower petals by cutting towards the center of the flower at every 2 scallops.  I punched out the leaves using the Blossom Petals Builder punch.  Wanna see the rest of the card?  Here you go:

 

I used the Apothecary Accents Framelits as the background to my sentiment, from the Happy Hour stamp set.  And lastly, I created the scallop border at the bottom using the Large Scallop Edgelits. I had a lot of fun making this card for my good friend Robin :)  As you guys can probably tell, I'm a big fan of this color combo.  It's a change up from my regular repertoire of colors, but the Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, and Daffodil Delight just pop with that happy freshness, dontcha think?

Hope you like the card!  Here's the quick recipe for you:

{Birthday Bazaar}

• Stamp Set: Happy Hour
• Cardstock: Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, International Bazaar, Summer Smooches
• Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake (to sponge on the edge of the leaves)
• Accessories: Chevron Embossing Folder, Delicate Doilies Sizzlit, Large Scallop Edgelit, Blossom Petals Punch Builder, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Apothecary Accents Framelit, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine,

Thanks for the visit.  Have a great one!

sweet anniversary {LOVE BIRDS}

Happy Monday, blog friends!  I have a quick card share for you today.  I created this anniversary card using my current fave, International Bazaar DSP {such cool prints!} and the Apothecary Accents framelits, and the bird punch, and the awesome Paper Piercing Pack {I think I'm kind of addicted to this paper piercing, too!}.  For the stamps, I used the Owl Occasions stamp set from the Holiday Mini for the branch, and then the sentiment is from the Memorable Moments stamp set.  Here's a look at the full card for you:

Now, isn't that paper print so fun?  Love it!  Well, I hope you guys have a great Monday and I'll catch up with you all in a bit!  Thanks for popping in ;)

Tinkering with my blog using MDS2

I decided it was time to give the bloggie blog an updated look, since it had been neglected for so long on my part!  So tonight, I fired up the MDS2 that I just downloaded and worked on some background ideas.  At first, I tried out one of the DSP patterns, but didn't feel like it was quite the right look for me.  What I finally went with was a background I created myself using the Epic Overlays digital stamps and the Keep this Memory digital embellishments and the finished product is what you see in the background of my blog!  What do you think?  Would love to get your feedback. I started with an 8 1/2" x 11" custom landscape page, and this is what I filled it with:

Once I started, it was fun and easy to put together!  Then I uploaded it as my background in Blogger and viola!  I also created my new header the other day and just made a few tweaks on the sizing and layout.  That was a lot of fun, too :)

My next thing is updating my sidebar labels, so I hope to get those done in the next day or so.  What I found is that MDS2 is definitely a great digital app, not just for scrapbooking - it's an awesome tool for creating blog graphics!

Gonna call it a nite...it's late for me.  Chat with you all soon.

You're {AMAZING!}

Hey there, bloggie friends! Hope you had a great Friday today! It was a busy week, but I'm starting to feel like I'm turning the corner as far as managing my time.  I'm so glad I got to stamp a little bit this week - it felt so good!  Plus, I have lots of birthday and anniversary celebrations this month, so I was motivated to create some cards with my stash of brand spankin' new Stampin'Up! goodies from the new catty!  Today's card share is a birthday card I created using the You're Amazing stamp set and the International Bazaar DSP {which is one of my faves!}. Here's a look at the full card for you:

Aren't the prints of this DSP so pretty?  The color palette I used for the card was Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, and Tangerine Tango.  Such a happy and cheery color combo.  Now, how about that flower?  Truth be told, the card was basically created around this flower, since I had made it first.  I was so intrigued by Patty Bennett's video flower tutorial, that I had to give it a whirl and try to make a flower myself!  What's fun about this particular flower is that it uses one of my good ol' favorite tools - the crimper!  I had to dust mine off a bit, but I tell you, it's a great tool to have in your crafting quiver.  Here's a closer look at the flower detail for you:

Isn't it just so pretty?  All you need is the Blossom Punch, a crimper, DSP, and a brad and you're on your way!  For this flower, I used 5 punched out blossoms, but you can play around with this number based on how full you want your final paper flower to be.  Definitely worth a try!

Here's the card recipe for you:

• Stamps: You're Amazing
• Inks: Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake {for the flower edges}
• Cardstock: Pool Party, International Bazaar DSP, Whisper White
• Accessories: Antique Brads, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack,  Paper-Piercing Tool, Stampin' Pierce Mat, Corner Rounder punch

Hope you like the card!  Well, my friends, I appreciate you coming by today.  Have a great weekend and come back to visit soon!  :)

 

Ciao for now.

guilty pleasure...

Ha! Did I get your attention?  And no, I'm not talking about 50 Shades {heehee}, but rather, this month's MDS {My Digital Studio} promotion at Stampin'Up!

To sum it up for the month of August, all cards, photobooks, individual pages, and tags are on SALE for 31% off!  But wait, there's MORE.  There are also 31 digital products available at 31% off, too.  So now, you're probably thinking, well, I don't have MDS...not to worry.  During the month of August, you can download a 30-day risk free trial of MDS2! How cool is that? 

I'm a huge fan of MDS, so I'm excited to download MDS2 and check out all the new features.  If you're a big fan of digital crafting, then I think it's definitely worth a free trial peek ;)

While I'm posting, I also wanted to share that there's an awesome Howl-o-ween project kit that you can earn for free if you join my team in August!  You can become a Stampin'Up! Demonstrator by purchasing a Starter Kit for $99 this month and build it your own way with the products that fit your crafting style and focus.  It's definitely worth checking out!

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I've actually been bitten by the crafting bug this week, so I'll have a few more posts to share in the coming days :)  In the meantime, take a peek at the MDS and the starter kit options!

Bye for now!