Thanks for Everything

I really like the large sentiment "Thanks for Everything" from the All Things Thanks stamp set. It was a great sentiment for our Thanksgiving hosts and for the current TGIF Challenge.

My card came together while my daughter was napping. I used a mix of current and retired Stampin'Up! products.

Inks: Real Red, Tangerine Tango (retired), Crushed Curry, Pear Pizzazz, and Versa Mark
Card stock: Whisper White and Pear Pizzazz
Stamps: All Things Thanks & For all Things (retired)
Accessories: Linen Thread, Stitched Shapes Dies, and White Embossing Powder
Designer Series Paper: Coffee Break

After this, I will be back to making Christmas cards. Happy Crafting!

Holiday Backgrounds

I am really enjoying the Merry Making class from Online Card Classes. The first day covered holiday backgrounds, and I had fun playing with some older supplies that I had not used in a while. These cards ended up focusing on embossing. The heat tool was one of my first purchases from Stamping' Up! in 2008, but I had not been heat embossing on my recent cards. I did lots of heat embossing on the first card and am happy with the results using a variety of supplies that I already own. For the second card, I used one of my older embossing folders and colored the poinsettias with a red Copic marker.

World Card Making Day

Happy World Card Making Day! I am finishing up some baby cards today. You can check out holiday cards from card makers all over the word on the Simon Says Stamp blog. Now I can ready to begin my holiday cards and will be taking the Merry Making class from Online Card Classes beginning Monday. Happy crafting!

(All supplies are from Stampin' Up!. The papers are retired but the Moon Baby stamp set and Watercolor Pencils are still available.)

Using a sketch

I used the sketch challenge from SSINKspiration to make 2 cards last night. The first one is more clean and simple, and then I jazzed up the second one.

I played with new Stamping' Up! products at stamp club yesterday, but it was good to come home and use some of my older (retired) products. I used this color combination for inspiration:

Here are my cards:

We are enjoying a three day weekend, but I do need to get back to my homework soon.

Happy Crafting!

Second Card

I made another card with this beautiful color combination:

At first I was not sure how my design would work out, and the smaller butterfly and a pearl cover up a couple of mistakes. I have learned in card making that most mistakes can be fixed. I ended up making 3 similar cards with this design and different greetings. I rarely stamp on the inside of my cards, but my husband always looks inside my cards when I show them to him. I am going to start trying to stamp a little on the inside of my cards while still leaving plenty of space to write. I even stamped a matching envelope this time.

Stampin' Up! supplies used:
Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, and Mint Macaron Card Stock
Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, and Mint Macaron Ink Pads
Stampin' Sponge
Pearls
Big Shot & Butterflies Thinlits Dies
Butterfly Basics Photopolymer Stamp Set

I am liking the photopolymer stamp sets more and more over time. I might be able to make a few more cards before my classes begin on Monday.

Happy Crafting!

Getting Back to Stamping

I did not make many cards in 2016, and I started missing my hobby during winter break. I cleaned the teaching stuff off of my craft desk and got back to stamping at the end of December. I received some fun craft supplies for Christmas gifts and really looked forward to trying out the Mini MISTI. I purchased a kit from my friend Pam in November and finally had time to play with the stamp set and card ideas that she prepared.

I also started pursuing blogs for inspiration. I found a fabulous color combination on the SSINKspiration blog, and I discovered the Stamp Ink Paper challenge blog. I made a card for these challenges using the Totally Trees stamp set. The MISTI makes it easier to build scenes and make multiples of your cards, and I love it.

Supplies Used from Stampin Up!
Totally Trees stamp set (recently retired)
Greatest Greetings stamp set
Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla card stock
Crumb Cake and Mint Macaron ink Pads and Blushing Bride marker
Big Shot and an embossing folder (retired)
Pearls

I will be a full-time student this semester for my teaching credential, but I still want to make a little time for my hobby. I joined a monthly stamp club to have crafting time on my calendar and have a chance to see some of my local, crafty friends.

Happy 2017!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! I am sharing a card that I made for the Fun 'n Crafty Stampers swap earlier this month.

This card includes 2 of my new favorite supplies: the Wink of Stella brush pen and the Wildflower Fields Designer Series Paper.

You can click over to the SSINKspiration blog to see more of our favorite items. This is my last post on the SSINKspiration blog, and I am grateful to have been a part of this talented design team!

Have a great weekend!

Step it Up

At a recent MeetUp, I love the card idea shared by my friend, Pam. I decided to make a similar card at home with my favorite paper from Sale-A-Bration. Then, I stepped up the card a bit with a die cut and pearl. You can find more ideas about how to "step up" your cards over on the SSINKspiration blog.

Happy Stamping!

The Scraps on my Craft Desk

Happy New Year! I hope that your 2016 is off to a fantastic start. After traveling for Christmas, I am getting back to some crafty time. I recently made cards to swap with other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators and had some scraps left on my craft desk.

For today's Stampin' Stylin' INKspiration blog post, I am sharing the card that I made with my scraps.

I used some of my favorite butterfly products for this card and added in a new stamp set and paper. I love the font and mix of greetings in the Greatest Greetings stamp set. With a $50 order, you can earn the Wildflower Fields Designer Series Paper for free during Sale-A-Bration. I love the colors and patterns in this paper.

Happy Stamping!

Upcycled Ornaments

I bought this ornament for my husband (who likes Mountain Dew and bicycles) at a craft fair.

I started talking to the sellers about how they made it and realized that I had the tools at home to make my own. First, I just had to drink some cans of soda. My husband helped me with the task, since I have really cut back on soda the last couple of years.

I used my Big Shot and some wafer thin dies. (The seller at the craft fair used a Cuttlebug machine.) From my stash, I figured that the Butterflies Thinlits Dies would make the best ornaments. I also cut out words from the Hello You Thinlits Dies for some cards. I think that a few other options from Stampin' Up! might work well for this project. I may also check out a wider selection of dies from Simon Says Stamp. (They are based in my home state of Ohio.)

My main tip is to place wax paper between your die and the metal can. I used a craft knife and these scissors to cut my cans. The edges of the cut cans are not too sharp, so this is still a pretty safe project. (This comes from someone who had cut her finger on a paper trimmer before!)

Feel free to ask questions in the comments below. I would love to hear about your upcycled craft projects.

Happy Crafting!

So much paper...

I have been making lots of cards with the Home for Christmas Designer Series Paper, but I still have some leftovers. For today's SSINKspiration post, I thought that I could use some of my holiday paper on a birthday card. I love the versatility of double-sided pattern paper.

Many of Stampin' Up!'s Holiday 2015 products are will be retiring soon. Some items are on sale now and only available while supplies last.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Christmas Cards

I am sharing some of this year's Christmas cards today for the SSINKspiration Christmas cards post. I am actually getting handmade cards in the mail this year!

From simple to stepped-up, it is fun to make your own holiday cards. You can stock up on gifts or items for your own stash during the Year-End Sale.

Happy Stamping!

Snow

I think that I like snow more on my craft projects than in real life. I enjoyed creating this snow card in sunny California for the Paper Players challenge. Some years we still get to see snow when visiting our family and friends in Ohio.

Supplies Used:
Home for Christmas paper
Big Shot
Decorative Dot sembossing folder
Sparkly Season bundle
Pool Party and Real Red Stampin' Write markers
Tangelo Twist ink pad and Blender Pen
Silver Sparkle Dazzling Details
Metallics Sequin Assortment
Home for Christmas enamel dots
Basic Black Archival Ink pad
Real Red, Pear Pizzazz, and Whisper White card stock

Do you enjoy the snow? Whether or not you have snow, I hope that you enjoy your winter season.

#SSINKMC27: Mystery Challenge

It is time for the monthly Mystery Challenge on the SSINKspiration blog. I had fun playing along with this challenge. I managed to use items 1-4 on my card. I hope that you will play along with the challenge!

Click over to the SSINK blog to see more ideas for this challenge. A shot out to Diana who was willing to share some fun cardinals from the Joyful Season stamp set for me to color.

If you are shopping for crafty gifts for others or yourself, check out the Online Extravaganza sale from November 23-30.

Happy Stamping & Happy Shopping!

Card Sketch

It is time for the November card sketch on the Stampin' Stylin' INKspiration blog. I really enjoyed using this sketch and seeing lots of ideas on the blog!

I used more of the Home for Christmas Designer Series Paper on this card and found the greeting in the Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Friday Favorites

We are featuring our Friday Favorites on the SSINKspiration blog today. The Home for Christmas Designer Series Paper continues to be one of my favorites. I especially like that there is a coordinating stamp set, Cozy Christmas. Here is a card that I made to swap with the Fun 'n Crafty Stampers.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Stamp Sale!

From October 19-23, Stampin' Up! is discounting all stamps 15% off (excluding bundles and host sets). This is a great sale! If you have been stamping for a while, I recommend ordering some larger stamps sets to save some money. I am eyeing the Layered Letters Alphabet Set and Watercolor Words set.

If you want to try card making, you can use this sale to order a few stamps. I recommend starting with the single, wood mount stamps. Watercolor Thank You and Kind Koala are two of my favorites. You can add in an ink pad and some notecards to get started stamping.

You can shop online at http://www.stampinup.com/home/en-US/, and choose Sara Grafton as your demonstrator. If you are in the San Jose area, feel free to contact me about coordinating an order.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

September Mystery Items

We did another mystery items swap for the SSINKspiration blog. Tobe from The Craft Sea send me three fun items to use. The Black Glimmer Paper is so fun to use. The wooden embellishment and Happy Halloween card are from the Seasonal Snapshot 2015 Project Life cards & accessory pack. I just needed the banner punch, Tangelo Twist card stock, and Tombow glue to complete my card. I love how the Project Life kits are great for memory keeping and quick cards.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Friday Favorites

Today we are sharing our Friday Favorites on the SSINKspiration blog. I am sharing two of my favorite items for fall crafting: the 2014-2016 In Colors and the For All Things stamp set.

I actually created this card last fall, but it is still one of my favorite cards. I made my own pattern paper by stamping the leaves. I used a watercolor brush directly on the rubber stamp and on the paper to vary the colors.

Here is the finished card:

You can visit the original blog post for this card at 1200somemiles.com.

Thank you for visiting my blog!