......and that is the powerful little sentiment on these two cards made for my Dentist and her assistant!  They both speak Spanish and since I had this one stamp " el mejor regalo es dar una parte de ti mismo " I couldn't resist using it to adorn the cards!   


Introducing MY DENTIST


I must say that my dentist and her staff are amazing!  They treat you with such kindness, you have no idea!  Both my daughter and I are nervous when it comes to dental procedures, but through their care, I am coming around to being a much more comfortable patient.  


If you are near our area, you might want to see Dr. Rodriquez here BELLESMERE DENTAL CLINIC - as you can see they have more than just me as happy patients!  


THE CARDS

I wanted SIMPLE and SUNNY - and I think I pulled that off! 

These cards are under 5 minutes to make each - and the fact that they

will belong soon to two people who share something similar in their lives meant

I wanted to make each one an individual effort, and yet, retain something in common - an

easy breezy style!  And colour - lushious colour!   

Check out this flower!  Dimension is good, very good for a card - or any project!  Colour combinations 

are fun - like picking our your outfit for the day!!!   Then you can combine layers of printed patterns when 

the colours are paired nicely.....my Concord Crush and Poppy colours are also

lightened with the addition of the white paper.  Add another burst of colour

with the brad - and presto, you've got a fantastic flower! 

Unfortunately, this is one of the dies in our Retiring List which is currently running

through Stampin' Up! transition to our NEW CATALOGUE due out June !. 

So if you want this die for the Big Shot -contact me :) 

On this card - I treated the TOP a little differently!   Its created with one of our newest dies - Adorning Accents, and a simple little step like this helps you to create interesting style.....its easy smeasy!!!

And this flower is one of our current Punches and the scalloped border was created with one of our most recent additions to the Stampin' Up family!  The paper and ribbons shown here

today are retiring {the green retired awhile ago - but is similar to another 

current colour}.....but I've always got a 'stash', lol! 

Combine your greeting with sweet styled die-cut borders....

...or for something different, turned sideways!  Here it is paired with the strip

of co-ordinating designer floral paper {polka dot Poppy paper is a separate sheet}.

I love trying to make something regular become a little irregular!  Try it! 

And don't forget your dentist - they're helpin' you keep a good-looking smile {ting!}

CHEERS

***

DID I MENTION STAMPIN' UP!'s LAST DAY OF SALE-A-BRATION IS TODAY?

Yes - after today, SAB is over, sniff.......but that's ok because I did well during this time!  I hope you did as well in receiving the free goodies that came as perks during this period!!!


So in celebration, I decided to make a card last night in the wee hours!  I am nurturing myself back into shape as I had an emergency tooth removal - egads, not what I had hoped to be doing there in the middle of the week!
I can't operate my Big Shot {almost typed 'Big Tooth' ha ha haha}....due to pressure could prevent the tooth area from healing ..........but that's OK, cuz it makes me do "complete handiwork"!  


I started with our TWITTERPATTED DESIGNER SERIES PAPER because its so darn sweet [and STILL AVAILABLE TILL APRIL 30th- see Occasions Catty].  And it has that 'sweet-vintage-grandmother-making-quilts' feel....if you catch my drift!  And the 'crazy quilt' and 'shabby flowers' feeling came over me ! So here's a peek.....

You can see a lot of pattern going on here!  And not to forget to mention - you can 'tuck' 

little surprises like the way I tucked these gemstones under the flower - I think it helps 

to give your friend or family member extra enjoyment as they 'discover'  more as they study the card.

To start, I began with a plain circle in a polka-dot. I might of used my Scallop Circle Die if I could of used 

the Big Shot - instead, I took a strip of Baja Breeze cardstock and used my Scallop Trim Punch to create a border for my circle. If you want a straight strip to wrap around a curve - do as sewers do and clip the widest 'arc' to help it bend more. So I clipped between each scallop - just a bit. Then I wrapped and glued it around the circle.  

Also with sewing on my mind - remember I am thinking 'patchwork quilts' as my inspiration.....I accented the circle with our FREE ribbon from SAB.  I just used a darning needle and punched my way around the circle and DID NOT even pay 'any' attention to how the ribbon fell into place!  

To begin patchworking with the different patterns in the TWITTERPATTED DSP, I added a "photo-corner" to the bottom left. Ontop of that, I added a strip of satin ribbon.  

Stitch your Circle with narrow ribbon [Everyday Enchantment ribbon from our SAB promotion] and tie it off with a bow. Or leave the ribbon tied in the back with no bow - its a matter of opinion.

I mounted my Circle onto a card with a background mat of gray honeycomb design - and followed the honeycomb pattern with my scissors to create more hobnob design. Remember, if you are going to

do a shabby style - adding this and that is part of the fun - I think avoiding the straight 'n'narrow is better!

Tucked in a sprig of leaf cut from sparkly cardstock - gotta have some sparkle!!!

Ooops - forgot to mention, my CARD BASE is our BASIC GRAY cardstock. Its a great NEUTRAL colour especially for brighter colours!  

In my spare time, I made some leaves by punching some GARDEN GREEN cardstock with my HEART PUNCH and folding it in half before crinkling it through a CRIMPER.  Pinch the heart together at the center and glue it together and it causes a flap at the back - but it also causes it to have a bit of a gentle curve in the front which makes it look somewhat life-like.  Sponge the edges with a rosey red helps too! 

OK - next the FLOWER - shabby style! 

Here's how my scissors and I went to work on another pattern from the Twitterpatted papers. Keep thinking 'crazy quilt' here!  I cut a wavy edge to both a long, straight strip of the paper and a SPIRAL STRIP of paper.  No rocket science - just cut off a straight long strip  of paper but following a wavy manner of cutting - no particular wavy-iness - just here a wave, there a wave - and then I created my flower's "center" when rolled and glued together.  Then again, cut a  loose wave of the paper following a COIL shape or cutting a circular shape from the outside towards it's center.  OK?   Then this  "spiral strip"  of paper was wrapped more loosely around the flower center. A couple of paper Circle backs for both help to stablize the whole flower. Ahhh....also, spritz the papers after cutting and crunch slightly to give it a subtle shabby look!

HERE they are - Flower and Leaf!

Aren't they sweet? 

NOW, HERE I HAVE ASSEMBLED THE CARD!

showing 3D quality of flower/leaf and scallop circle/ribbon accents

Did I go and ADD MORE PATTERN?  YES I DID!!  I added a small panel of blue/white floral pattern to the background!  Not to worry too much about the pattern because Designer Series Papers are meant to be co-ordinated.  You will always have a choice for backgrounds, usually some floral designs and more graphic patterns to mix'n'match.  The work is done for you - just load up the card as much as you want to in this style. Go have crazy fun! I certainly am, he he! I know call me wild, lol! Well I'm not 20 anymore, have to be wacky somewhere! OK I jest.....I'll wrap this up!

Lastly, I added more - uh-huh, by throwing in a greeting complete with twin banners flanking it and all tucked 

into the flower.  And to satisfy my bling thing - I added more gems in a lazy fashion, spot them?

I wish you could see this up close - and for you locals, you can if you come to a class!  But this looks sooooo much prettier in person!  It has a home-grown personaility and for your intended, this should speak volumes about how much YOU CARE for them!  

So THANK YOU for reading my incredibly long post today!   I know if I babble about the details it takes that much longer, but I hope it helps!

Welcome to leave a comment too!  Love to hear from ya! 

now.....off to shop!  

STAMPIN' UP! SUPPLIES:   Sincere Salutations Greeting Stamp Set {Thanks so Much}, Twitterpatted Designer Series Paper; Basic Gray, Garden Green and Whisper White  cardstock, Circle Cutter Tool, Heart Punch, and retired as of today, Lucky Limeade Everyday Enchantment Sheer Ribbon. 

------------------------------------

Would you like to earn more FREE products from SU!?  HOST a PARTY with friends, family or co-workers, etc. and we can MAKE THIS CARD!  Just Contact Me for details - its fun -  you bring the people and I bring the rest!  

*

Challenges:
PaperPlay - Spring Colors


CLASS  PROJECT

* Hi!


With Spring underway and our thoughts turn to all kinds of nice things, I ended up turning to PUNCH ART FLOWER making!    I guess it is the exciting - fresh colours of Spring that first had me thinking - and time for something NEW! 
SO with that in mind - I tried some new punch art and as many people, I found plenty of inspiration on the Net, and eventually found Valita's TULIP PUNCH ART - which is made from STAMPIN' UP!'s OWL BUILDER PUNCH.  


It's so wonderful to make PUNCH ART FLOWERS - very satisfying and surprising to people that such things can be made from paper! 


Therefore, my next class we will be making PUNCH ART TULIP projects similar to this one I made yesterday - please check back over the specific DATE/TIME of CLASS! 

* Card with TULIP PUNCH ART Focal Point

And here are close-up details..... .

** See my CLASS DETAILS for MAY - posted shortly!!! **

* CONTACT ME TO RESERVE A SPOT *

Bring Your Own Class Supplies -

glue - glue tape, tacky glue, or glue stick; 3 Dimensional Glue Foam {dots like Stampin' Up! Dimensionals)

Gooood Morning!!!


Have you ever had an item kicking around your closet forever - and you don't seem to get around to crafting with it like you planned the first day?  YUP - we all know that feeling!  Well, here's one of mine {trust me I have many}.....its a wood heart and I can't even tell you where I got it, its been that long!  


Well - I dragged it out to the craft table and there it sat for a few weeks!  I stared at it - it stared back.  It was touch and go there for awhile!  Finally, I felt enough guilt to decide to work it!  


Then I had fun - lol!   So now I am feeling the love with this on my wall right this minute!  

Challenge Entry:  

Challenge 56: With All My Heart .....

Decorate a Wood Carft Item
Supplies:
paintable wood craft item [preferably with drilled holes - but you can improvise]
craft paint, [colour, and a white paint]
paint brush, 
fine grit sandpaper or sanding tool {in a pinch, a foot spa sander, or nail sander}
background rubber stamp [ex) script, text, floral, hearts,etc)
stamping waterproof ink [Stampin' Up! Basic Grey or Basic Black]
hanging material [ribbon, wire, twine, etc.]
Decorative Cardstock [ plain for flower, designer paper for banner]
Punch - for flower [example uses SCALLOPED FLOWER punch]
gem or pearl embellishment
stickles or glitter glue [ Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Diamonds]
thick glue dots
glue 


Instructions
PAINT YOUR WOOD CRAFT ITEM
Paint your wood craft item {my example, the heart} in the colour of choice {mine is lt. blue} and let dry; lightly sand when dry - then repeat the same again. 
Take a saucer or small foil tray and dab some white paint into it and add 2 or 3 drops of water and mix. Now you have a ' white wash '.  Paint on this white wash over your painted/sanded wood item.  The streaks are a good thing!  But not wide streaks - blend a little.  Do this until your piece is more white than the previous colour.  When dry sand lightly. You can sand till the wood shows through on the edges if you like - if you don't like, then just sand so the wood feels smooth. [note- paint 'lifts' the fibers of the wood, it swells it a bit which is why we sand!]


STAMP AWAY!


Now that your piece is painted and prepared - STAMP IT!  Take your background rubber stamp, and your ink pad and stamp the entire surface well. NOTE - this is going to work the 'first time' - so practice on paper first to see how well you stamp a large stamp. 
 When ready, place it over your painted craft item and stamp the design onto it.  This took 3 trys for me - as my heart is wider than my stamp and I stamped the center first, then added the remaining side areas.


OK - if you feel you screwed up - or don't like the look of the stamp, just RE-PAINT and start again! 


But you like it, so moving on......
Make your embellishment/ FOCAL POINT
A hand-made PUNCH FLOWER is a cool thing these days - they are in every craft project!  You could also use a bought flower to save time!  
Making a Punch Flower
Punch out several Flower shapes in one or two colours of sturdy weight cardstock. [Stampin' Up! cardstock is sturdy at an average 80 lb weight.]  NOTE: you can crumple the cardstock to make forming the flower easier and it gives that shabby chic look!    
Next - leave one flower shape intact. That is your foundation piece. After that, take a scissor and snip out a section of one shape and roll the flower like you are making a cone shape - bring the two cut sides together and overlap one section over the opposite side. Glue together and hold till the glue works. You could use a clip to help.  
Then snip out 2 sections of the next flower shape and repeat - this time the gap is wider where you cut away the section but requires you to do the same thing - bring the cut edges together, and glue overlapping them so it looks like a complete shape once more. 
Then 3 sections on the next one....and so on, till you are done with the punched flower shapes. 


When you are finished preparing each of the flower's sections - bend the petals back a little - this takes a little patience {as if the last section didn't,lol}.....but it is possible to bend those back. I use something round like a pen to roll the petals against - and I hold them over my finger while I work the next section. Do your best - and little tears only make it more 'hand-made', so don't sweat it! 
NOW - ASSEMBLE YOUR FLOWER - by gluing the smallest section into the next larger section!  Flatten the tip of the bottom of your flower a bit, and glue into place. Keep building your flower this way till you are ready to glue it to the flat foundation flower shape.  And your are DONE!  CONGRATS!  


TO FINISH - I added the flower to a banner strip I made from decorative paper. But before I glued the flower on, I added thick glue dots to the back of the banner, the entire length. This allows for it to float above the painted wood piece!  Now glue on the flower and when dry, add your decorative piece to the finished wood piece.


TO HANG - add ribbon such as my example. I tied 2 pieces of ribbon, 7 inches each by tying a knot first at one end and inserting the ribbon into the holes leaving the knot to be on the front!  Then I stitched the two remaining ends together.  You can also do this with one long piece of ribbon - about 14 inches long. Or use twine, wire, etc.
 Add beads too!  Anything you wish to decorate - use your own ideas!

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! 

HAPPY CRAFTING! 

*...its my AUNT's CARD and she turned 98 on NEW YEARS! 

Yeah Aunty! 

I have to remember that she's a New Year's baby - I wonder if  they made 

a fuss about that those days, it was 1914 and in a very small settlement - so it could of

went either way: no, too practical to be celebrating a New Year baby or yes, they 

would of celebrated the fact a baby came along on a specially-marked occasion! 

But no matter, she was a new baby and that was special for sure!!! 

She is also the last of her generation in the family. Another significant fact. And there is not

much accounting for genes apparently, as her siblings lived to all different ages from mid-60's right 

on up!  Although if you consider lifestyle, that again is confusing as one of the strictest of a cautionary life

amongst them passed on to heaven first. There is hope for me after all, lol! 

A Personal Consideration - Cards for the Very Elderly

This raises a serious question for me now. How best to communicate with a long-distant and 

very elderly relative whose been placed in a nursing home???

  Its one of those 'ahh' moments that requires some reflection.

 I want my Aunt to keep receiving our well-intended expressions of  affection

 so she has a reminder that we love her. But what if she no longer recognizes the reason behind the cards? 

Or will the cards continue to remind her of who we are?  

 I know she knows who I am when we chat, but of course she has those temporary moments when her thought process goes through a loop. In fact, I can tell when its time to stop talking when she starts to repeat the conversation. 

It almost makes me cry, I think at those times how sweet she is. 

But its hard to swallow because its proof you can't deny that your loved one is experiencing a serious loss. Not a devastating one, but its serious none the less. 

As she is now in a nursing home, yes, I do know one thing, she had to go at the age of 97, if you can believe it - she lasted on her own so long, I am so proud of her!  I know I worried about her though, and relatives near to her recognized the time came and we can only hope she is comfortable. She lives in another province - too far away from us, so I can only gauge her feelings on the matter from our telephone conversations. But she seems really fine, talks well and except for the mild memory loss, she appears to be one heck of a strong Prairie Lady!!!! 

SO  concerning the point I am making - do I continue to send her cards?  I've decided to send her card 'care of '  the Administrator and asking that someone present and read it to her and from there I will find out if she is cognizant for understanding the card and then I can determine how to keep on sending her cards - or not!  It may be best to adjust to ' only telephone calls '. 

Also, I know as busy as staff are and personal space is always limited from what my last Aunt told me , so I don't want them to worry about cluttering up her room....but I do so hope she can enjoy a few cards yet!  Fingers crossed! 

The Card Featured Here uses Supplies from Stampin' Up!:

DS Paper, "Everyday Enchantment " {green scalloped border} - NEW {Sale-a-bration}

Scalloped Edge created with EDGELIT DIES - " Adoring Accents " - NEW {Occasions Mini}

Stamps - florals created with stamps from sets ' Fabulous Florets and Fifth Ave ' and leaf / heart from ' Best Friends Forever '  {main catalogue}

chalks, pearls, cardstock ={Peach Parfait/Whisper White}, paper piercer. *

MERRY CHRISTMAS BOUQUET - Beautiful !

One of our perks as Demos is to receive inspiration from a monthly magazine Stampin' Success which contains awesome projects like this gorgeous PAPER FLORAL BOUQUET in a BOX!!!  

YOU CAN MAKE THIS TOO!

Yes, seriously, you can!  I can!  We all can!

Purchase the list of products and you could make this in time to present to so many awesome people in your life - and ...

it's never gonna fade away! 

ok only if they leave it in a window forever, lol! ...but this is a beautiful reminder of your affection and its a real conversation piece, so your intended will enjoy relating to others how you made it which will bring more joy to them...

so it keeps on giving! 

GET STARTED! Hopefully you have some items in your possession or can borrow some BUT order supplies today and you will have many projects waiting for you to create! Let's Go!

Stamps Christmas Greetings Set, Gifts of Christmas SetPaper - Cardstock Garden Green, Old Olive, Real Red, Soft  Suede and Whisper White Ink Classic Stampin' Pads: Old Olive, Real Red;  and Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker; and Stampin' Pastels Accessories & Tools Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Rhinestone Basic Jewels Stampin' Dimensionals, Color Spritzer Tool,  PUNCHES: Boho Blossoms, Dotted Scallop Ribbon, Extra-Large Tag and Lace Ribbon, 1-1/4" Circle, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack BIG SHOT and DIES: Flower, Daisies #2 Bigz Die, Island Floral Bigz Die Sponge Daubers Floral wire Hot glue gun Pinecones Silver ornaments

Instructions

To decorate box: 

1. Punch border from Whisper White Card Stock using Lace Ribbon Punch and adhere to box. Wrap Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon around box and adhere. Wrap Linen Thread around box and adhere.
2. Stamp flower image in Old Olive ink on Whisper White Card Stock. Stamp sentiment over flower in Real Red ink. Punch tag from stamped card stock using Extra-Large Tag Punch.
3. Adhere tag to Old Olive Card Stock and cut out.
4. Punch border from Real Red Card Stock using Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch. Trim scallop border and adhere to tag. Adhere Rhinestone Basic Jewels to tag.
5. Tie Linen Thread in a bow and adhere to tag.
6. Punch flower from Real Red Card Stock using Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. Adhere rhinestone to flower and adhere to tag. Adhere tag to box using Stampin' Dimensionals.

To create Whisper White flowers

1. Cut flower petals from Whisper White Card Stock using Big Shot and Island Floral Bigz Die. Layer two sets of petals. Sponge Stampin' Pastels on flower center using Sponge Daubers.
2. Spritz flower using Color Spritzer Tool and Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker.
3. Cut strip of Whisper White Card Stock. Snip card stock every 1/16" and roll into a cylinder. Sponge Stampin' Pastels on snipped card stock. Adhere to center of flower, standing straight up.
4. Attach flower to floral wire.

To create Real Red/Soft Suede flowers

1. Cut several layers of flowers from Real Red Card Stock using Big Shot and Flower, Daisies #2 Bigz Die.
2. Punch a circle from Real Red Card Stock using 1-1/4" Circle Punch. Adhere circle over hole in one flower. Lay flower flat.
3. Curl petals on remaining flowers and fold in half. Adhere folded flowers around center of flat flower, slightly overlapping. 
4. Snip Soft Suede Card Stock every 1/16" and roll into a cylinder. Adhere to center of Real Red flower.
5. Attach flower to floral wire.

To create Old Olive/Whisper White flowers

1. Cut flowers from Old Olive Card Stock using Big Shot and Island Floral Bigz Die. Cut one petal from smallest flower and fold the rest of the flower to three petals.
2. Punch flower from Whisper White Card Stock using Boho Blossoms Punch. Scrunch flower and adhere to center of Old Olive flower.
3. Attach flower to floral wire.

To create Real Red flowers

1. Cut flowers from Real Red Card Stock using Big Shot and Island Floral Bigz Die. Layer flowers, removing petals from some layers. Curl petals downward.
2. Fold and distress small piece of card stock and adhere to center of flower.
3. Attach flower to floral wire.

Additional pieces

1. Cut thin strips of Garden Green Card Stock and attach to floral wire.
2. Attach ornaments to floral wire.
3. Attach pinecones to floral wire.
4. Arrange flowers and additional pieces in floral arrangement.

IF YOU REQUIRE ANY HELP - ANY AT ALL - PLEASE CONTACT ME!

NOT EVERYTHING IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS HOBBY - AND WE LOVE TO SHARE, SO PLEASE ASK ANYTHING!!!

IF YOU NEED TO PURCHASE SUPPLIES - PLEASE CONTACT ME AS i AM ONLY TOO HAPPY TO HELP!  

THANKS EVERYONE!!!!

Hi Crafters!
Do you LOVE the new hand-made FLOWERS being made all over the place - I do!  And STAMPIN' UP! is no newbie at flower creations - just look at this......!   It's from the cover of my Stampin' Success Magazine for July 2011!  Gorgeous!  

Now....LOOK what I made the other day!  Isn't it great?

CLICK ON PHOTOS

Layered DAISY #2 Bigz Die using our 'new' IN COLOR Island Indigo cardstock and my BIG SHOT!!!

 I loved making it because it was  s i m p l e  but challenging enough to make the curly ends!  If you know what I mean!  Maybe not the best thing to do while you're talking on the phone, but certainly you could do these watching tv, and I am all about doing some things that allow you to sit and relax beside your loved ones!  Its like they have to be willing to let you disappear into your craft zone {FOR DAYS ON END, LOL} -so this way you can be beside them while doing these......just bring some glue, a ton of the layers along and get your "curly tool" - mine is the paper piercer {honestly I need to find a curly tool of just the right size - anyone knows of one please let me know!}.


OK - enough of Babbly Me!   Here is what I did....


Use DAISY FLOWER #2 BIGZ DIE - cut 3 layers of each of the three daisy sizes  for a total of 9... 
I think its pretty straightforward - stack each of the 3 sizes - you can begin front to back or back to front, but rotate each daisy clockwise slightly from the last one to fill in the gaps between petals. TIP:You can glue 1 inch circles to the back to assist in layering them.  In time, you should have one continuous layered 'circle' created from the 9. A very 'fringey' looking circle.


  Once I have the 9 daisies glue together - stacked largest on the bottom of course, then I set to make a center 'ball' which is nothing more than some scraps rolled tight, and a couple of daisy 'tips' glued around the ball.  You could totally do a "ribbon " center - I would have, but moi does not have this colour on hand yet!

Here it is looking down at it - luscious layers!

This is one of our newest IN COLORS called ISLAND INDIGO - and I love. love, love it !!!!   Its the blue-green range of which I can never grow tired of - seriously! Never!  A little known fact on here is that I do summer projects for my own private collection - seashells, little sea creatures, life on the coast....and so I love the water colours.


Well I will be making my group of flowers to create a wall decor project - I am using our photo on our INVITATIONS and our latest July issue of SUCCESS MAGAZINE for demos - to inspire me!  Wish me luck on finishing them soon!

MORE IDEAS

CREATE YOUR OWN PROJECT WITH FLOWERS
SEE THE PRETTY FLOWERS FEATURED ON JULY's SUCCESS MAGAZINE?   MAKE YOUR OWN PROJECT USING ONE OR MANY FLOWERS!!

CLICK ON PHOTOS

Crafternoons!
TAYLOR :)

Crafternoons!


I decided to add some 'more' to my friend's Get Well card [see previous post below] and I settled on making a tag using the same stamp set, since I am exploring all my new stamps!  Then I got a little more energy and went and grabbed my mist bottle which I had used on the get well cardstock, and misted up the tag just as well.


Not satisfied with the tag - I looked around the craft room til I spotted a bottle of plain white fabric flowers - aha!  So I inked up the outer edges of the flower and then on others, I would mist the centers. Either way, there is a little 'spreading' - so if you decide to do it, just be aware if you're trying to leave some of the original colour intact.


I also ROLLED the dyed flower up, and secured it at its tightly rolled-end. One I place right on the tag with glue dots and the other is dangling off a bit of twine. I will add some more to that one in a bit :)


Anyways here's the 3 tags pictures - since you have everything out, why not make more, right?  I am trying to decorate each one a little differently, and one remains undone yet - that's for another afternoon!


I like them - hope you like them - and have a great FRIDAY and LONG WEEKEND (for some - yah, I know!)


crafty hugs,
TAYLOR :)

CLICK ON PICTURES TO SEE THEM LARGER

Crafternoons Stampers,

Time to blog my latest...my correspondence continues this week with a card to a friend who is in recovery from surgery. I really wanted to pay special attention to this one - since I'd like to think that "Get Well" cards fall into that "special" category!!

This is one of the first chances I've had to begin with some of my fabulous NEW ITEMS from the brand spanking NEW CATALOGUE from STAMPIN' UP!  So you can imagine!

So settle down for an afternoon or evening and re-create this beauty for someone special in your life!  Or even make this a border for a frame - wouldn't that be lovely!  Hmmm, now I am thinking more here!

CLICK ON ALL PICTURES TO SEE A LARGE PHOTO

CREATING THE CARD

THE CARD BASE

It's a standard card size, 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 in STAMPIN' UP! Pretty in Pink cardstock. 

The Stamp

A CLASSIC NEW STAMP SET!!!!    

This is the greeting from MY FRIEND #122587. This set has versatility plus! Lots of images and two terrific greeting stamps so it will become a favourite among us. :)

Of course the WEDDING SWEET Stamp Set is another good choice - and its also terrific for many purposes besides the iconic wedding sentiments it includes because of the flourishes it provides! There is a smaller flourish included in the set as well as a lovely 'Thank You' stamp!

Step 1) Stamping


So using some ROSE RED CLASSIC INK - I stamped the HELLO greeting in the upper right-side corner.

Also using the same colour ink, I stamped the flourish design with the Wedding Sweet's largest stamp, going off the edges, and stamping twice before inking to get a lighter image.

Step 2) Add Spritzing/Smooching Effects

Want some fun?   Do some SPRITZING - and in part, some flinging, lol!  I made my OWN CUSTOM MADE SPRITZ by mixing a 50% solution of pharmaceutical alcohol and water into an empty misting bottle. Then to create my CUSTOM COLOUR - I dropped some  refill ink into the solution!!!!   I used a retired colour - Purely Pomegrante and swished to mix well. Pumped and directed the nozzle in the  direction of the card from one side - and sprayed.  I did it a couple of times, careful to stay mostly on one side of the card.  I immediately dried the card with my dryer to avoid the water pluming up the cardstock. No unsightly bumps if we can avoid it!  GREAT WAY TO USE UP THOSE OLDER INKS!!!

Next - I flung some of the SMOOCH using a nylon artist brush - flinging with style, lol! You do need to try to do it without over-doing it!

cardstock to the left is untouched; card to the right is spritzed, smooched

don't forget the back of the card :)

     The ACCENTS

Step 1) Add a Decorative Border - bonus: Stamp to Match the Background!   Using my NEW IN COLOR CARDSTOCK - POOL PARTY - a light greenish-blue reminiscent of the Carribean or a California sky! Very pretty colour!

With SU!'s Decorative Border Punch - SCALLOP TRIM BORDER #118402 - I punched both sides of a 1 inch wide strip of cardstock.  

TECHNIQUE TRICK - Match your Stamped Images: before attaching the border strip to the card - I challenged myself, could I "re-create" the stamped flourish on the card on to the decorative border and match them up?

Inked up the same Wedding Sweet stamp in POOL PARTY CLASSIC INK, and using my 'eagle eye' - I mimicked the direction of the rose red background image , so I could ' continue ' the stamped ' f l o u r i s h e s 'onto the pool party border strip. First time: NOPE!, but lucky us - we can TURN OVER THE CARDSTOCK AND DO IT AGAIN - and this time, I was able to make a pretty good match. Not yet trimmed, I could shift the stamped part to match the background of the card before trimming and attaching it permanently. Voila. If you have an eagle eye yourself, you can see I also added a slight match to the paper flower - see the flourish from the greeting shows up on the flower too! OK! Doing great.

Lastly I added some bling to help bring glamour to the border. Bling, bling, love the bling!

notice how the background stamp ties into the same image on the blue border?  Bird in glittery powder blue!

Step 2) The Bird and Leaf Punch Accents

Really not much to say here - its a punched Bird from a retired set from Stampin' Up!'s BIG SHOT dies - the Sizzlit Birds and Bloom. Which is kinda wrong, because there is one bird, and several flowers in this 4pc die set, lol!  But the bird is in GLITTER CARDSTOCK - oh yes! With a jewel for an eye too!

And of course, to balance the whole, a touch of a deeper blue in the same colour family - I found a punched leaf stem made of retired Bermuda Bay cardstock - uhm-hmm! Pretty!  I keep a stash of accents - don't you?  Grabbed two.  

The Custom Paper Flower Accent

Step 1 - Punch Out Flower Shapes and Supporting Circles With  XL FANCY FLOWER XL PUNCH #118073, punch out 3 flower shapes - #1,2,and 3.    
  With 1" CIRCLE MEDIUM PUNCH # 119868, in the same colour, punch out 3 circles.  

Fancy Flower Punch, Smooch Frost White (jar), Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, and custom created paper flower (left side)

   TIP:When I layer the flower shapes, I often use circles to act as support between layers -   plus they provide a spot to glue one to the other. 
  
    TIP #2: I actually punched out dozens to make more flowers while watching TV - hey, its all about time management for me at times!

Step 2 - Decorating the Punched Flower Shapes - and Layering Together.# 1 flower shape: leave plain:
 #2 flower shape: I stamped large polka dots using our BACKGROUND DOTTED XL STAMP - this will stack on top of the plain #1 flower shape ....
#3 flower shape: I stamped only the center of the flower #3 using a smaller POLKA DOT  - this will be the top and final layer....

Now the fun part - SQUISH-SQUISH!  That's right - crumple up the two decorated flower shapes, #2 and #3!  Unfold Flower #2 so its slightly crumples but take #3 Flower, and crease it twice in two spots, and squish it flat to create permanent creases [ I glued the creases in place ]....

LAYER the Flower Shapes:
 Glue the punched 1 inch CIRCLES to the back of all 3 Flower Shapes, then, layer accordingly:
a) begin with Plain Flower #1 as the bottom...
b) attach glue to the circle of Flower #2 backside, and glue to Flower #1 beneath... slightly twisted clockwise so that the petals of Flower #1 peek through....
c) attach glue to the circle of Flower #3 backside, and glue on top of Flower #2 beneath - thus creating the top layer!

Step 3 - SPRITZ and SMOOCH the Completed FlowerAs with the card base, I smooched some FROSTED WHITE SHIMMER PAINT # 116854 on to the completed FLOWER and misted it with some GOLD GLOW SMOOCH SPRITZ #118770 spray. [you may want to do this over a protected surface - or in the bathroom like I do for easy clean-up!  Or try our cool COLOUR CATCHER for just this purpose!]

Optional - you could decorate the center of the completed Flower with other accents such as buttons, jewels, brads, bow, etc.  I have chosen to decorate it with a gathered Ribbon Circle and a Fabric Flower plus Glitter.  Read on!

THE RIBBON ACCENT

One of my new fantastic embellishments is the "ruffled, stitched ribbon" featuring our new IN COLORs - and I have it in POOL  PARTY  #122975 Its fab!

It has the heft and premier qualities of a beautiful ribbon that 'feels good to the touch'  - ruffly with that unmistakable grosgrain crisp yet silky so it slips through your fingers - what more could you want from a ribbon?

I turned it into a gathered circle to accent the  f l o w e r !  NOW THIS IS GETTING SPECIAL!  To gather, I prepped a needle with some thread/knot and stiched up one side of the ribbon, taking little 'dips' down and back up all the length of the ribbon - about 12 inches.  Then tugging till it schoooshed its way into a circle, and stitched closed. With the last of the thread, I stitched the ribbon accent right onto the paper flower!  

Still...I looked and saw that the ribbon accent left room for more!  It's open center left a bare spot - so I thought, hmmmm......I had originally thought a half-pearl would be in order. But seeing that made my card seem predictable....no good.  So I began to press my mind a little, and I grabbed a small fabric flower in white, and using a dab of glue and a small tool's handle, I pushed it right down into the center of the ribbon circle. This distorted it, but that was in keeping with the whole flower - a little grungy!   Finally, my glitter went floating down onto another dab of glue, and voila!

  MY FLOWER IS DONE AND ITS PRETTY SPECIAL!!!

- OK,  re-group and finish this card! -

You've stamped the greeting, and the flourishes onto the pink card base in a co-ordinating deep rose. Check!

You smooshed, spritzed some accent decoration to the background in a reddish and gold tone. Check!

You created a decorative border in a complimentary colour - and optional, stamped it to match the background flourishes! Check!

You punched out a bird in some pretty cardstock! Check!

You've created one special paper flower accent, ribbon and all! Check!

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!!!

Estimate the placement of the Paper Ribbon-Flower Accent  - I chose under the greeting, slightly less than half way down the card; and then slide the border under the flower. When you have agreed that it looks good - make it permanent and attach with glue or sticky strip.   Attach in the same fashion, the bird so it sits atop the border facing the flower!   Tuck in the leaf accents, trimming as necessary. Finally, I like to add a bit of distressing to the bottom edge, so I sponged on some Rose Red ink to the bottom edge of the card. 

There you have it!!!!

Is it not special?  I know it took time - and ....

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS REALLY LONG POST ....

... I am sorry, but sometimes you just have to write it all down.  Succinct I am not!  

 Do what you will for the INSIDE GREETING!  The MY FRIEND stamp set does have another greeting stamp in a smaller type: " my friend ", so I chose that for my inside greeting and then I also made a bit more by taking a strip of no particular length of paper, folding it haphazardly, and gluing it down, then topping it with a punched shape and stamped " GET WELL" sentiment.  You, of course, do what you will!