Fancy Lip Balm Holders

I saw these cute lip balm holders over at Amy's Inkling's blog and thought they were the sweetest thing.  Amy was kind enough to share a video on how to make these cuties, and it was so easy to follow.  I whipped these up in less than an hour.  I just am crazy for them.  Take a peek:

I gave three of them to my co-workers, I kept one for myself, and made the other one for my sister, who is having a birthday on Cinco de Mayo - May 5th.  I know she will love it.  I'm actually going to make 30 more for my friend at work who wants them for her daughter's graduation party this Summer.  Of course I said "yes".  30 ... no problem.

Stay tuned.  I'm sure you'll see them on my blog when I finish them.  Until then, happy stamping!

Coloring Down the Lines - Get Well Wishes

Welcome back to our Coloring Down the Lines blog hop this week.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and the weather seems to be cooperating, so I'm a happy stamper!

This week's challenge has some nice colors to play with, but at first, I was wondering how I was going to use them together.  Sometimes it's a challenge when you have colors that are similar and you just don't know what to do with them.  Well ... I figured it out.

Here's the photograph and color pallet we had to work with this week.  See what you think and what you would have come up with.  Go on, give it a whirl.

I always like the fresh, pretty, subtle colors of Spring and Summer.  There's always something you can do with them.  And ... here's what I designed for you using these colors:

Recipe

Paper:  crumb cake, whisper white, rich razzleberry, blushing bride, melon mambo, pistachio pudding

Ink:  rich razzleberry, melon mambo, blushing bride, pistachio pudding

Stamp Sets:  petite flowers, flower shop, teeny weeny wishes

Accessories:  bird punch, pansy punch, petite flower punch, window frames framelits, decorative dots EF, pink pirouette seam binding, basic pearls

For added interest, I pierced the outline of the window frame using the window frame template and added some small pearls in each of the corners.  

If you've arrived here from Amanda's blog, make sure you hop on over to see Joni's entry for the week.  It's always nice to get quite a few new and different designs.  They help inspire you to create something fresh and unique, all your own.

Thanks for stopping by.  See you back again next week, ok?

Baby Card for Nikki

We had a baby shower for one of my co-workers, Nikki, who is pregnant with her first child, which is a boy.  It was very difficult keeping the shower a surprise, because you see, Nikki is always aware of everything that goes on around her.  But we managed to pull it off, and she was very surprised.  Who would have thought of a breakfast shower?  Great idea, huh?

This is the card I made for Nikki.  I just love the zoo babies stamp set, and it was just so appropriate for this card.  Check it out.

Isn't is so cute?  I love the lullaby paper, and it worked perfectly for this card.  I cut out the giraffe, so that made him stand out a little - just the right pop for the card.

Hope you like it ... and stay tuned for more creations.

Sympathy for Linda's Mother

I had to make a sympathy card for a friend who recently loss her mother.  Unfortunately, Linda lost her stepfather within the past year, so things have not been easy.  Although making sympathy cards is not something we enjoy, the fact that a home-made card for someone who is going through a difficult time hopefully will help to ease some of the pain.  Losing a mother is a very difficult time, as I know because I lost mine almost 11 years ago in June.  I still think of her and visit her grave to talk to her, and just her.  You see, I shared the same birthday as my mother, and birthdays aren't the same without her.

I like the card I've created for Linda.  I try and make sure there's an element of beauty in my sympathy cards, especially at such a low time in someone's life.  Here's what I've made for her.

I used Everything Eleanor stamp set for this one, along with the petite petals.  As always, the cards look so much prettier in person than they do in the photographs.  I have to work on making a booth to take my photos so you will be able to see how pretty they are.

Thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate you!

The Paper Plunge #31 - Heading On Out - Goodbye In Colors

Over at The Paper Plunge, the challenge this week is to create something using the Stampin' Up In Colors 2013-14 which are sadly retiring.  They are the prettiest colors.  They remind you of sorbet or sherbet, and they're just so soft and subtle.

I wanted to make something pretty, so I made this card for the challenge:

Recipe

Paper:  baked brown sugar, whisper white, pistachio pudding

Ink:  baked brown sugar, crisp cantaloupe, coastal cabana, pistachio pudding, strawberry slush

Stamp Sets:  something lacy, six sided sampler

Accessories:  artisan embellishment kit, gold bakers twine, 7/8" scallop punch

I used versamark on the card base with something lacy and it gave the base just the right touch to give the card some interest.

I hope you like it, and don't forget to hop on over to the paper plunge and see what they've created for you today.

Bye Bye In Colors!

Fabulous Feathers

I thought I would do something a little different for this post.  I was using the Four Feathers stamp set and thought I would put them on a white letter H that I purchased some time ago.  Just trying my hand at it, this is what I ended up with:

I used half of a doily, which I the daubed with island indigo ink, and you can't see it real well in the picture, but there's a vellum feather on top, and it's much better looking in person.

Stay tuned .. I'll be making something else soon.

Coloring Down the Lines - Mosaic Madness with a Bling

Hi everyone.  Thanks for visiting us again for this week's Coloring Down the Lines blog hop.  I must start off by saying, I truly didn't like the colors this week.  I had such a hard time putting something together using all the colors, and I must have gone round and round before I ended up with this one.  I'm not a fan of it at all, but there are things we create sometimes that we're just not fond of.  Yep, this is one of them.

Let's start out by looking at the inspiration photo we used, and the color pallet.  I didn't even like the inspiration photo either, but if there's one way to get creative, this is it ... make something out of what you think doesn't go together.

Ok, so now you've seen the photograph and colors we were challenged with this week, what do you think?  Here's my version of the color pallet ...

Recipe

Paper:  night of navy, tangerine tango, whisper white, rich razzleberry, crisp cantaloupe, island indigo, sahara sand, brights dsp

Ink:  rich razzleberry, crisp cantaloups, island indigo, sahara sand, night of navy

Stamp Sets:  mosaic madness, timeless talk

Accessories:  mosaic punch, itty bitty punch pack, modern mosaic EF, basic rhinestones

If you arrived here from Amanda's blog, then you must hop on over to Lizzy's blog to see what she's whipped up using these colors.  I love to see all the different designs, even when the colors aren't the most appealing to my taste.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please feel free to comments.  I love hearing from you.

Just For You Birthday

I always have fun with birthday cards.  I like using different colors, and sometimes, you don't have to use the traditional "birthday colors", you can use colors that just make the card elegant-looking.

So I created this card using black with gold ink and foil ... and I rather like the way it turned out.  See what you think:

Gold and black make a splash, don't you think?  And the added touch was the bow builder punch.  I love that little punch.  I'm so glad Stampin Up came out with it.  Love Love Love.

Until tomorrow ... have a cheerful day!

Wedding Card for Connie's Niece

Don't you just love weddings?  They are so beautiful, and you always want to make sure you make a special, pretty card for the bride and groom.

My friend, Connie, asked me to make her a card for her niece's wedding.  I asked her the colors of the wedding party, and then went to town making this card for her.

I used "Your Perfect Day" stamp set for this card, along with the silver satin ribbon.  Since the bride's colors are pink, I used melon mambo for this one.  Sweet and simple ... pretty and elegant, wouldn't you say?

Stay tuned for more of my creations.  Stop back again.

Painted Blooms Birthday

Here's another card using the painted blooms DSP ... loving that paper.  You can use it by itself, or stamp with the painted petals stamp set that matches it.  This was a quick and easy card using the DSP as the main focal point.

I topped it off using the blackberry bliss ribbon and "hostess" because you care stamp set.

And that's it for today .. short and sweet.  See you tomorrow.

Painted Petals Birthday

I wasn't sure if I would like the painted petals stamp set, as I found them a bit difficult to master.  After using them several times, I think it's growing on me.  As with anything, practice makes perfect.  Looks like I'll be trying more designs with it, so I'll be happy to share what I come up with.

This card I made into a thank you.  This was one of the cards I made for my sister's friend's card kit.  I didn't take a picture of the inside (which I had).  I lined the inside with lost lagoon polka dot dsp, and used a large oval framelit and glued that on top, and stamped a few flowers on the top.  Oh well ... I'll remember to do that next time.  In the meantime, here's the front of the card:

This card has a lot of layers on it to begin with, and I used the sweet dreams washi tape for a bit of interest over top of a piece of whisper white piece of card stock, embossed using the spring flowers EF.  It's a simple card, and cute.  I saw the idea on Pinterest (yep, there's that Pinterest again) and tried my hand at some other colors.

Hope you like it!

Pocket Card Holders

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I made three sets of cards for a friend of my sisters, and along with the cards, I also made card holders for each of them.  They were fun and easy, and I found the measurements from Pinterest.  What would we ever do without Pinterest???

Anyway, I thought I'd share the pocket holders with you:

I like this pattern for the card holders - it works great and it's fast and easy to make.  I'll try something else again, I'm sure, but for now, these turned out fantastic.  They're even prettier in person.

Hope you like them ...

Coloring Down the Lines - Spring Flower Patch

Welcome back to our Coloring Down the Lines blog again this week.  I just can't get enough Spring - can you?  I like to take advantage of every Spring day we have - the sun, the warm Spring air, the smell of flowers all about, and beautiful, crisp blue skies.

This week, we're short a few of our regulars.  Sadly, we miss what they create for us, but we know they are watching and will be back soon.  So hopefully, you got here from Amanda's blog.  It's always fun linking up so all you have to do is "click".  And after here, please hop on over to Liz's blog - I'm sure she'll be waiting for you.

Here is the inspirational photograph and color pallet we used for this week's challenge.  At first I wasn't sure of the colors, but once I started, there was no stopping.

Can you just see the light blue sky in the background of the photograph, and the sun must be shining directly on the flowers.  It's such a pretty scene.  I wanted to create something similar, but mine came out just as pretty and happy, I might add.  Here it is:

Recipe

Paper:  old olive, blackberry bliss, whisper white, crisp cantaloupe

Ink:  melon mambo, crisp cantaloupe, old olive, blackberry bliss, pool party, pistachio pudding

Stamp Sets:  flower patch, crazy about you

Accessories:  basic pearls

Just a little bit of Spring, that's what this card brings.  I hope you like it.  Until next time, Happy Spring!

Happy Birthday from the Cheerful Critters

At first I wasn't real keen on the Cheerful Critters stamp set, but now, I love it.  It's so cute and you can use it for adults, as well as children.  I made this card for my long-distance swap, and since I added the balloons, I really liked it even more.

I used the blendabilities for this card, and I'm so bummed they are discontinued due to some quality issues.  I was finally learning how to use them.  I do hope they improve them, or Stampin Up can find something as a replacement.  Stay tuned .. we can only hope for the best.

Cheers to you!!!

Sweet Vases 3x3

I haven't made 3x3 cards in quite some time, but I wanted to make one for my sister's friend who ordered all those card kits from me.  I wanted to make something Spring-like, and what better stamp set to use than vivid vases.  I love that stamp set ... and as you saw earlier, I made a full card using that stamp set using pistachio pudding.

For this card, I used lost lagoon and pear pizzazz.  I stamped the images onto both the card stock, as well as the dsp, and used crystal effects to give the vases a glossy, raised texture.  I then cut them out of the card stock and dsp and glued them onto the vases.  Whola.  How cute!   I think I'll have to make a whole set of these ... I love them.

Until tomorrow, thanks for stopping by my blog.

Spring Wreath Note of Thanks

The Wonderous Wreath Stamp set is so versatile - you not only can use it for Christmas time, but all year long.  I just love this, and I know this will remain in my stamp collection for a very long time.

I had fun with this one.  I wanted to use the new 2014-15 in colors for this card, and although it's Spring-like, it's not pastels.  I made this card as part of a card kit for a friend of my sisters.  She ordered 3 boxes of hand-made thank you and birthday cards from me over the past month, and I had a blast creating all brand new cards for her kits.  Here's my variation of the wonderous wreath:

I used the hello honey dsp as the background, just to break up the white.  I could have left it as is, and perhaps, I'll make another one on white.  White does bring out the best in any color, so stay tuned for more of these.

Thanks for taking a peek at my creation for today.  Hope you'll continue to come back for inspiration for your own creations.

Celebrate With Cake

I promised that I would share with you the second card I made for my Library class, and so here it is.  I love anything birthday, and this card was another easy one in my stash to make and you can never have too many birthday cards.

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, soft suede, best year ever dsp (sale-a-bration - retired), coastal cabana, 

calypso coral

Ink:  coastal cabana, calypso coral, soft suede

Stamp Set:  big day

Accessories:  best year ever accessory pack (coastal cabana ribbon)

So that's it for today.  See you back again, same time tomorrow.

Daydream Medallion Thank You

You know, I have so many stamp sets that I hardly use some, and always use others.  This stamp set has been around for a while, and I think I've only made a card or two using it, so I can't tell you what possessed me to use it this time, but I did.

Ok, I apologize that I don't have the receipt under the card, but I can't remember the name of the designer series paper this came from, as it is quite old and it was in one of the fall DSP packs from way back when.  I liked it enough to keep it, and I'm glad I could put it to good use.  Although you can't tell from the picture, the daydream medallion is stamped in gold ink, along with the thank you.  I dotted some pearls around the edges and topped the card off with very vanilla satin ribbon.  It really is pretty in person.  I've included it in one of the card sets I gave to my sister's friend.  Sure wish I would have made two of them.

Ciao for now!

You Brighten My Day Birthday

In the You Brighten My Day stamp set, there's a small little house stamp and I'm crazy about it.  I can't tell you why, but I am.  I knew I wanted to make something with it right away, but only came up with a water bottle tag since no one I knew (at least at the time I made the card) was moving into a new home or anything.   Since I love the Sheltering Tree stamp set too, what better way than to use the two of them together for something fun.

Recipe

Paper:  early espresso, whisper white, calypso coral

Ink:  wild wasabi, calypso coral, early espresso, memento black

Stamp Sets:  you brighten my day; sheltering tree

Accessories:  itty bitty punch pack, basic pearls

Isn't the tree so cute with the flowers on it?  I made sure I stamped some leaves on the tree too because after all, it must be spring time if the flowers are all over the tree, right?  And there's the house ... at first I thought it looked silly because the house is so small compared to the tree, but this is a very large tree, and there are many large trees in people's yards, right?  Anyway, I'll be using the stamp set again for a friend who just sold her one house and will be moving to a brand new one.  Can't wait to make that card.

Thanks for taking the time to stop in and check out my creations.  I really appreciate it.

Coloring Down the Lines - Bloom With Hope

It's that time again ... and this week's color pallet is nice.  It's been a busy week, and I've done a lot of crafting, and work has been so busy, I hardly have time for anything else.  One good thing ... I love to make cards and crafts, and it's always nice finding time to sneak in a card or two.

Now, let'stake a look at this week's challenge.  Below is the color photograph and color pallet.

Recipe

Paper: mossy meadow, smoky slate DSP, very vanilla

Ink:  memento black, mossy meadow, tangerine tango, hello honey, smoky slate

Stamp Sets:  bloom with hope (hostess), hello life, gorgeous grunge

Accessories:  chantilly lace (retired), basic pearls

That's it for my post.  Now, you can either hop forward to Carol's blog if you haven't been there yet, or hop forward to Joni's blog and see what both of them did with the color combo we had to work with.  Stop back tomorrow for some more of my creations I've been working on.

Petite Petals Simple Sentiment

This was a card I made that was included in a set of birthday and thank you cards I made for a friend of my sisters.  I thought it was so simple and pretty, and I think I just might make some more in different colors.  Check it out:

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, soft sky

Ink:  soft sky, memento black, blushing bridge, wild wasabi

Stamp Sets:  petite petals, bloom with hope

Accessories:  basic pearls

I made the blocks from one of my clear blocks, dipped in soft sky ink pad.  That's how I got that design for the card.  There's never a loss for what you can do with just the simplest items you have in your possession.

Hope you like the card as much as I do.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Easter Treats

I saw this cute idea for Easter treats by Maui Stamper.  I fell in love with it and thought I could make those for my family for a sweet treat for Easter.  Each year, I make something fun for my father, brother and sisters, nieces, and of course, my family.  This was an easy, fun, and pretty idea that I just had to make.  Check them out ...

I put Reeses peanut butter eggs inside, as I didn't have Dove eggs.  But never-the-less, they are adorable.

Hope you had a nice  Easter, and wishing you the best of the week to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Easter!!!

This is my Easter card for you today.  Enjoy this special day.

See you tomorrow!

Back to Basics For The Library

For my library classes each month, I always make two cards and one project.  This card is one of the ones I made for my March 2015 card class.  Everyone really loved the card, and because the stamp set is so versatile, you can use it for just about anything.

Recipe

Paper:  very vanilla, blushing bride

Ink:  memento black, pear pizzazz, blushing bride

Stamp Set:   butterfly basics

Accessories:  butterfly framelits, basic rhinestones

The card is very simple, as I like to keep them that way for my Library class.  There are beginners, and experienced stampers that come to my class, so I have to make sure I make something that everyone feels comfortable with.  They certainly walked away loving this card - so I was happy.

Stop back tomorrow to see the other card I made for the Library.  Until then, see you on the flip side!

A Birthday Full of Hot Air

I was very busy making cards using the balloon framelits and celebrate today stamp set and never realized that there's a hot air balloon basket stamp that comes with the set.  Well, how could I have not noticed???  I thought hard about what I wanted my card to look like, and I saw someone on Pinterest made their balloon 3-D, so that's why I chose to do mine the same way.  Here's how it turned out:

Recipe

Paper:  soft suede, gold foil, garden green, whisper white, gold soiree DSP

Ink:  garden green, memento black

Stamp sets:  celebrate today, sassy salutations

Accessories:  gold bakers twine

I might try my hand at another card similar to this using other colors - but at first thought, I wanted to use the gold soiree paper for the hot air balloon and matched the remaining colors to it.  So up up and away.

See you tomorrow...

Painted Blooms Thank You

The painted blooms DSP is simply beautiful, and there's no end as to what you an do with it.   I thought I would do something a tad bit different, so I dug through my framelits and found the adorning accents edgelits (retired) and decided to use it for this card.  I love the way the card turned out, and the colors are so pretty and vibrant in person.  I hope you like it too ...

Recipe

Paper:  whisper white, blackberry bliss, painted blooms DSP

Ink:  blackberry bliss, tangelo twist, hello honey, mossy meadow, lost lagoon

Stamp Set:  bordering blooms

Accessories:   blackberry bliss ribbon

I know it's a bit hard to see the lost lagoon in the picture above, but if you look at the berries on the vine, that's where you'll find it.  I love, love, love this card, if I must say so myself.  

Well, until tomorrow, keep stamping!

Celebrate 88!

April 1 was my dad's 88th birthday!  Can you believe it ... 88 years young.  I know how much he loves my hand-made birthday cards, so of course, I wanted to make something fun and special for him.  This is my first shaker card that I've made.  I actually wasn't sure if I was going to like it, and the more I look at it, the more I really like it.  See for yourself:

Recipe

Paper:  lost lagoon, very vanilla, rich razzleberry DSP

Ink:  lost lagoon, stazon white, pear pizzazz

Stamp Set:  celebrate today

Accessories:  bow builder punch, frosted sequins embellishments, acetate, foam backing

So how fun is this?  I did glue a few of the sequins in the background though just so they all wouldn't fall to the bottom of the balloon and you wouldn't see them all.  

Hope you enjoyed the card and will try it yourself too.  Until then ... ttfn.