manly-man

There are a few men in my life who deserve a good birthday card. Unfortunately, when I buy stamps, they tend to be flowery and sweet. And although a few men appreciate a bouquet of flowers, most don't. Masculine birthday cards often stump me. Short of using dark colors, I've got nothin'. Which is why I'm kinda excited about the stamp set, Perfect Blend. It's marketed with the friendship sentiment, "coffee & friends are the perfect blend", but I decided to skip that and use the birthday greeting from Petite Pairs. And voila! A masculine birthday card that doesn't feature dark navy and tools.

I roughed things up a bit with a distressing tool to give the card some texture, and I popped up the coffee cup and greeting for some depth. See? Masculine cards aren't so scary.

Happy stamping!

bird song inspiration

The birds have returned with the return of spring! While I was drinking tea this morning, a dozen birds were in the bush outside, serenading me. It was a great way to spend a lazy Saturday morning.

The birds' song made me think of one of my favorite Stampin' Up stamp sets, Serene Silhouettes. Pinterest never fails to inspire me and I stole the idea for the main image of this card from a Pin. I used a die to cut the butterfly from copy paper. I used the negative space as a mask. I sponged some sunrise colors, working from the edges into the center, and then stamped the birds and branches image. Then I removed the mask. Easy peasy!

Because I was making a sympathy card, I wanted to keep the design simple and uncluttered. So a little wmbossing, a mat and a sentient was all I needed to finish up. 

Happy stamping!

back in the saddle

It's been way too long since I've posted here on my blog! The holidays came and I found myself way too busy. I always hope to avoid that predicament, but somehow I always find myself saying, "Yes!" I have to work in that trait. 

Thankfully, it was time to put a Stamp Camp together. That never fails to get my creativity flowing. Or at least it forces me to spend gobs of time searching Pinterest for inspiration! 

One of my favorite techniques with paper, is to crumple up a piece of card stock like crazy, and then peel it into two identical pieces. The inside if the paper is so soft and fuzzy! That's what I did with the Rich Razzelberry mat. Love how it looks!

Happy stamping!

Speedy delivery

I love bestowing gifts on friends and family! I love it even more when the gift is hand made. But sometimes, an occasion creeps up on you, and you don't have time to knit a scarf, or string a necklace. 

My co-worker's birthday did that to me. The good news is that I knew that she would love a Hershey bar. Easy peasy, right? But I just couldn't hand her chocolate and call it a day. A conundrum. 

Then I remembered a project that my best friend did awhile back! A chocolate bar slider! The ribbon holds the candy in the sleeve, and when you pull on the knot, the candy slides up! 

I got to work with just 30 minutes until I needed to leave for work. I used an acrylic block, markers and a spritz of water to make the paper for the butterflies, and embossed them with Melon Mambo embossing powder. I love how they turned out! And I love that this simple little thing really made my friend's day! 

Happy stamping!

Masking tape is the secret

A little bit of masking tape and some glossy paper equals some serious bang! This card whipped up so quickly and I think it's awesome! I love it when a tiny bit of effort pays off in a big way. 

The paper piercing adds texture and whimsy. Again, a little bit of work brings a lot of personality to this card. 

Happy stamping!

Faux linen

I tried a new technique today with limited success. It's the faux linen technique. I used a sanding block and layers of ink, but I'm thinking I may have needed a coarser grit sandpaper. In any case, I still love how this turned out!

A couple of butterflies were all that was needed to give the card an extra bit of texture!

Happy stamping!

More vellum

Here's another card that we will be doing for Stamp Camp! My BFF loved the last card that I did with vellum, so I came up with this with her in mind. I love how such a simple technique can have such a huge impact! 

When coloring vellum, just be gentle with your markers. There are little cracks that can rough up your marker tips. And you run the risk of poking holes if you are too aggressive. 

Happy stamping!

Summer Silhouettes, two ways

Oh my, I love these beauts! Playing with ink can lead to some pretty sweet eye candy! I have to be honest, I keep whipping out my camera just to gaze at these cards over and over again! Clearly I have issues. 

I love the acrylic block stamped backgrounds using the technique from yesterday's post, but what I'm crazy about on this card is the dry embossing! I even embossed that teeny, tiny 3/4" circle sentiment. I know adorable, right?!

I loved that card so much, that I decided to make day and night versions. Here's the night version. I used the collage technique to tone down the bright background, and I didn't use Melon Mambo, because that color is bordering on neon!

Some polka dotted black ribbon helps to pull off the "night" feel without taking itself too seriously. I can tell that I'll be playing with different color combinations in future posts! 

Happy stamping! Oh! And a big thanks to a stamping friend who tried out this technique and sent me a picture of her beautiful project! I love to see what you are working on!