Up to my eyeballs!

...in swaps for convention!!  I am under a deadline to get 77 swaps done for a pre-convention event I am participating in.  They have to be in Utah by July 7th...and I just started on them!  Fortunately I work pretty quickly and I am well on my way to completing them...now I just need my order to arrive so I have the rest of the supplies I need to finish them.  I thought you might like to see what I came up with....there is a theme for the swap, but I'm not telling you what it is.  You have to guess ;)

Any-occasion card featuring the Post Card background stamp and the Postage Due and Lovely Little Labels stamp sets.

SO much sponging on this one (think x77)...but I love the soft, shabby-chic look of it.  I hope my fellow swappers like it too!  Can you guess the theme?  Since yesterday was my birthday, I'm feeling rather festive, so I think it's time for some blog candy.  Leave me a comment with your guess for the theme.  I will choose one winner from the correct guesses...the winner will receive a prize package that includes several of the products I used on this card: Remember This and That Rotary Stamp, Simply Pressed Clay, Tea Lace Doilies and Vintage Trinkets.  The deadline to enter the contest is this Sunday, June 30th.  I will announce the winner in my blog post on July 1st...Canada Day!  Good luck...oh, and multiple entries are ok ;)

Water Colour Silhouette

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend filled with  lots of relaxation and a little stamping!  Most of my weekend was spent on household tasks, so I didn't get as much stamping time as I'd hoped, but I do have a few projects to show  you  this week.  Today, I want to show you another card I designed for my monthly techniques class last week.  It uses a technique I call Water Colour Background.  Have a look:

Thank you card featuring the Serene Silhouttes stamp set with sentiment from Lovely Little Labels.

This technique took me a while to master, but once I figured it out, it really was quite easy...and the results are fantastic! Much of the success of this technique lies in the choice of colours.  Here I used So Saffron, More Mustard, Soft Suede and Chocolate Chip, after seeing them used for this technique by a fellow demonstrator.  I love the way they blend and create a beautiful sunset background.  I stamped the tree image from Serene Silhouettes in Early Espresso.  The rest of the card is quite simple.  I used a bit of the woodgrain patterned Natural Compositions specialty paper and some of the fantastic new Natural 7/16" ribbon to add some texture.  The button is on of the Naturals Designer buttons from the Annual Catalogue and I added a couple of bitty button brads from the Vintage Trinkets.  The little tag is stamped using the Lovely Little Labels set and punched with the Jewelry Tag punch.  I didn't really set out to create a masculine card, but this most certainly has lots of manly features, though I'm sure most women would be happy to receive it as well!

A Fitting Birthday

This past weekend I had some quality play time with my new stamps.  I was also working on designing some samples for upcoming classes and workshops and, since birthday cards are always in demand, I put together this fun little card...

Birthday card featuring A Fitting Occasion and Itty Bitty Bits stamp sets with sentiment from Lovely Little Labels.

Inside view with sentiment from Bring on the Cake.

I did another project using this colour scheme a while back and just loved how vibrant and fresh Melon Mambo and Gumball Green are when paired with Whisper White.  For the front of the card I used the A Fitting Occasion set and added the little cupcake from Itty Bitty Bits.  Now, there are a couple of sneak peeks here from the upcoming Holiday Catalogue as well!  The DSP peeking out from behind the punched circles in the windows is from a wonderful new pack of holiday paper called Snow Festival...lots of fun prints that are not only for the Holidays!  Speaking of the little windows...those were made with a new 1-1/4" scalloped circle punch!  So happy to have another size to play with!
The inside of the card was stamped again using the tiny cupcake from Itty Bitty Bits and the sentiment is from the Bring on the Cake set.  Gotta love when stamp sets combine so easily!

In other news, I have the latest project for you from Craft Project Central.  Today's adorable design is by Kim Score.  Kim does some gorgeous work and this is no exception.  Check it out:

Storybook Friends cards and Candy Box by Kim Score

 Isn't that just darling??  I so love that DSP and coordinating stamp set!  To access the tutorial for this and 9 other projects simply head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to July.  Then stop by Kim's blog and tell her how much you love her project!

Kindness for the Players

Well, I survived getting yet another year older...hard to believe I'm THIS old!!  Many, many thanks to all who left kind wishes in their comments on my big day.  It was so nice to have my cyber-friends wishing me well.  I was chatting with an old friend from my university days on Monday when she called to wish me a happy birthday.  We realized that next May will mark 20 years since we graduated together!!  How the heck did that happen?!?  Neither of us feel any older and she certainly doesn't look older (that's what not having kids will do for you!), yet almost 20 years have passed since we walked the hallowed halls of Queen's University (GO GAELS!). 
Anyhow...enough waxing nostalgic!  On to some stamping!  I finally got a chance to play tonight after all the birthday hoopla died down.  I headed over to one of my favourite challenge sites,  The Paper Players, to get my mojo working.  This week's challenge is a simple sketch that left itself  open to SO many possibilities!  I pulled out one of my new, as yet uninked, sets from the new catty.  First, here's the sketch...

 

...and here's my take on it:

Thank you card for PP101 featuring the Blooming With Kindness set with sentiment  from Lovely Little Labels

Lots of fab new product on this one!  In addition to the two stamp sets, I used Comfort Cafe DSP and Natural Composition Specialty Paper.  Peeking out from behind the flower is a doily cut with the Delicate Doilies Sizzlet.  The flower itself was cut with the new Floral Frames Framelits and I cut the decorative edge on the blue layer behind the DSP using the Finishing Touches Edgelits.  That gorgeous ribbon is the new Stitched Satin...so love that stuff.  (Are you impressed...I remembered all those names without looking at my catty!!).  To stamp the flower I first inked it with Summer Starfruit and then tapped my More  Mustard marker randomly all  over.  The result is a subtly shaded flower.  To soften it, I sponged it all over with Crumb Cake ink.

Thank me Baby One More Time

Ok...today I want to show you the second set of baby thank you's for my Baby-Thank-You-Bonanza coming up this Thursday.  These ones are for the one gal who knows that she is having a little girl.  They are a bit more feminine, but not too frilly.  This mom is not a ruffles and lace kinda gal.  Have a look:

Another baby thank you card featuring the Baby Boutique stamp set with sentiment from Lovely Little Labels

Same layout, different theme with images from the retired Fox and Friends set and sentiment from Tiny Tags.

So, you'll notice both cards use essentially the same layout.  I kept the horizontal orientation because I find it easier to write in horizontal cards...anybody else find that?  Maybe I'm just weird!  Anyhow, the first card is a bit softer with a colour palette of  Crumb Cake and Pink Pirouette on the Whisper White card base.  The second is a bit bolder with Chocolate Chip and Pretty in Pink.  I think both will go together fairly quickly, though the first is certainly simpler.  We'll see what my mom-to-be thinks!  Tonight I'll be cutting up a storm as I prep for 80 cards!!  Thank goodness I'll be in the coolness of my basement...today is to be another scorcher!  Heat, humidity and teenagers do not mix...trust me on this one.

Thanks, Baby

Yesterday I mentioned that I've been working on designs for baby thank you cards for my Baby-Thank-You-Bonanaza that I am holding later this week.  The moms-to-be and I are getting together to make 80 thank you cards in one afternoon.  Impossible?  Maybe, but I think we'll get close.  As I've been designing I've been trying to keep the layouts as simple as possible while still keeping some of the "cute factor".  I'm using our fabulous little note cards...they're perfectly sized for thank you's...less room to write!  Here are a couple of the ones I've come up with that I like...

Baby Thank you card featuring the Aviary stamp set with sentiment from Fabulous Phrases.

Another option featuring the Baby Boutique and Lovely Little Labels stamp sets

Whaddya think?  My favourite is the little owls...love that little stamp!  I used the new Argyle embossing folder for the Pool Party panel...so love that pattern!  I added a little softness with a hint of ruffled ribbon peeking out from behind the panel.  The second card is a bit simpler in that there is less stamping involved.  I embossed the card base using the Stripes embossing folder and added a bit of babyness with the now-retired eyelet border punch.  I used the new Lovely Little Labels set and coordinating punch for the sentiment...kinda cute, no?  I got the idea for the placement of the label on the stamped bib from the catalogue...gotta love the inspiration in that wonderful book!  We'll see if my ladies like either of these designs.  I have a couple more girlie ones I'll show you tomorrow...in the meantime, stay cool....it is hot, hot, hot here in Cambridge!