Masculine Birthday with Serene Scenery HSS245

Pin It Now! Time for a new challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week's challenge is an inspiration collage.

There's so much in this inspiration grouping to choose from, you're sure to be inspired!  I picked out the wooded scene, as well as the colorful background behind the deer in the postage stamp image.  I created a sweet and simple masculine birthday card - I never seem to have a man card when I need one in a pinch! 

I was going to create a watercolored background with several colored ink pads and a blender brush, but then came across this pretty colored background paper from the Serene Scenery 6x6 DSP pad.  It's a water / seashore scene, but the muted colors did well with the color combo I was looking for.  Fast and easy! 

Head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out the design team samples and our fellow participants!

Sweet Stack-A Banner Birthday Card HSS224

Pin It Now! Hey crafty friend!  Sharing a golden birthday card with you today, using the latest color challenge from Hand Stamped Sentiments. This one was so easy! The colors really go together so well.  I have to admit, I CASE'd a combination of two cards from the catalog!  That's always a great place for inspiration when you're in a pinch.

I love the stamps in this set, Sweet Stack. It's meant for creating little cake boxes, but I think they're all great for cards, too!  The pennant above is meant for the top of the cake box.  

Here's the color combo challenge - click the pic to visit our site!

Inside...

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Sweet Stack

INK: Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss, Delightful Dijon, Basic Black

Clean and Quick Thank You Notes with Simply Wonderful.

Pin It Now! Happy Day to you!  I'm passing the time today watching the snow from my craft room window and looking for a little card challenge for a little fun.  I found Can You Case It and they're looking for a 10 minute card.

Here's my 10 minute card...

And this one took about 20.

I CASE'd inspiration from the latest Stampin' Success magazine.  I always read it from cover to cover and try to glean lots of inspiration.  

Check out all the great samples at CYCI by clicking on their graphic.

I was happy to use a little of my Stacked with Love DSP even though Valentine's Day is behind us. I plan to use it up!  These TY's are for my son to give for birthday gifts he received, so they're a bit on the masculine side - he turned 14 :D. 

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Simply Wonderful

INK: Craft White, Versamark Clear, White Stampin' Emboss

PAPER: Stacked With Love DSP Stack, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Basic Black

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Frosted Sequins, Island Indigo Bakers Twine, Banner Punch, Artisan Embellishment kit (purple ribbon)

BIG SHOT: On Film Framelits, Lg Polka Dot TIEF

Oh, Happy Day! Cascading Birthday Card

Pin It Now! Today my first born is 14!  Where does the time go?  I know it's sappy, but wow!  He's officially taller than me, and very nearly smarter, too.

I made him a dude card.  He loves the mechanical cards that I make - cards with fancy folds, flips, etc.  More than just folded in half! This one is a cascade card, and wasn't at all hard to make after watching Dawn's video here.

Embellished with Typeset DSP, Starburst Sayings, and a little gold trim.  We'll see if it's manly enough!

I love this card fold, it's interesting, and shows off the tons of DSP that some of us are hoarding!

The back...

The "HAPPY" is dotted with Crystal Effects and sprinkled with glitter.  It reminds me of a lit up Vegas sign!

It's a bit oversized (standard A6), so a handmade envelope was in order.  

Check out the snack & soda "cake" I made for him last night!  A great way to use up old ribbons and such.  I love making basket cakes :)  You can find a how-to here.

Have a blessed and creative day!  ~ Erika

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Starburst Sayings, Chalk Talk, Something to Say

INK:  Memento Tuxedo Black

PAPER:  Vintage Typeset Specialty, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Gold Sequin Trim, Gold 5/8" Satin ribbon, gold glitter, Crystal Effects

BIG SHOT:  Starburst Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits

"LOVE" this Geometric Card!

Pin It Now! There's a fun color combo that's so appropriate for Valentine's Day that I wouldn't dare call it a "challenge"!  Here I have made a card from triangles for one of my sons - even with the Melon Mambo, I think it'll pass for masculine.

The card base is 5-1/4" square, layering white on black.  Then I added a layer of vellum to soften it up a bit.  The sentiment was heat embossed with Melon Mambo Stampin' Emboss (so glad I have that on hand!) and I placed a 1-3/8" circle punch of white behind it to give it a little frame.  The squares are 1", cut in half diagonally, using Basic Black, Melon Mambo, and Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer.

Inside, a retired sentiment that I use a lot.  Sweet and simple.  

I'm also waiting for my spring order to come in...I'm late to the party!  Had so many other responsibilities calling my name this month!  

You simply have to play along this time - who doesn't need to make a Valentine for someone?  

Thanks for stopping by!

SUPPLY LIST:

STAMPS:  Something to Say

INK:  Versamark, Melon Mambo Stampin' Emboss powder, Basic Black

PAPER:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Vellum, Melon Mambo, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper, Vintage Typeset DSP (diagonal stripe)

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Strawberry Slush thick twine, Basic Rhinestones

New Year's Eve Party Favors - Crackers & Blowers

Pin It Now! Who's in the mood to celebrate?  Has it been a banner year for you, or are you glad to see the new one coming?  Either way, you really ought to have some festive party favors to wave bye to the old or ring in the new.

Here are some easy favors.  I made these for my church friends and some family that I'll be celebrating with.

The party blowers are too cute, and were easy to make. And YES! They do curl back up when you blow them out!  Yay!  I learned to make them from good ol' Martha Stewart here.  I used her measurements.  But I did a few things differently which are:

* I used  paper straws purchased at Target dollar spot.  Didn't cover them with vellum as they suggest.  I wrapped mine with washi tape.  The glittered ones are first wrapped with Sticky Strip, then rolled in glitter.  (You probably don't want to blow on these.  I don't personally mind glitter lips, but that's just me.)

* I used washi tape instead of clear scotch tape to adhere the patterned paper into the long strip.

*  I used Sticky Strip to insert the straw into the paper curl.  NO drying time!

One great tip I learned was to keep them rubber banded tightly curled for 24 hours.  They'll definitely keep their curl better.  I used the tiny Rainbow Loom bands, and they looked kind of cute while I waited.

Then the party crackers!  I love these, they turned out rather elegant.  They'd make a nice 50, 60, etc. birthday party, man's party, or wedding favor. 

Want some measurements?

Inside roll of Typeset Specialty DSP 3-1/4" x 3-3/4"

Outer ring of DSP: 1-1/2" x 4"

Tissue paper - plain white. 10" x 3-3/4"

Fringe cut the edges with fringe scissors.

Ribbon trim 4"

Baker's twine 3" each side

The tag was cut from the circle flip card Framelits set, and the "Happy New Year" comes from retired Christmas Messages which is still available as a digital download!

Have a wonderful, safe, blessed New Year's.  I hope you're surrounded by people you love!

Santa Stache with a Simple Sketch

Pin It Now! Love my Santa Stache!  This is a too-cute set that's easy to color and packs a punch.  The coordinating Framelits moustache makes it way cuter!

We have a great, simple sketch at HSS for the next two weeks.  Use it to get started on Christmas cards!  I followed the sketch exactly and I love the results. Clean, bright, and symmetrical.  

A right jolly old elf, eh?  Love the Blendabilities to color him with. This is a great stamp to try them out with. Not much coloring, so what you do really stands out.  I used the Cherry Cobbler set and the skin tone assortment.  

Swing on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and give this sketch a try!  I can't wait to see what you do!

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS:  Santa Stache

INK:  Memento Black, Blendabilities Cherry Cobbler/Skin Tone assortment, Early Espresso

PAPER:  Trim the Tree DSP stack, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Whisper White

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Cherry Cobbler 1" Sheer Linen Ribbon, Linen Thread, Sequin Assortment

Other:  Ovals cutting tool (Creative Memories), Corner rounding tool (Fiskars)

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)

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

Hip Notes Thank You

Pin It Now! Just dropping by with a quick thank you note, using Retro Sketches current sketch.  I kept it super clean and simple, as I was trying to do a card and run out the door to deliver it in 10 minutes!

It's embellished with a few tiny circle punches from the Owl Builder punch (eyes) and some star sequins from the In Color Sequin assortment.  

As you can see, I flipped the sketch to suit my need!  

Have a blessed and creative day!  ~ Erika

SUPPLIES:  All from Stampin Up unless otherwise noted.
STAMPS:  Hip Notes
INK:  Memento Tuxedo Black
PAPER:  Island Indigo CS, All Abloom DSP, Whisper White, Champagne Glimmer
EMBELLISHMENTS:  1/4" Stitched grosgrain in Basic Black, In Color Sequin Assortment

Masculine Thank You with Traveler

Pin It Now! I have so many thank you notes to write this week!

My 13 year old son was in the national finals at Disney for the Christopher Columbus Awards, and was treated like royalty for a full week.  Preparing for finals week has been a huge process, so this card will go out to everyone who helped - financially, emotionally, and otherwise!  

Here are the guys. CJ is on the right.

CJ loves this card, it has plenty of guy-ishness.  Traveler has been my new favorite stamp set since it was available for preorder, and this new paper, Typeset, is thin and ever so vintage looking!  

I stamped the globe image onto watercolor paper and used an Aqua Painter to lift color off of the inkpads and paint the globe, using Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, and Hello Honey.  Sponged the edges with Hello Honey.  The ribbon across the front is Mossy Meadow 3/8" Stitched Satin, and it's AWESOME.  Very shiny!

Who'd have thought I'd love these new In-Colors so much?  They are so rich and usable!

Inside:

MEASUREMENTS:

Map print DSP: 2-3/4" x 4"

Mossy Meadow Matt:  3" x 4-1/4"

Map stamp panel: 1-1/2" x 2-1/2"

Mossy Meadow matt:  1-3/4" x 2-3/4"

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Traveler

INK:  Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey, Memento Black, Crumb Cake

PAPER:  Typeset DSP, Basic Black, Vanilla, Mossy Meadow

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Mini Brads, Mossy Meadow 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon, Linen Thread

Look Up to Father - Father's Day Card

Pin It Now! Here's the Father's Day card I made for my husband this year.  

I love this tree stamp!  The trunk is amazing - look at the detail!  I used Stampin' Write Markers in several colors to hand paint the stamp, then die cut with a Window Frames Framelit, and sponged the sky above and the grass below with Soft Sky and Certainly Celery. I dabbed a little gold in flecks around the edges, too, and tied a bunch of linen thread around the bottom.  A little piercing and two mini brads to finish it. 

I love the way it turned out!  I was inspired by a similar card by Amanda Corbet and changed it up to use the stamps I wanted.  Look Up to Father was a limited edition stamp and is now retired, but it's still available as a digital download.  So you can purchase, recolor in MDS, and print perfectly every time!

Here's the inside.  I "huffed" on the stamp once I used it for the front image and restamped it over my sentiment.  It gives a nice lighter image that echoes the front.  

Thanks for stopping by!

SUPPLIES:  

STAMPS:  Look Up to Father, Teeny Tiny Wishes

INK:  Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Gold Metallic

PAPER:  Moonlight DSP Paper Stack, Blackberry Bliss, Basic Grey, Whisper White

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Linen Thread, Mini Brads, Piercing Tool

BIG SHOT: Window Frames Framelits

PUNCHES:  Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch