Best Friend Birthday

And now for something completely different...

Yes, I've been gone for a little while.  No, I didn't drop off the face of the Earth...it's just a dream some days, right?  Maybe it's less crazy on other planets!  I won't bother with many details...busy schedules, little illnesses, other obligations...I'm sure it's the same at your house.

I'm taking a little detour from my Christmas cards to show you this happy card I made for my best girlfriend's birthday last week.

Supplies:

Stamps: Make a Cake (126740 wood, 126742 clear)
Paper: Whisper White (100730), Real Red (102482), So Saffron (105118), Big Top Birthday (retired)
Ink:  Real Red Marker (100052), Tempting Turquoise (126952)
Oomph: Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)


Okay, a couple of things.  First, I know, I know...retired products?!  But I have to confess, I have quite a bit of retired Designer Series Paper, and I tend to hoard it while it's current.  It's a sickness, I tell ya!  (I'm sure many of you can relate.)  So I saw the Big Top Birthday and loved how bright it was and had to use it for Kari's card.  And of course, the ribbon just went with it!  But you could easily substitute any of our fine current ribbon products and Designer Series Paper.

Second, how did I make the cake multi-colored?  Well, I am lucky enough to have the Tempting Turquoise Stampin' Write Marker.  We don't sell that one individually anymore.  You can still get it in our Many Marvelous Markers pack - all 38 colors (no Whisper White or Very Vanilla) in a sturdy case with extra room to add the In Color Markers (119806).  Or you can get the assortment of Brights Collection markers (119702).  But...

Let's say you only have the Real Red marker.  For this card, you can ink up the bottom stamp of the cake (the cake stand and bottom layer) with the Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad, then use a Blender Pen (102845) to "erase" the color from the cake stand.  Then use your Real Red marker to color in the stand.  Breathe a little hot air onto the stamp (like when you're trying to warm your hands in the winter) - this re-moistens the ink, and stamp!  Voila!

Hope you've enjoyed today's post.  I'll be stamping this weekend.  A co-worker asked me to make a selection of cards for her to have on hand, and I need to work on my daughter's wedding invitations!

See you later, 

StamperNan

Make a Cake

Sharing My Christmas Cards - Part Three

I have a few minutes this morning, so I figured it was time to share the next card I sent out this Christmas.

Stampin' Supplies:

Stamps:  Stylin' Snowfolk (126285 w, 126287 c), Greetings of the Season (128030 w, 128033 c, 129531 c French)

Paper:  Gumball Green In Color card stock (126840), Very Vanilla card stock (101650), Crumb Cake card stock (120953), Soft Suede (115318), Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper (126896)

Ink:  Soft Suede (126978), Cherry Cobbler (126966), Pumpkin Pie (126945), Gumball Green In Color (126861)

Tools:  Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch (119275), Paper Snips (103579)

Oomph:  Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Those who know me commented on this card a lot.  As a general rule, I abhor cutting things out.  I believe that's why punches were invented.  But I really loved the idea of the hat and the little carrot nose being more dimensional.  So I bit the bullet and cut them all out.  It wasn't too bad, but this is why you need the Paper Snips.  They're small, but mighty - making it easier to snip things out quickly and beautifully.

Until next time,

StamperNan

Stylin' Snowfolk

Greetings of the Season

Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper

Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch

Sharing My Christmas Cards - Part Two

Back again with the second card design I made for the 2012 holidays.  This one also uses Stylin' Snowfolk.  I hope this set is around for many years, because I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of it.

Stampin' Up! supplies:

Stamps:  Stylin' Snowfolk (126285 wood, 126287 clear); Greetings of the Season (128030 wood, 128033 clear, 129581 clear French)

Paper:  Very Vanilla card stock (101650), Gumball Green In Color card stock (126840), Cherry Cobbler card stock (119685), Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper (126896)

Ink:  Gumball Green In Color Classic Stampin' Pad (126861), Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad (126966)

Tools:  1 1/4" Circle punch (119861), 1 3/8" Circle punch (119860)

Oomph:  Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

This year I was smart - to a point.  I spent a couple of nights figuring out my different card designs and cutting all the card stock for about 20 of each design.  I put the sample, card stock and other supplies for each card into a separate plastic container, so I could just grab and create.  So smart, right?  The only problem was it gave me a false sense of security, and I waited until late in the season to "grab and create"!  But I still got them all done, and it was easier because I was prepared.  This year I'll start even earlier, and I'll be sure to schedule some stampin' time early in the fall.

Until next time,

StamperNan

Stylin' Snowfolk stamp set

Greetings of the Season stamp set

Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper

Sharing My Christmas Cards - Part One

Another Christmas has passed, and I bet there are many of you out there who had every intention of sending hand-made cards but didn't have the time.  Well, I thought I'd show you the cards I sent out this year to give you some inspiration to get started on 2013's cards early.

The first one I've got to show you is what I had in mind when I got the Stylin' Snowfolk stamp set.  I get so excited when a card I see in my head actually turns out that way in reality!

Stampin' Up! supplies:

Stamps:  Stylin' Snowfolk (126285 wood, 126287 clear)

Paper:  Very Vanilla card stock (101650), Gumball Green In Color card stock (126840), Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper (126896)

Ink:  Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad (126981), Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad (126945)

Tools:  1 1/4" Circle punch (119861), 1 3/8" Circle punch (119860), 3/16" Corner punch (119871)

Oomph:  Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

I used the clear-mount version of this stamp set.  In this case, the advantage to the clear-mount stamps was that I could mount the glasses and the mustache on the same acrylic block and ink/stamp them once.  I make several of each card design each year, so you can see that having the space between these stamps consistent on every card without having to line them up again and again was a real time and sanity saver.

Until next time,

StamperNan

Stylin' Snowfolk Stamp Set

Be of Good Cheer Designer Series Paper