Constantly Stamping

Vintage Verse Notecards

Hi there! I hope you had a wonderful Easter. It was a wonderful day for us as we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! We started out by attending Sunday morning service at our church and ended the day by watching the final episode of "The Bible" on the History Channel. It was very moving and a great reminder of how Jesus died for our sins. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

I have a lot going on this month and I mean A LOT! I will do my best to continue to post throughout the next several weeks, but the details may be limited. Fortunately, for several of the projects I have the instructions already written out, so I will probably just post them in their original form and not be too chatty.

Today I have two versions of the same note card. One is basic and the other is stepped up a little. Even though Sale-a-bration is over, I thought you would still like to see them.

CARD: Cut 3"x6" pieces of Summer Starfruit CS and score at 3" to make a 3"x3" note card. (I recommend starting with a 12"x12" sheet of CS to eliminate waste.) Stamp greeting along bottom of card with either the "Thanks" or the "There’s Only One You" stamp from the Vintage Verses stamp set in Midnight Muse ink. Emboss card base with Delicate Designs Embossing Folder (optional).

Stamp Chevron design from Beyond Plaid stamp set with Summer Starfruit Ink. (You can also substitute the Chevron stamp from "Oh, Hello", but you may need to stamp off if the ink is too dark.) Punch out using the Decorative Label Punch.

Punch an additional piece of Midnight Muse CS with the Decorative Label Punch. Cut in half horizontally and remove a small section from center to layer behind chevron piece. Punch two butterfly from Midnight Muse CS using the Elegant Butterfly punch. Adhere together in the center with mini glue dots and slightly curve wings of top butterfly forward. Attach to Chevron piece using mini glue dots. Add pearls. Attach finished label to card base using dimensionals.

 

CAS Easter Card

With Easter just a few weeks away, I thought I would go ahead and show you Easter-related projects before it is too late.

I love the bright, cheerful colors of the flowers on this card. I used three different stamp sets: Bloomin' Marvelous (SAB), Secret Garden, & Easter Blessings. The colors are Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, and Basic Black. I added some Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine and a Daffodil Delight Button, but if you wanted a flat card that is easy to mail, you could easily leave those off and still have a great card. I have two more Easter projects to share with you, so be sure to check back again later in the week.

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Bloomin' Marvelous Card

Bloomin' Marvelous Card

Today's card is the alternate version of the card I shared in my last post. Most of the details are the same, but there are a few differences. For this card I started with an Island Indigo card base and layered on a slightly smaller piece of Crumb Cake card stock that I embossed with the Vine Street embossing folder from Sale-a-bration. Just like the other card, there is lots of sponging with Early Espresso Ink. I added Sycamore Street DSP and some Summer Starfruit ribbon before attaching everything to the card base.

For this card I stamped the flowers in Summer Starfruit. I also cut a flower from Summer Starfruit CS using the Blossom Party die and added a button from the Sycamore Street collection threaded with Island Indigo Bakers Twine.

By the way, my next three posts will be Easter-related, so be sure to check back every few days!

Workshop Cards for St. George Event

I have a little confession to make. A few months ago my upline, Jill Olsen, asked me to design some cards for her March large-group event in St. George, Utah. So if you have been wondering why I haven't been blogging much, this is basically the reason.

Creating workshop cards for a big event (over 100 stampers) was challenging, but I think it all turned out well. I ended up designing fifteen projects (some with two versions) that focused primarily on products from Sale-a-bration and the Spring Mini Catalog. I promised Jill that I would keep the projects under-wraps until after the event, so now that it is over, I can begin sharing them will all of you.

SO GLAD CARD

For this card I used a standard Crumb Cake card stock base and Sycamore Street DSP cut into 1" x 5.25" strips. I attached the dsp strips to a 5.25" x 4" Crumb Cake layer and sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink. Next I cut a Scallop Edge Medallion from Pool Party CS using Perfect Pennants Die and sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink. I cut a 2" circle of Whisper White CS using the Circles #2 Die and stamped a greeting from the "Bloomin’ Marvelous" (Sale-a-bration) stamp set using Island Indigo ink.

I sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink and adhered it to the scallop circle base. Next I stamped the flower full strength with Tangerine Tango ink on Whisper White CS. I trimmed the flower by hand and attached it to the tag using a dimensional. I added a rhinestone to the flower center and added a small bow made with Island Indigo Ribbon from the Sycamore Street ribbon & button pack (Sale-a-bration).

Just a side note: Jill may have altered a project in order to streamline the stamping process or better utilize products that she may have already had on-hand. My prototypes may vary slightly or even significantly from the final workshop projects. Also, I think she only used three or four of the cards I designed, so some of these may have only been on display or not used at all.

 

 

 

Stepped Up Sale-a-bration CASE

I saw this adorable card by Brandi Barnard at the SU home office and I just had to CASE it. I prefer to photograph my cards with natural sunlight, but it's a really dreary day here in Tennessee, so I thought I would try a different approach. I hope it isn't too distracting.

It is already an adorable card, but I thought it would be fun to step-it-up even further. Here is a video that showcases this wonderful card.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIJGgpFEgg4&feature=share&list=UUaytKFValhfW2z3T0jsdemA

The purpose of the video was to showcare the Vine Street embossing folder and other fun products available right now during Sale-a-bration, so there aren't alot of details about card size and such. I did my best to recreate it and here are the details of my card, which I think are close to the orignial artwork.

The finished card size is approximately 4.25" square. She used the Vine Street Embossing Folder (SAB) to emboss a portion of the folder onto the Pool Party card front. Next she cuts two strips of Island Indigo CS in to approximately 1/2 inch wide strips and angled the ends. Then she stamped the small image from the Madison Avenue stamp set with Pool Party ink on Whisper White CS to create a background design. Then she punched it out with the Ticket Duo Builder Punch. She stamped the larger flower from the same set, but this time she stamped off so that the image didn't overpower the sentiment. Next she stamped the greeting from Bloomin' Marvelous (SAB) with Island Indigo ink and punched it out as well. For a pop of color she stamped two butterflys in Calypso Coral from the Bloomin' Marvelous set and punched them out with the Bitty Butterfly punch (#129406).

Here is where I added my own twist to the card...I had a length of Seam Binding ribbon that I had bleached and then dyed with Calypso Coral ink so I wrapped it around the card and fashioned a shabby bow. I added some Pool Party Baker's Twine to a Pool Party "Sycamore Street" Button (SAB) and attached it to the bow.

Don't forget that you can earn free product during Sale-a-bration now through March 22.

Happy Hello Card Kit

One of the thing I love about SU card kits is that not only do they look great if you use them straight out of the box, but they also have endless possibilities for creativity. You know me. I like to give my own spin on things and today's post is no different. Here I took the Happy Hello Simply Sent Card Kit available right now for free* during Sale-a-bration and stepped it up a notch (or two, or three) by adding hand-stamped flowers, dsp, and some ribbon.

OK, so here is what I added. I used the basic card as a topper over an A2 card base made with Real Red Core'dinations card stock. It has a textured look to it even without additional embossing, which I really love. I added a strip of Real Red DSP from the Polka Dot Parade collection and gave it a decorative edge with the Scallop Border Punch. Next I added a piece of Very Vanilla 1/8" taffeta ribbon.

This is where all the fun begins. I stamped several flowers from the new Secret Garden stamp set with VersaMark ink on Daffodil Delight and Lucky Limeade CS. Then I heat embossed them with White embossing powder. I used the coordinating die to cut out all of the flowers with my Big Shot...what a time-saver! The flowers were a little lifeless, so I added some shading with some Daffodil Delight ink and a blender pen. Using dimensionals between layers also helped to give the flowers a more realistic look. Finally, I punched two tiny hearts with the Owl Builder punch.

So what are you waiting for? Get your Happy Hello Simply Sent Card Kit today and have fun seeing what awesome projects you can create. (*select merchandise free with each qualifying purchase of $50.)

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Thanks

2012 Artisan Finalists Blog Hop - Day 5

Welcome to day five of our ten day blog hop. Today marks the half-way point. If you are making the full-circle, then you should have just arrived from Mindy Bingamon's blog. Mindy is so talented, isn't she?

Today I thought I would share one of my 3D projects with you. I am crazy for this type of project and I had this idea in my head almost from the moment I saw the Dresden quilt die. The beautiful DSP from Sale-a-bration was perfect. I wanted each petal to be different so I added in some embossed card stock to fill in the gaps. This gives the eye a place to rest and keeps it from being too overwheming. I tried to alternate between papers that read like solids and those with more intricate patterns. I also sponged the edges of each petal to give some definition.

The flower center is a digital download available for My Digital Studio. I was thrilled to see how the colors went so well. I have to make a little confession. When they told us that the Artisans from last year to enter again this year I was caught totally off-guard. My schedule was so packed that I honestly didn't think I could pull together ten artisan-worthy projects in such a short amount of time. I normally spend a lot more time on my 3D projects. I almost felt guilty submitting this project because I was able to complete it in just a few hours. Yes, this is a cute, reproducible project, but some of the things that were sent in must have taken weeks or even months to create. I am humbled by the fact that my entry was selected as a finalist. I know that there were some incredible entries that were not chosen and for the life of me I don't know why. I really think it is a matter of personal taste. I also think this year they were seeking a variety of styles and I am certain that must have played into the selection process. I applaud anyone who took the time to enter the competition. You are all winners in my eyes.

I am certain that Holly VanDyne has something wonderful for us today. Don't forget to check back every day this week! We still have five more days of creativity to share with you.

1. Connie Collins (you are here!)
2. Holly VanDyne
3. Melissa Stout
4. Amy O'Neill
5. Sandie Conner
6. Amy Rogers
7. Mercedes Weber
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin
9. Mindy Bingamon

INGREDIENTS: Everyday Enchantment DSP; Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, & Pool Party Card Stock; Dresden, Scallop Circle & Clear Circle Dies; Stripes, Perfect Polka Dot, Finial Press, & Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folders; Big Shot Machine; Distressing Essentials Kit; Tombo Multi-purpose Adhesive; My Digital Studio & Earth Laughs Digital Download; Dimensionals; 12"x12" Frame.

 

Clearing Off My Craft Table

A few weeks ago I was cleaning off my craft table and stumbled upon a background that I had made back when I was making Leadership Samples. It was too pretty to throw away, so I turned it into a card. I used the now retired Fresh Vintage stamp set from Sale-a-bration and colored it with Real Red, Always Artichoke, Tempting Turquoise, and So Saffron markers. Yes, it took a little time, but the results were definitely worth it. Don't recognize the plaid...it is from another retired set, House & Home. The design isn't large enough to cover the entire flower, so I masked off a portion of the flower, stamped, then covered that portion and stamped the other half. I actually made this card several weeks ago as part of a sketch challenge, but now I am not sure which one. :) Oh well!

I have been busy stamping away on convention stamples, so there's not much more to share at the moment. I hope you have a wonderful week. Things should be back to "normal" soon.