Banner Blessings & Butterfly Basics HSS216

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Hey crafty friend!  Today I have a card to share featuring a stamp set I've been dying to use, Banner Blessings.  It's a photopolymer set with four stamps that feature scripture for several occasions.  I LOVE it.  I used it with Butterfly Basics as a background collage for Hand Stamped Sentiments' latest color challenge.

I used the emboss resist technique to create a soft collage background, sponging Bermuda Bay on white cardstock after embossing with clear.  The spritzing tool gave it a little extra blast of color.

The seam binding ribbon was plain Very Vanilla, and I ran it across a Strawberry Slush ink pad, wet it, crumpled and squeezed the water out, then used a blow dryer to quickly dry the inky ribbon.  Then tied into a bow and scrunched it for a shabby look.  

The large butterfly framelit was cut with vellum to give a little more layering without hiding the pretty stamped background.  

Stop by HSS to see the inspiration projects and play along!  

PS:  In case you didn't notice, I substituted Strawberry Slush for the Watermelon Wonder, as I'm probably the last demo in the world to not place an order from the new catalog.  Sad but true! 

Have a blessed and creative day!

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Butterfly Basics, Banner Blessings

INK:  Bermuda Bay, Strawberry Slush, Blushing Bride, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark Clear

PAPER:Whisper White, Vellum

EMBELLISHMENTS: Strawberry Slush baker's twine, Vintage faceted button, Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon, basic rhinestones, sponge, spritzing tool

A Stamp Rewind for My Anniversary

Pin It Now! You hoard retired stamp sets like me, don't you? I'm not alone here?!  As a demo, I find myself trying to use the current sets because, of course, they're fresh and new. But for my 15th Anniversary this week, I found myself at a loss for a perfect stamp. But looking around my room, I saw that I had amazing stamps...they're everywhere!

This was more or less the sketch from last week's challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments, and I CASE'd the style of Diana Eichfeld with her pretty challenge winner. 

My husband collects clocks, so the cuckoo clock from Forever Young was perfect. And "Love always" was layered from a retired Valentine set, Affection Collection. I used an interesting die cut that complemented the shaped of the clock, and added woodgrain embossing. 

I think what he said was, "Wow, baby, you really did a nice job!"  :D I get that a lot. Haha. 

So, pull out those old stamp sets, blow off the dust, and ink them up!

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Forever Young, Affection Collection (both retired)

INK: Blackberry Bliss, Gold Stampin' Emboss, Versamark, 

PAPER: Blackberry Bliss, Brushed Gold, Watercolor paper

EMBELLISHMENTS: Gold Sequin Trim, Apothecary Labels Thinlits dies, 2-1/2" circle punch, Mossy Measow striped satin ribbon, Naturals button, corner round punch, Woodgrain embossing folder

Batty Punch Art Circle Flip Card - Halloween!

Pin It Now! A fun idea that I discovered from last year on Pinterest from Susan Campfield.  My layout is updated a bit with current supplies from the catalog and the Holiday Mini 2014...new DSP, the cute Lucky Stars embossing folder, and tiny bats from Holiday Home.

Check out this wide eyed punch art bat!

Peek-A-Boo!

The bat wings are made with the smallest butterfly from the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, and the silver Glimmer bat punch is retired. 

I like this little ticket (That's the Ticket stamp set)!  I found it by accident rummaging for Halloween themed stamps :). The Blackberry Bliss ticket is stamped with Hardwood, and sponged around the edges. The bat (Owl Punch) hangs off the edge of my Hello Honey moon, and a flurry of bats fly off into the night (Holiday Home). On the flip side, a Halloween greeting, and more bats!

Have a blessed and creative day! ~ Erika

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Holiday Home, That's the Ticket, Delighful Dozen (Retired), Hardwood
INK:  Jet Black Staz On, Hello Honey, Black Stampin' Emboss with VersaMark.
EMBELLISHMENTS:  Hello Honey Stitched Satin Ribbon
PAPER:  Moonlight DSP Stack, Basic Black, Hello Honey, Whisper White
PUNCHES:  Bat (Retired), Owl Builder, Bird Builder, Ticket Duo Builder, 1/2" Circle (bat wings), 2-1/2" Circle (moon)
BIG SHOT:  Circle Thinlits Flip Card, Lucky Stars TIEF, Bigz Beautiful Butterflies Die (Ret.)

O Holy Night - Upscale Chalkboard Art

Pin It Now! I thought I'd take the chalkboard style and amp it up a bit for today's Christmas card. Gold embossing gives this cool graphic stamp a whole new look!  Are you anything like me, do you try something new but have no idea what the end result might be?  Some of you card geniuses have such vision and know just what your technique will bring. Not me. But I did like this one!

I like the green with the vintage looking gold.   Reminds me of the shop fronts in the little towns in Ireland! 

Happy October 1st!  84 days till Christmas, you know!  

~ Erika 

Masculine Birthday with Chalk Talk

Pin It Now! Here's a manly card using Chalk Talk, featuring Typeset Specialty DSP, and some luscious gold ribbon from the SU catty.  I seriously need to make pajamas out of this stuff - gorgeous satin!

...anyway!  This is for my dad's b'day, and features the colors from his favorite football team, the Baltimore Ravens.  Or, as some folks call them, Basic Black and Blackberry Bliss.

A pretty simple layout, and Chalk Talk is so easy to use if you stamp it the way it was created - as a chalkboard accent!

Here, you can see my embossing (large polka dot TIEF), the pretty ribbon, some spattered gold paint.  And my gold "frizzles" created by peeling the gold baker's twine apart.  I think it looks like sparklers - very celebratory!

Inside, from retired You're Amazing.

I'm playing with the sketch from Techno Stamper. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a blessed and creative day!

SUPPLY LIST:

STAMPS:  Chalk Talk, Dictonary, You're Amazing (Ret.)

INK:  Black Staz On, Crumb Cake

PAPER:  Typeset Specialty DSP, Confetti White, Blackberry Bliss, Basic Black

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Gold Baker's Twine, In Color Sequins, Gold 5/8" Satin ribbon, Large Polka Dot TIEF, Chalk Talk Framelits, Smooch Gold (ret)

Seize the Cake! Happy Birthday, LeAnne!

Pin It Now! Merry Mondays Challenge is celebrating the birthday of a very sweet and talented cardmaker, LeAnne Pugliese.  Here's my birthday card for you, LeAnne!

A quick and easy card to make, great for beginning card makers.  We let the patterned paper do most of the work, and use Stampin' Write markers to color the layers of the cake, making it look fabulously fancy!  The mini banner at the bottom is simply punched. 

Here, you can see the little row of pearls to gussy it up.

So, I hope you had a wonderful birthday!  It is so nice to visit with you in Blogland, you are very personable, and I'm sure everyone that receives comments from you knows that you took time to really look and appreciate their work.  You make everyone feel special, because YOU are truly special!  (((hugs)))

Click the graphic above to visit Merry Mondays, check out all the lovely birthday cards, and say Happy Birthday!

You can visit LeAnne's blog here.

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Embellished Events, Something to Say

INK:  Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Basic Grey

PAPER:  Birthday Basics DSP, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls

Another Great Year - Birthday Greetings!

Pin It Now! I have had a fascination with this stamp set since I first set eyes on it!  Then it sat...and sat.  I wasn't sure what to do with it.  I love the scripty font, the festive banners, and the vintage feel it has.  This week's Hand Stamped Sentiments Inspiration Challenge gave me the jump start I needed, with the cute retro mixer in aqua & silver.

I went with the silver and aqua theme, with a touch of purple from the other photos.

I saw a cute sponge dauber polka dot card by Teneale Williams, and thought this was just the technique to use with this festive birthday stamp! Sponge daubers dabbed in Coastal Cabana, Certainly Celery, and Wisteria Wonder. The birthday sentiment is heat embossed with silver, colored with Coastal Cabana, and a few sequins are added.  

I used this trendy tilted layered look, and I like the way it adds interest to the dotty panel, with plenty of patterned paper peeking through.  

Inside, a greeting and a cupcake!

I'll definitely be turning out a few of these.  Super easy and really darned cute! 

Hop on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out the DT samples - and please join in the fun!  

Check out Teneale's card here, with the dauber technique!

Have a blessed and creative day!

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS:  Another Great Year

INK:  Coastal Cabana, Wisteria Wonder, Certainly Celery, Silver Stampin' Emboss, So Saffron, Blushing Bride

PAPER:  Coastal Cabana DSP from In Color Stack, Watercolor Paper, Smoky Slate, Very Vanilla

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Coastal Cabana Thick Twine, silver sequins, glimmer paper

Anniversary Card - From My Heart [ SUO100 ]

Pin It Now! Today is my 14th wedding anniversary!  Like the card suggests, I have enjoyed the passing of time with my dear husband.  He is my rock, and was placed in my life at just the right moment, 16 years ago, and we were married on the same day 2 years later.

Here's the card I made for him at 11:00 last night while he was still out working.

I found a card on pg. 130 of the SU catalog that I loved the layout of, so I used the basic sketch of it to create my card.  I tried to go very MANLY, but as you can see, I just had to add a few sequins to make it stand out!  I left the little fringes from the sequin trim to rough up the look a little.  

The point at the card front is made by marking the center with a ruler and then each side at 1-1/4", then using the trimmer to cut away the excess.  The chevron embossing is spritzed with Early Espresso and the Spritz Tool, and "enjoying" is gold embossed on Mossy Meadow.  The bottom strip is from the new Vintage Typeset DSP.   I'll be using that on so many things! 

I tied off the bottom with Baked Brown Sugar thick twine.  

And here we are, saying I Do, on a breezy July day on the Miles River. *sigh*

July 2, 2000

I'm joining SUO challenges in their 100th, and I chose #22 - Anniversary, of course! 

SUPPLIES: 

STAMPS:  From My Heart, Teeny Tiny Wishes

INK:  Early Espresso, Gold Embossing

PAPER:  Vintage Typeset DSP, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla

EMBELLISHMENTS:  gold sequin trim, Thick baker's twine in Baked Brown Sugar, Chevron Embossing folder 

TOOLS:  Spritz Tool, Heat Embossing Gun

OH HAPPY DAY! Adoption Congratulations

Pin It Now! For the first time in a good, long while, a color challenge hasn't been a stress to me!  Here's a card I made for a friend's recent adoption finalization. They are a super sweet family and I am SO happy for them!

The colors from our latest challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments. Super juicy and summery, right?

I created a large shaker window and used Fringe Scissors to make this great confetti!  I was able to snip up little squares of all the challenge colors, plus Silver Glimmer Paper!  The little one is 2-1/2, and he's going to love it.  He'll probably rip it up to get to the confetti, but that's okay :D

Here's an inside look at the making of the shaker.  I cut several Shaker Frames into quarters and ran them around the outer edge of my shaker area.  Then, make the confetti by criss crossing  the fringe scissors to make squares. Placed a square of Window Sheet over it (acutally I attached it to the opening of the Lost Lagoon layer for the card front with Sticky Strip).  Added a double layer of Dimensionals, since the Shaker Frames are 2 Dimensionals high. 

Inside, I made him a little name tag.  (His first name was left off til after the photos were taken)

And there you go!  Won't you stop by Hand Stamped Sentiments and play along this week?  I'd love to see how you use these fabulous colors!

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS:  Starburst Sayings, Hip Notes

INK: Tangelo Twist, Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey

PAPER:  Lost Lagoon, Whisper White, Window Sheet

EMBELLISHMENTS:  InColor Sequin Assortment, 3/8" Stitched Stain Ribbon in Hello Honey, Essentials Wooden Elements, Shaker Frames, 

TOOLS:  Fringe Scissors, Big Shot, Starburst Framelits, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder, Diagonal Stripes embossing folder

OTHER: Dymo label maker

His & Hers Clean & Simple Valentines

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Happy Friday to you!  Today I'm sharing a clean and simple card that can be used as a Valentine, Thank You, or simply a "thinking of you".  

I first made the pink one, liked it, and wondered what it would look like in more masculine colors...because though my man is secure in his masculinity, he'd probably prefer a more rugged card.  So I believe I've got my hubby's Valentine done!  

This is a versatile layout that anyone can rock!  I got my inspiration for the layout from a card on my CAS Pinterest board.  

Here's a quick list of measurements:

Card base, standard 4-1/4 x 11, score at 5-1/2" to make a lengthwise card.

DSP: 2" x 4-1/4".  

2-1/2" circle punch for the sentiment. 

The little notches for the baker's twine is the 3/8" circle punch.

That's it!  Embellish as you please!

Here's a closer look:  The masculine card has a small loop of Basic Black Chevron ribbon and a little wooden heart (Wooden Elements, Spring 2014 mini).

The strawberry one is trimmed with Coastal Cabana Stretch Ruffle Trim, and a tiny heart punched with the Owl Punch. 

Have a blessed and creative day!  ~Erika

Supplies:

Stamps:  See Ya Later (Saleabration 2014)

Ink:  basic Black, Coastal Cabana, Real Red

Paper:  Brights DSP, In Color DSP, Strawberry Slush, Basic Black, Whisper White

Embellies:  wooden Elements, Basic Black Chevron Ribbon, Gold Twine

Punches:  2-1/2" circle, corner rounder, 3/8" circle punch, Owl Builder Punch

Big Shot:  decorative dots TIEF 

Ruffled Flowerfull Heart Valentine's Day Cards

Pin It Now! I sat down to make a handful of Valentines using Freshly Made Sketches #120,  a great clean & simple sketch. I loved the elements of this card, and decided to make each one just a little different.

They all use the same elements - Strawberry Slush Stretch ruffled ribbon, polka dot paper, embossing, and that pretty Flowerfull Heart that SU has introduced for Valentine's Day 2014.   But I don't like to repeat myself too many times, so to keep the creativity flowing in the snowed in craft room, I simply shifted things around on each card.  

I think this next one is my personal favorite!

No, maybe this one is...I think my mom will get this pretty one!

This one was made with hearts that were laying on my desk from this valentine card from last week.  

Here's a look at the sketch.  You should pay a visit to Freshly Made Sketches, and get ahead on your Valentine card making, too!  

Autumn Leaves Ornament / Wreath {Fall Home Decor}

Pin It Now! Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving?  I already have guests here at the house, and am starting my side dishes...pineapple casserole, marinated carrots, and cakes and cookies.  We have a winter storm due to arrive tonight, so we all may  be snowed in!

After all the food prep today, I finished a project that I've been trying to do since LAST year!!!

Remember the gorgeous Christmas ornaments from last year?  I wanted an autumn one.  Finally, here it is...

I've updated it to use current product, including the 1-1/4" Burlap ribbon, crepe paper, and woodgrain embossing folder.  

Here's my process:

First of all, I consulted Margaret Murray's tutorial here, and tweaked it as I went along.

Cut 20 of the maple leaf (More Mustard), and 20 of the smaller leaf (Old Olive) from Autumn Accents Bigz Die.

Stamp the maple leaves with En Francais using Crumb Cake ink, then sponge edges with Cherry Cobbler.

Emboss the smaller leaves with Woodgrain TIEF and sponge with Always Artichoke.

Fold 15 of each leaf in half lengthwise, leave 5 of each for backing.

Glue 3 folded leaves back to back and glue them to a flat leaf as shown.  Repeat for 5 sets.

Same process with the smaller leaves.  

Okay, for my base I punch a 5-petal flower punch and a 2-1/2" circle punch, so you know where each leaf set will get hot glued.  

Hot glue one set of maple leaves to each "flower petal". Nestle the smaller leaves between the maple leaf sets and hot glue. 

Make a burlap rose with your 1-1/4" Burlap ribbon.  Just roll the ribbon in half lengthwise and hot glue a tight roll in the center.  Then roll and twist the burlap loosely to create a flower. I didn't glue as I went along, but waited until I was satisfied with the flower and hot glued it to a silicone sheet.  Add a Vintage Faceted Button in the center with a basic rhinestone (large) with Crystal Effects.

I thought the burlap rose needed a little softening look to it, so I traced the smaller leaf onto Crepe Paper, folding the paper into 5 layers to get all my leaves at once.

I don't know who chewed this pencil, it wasn't me :D

Sponge with Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler.  They are lookin' pretty!

Gently hot glue them down, tucking them in with a pencil tip.

The hot glued mess is coming together!

Add the finished burlap rose and a little ribbon to hang it with!

Time to celebrate!  Know what I'm thankful for?  My sweet boys.  My precious pup, Lizzy.  Crunchy leaves. Those smiles.  A happy home with my hardworking husband.  

Have a blessed and creative day!  ~ Erika