Farewell to Fifth Avenue

Today's post is another in my series of Fond Farewells.  This time we're bidding adieu to Fifth Avenue Floral.  This was the very FIRST stamp set I ever bought.  I purchased it to use for my brother's wedding invitations, which I volunteered to make after having tried stamping for all of 10 minutes!  I had no idea what I was getting myself into!  Suffice to say this stamp set has been VERY well used!  The design for this card was inspired by a contest winner in a recent issue of Stampin' Success, our demonstrator magazine.  Check this out...

Simple Thank you card featuring the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set and sentiment from Sincere Salutations

Pretty simple, eh?  This card took me less than 10 minutes to create.  I started with the rich razzleberry card base and then stamped the flower image in Versamark.  I then heat embossed the images using melon mambo embossing powder.  I added a bit of ribbon, the sentiment, stamped in rich razzleberry ink and viola...quick and easy card.  Of course, I couldn't resist doing a little something on the inside, so I stamped the same floral image in melon mambo ink on a piece of whisper white cardstock and adhered it inside the card.  Although this stamp set will disappear from the catalogue come June 1st, it is one I will most certainly keep in my stash...it's just too pretty to let go!

A Fond Farewell...

The publication of the Retiring Stamps list is always bittersweet.  There is sadness to see some favourite stamp sets go, but also excitement as we wait to see what will replace them in the new catalogue.  Over the coming days I will feature projects that use some of my favourite retiring sets as my final farewell to them.  Today's project features two retiring A La Carte stamps:  Fine Flourish and Ornate Blossom, as well as the Sincere Salutations sentiment set, which is also retiring.  It also uses a cool technique:  emboss resist.  Have a look...

Multi-occasion card featuring Fine Flourish and Ornate Blossom A La Carte stamps with sentiment from Sincere Salutations

This design would work for  a weddding, anniversary, birthday...any other ideas?

I originally designed this card for a techniques class and then decided to go in another direction.  I don't often make square cards because of the additional postage costs, however, it is fun to work with a different shape now and again.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the emboss resist technique, here is a quick how-to:
Starting  with a square of whisper white card stock, I stamped the Fine Flourish image using concord crush ink.  I then inked the Ornate Blossom with Versamark and stamped it right over top of the first image, taking care to try to centre it.  I then heat embossed the blossom using clear embossing powder.  Then I inked up my  brayer with concord crush ink and covered the entire square with ink.  The embossed image  will resist the ink and the stamped image underneath will show through.  The final touch is to wipe any excess ink off of the embossed image using a tissue.  Simple, yet elegant. 
Another retiring set I'll miss a lot is Sincere Salutations:

Sincere Salutations (Item # 115068)

Such a versatile set with pretty fonts.  If this little gem isn't yet in your stamp collection you need to order it before May 31st or you'll  miss the chance for good.

Fun with Fabric

Some of the members of my Tri-City Stampers team were asking for ideas as to how to use Stampin' Up's designer fabrics on their projects.  I decided to incorporate fabric in this month's make-n-takes for our team meeting.  This is the first card we made, using the Flirtatious fabric, which is available during Sale-a-bration for FREE!

CAS card featuring Flirtatious designer fabric and sentiment from the Sincere Saluations set

Flower detail

This is the perfect workshop card, which was another reason I chose it for my team meeting.  It is one that comes together quickly and easily and whose sentiment can be swapped out for just about anything.  It also uses several of my favourite tools to create:  the Big Shot to cut out the flowers and the Simply Scored to add the scoring detail at the bottom.  I also used my Stamp-a-ma-Jig to place the sentiment, as the Sincere Salutations set is only available in wood mount.  To get the flower to pop off the card I used a large 2 3/8" scalloped circle that I punched from whisper white cardstock and then crumpled and smoothed out again.  I layered the flower on top and added the brad to hold it all together.  The stiffness of the cardstock allows the flower to have more shape and dimension.
I love this fabric and have several other projects to show you over the next little while that use fabric to add texture and colour...stay tuned!

The end is in sight...sort of...

Well, I am nearly finished my biggest chunk of swap cards.  It is for a WOW swap that has 120 participants!  Yep, that means I am making 120 cards for just this swap!  Can you see now why I've been neglecting my poor blog?!?  Tonight I am posting one of the cards for this WOW swap.  It is a centre-step card.  I decided to do a funky fold as my wow...plus I had a bunch of basic gray 12 x 12 cardstock to use up!  Conveniently, the challenge over at Just Add Ink this week is to do a fancy fold so I'm going to enter this card for that challenge.  Since I made it a Christmas card (can't start too early!!) I am also entering it in the Christmas in July challenge over at the Paper Players too!  So, here is my twofer challenge-convention WOW-swap card:

Christmas Centre-Step card for JAI 74 and PP54 using the Serene Snowflakes stamp set and Northern Flurries embossing folder.

Sentiment is from the old-stand-by stamp set Sincere Salutations...gotta love something that stands the test of time!

Waffle Paper detail...I often have customers ask me what to do with it and I figured my fellow swappers likely have the same questions...so here is an answer!

So...can you believe I am making SIXTY of these things?????  Yep, I'm nuts, I know.  It was one of those "It seemed like a good idea at the time" kinda things.  Thankfully I've had a little help.  My stamping buddy Christine helped me out yesterday doing all the tearing and sponging of the focal image layer.  Thanks Christine...it was a HUGE help!  One less step for me to have to do!  I honestly don't have the energy tonight to post the instructions for this card...it is a bit involved.  You can find the tutorial for how to make a Centre-Step card here.  It from Splitcoast stampers and is the one I used to design this card.  The colour scheme is basic gray, pool party, whisper white and just a hint of island indigo.  I also used irridescent ice embossing powder on the side panels and vanilla shimmer smooch spritz on the centre focal image.  Its not very visible in the photo, but this card is very pretty and sparkly...very festive!  Tomorrow I'll try and post the other design I did for this swap.  I had to split the 120 into two designs of 60 each or I'd go completely bonkers!!!  For now its off to bed...I have another long day of stamping tomorrow!!

More Flirtatious Fun!

I am really loving the items from the Flirtatious Suite in the upcoming catalogue.  The DSP is fabulous and I love the die-cut doilies!  The coordinating stamps are so versatile and match the paper perfectly.  Today's card is one I did for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players using the doilies from the DSP pack as well as one of the new In-Colours:  Wisteria Wonder.  Check it out...

Thank You card for The Paper Players Challenge #50 using Delicate Doilies stamp set from the upcoming IB&C and Sincere Salutations sentiment set.

Inside of card using the new Lace Border punch.

Isn't this pretty?  I love the softness of Wisteria Wonder...such a subtle shade of lilac with a hint of gray...very nice.  I pulled out my Sincere Salutations sentiment set for this card.  That set is an oldie but a must-have for creating cards for just about any occasion.  I also love that all the sentiments fit in the decorative label punch...so easy to add to any card.  The images behind the sentiment were stamped with the new Delicate Doilies set, part of the Flirtatious Product Suite in the new catalogue.  Also a part of this suite is the Lace Ribbon border punch, which is what I used for the inside of the card.  It is fabulous (which you've already seen in my last few posts!) and I cut it in half here to give a lovely, feminine accent along the bottom of the card.