Friends Having Fun and Some Little Cards

Have you heard the news about Friends Having Fun yet? It’s a brand-new challenge blog that is just about to debut!  And this one will be a little different – fun is the first priority for this site!  Challenges will be weekly, and will rotated among four teams – see below for the challenge themes and the team leaders:

Alison – Color Challenge (week 1)

Dani – Sketch Challenge (week 2)

Sarabeth – Recipe Challenge (week 3)

Erica – Pop Culture Challenge (week 4)

In addition, each team is looking for 3-4 friends (design team members) who would like to have fun!  All the details can be found here and the deadline for submission is this Friday, March 12th.  Details are still being worked out for the debut of the challenges, which is now tentatively scheduled for late March.  I will be sure to update here! 

Now, feel like seeing some little cards?  There are times when I seriously love making smaller-scale cards like the three pictured below.  They come together quickly and the size forces me to really keep them simple.  

This first one is my fave of the bunch – I absolutely loved using that sentiment stamp (by Verve Stamps) and that designer paper (by Pink Paislee).  Putting them together just made me happy!   I think I need to use that stamp again really soon – as a matter of fact, an idea is coming to me as I type this….hmmm….

The Twilighty card below went to the winners of blog candy prizes from the recent Twilight Tuesday Farewell Blog Hop.  It was a bit bittersweet making this final Twilight-themed project, but I HAD to use that sentiment from Beth’s StampInsanity Stamps set (called Otherworldly Loves).  Although I may very well make more Twilight-themed projects in the future, this definitely felt a bit poignant since I was officially done with my Twilight Tuesday duties when I mailed out the blog candy prizes and these cards.  I hope that the prize winners liked them!

And this last card also resulted from that Twilight-card-making session – exactly the same as the card above with a different sentiment and die cut shapes in the center. 

Thanks so much for visiting – see you again soon!

What I Used:

Anything is Possible Card:

Paper:  Papertrey Ink white cardstock, Stampin’ Up! Ruby Red cardstock, Pink Paislee designer paper

Stamps:  Verve Stamps

Ink:  Stampin’ Up! Ruby Red

Accessories:  Stampin’ Up! ticket corner punch, Kaiser red pearls, dimensionals

Twilighter and Thank You Cards:

Paper: Papertrey Ink vintage cream and black cardstock, Stampin’ Up! Riding Hood Red cardstock; K & Co. designer paper

Stamps:  StampInsanity Stamps Otherworldly Loves set (“Twilighter”); Verve Stamps (“thank you”)

Ink:  Stampin’ Up! Riding Hood Red

Accessories:  Spellbinders Nestabilities labels dies, dimensionals, K&Co adhesive jewels

Peace, Love, and Thanks

My lovely friend Margie was so kind to send me a birthday gift a while back – check out my prezzie!  It’s the Hope & Grace-Peace stamp from The Greeting Farm that I used on the card below.  So dang cute.  So, of course, she needed to be front-and-center on the thank you card for Margie!

This card was so fun to make – I love the bright, cheerful colors.  That happy designer paper is from Imaginisce’s Twitterpated line, which I absolutely LOVE for kid cards or a bright card like this one. 

Check out another paper in that line called “Hey Foxy,” which I used on this Bind-It-All album project.  How cute is this stuff?! 

And here is Margie’s card –

I’ve been making an effort lately to use my Cuttlebug border embossing folders, since they are the most neglected folders in my Cuttlebug collection.  So this is the second card I’ve posted this week using the same border folder.  I embossed a floral strip on the top of the white mat, created a rule with my Scor-Pal, and then embossed the rest of the mat with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.  I like getting the two different textures in there. 

I colored and cut out in this lil’ hippie chick and mounted her on a layer of Stampin’ Up! So Saffron cardstock.  I didn’t manage to get a good close-up of her, though – I wanted the card out in the mail and didn’t spend enough time on my photos.  So I’m sorry that I don’t have a better pic or two to show.  

Thank you again, Margie – you are so sweet and thoughtful!

What I Used:

Paper: Papertrey Ink white cardstock; Stampin’ Up! So Saffron cardstock; Imaginisce Twitterpated Floral Trails designer paper

Stamps:  Hope & Grace-Peace from The Greeting Farm; sentiment – Inkadinkado from Collaged Expressions set

Ink:  Ranger Archival Ink in jet black; Tsukineko Kaleidacolor Raised Rainbow Dye Ink Pad in Spectrum (for green)

Accessories:  Cuttlebug:  Swiss Dots embossing folder & border embossing folder from the Frills set; Spellbinders tag die; Crop-a-Dile and eyelet; ribbon; K & Company adhesive jewels; Prismacolor markers; Sakura Jelly Roll pens; dimensionals; Scor-Pal

Coral Is Everywhere

Have you noticed that corals (and other shades of orange) are popping  up everywhere?  I love this color, which is Cameo Coral from Stampin’ Up!.  I originally thought that this card was a little too bright for me, but my eyes must have adjusted to it because I’m cool with it now. 

However, I would still love to find a color that is just a touch lighter than this one. Anyone know of cardstock like that?

I’m bummed out that the designer paper on this card was the last of my stash.  This paper, from Colorbok, was from Michael’s, who no longer carries it.  And…I could not find this paper online ANYWHERE.  One of the only relevant search results I found was from my own blog, from when I used the paper previously.  It’s so disappointing when a product you love just disappears – and it seems to happen all the time with crafty supplies.  The manufacturers love to keep us on our toes, don’t they?

In other news – blog candy is coming!  Stay tuned for that post, coming on Friday!

Card details:

Paper:  Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream cardstock; Stampin’ Up! Cameo Coral cardstock; Tracy Porter for Colorbok designer paper

Stamp: Inkadinkado

Ink:  Stampin’ Up! Cameo Coral

Accessories:  Cuttlebug:  Birds and Vines embossing folder, Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 1 dies; Martha Stewart border punch; dimensionals

Bella Bleu Gift Set and Exciting News!

I have some exciting news today – I have suddenly found myself taking orders for cards!  What started as one set has blossomed into requests for several more sets, so it’s time for me to get to work!  I am in the process of setting up my Etsy store and will post information on that as soon as it’s ready.  I am really thrilled to be entering in to this new venture!  I think it will be really fun.

For this set of 12 cards, I used some favorites of mine – Brocade Blue and Bella Bleu paper from Stampin’ Up!.  The cards are identical; only the  sentiments were changed.  I included four sentiments (three cards of each):  Thank You,  Thinking of You, and Happy Birthday, all from different Inkadinkado sets, and a With Sympathy stamp from Anna Griffin.  Something led me to my corner rounder when I made this – I never think to use that one!  I thought it gave a softer look that seemed to work since these cards have such a feminine style.  The background is embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder and the strip in the center is embossed with a Cuttlebug border embossing folder from the Just My Type set.  The sentiments were stamped and mounted on pieces cut from Nestabilities rectangle dies.   For the box, I made a computer-generated label (simple, just “greeting card set” with a flourish) and decorated the lid of the box with the same components used on the cards. 

Card details:

Paper:  Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream cardstock; Stampin’ Up! Brocade Blue cardstock and Bella Bleu designer paper; American Crafts cream cardstock (box)

Stamps:  Inkadinkado (Thank You, Thinking of You, & Happy Birthday); Anna Griffin (With Sympathy); type and flourish on box computer-generated

Ink:  Stampin’ Up!  Brocade Blue

Accessories:  Cuttlebug: Swiss Dots embossing folder, Just My Type border embossing folder; Nestabilities rectangle and scalloped rectangle dies; EK Success corner rounder;  dimensionals (on box); ribbon (on box)

Thanking a Friend, Once Again

The other day I posted a thank you card I made for Dani from the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge Design Team, and here is another card for yet another team member.  I sent this card to Eve a while ago to thank her for some lovely items she sent to the team; can you tell that we’ve got a very generous group? 

This card was a little brighter for me as I usually use softer colors, but it’s good to stretch a little every now and then, right?  That purple cardstock and ink are in Papertrey Ink’s Plum Pudding shade.  The white background is embossed with the Swiss Dots embossing folder (where would I be without that folder?).  For the vertical panel, I made a background with a floral flourish stamp from Inkadinkado and that is mounted on a panel of Plum Pudding cardstock trimmed with a Martha Stewart border punch.  The sentiment is on Nestabilities’ ovals.  I added a few more embellishments, as detailed below, and that did it! 

Card Details:

Paper: Papertrey Ink white and Plum Pudding cardstock

Stamps: Anna Griffin – Sentiment; Inkadinkado Floral Flourishes set – background image

Ink:  Papertrey Ink Plum Pudding

Accessories:  Cuttlebug:  Swiss Dots embossing folder & Nestabilities Oval dies; Martha Stewart border punch; Stampin’ Up! ticket corner punch; Dew Drops; ribbon; dimensionals

Amethyst Damask Thank You Card

Here’s a card I made for the very sweet Dani from the Twilight Tuesday Design Team, who recently gifted the whole team with an awesome bunch of goodies  lately.  (I say “recently,” but in reality, I am really late in thanking her.  Might as well be honest about it…)

I had been eyeing this damask background stamp from Flourishes for some time, and finally grabbed it!   Another new stamp for me is the Inkadinkado thank you – I love this one.  I’ve said it so many times before, but I will again – I LOVE Inkadinkado!  They add such beautiful details to their  stamps, like the flowery flourish on this thank you stamp.  Love them. 

I used lots of things on this card – the background is the Flourishes damask stamp mentioned above, and the sentiment is mounted on Nestabilities square and scalloped square dies.  The panel behind the sentiment was embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder.

Thank you again for your generosity, Dani!  It is much appreciated!

Card components:

Paper: Papertrey white cardstock; Stampin’ Up! Almost Amethyst cardstock

Stamp:  Inkadinkado (sentiment); Flourishes damask background stamp

Ink:  Stampin’ Up!  Always Amethyst

Accessories: Cuttlebug: Swiss Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities squares and scalloped square dies; Stampin; Up! ticket corner punch; American Crafts brads; ribbon; dimensionals

Cinderella Says Thank You

 It’s time for a shout-out to my lovely friend Maureen!  She recently sent a very sweet and thoughtful gift to my daughter and we sent her this card to thank her.  Maureen is a very talented stamper who just happens to work at “The Happiest Place on Earth,” so we had to send her a message from one of the princesses! 

This card features a ton of Cuttlebugged pieces, and I realized when the card was assembled how much it looks like I made a belt on the front of the card!  It was one of those things that just happened.  The background of the card is embossed with my often-used Cuttlebug embossing folder, D’vine Swirls and I also embossed a strip of Swiss Dots for the “belt.” And then I turned to the Nestabilities – I used rectangles for the Cinderella image and long rectangles for the sentiment.  Coloring Cinderella was really fun – for that, I used Prismacolor pencils with a little Gamsol to smooth out the color.  And I gave “Cindy” (as Mau calls her) a little sparkle with  Sakura Jelly Roll pens (clear for her dress, silver for her shoes).   The blue pearl accent is from K & Company.  This was a really fun card to make!

In addition to being such a thoughtful friend, Mau also recently entered the blogging world!  Visit her at My Puhrple Puhrse, where you will find discussion on lots of topics, like stamping, Twilight, and lots of other things!

Card components:

Paper:  Papertrey Ink white, Stampin’ Up! Bashful Blue cardstock

Stamps: All Night Media (Cinderella); Stampin’ Up!  Short & Sweet (sentiment)

Ink:  Stampin’ Up! Bashful Blue (sentiment); Versafine Smokey Grey (Cinderella)

Accessories:  Cuttlebug:  Embossing folders (D’Vine Swirls and Swiss Dots); Nestabilities (rectangles and long rectangle dies); dimensionals;  K & Company pearl; Prismacolor pencils; Gamsol; Sakura Jelly Roll pens in clear and silver.

Heartfelt Thanks

Did you ever have so much to thank a person for that you barely knew where to begin?  That’s how I felt while making this for my beloved Stamp Vamp, also known as Tonya.  Tonya’s done so many things for me lately that this one card didn’t quite feel like enough, but it’s a start.  Hugs to you, Tonya!

Like another recent card I made, this one is very Valentine-ish.  I cannot resist the pinks and reds lately.  I guess that I should start actually making Valentine cards, instead of just making cards that look that way.  I had better get on that. 

I think I might have even topped myself on the number of Cuttlebugged elements on this one card – I count seven different Cuttlebugged pieces! (And I wonder why I have cracked two of my Cuttlebug B plates lately?!)

Card components:

Paper:  Canson watercolor paper; SU! Pretty in Pink; designer paper:  Making Memories Love Birds – Love Notes

Stamps:  Inkadinkado from Hearts & Love set (heart and sentiment)

Ink:  Clearsnap Ancient Page in Pink Pizzazz

Accessories:  Cuttlebug: birds &vines embossing folder, vintage corner die, Nestabilities petite oval and petite scalloped oval dies, Nestabilities heart dies; Making Memories brads; lace; ribbon; dimensionals

A Valentine-Inspired Thank You

The kind and talented Rebecca of Bella Carta did a very nice thing for the entire Twilight Tuesday design team — she sent us all a package of crafty, Twilighty goodies, including lots of reds! 

To thank her for her generosity, I wanted to make Rebecca a thank you card that used something that she sent.  I am also starting to get into the Valentine’s spirit, so this card looks a little more like a Valentine than a thank you!  The stamp that I used on this card is actually from an Inkadinkado Valentine set; the cherubs on there are so cute that I just had to include a photo of them. This card was a little tough to photograph, so I think that a few details are difficult to see.  The horizontal panel in the middle of the card is actually ribbed (with the help of a Fiskars texture plate); it doesn’t look apparent from the photograph.

A big thank you goes to Rebecca for her generosity and thoughtfulness!

Card components:

Paper:  Papertrey Ink white; SU! Riding Hood Red; The Paper Company vellum; designer paper, unknown brand

Stamp:  Inkadinkado from the Hearts & Love set

Ink:  SU! Riding Hood Red

Accessories:  Cuttlebug:  Nestabilities rectangles dies, Fiskars texture plate-lines; EK Success corner punch; American Crafts brads; ribbon; dimensionals

Holiday Thank You Cards

To get my holiday thank you cards done, I thought keeping them simple would be best to ensure that I actually got them in the mail during the month of January.  So, what did I do?  I kept playing with the ribbon until I ended up with four different results! 

The cards were still simple and quick to make, nonetheless. I think that I really needed to put the Christmas colors aside — I was in the mood for a snowy, wintry kind of feel for these cards.  I included photos of the four different ribbon styles just to show how I could not leave well enough alone. 

Card components:

Paper: Papertrey Ink white; Bazzill light blue

Stamps: Inkadinkado Garden Flower set

Ink: Tsukineko Brilliance in Pearlescent Sky Blue

Accessories: Cuttlebug:  Snowflake embossing folder and Spellbinders Nestabilities ovals; dimensionals; ribbon; SU! slot punch