Painted Blooms Birthday

Happy Hump Day...it's all downhill to the weekend from here!
Today I have another of the projects that was available for a card buffet I held a couple of weeks ago. 

Birthday card featuring the Painted Blooms DSP with sentiment from Simply Sketched (retired).

This one has some retired products as well as some brand new ones from the Occasions catalogue.  The Whisper White background layer is embossed using the new Spring Flowers TIEF and is layered on a Rose Red card base.  The beautiful floral focal point is a piece of the Painted Blooms DSP...it is SOOO pretty!  I also layered that on a piece of Rose Red card stock, but not before embellishing it with some Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon (retired) and a Something Borrowed Embellishment, which I used as a ribbon slide.

The sentiment, from the retired Hostess-exclusive set Simply Sketched, is heat embossed in silver and die cut using the Banners Framelits.  The little butterfly, from the Papillon Potpourri set, is heat embossed in silver on vellum and punched with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  I added some rhinestones for a little extra sparkle.

Inside view with sentiment from the Bloom With Hope Hostess-exclusive set.

On the inside I added another narrow strip of Painted Blooms DSP and then stamped the sentiment from the Bloom With Hope Hostess set in Rose Red ink.

Now, I totally forgot to post the Weekly Deals yesterday, so here they are...something for everyone this time!  Remember, prices are good until Monday at midnight.  My order goes in on Sunday evening :)

Boys Will Be Boys Clear-Mount Stamp Set Price: $21.95  Sale: $16.46	Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper Price: $5.95   Sale: $4.46	Fine Print Coupons Swatchbook - Digital Download Price: $13.95   Sale: $8.37	Hamburger Box Bigz Xl Die Price: $52.95  Sale: $39.71
Hearts Border Punch Price: $20.95  Sale: $15.71	Ornate Tag Topper Punch Price: $31.95  Sale: $23.96	Sweetheart Punch Price: $21.95  Sale: $16.46	Tag A Bag Accessory Kit Price: $9.95   Sale: $7.46

Lovely Birthday

Lovely as a Tree is Stampin' Up's longest running stamp set and each year around this time folks start to get nervous.  The retirement list comes out next week and everyone holds their collective breath to see if Lovely as A Tree will survive another catalogue year.  I am one of those who hopes this set will continue.  It is just so versatile and the images really are, well, lovely!  Today I have a card I designed for my upcoming card buffet using this iconic set:

Masculine birthday card featuring the Lovely as a Tree and Hardwood background stamps with sentiment from Simply Sketched.

I am so in love with the Hardwood background stamp from the Occasions catalogue!  I sure hope it is one that carries over into the new Annual Catalogue...I haven't had enough time to play with it yet!  Here are some quick tips in case you want to give this one a go:

• I stamped the background in Sahara Sand on Soft Sky card stock and then sponged lightly all over with Whisper White craft ink.
• The trees are stamped in Soft Suede ink and then sponged lightly with Soft Sky.  The edges of the panel are also sponged but in Sahara Sand.
• The sentiment is stamped in Sahara Sand.
• The little clip is one of the (retired) mini library clips (I really miss those!)

This really is a quick and easy project to put together and is perfect for just about any man in your life.  Here's hoping Lovely as a Tree survives yet another catalogue transition...I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Now for this week's Weekly Deals...remember, sale prices are good till next Monday at Midnight:

	Venetian Romance Designer Series Paper Item # 130144 Regular Price: $13.50       Discounted Price: $10.13
	Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions Embossing Folders Item # 129383 Regular Price: $9.95           Discounted Price: $7.46
	Adorning Accents Edgelits Die Item # 125595 Regular Price: $11.95           Discounted Price: $8.96
	Night Of Navy 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Item # 126874 Regular Price: $6.75          Discounted Price: $5.06
	Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon Item # 132982 Regular Price:$8.95          Discounted Price: $6.71
	Anywhere Glue Sticks Item # 104045 Regular Price: $5.50           Discounted Price: $4.13
	Outer Space Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel Item # 126938 Regular Price: $10.50         Discounted Price:$7.88
	Floral District Photobook Template - Digital Download Item # 127211 Regular Price:$19.95          Discounted Price:$11.97

Frosted Sympathy

I recently found myself in need of a sympathy card for someone from our church.  This is what I came up with:

Sympathy card featuring Natural Compositions DSP and sentiment from the Simply Sketched hostess set.

Can you believe the only stamping on this card is the sentiment?  I used some of the gorgeous Natural Compositions specialty paper, which has all of those beautiful floral images already clear embossed on it.  I just sponged it all over with Whisper White craft ink to make the images pop and give it all a frosted look...so appropriate, given the current temperatures around here!  To get the halo around the focal point I left the framelit in place after die cutting the circle to act as a mask.

I added a bit of Delicate Details Lace Tape and then the sentiment from Simply Sketched which I stamped in Baked Brown Sugar and punched with the Large Oval punch.  I layered it on a scalloped oval which I punched from some scrap Baked Brown Sugar card stock.  I highlighted the sentiment with tiny pearls and added a vellum butterfly I die cut using the Beautiful Butterflies Embosslit.
Sympathy cards are often hard to make, given their purpose, but are so appreciated when they are given to someone mourning the loss of a loved one.  I hope this one gives a little comfort to the person who receives it.

Faux Frame Challenge

Happy Saturday and happy March!  I hope you have some stamping planned this weekend!  We have a fun new challenge over at The Technique Twist for you to play along with.  We're all about the Faux Frames this week!  Now, do a quick online search and you'll find TONS of variations on this technique.  That is our challenge...find a new way to create a faux frame.  Here is my take on it:

Birthday card featuring the Faux Frame technique with the Summer Silhouettes, Secret Garden, Papillon Potpourri and Sweet Essentials stamp sets.

For my faux frame I used Simply Pressed Clay in my Woodgrain TIEF!  I went for a faded driftwood kinda look.  I love the effect and am so going to try it with other patterns.  Here is how I created my frame:

• Press Simply Pressed Clay onto the open Woodgrain TIEF, making sure it is fairly thick...too thin and it will tear when you run it through the Big Shot.
• Close the folder and run it through the Big Shot with no tabs on the multipurpose platform.
• Set the folder, with clay inside, aside to dry for at least 24 hours.
• Carefully remove the dried clay from the folder, taking care not to tear the clay.  (Don't worry if it does tear...mine did (several times) and I just put it back together when I glued the frame to my project.
• Using the Squares Collection Framelits, die cut a square frame from the embossed clay.  You can play with the width of the frame by trying different sizes of framelits until you're happy with the look of it.
• Sponge the entire frame with Smokey Slate ink, following the grain of the "wood".  Be sure to get into the grooves to eliminate any white clay showing through.  Be sure to also sponge the inside and outside edges so they are no longer white.
• Sponge the entire frame again with Basic Gray ink, but this time go against the grain to highlight the texture.
• Sponge lightly one more time, against the grain, with Basic Black ink to add more depth and texture.

Once I had my frame made the rest of the card was a piece of cake.  I stamped the floral images from the Summer Silhouettes set on a 3-1/4" square piece of card stock using Basic Gray, Island Indigo and Pool Party inks.  To glue the frame to the card stock I used Sticky Strip.  Tombow will also work with Simply Pressed Clay but I didn't want to wait for the liquid glue to dry ;)
The leaves on the frame are from the Secret Garden stamp set, are heat embossed in silver and are die cut with the coordinaring Framelits.  I glued them to the frame using Tombow.  The little butterfly is stamped in Basic Gray ink on vellum and punched with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  It is also adhered with Tombow.
The background is a piece of Pool Party card stock that I embossed using the Pretty Print TIEF...sure hope that one comes back in the new Annual Catty!  I left a smooth strip at the bottom so that I could stamp the sentiment from Sweet Essentials in Basic Gray.

Inside view with sentiment from Simply Sketched.

On the inside I stamped the same floral images I used on the front and added the sentiment from the Simply Sketched hostess set.

I hope you'll make time this weekend to try creating a faux frame.  There are SO many possibilities!  Check out the projects by my fellow design team members over at The Technique Twist and then give it a go.  We'd love to see what you create!

A Simply Sketched Birthday

Whew...TGIF!!  We made it to Friday...wahoo!  Tonight is my All About Birthdays Card Buffet and I am very excited!  It is going to be a great evening!  Here is a card I designed for the event using the Simply Sketched hostess set from the Annual Catalogue:

Generic birthday card featuring the Simply Sketched hostess set.

I love coming up with card designs that are generic...perfect for both men and women and suitable for multiple occasions.  This particular design could work as a sympathy card or a thank you simply by using one of the other sentiments included in the stamp set.

I really like this colour scheme...that pop of yellow is rather unexpected, but really adds interest to the design.  I used some of the twine from the Sweet Sorbet Accessory pack available starting next Tuesday in the Sale-a-bration brochure.

Inside view with sentiment from Petite Pairs.

I carried that bit of yellow inside the card, matting the sentiment with a label cut from Summer Starfruit card stock, using the Chalk Talk Framelits.

Try your hand this weekend at creating a generic card.  They are great to have on-hand! Have a super weekend everyone!!

Sketched Blessings

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope your week has been better than mine!  I am so glad the weekend is here!!

Stampin' Up! gave us a little pre-weekend surprise by adding several new items to the Online Clearance Rack yesterday.  There are lots of great deals to be had...check it out, but hurry...these items are only while supplies last, which won't be long at these prices!

Today I want to share with you another take on a card I showed you a while back. 

Holiday card featuring the Simply Sketched Hostess set with sentiment from More Merry Messages.

I had originally designed this card for a stamp-a-stack I held last month, but when the registration jumped to nine, I decided I had to redesign the card for speed's sake!

The branch images were inked using Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler markers...not a difficult technique, but one that does take a bit of time and since I had one stamp and one set of markers and each guest at my event was doing four of this card...welll you can imagine why I felt it necessary to rethink my plans!

Inside view with sentiment from Delightful Dozen

The redesigned card was a hit, but I fully intend to use this design at other classes this fall! 
Now, I am dashing out the door to work, so I don't have time to give you the full rundown of what I used, so you'll have to forgive me for that :)
Have a great weekend...and be sure to make time to stamp!!