A Black & White Threefer...

This week is going to be a little nutty.  It is the last full week of classes and as such I have a TON of marking to do, not to mention being out two nights this week for my senior recitals.  I likely won't have much time to stamp between now and Friday, never mind getting a photo taken and posting it for you.  I will do my best, but no promises.  The good news is that after this week my life becomes much simpler as I head into exams and the end of the school year...yippee!!
I did get a chance to whip up a quickie for you tonight.  It is a threefer for the Stamping 411 sketch challenge, the Handstamped Sentiments wedding challenge, as well as the Just Add Ink Black and White challenge.  First of all here is the 411 sketch:

 I like that this sketch is so simple...it made this card easy to pull together quickly...

Card for JAI71, HSSWD & SSC207...sorry about the blurry image...not sure what's up with my camera!

Sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes, frame from Four Frames sets...and then of course there's the Medallion!

Inside of card

This was super fast and easy to put together...good thing because I had literally 15 minutes of stamping time before my husband left for the evening and I was on full-time Mommy-duty!  Here is what I did:

Starting with a piece of textured basic black cardstock I stamped the medallion image using frost white shimmer paint.  After it dried, I ran it through my Big Shot with my Finial Press embossing folder.  I tried sponging the edge using shimmer paint...don't try it...it doesn't work!  I just ended up with a gloopy mess, so I tore the edge of the cardstock to get rid of it.  I then layered it on a slightly larger piece of whisper white cardstock, which I also tore to match.  I wrapped a piece of white satin ribbon around and added a clear rhinestone brad.  I then stamped the frame and sentiment in basic black ink on a scrap of whisper white cardstock and then punched it out with my decorative label punch.  I added a row of rhinestones and adhered it to my card using dimensionals.  For this inside I stamped the medallion again in basic black on whisper white cardstock and adhered it.  See...told you this was a fast and easy one!

Embossed roses for MU5

I am SOOOO glad to have a heat tool again!  My order arrived and in it was my brand new Stampin' Up! heat tool.  It is super!  Heats up fast...way quicker than my now dead non-SU model.  So, I had to put it to work on a card for this weeks Friday Mashup challenge.  Here is the challenge:

and here is my doubly embossed card:

Card for MU5 using Fifth Avenue Floral, Four Frames and Just Because stamp sets

If you're wondering why most of my cards are "Thank You" ones, it is because I am heading toward the end of both the school year and the Stampin' Up year.  I will be needing TONS of thank you cards over the next few months, so many of my samples will be of a thankful nature.  This card could work for just about any occasion (expect maybe Christmas!), so just imagine an alternate sentiment if you'd like.  Here is how I put this card together.
Starting with a piece of watercolour paper, I stamped the rose image three times using Versamark.  I then heat embossed it using the new melon mambo embossing powder.  Then I took my aquapainter and watercoloured the roses using rose red ink...did you know that colour is pretty much a richer, more saturated shade of melon mambo?  I then set the roses aside to dry.  While that was happening I took a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of very vanilla cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot using my perfect polka dots folder.  I layered it on a 5 3/8" x 4 1/8" piece of Woodland Walk DSP.  I then adhered the now-dry roses in the upper left corner.  I wrapped a piece of rose red seam binding around the corner and then threaded a big designer button with another piece of seam binding before adhering to the cardfront.  I adhered the whole thing to a garden green cardbase.  For the sentiment, I stamped the polka dotted frame from the Four Frames set in wild wasabi on a scrap of very vanilla.  I then stamped the thank you from the Just Because level one hostess set in rose red and punched it out with my decorative label punch.  I layered it with another decorative label in wild wasabi and then adhered it to the card using dimensionals.  The final touch was a few basic pearls to highlight the sentiment.

So there you have it:  a pretty, feminine card for someone special!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a perfect day this has been!  The weather is just gorgeous...and what's more it was forecasted to be rainy and miserable...and I've had a wonderful Mother's Day with my family.  My day started with my husband and son waking me up to breakfast in bed...a delicious meal that they made together.  Who knew my husband had it in him!  He looked up recipes online for french toast, and scrambled eggs and then snuck out after I went to bed last night to buy the ingredients.  He was up bright and early and whipped up a scrumptious breakfast!  I was amazed and very impressed!  Then we all headed outdoors to do some yardwork and gardening.  The weather was just too beautiful to stay inside!  We all pitched in to clean up our yard from the ravages of winter and it is looking springtime fresh.  Then I was able to come inside and do a little stamping!  See what I mean about a perfect day?!  The card I made is for the Stamping 411 sketch challenge for this week.  I figure I'm on a roll, so why not enter again?  Here is the sketch:

And here is the card I made:

Vintage-inspired card for  SSC202

Close up of sentiment and flower I made using my build-a-blossom punch.

Although this card looks really simple it took me a while to put together!  I just couldn't decide what I wanted to do.  I had actually started by embossing a whole cardfront with my vintage wallpaper folder, but then decided I needed layers (surprise!).  I trimmed the embossed piece down in size and then flipped it over so that the debossed side was up.  I've had the victoria lace trim sitting on my shelf for a while and decided it was time to use it!  Another thing I finally put to use that I've had for a while was my Build-A-Blossom punch.  I took tons of time punching out each petal and then burnished them with my stylus to give them texture.  I also sponged each petal with a little sahara sand ink.  I added a little very vanilla seam binding ribbon and an antique brad to finish the look.  The sentiment is highlighted with one of the Four Frames stamps, which I coloured with my blender pen.

This card is for all the Moms who read my blog...thanks so much!  You are the reason I keep on stamping!  I hope you've had as wonderful a Mother's Day as I!

What a week from hell...

...this has been!!  I can't believe how rough this week was!  My entire family was struck with this horrible stomach bug that absolutely knocked us flat.  My son took the brunt of it with violent stomach cramps, bloating and all the other nastiness that goes with the flu.  I can't tell you how heart wrenching it has been to listen to my sweet little boy screaming in pain all day long.  It has made my being sick that much harder because I haven't been able to help him.  Talk about feeling helpless!  I honestly don't know how parents of children with chronic health issues do it...I've been a complete mess! 
Anyhow...I'm happy to report that today was a turning point.  He almost seems like himself, full of the beans and talking non-stop.  He hasn't had cramping once today, so we are hopeful that the worst is finally over.  It has been a very long 10 days of this!  His big birthday bash is next Saturday, so he MUST be well by then!
Now, on to a card!  This card features the new Strength and Hope set from the up-coming Summer Mini catalogue as well as the items from the Spring is Blossoming promotion which begins April 1st (that's Friday...no fooling!)  I made this while I was completely out of it with the flu...I don't really know how I managed to put it together, but all the brads at the bottom have a story that goes with them.  First...the card:

Card featuring the Strength and Hope, Hope Happens and Four Frames sets as well as the Paisley Prints DSP

Close up of sentiment from the Hope Happens set as well as the frame from the Four Frames sneak peek set.

Inside of card.

I've shown you several other cards using the new Paisley Prints DSP, so you already know how gorgeous and rich the colours are.  These patterns are no different...just lovely!  The  text and the butterfly are from the Strength and Hope set which you'll see in the upcoming Summer Mini that goes live May 1st.  Two dollars from every sale of this set will be donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation, so not only are you getting a beautitul stamp set, but you are also helping out a very worthy cause with your purchase!  Be sure to request your Summer Mini from me before it goes live...send me an email to request your copy FREE!
The other special items on this card are from the up-coming Spring is Blossoming promotion, which begins April 1st.  The DSP and the Four Frames stamp set are both available for purchase only through this promotion...they will not be in any catalogue or mini until the new Idea Book and Catalogue is released July 1st.  You can purchase both of these sneak peek items with a qualifying order of just $25 during the month of April.  PLUS if you host a qualifying workshop in April you'll earn BOTH the DSP and the stamp set FREE in addition to all the fantastic regular hostess benefits!  WOOHOO...gotta love free stuff!!  Call or email to book your April workshop today and start planning which projects you are going to use these gorgeous items on!
Now...I have to tell you the story of the brads on this card.  There are a lot of them.  Yes, the card is very heavy.  No, I did not set out to design a card that weighed five pounds.  Here is what happened...
I sat down to make this card for a workshop that one of my new recruits was having.  I wanted to have some samples to give her that use the new promotional products.  Unfortunately I was in the early stages of the stomach flu while trying to put this card together.  I managed alright (except that I had to stamp the butterfly and text component twice...that's a whole other story) until it came time to poke the holes for the brads.  I had originally planned to just use two small brads...one on either side of the sentiment.  Then I had issues with my poker...it just wouldn't poke equally spaced holes!!  I tried and tried and kept ending up with holes that were uneven.  I even got out my ruler and measured...still no luck.  By the time I had holes that were sort of even I had so many holes that I now had to try to cover them up somehow!  Hence the extra LARGE brads.  They are covering the multitude of holes I poked!!  Thank goodness there is always a way to fix our mistakes...even if they do end up with a card that will cost $10 to mail!!!

Variation on a theme...

Today's card is another one I did using the Friday Mashup sketch challenge from last week.  I didn't actually enter it in the challenge because I wasn't as pleased with this one as I was the two cards from Tuesday's post.  Nonetheless, I do like this card; mainly because of the colour combo:  cherry cobbler and soft suede.  Can't go wrong with those two gorgeous colours!  Check it out...

Simple card using Elegant Soiree DSP and the Four Frames stamp set from the Spring is Blossoming promotion.

Close up of that cute little birdie!

I've been having so much fun with the new DSP from the Occasions Mini I've been neglecting my stash of pretty papers from the main Idea Book and Catalogue!  Silly me...there are some beautiful papers gathering dust on my shelves!  For this card I put away the new and pulled out the almost new.  I really love the Elegant Soiree DSP.  The colours are some of my fav's and the patterns are...well...elegant!  For this card I again made the paper the focal point;  why not when it is as pretty as this is?!?  For a change, I used textured cardstock for my base... little hint of texture that adds another level of richness to this card.  The antique brad and cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon are just the perfect finishing touch.  Speaking of seam binding...here's a news flash:  there is no seam binding ribbon in the upcoming Summer Mini!!!  Horrors!!  One can only pray it reappears in LOTS of colours in the new catty in July!!!  In the meantime, if you love this product as much as I do, be sure to stock up before the end of April!  Click the shopping cart on the top right of this page to visit my online store and buy a roll of every colour...it's a long time till July!!