It's a good thing I filmed a few cards a couple months ago before we moved all my stamp stuff and started the renovations - other than one card (which I never filmed and ended up with horrible pictures of b/c I was in a rush) I haven't stamped a thing! :( Life's just been too hectic lately.
Anywho I had made this birthday card for a friend of my daughter's and am pretty pleased with how it turned out!
With the gift card inside it (that inspired the color combo):
I am so used to always having a video explaining how I made a card that it's odd for me to upload one without a video! Which is why I always put it off LOL.
This card being one of them - I made it forever ago (evidenced by the 2012 date on my watermark) and then forgot about it. When I moved all my stamp stuff those few weeks ago this card was in one of the notebooks I use to keep track of layouts, card info etc etc. So I thought I may as well post it now!
I had started with this Wild Sprouts Reeta image from The Greeting Farm - an old favourite of mine (that is sadly not available anymore as it got retired some time ago). I had colored it in with Copic markers to match the Authentique Blissful patterned paper pack, and left her little camisole blank to paper piece it after cutting the image out.
I *love* the color combos that are in that patterned paper pack! So pretty :)
The inside was kept pretty simple with the yellow patterned paper meant for writing to the recipient - a regular ball-point pen will show up well over that so it's not an issue.
I've become one of those people that LIVES for weekends. Even though when the weekend finally gets here (like now!) it just means I have a TON of laundry and housekeeping and "catching up" to do (but with my current "condition" I can at least sneak in a nap here and there between loads of laundry and whatnot *wink*).
Also it's becoming the only time I have to stamp and get crafty. After a full day of work I don't have the energy (or creativity) to make things after - but that's also been due to the lack of sunlight here during the winter. It's still winter outside here in SK (we don't even hope for spring 'till the end of March at the earliest - double blah!) but it's been staying lighter outside for longer each day and that makes SUCH a huge difference.
**OH and before I forget (I meant to announce this yesterday but ran out of time) - All That Scraps is now a Member Company at Splitcoast! If you're not at all familiar with splitcoaststampers.com head on over there. It's FREE to set up a profile and you'll have access to the forums and gallery and tutorials etc etc etc. I've been a member for years now (I've even got a couple tutorials on there that were published years ago). I haven't been all that active on the forums for some time but now that ATS has their own forum on there I plan on popping in from time to time to "chat".
You can find the ATS forum HERE <------click! It *just* went live yesterday so it will take a while to get some conversations going!! :)**
I can't for the life of me remember what patterned paper pack this is from - I'm sure if I dug through my stash I'd find it but I'm 99% sure it's not available anymore anyway (though when I say that I usually get proven wrong LOL!).
Again I colored her as a redhead - my oldest girl's hair isn't *really* that red - hers is more of a really pretty deep strawberry blond now - it's hard to explain and looks different all the time.
*side note - last year during parent-teacher interviews her teacher informed me that one of the boys in her class had THE biggest crush on her and went on and on during *his* interview about V's "beautiful red hair". It was hilarious (as it always is when they're little - give it a couple more years and I'll prolly SEE red any time a boy starts batting eyes at my girls LOL!!!).*
I had enough time this morning before work to get this video edited and uploaded. With this "series" it will just run all year and when I've made a b-day card I'll put it with this. So other series - like the Spring one I've got going on right now - will just keep going around them :)
I've already made a few b-day cards this year and have all the files etc. on my computer so I thought I'd better get to posting them before I forget all about them or they get lost amidst everything else I have going on! ;)
So here's the first one:
*sadly this Greeting Farm Wild Sprouts Reeta image is no longer available. I looked on their site and it's not even available as a digi image either *sad face*. It's on of my favorites so I keep using it. Maybe they'll bring it back one of these days - one can hope!*
To see how I made this card watch the following video:
(hahaha I find it funny that I posted that on a Monday and today's Monday.....small things amuse me....;))
ANYWHO - so I colored the image months ago, and I made the card months ago too - it's been sitting here waiting for me to post.
I kept putting it off b/c once I did a search I come to find the stamp is no longer available - ugh. Ah well it's still in some stores if you do a google search if you really have to have it!
This is the image - Snuggle from the Hope & Grace line by The Greeting Farm - the entire Hope & Grace line is no longer available (from TGF anyway).
I stamped it onto white cardstock with Memento ink then colored her in with Copics.
I had left her dress blank on purpose - when I went to make the card I psper-pieced her dress to match.
I had written the patterned paper (Authentique Splendid) on the bottom of the cardstock so I'd remember when it came time to make the card.
So then once I had her dress adhered I went in with my W3 and W1 Copics and added a bit of shading to make it look not so flat (I've shown that in loads of videos).
And here's the finished card!
The sentiments are from my Be Happy set. I used Brilliance Graphite Black ink (whereas now I'd use Versafine as I prefer that to the Brilliance ink now - just personal preference) so that it would be REALLY black and stand out a bit.
I popped up the Snuggle image and the sentiment on dimensionals (I get mine from Jody - the link to them is in the description box below - LOVE them!), added some ribbon and promas from my stash and called it a day.
I used one of my Spellbinders dies to cut out the sentiment for the inside. Now that set of dies is no longer available (WHY do all these companies discontinue things I LOVE and use all the time? It's one thing if it's b/c they release something newer and better but more often than not it just gets discontinued for no good reason *cough* SU Key Tag punch! *couch* and there is nothing else like it out there!! OK rant over).
HOWEVER I added a link to a set of dies from MFT that is really similar - and possibly better. I personally don't have it (yet!) but I want to get it. So if you've got it, or are planning to I say go for it ;)
and I've got one of the cards to share with you guys:
This was what I started off with. And of course I find out *now* that this image is no longer available (sorry!). I'm pretty sure it was a Wild Sprout image - THIS one is similar (and still available).
......searching......yup I was right it was a Wild Sprouts image - Megan she was called! And it was back in '09 that the stamp was released LOL. SO only 3 years for me to ink it up....(although I swear I've made a card before with it - but can't find it on my blog.....yeah I'm losing it....!).
.....more searching......ooohh I lied Ellen Hutson still has it in stock! Link will be below :)
ANYWHO I colored the image in to go with the Authentique Splendid 6x6 papers and paper-pieced her little shirt to match.
I added just a tiny bit of Baby Blue Stickles to her hair bow and shorts - it adds more of a "texture" IMO than actual sparkle - Baby Blue and Cotton Candy Stickles are the only ones (that I know of) that are like this - they're not actually *sparkly* YKWIM? But I like that sometimes...
So here's the finished card. I kept it all pretty simple. Just some patterned paper, ribbon and primas.
That ribbon is May Arts textures (if you guys all contact All That Scraps and BEG them to get it back in that might help *wink* I bought all mine from them and I *think* they can still get it in! I LOVE this ribbon!!).
Prima's and brads are as always from my stash (AKA lifetime supply - I seriously will prolly never use up all the primas I have, and I'm OK with that).
The sentiments are from my Big Words & Handy Additions stamp sets. Haven't used them in a while, and it made me happy to ink them up again! They're still some of my favorites for sentiments...
I kept the inside pretty simple and that's all there was to it. :)
Sorry folks I'm definitely getting behind now. Saturday's are my "catch-up" days (as in catching up to all the housework/laundry/to-do's etc etc etc) as a lot of things get neglected during the week. I'd love to just sit and stamp all day on Saturdays but that just ain't possible for me!
I finally got card #6 done and kept it quick and simple.
If you missed the other 5 posts you can view them all here:
Today I thought I would make a square card. I get asked a lot what size of cards do I typically make - and it's always standard A2 size (4.25" x 5.5"). If I make anything other than that size I always make sure to mention/post it.
So today's card is a 5.5" square card - and I always chose 5.5" as that is the biggest square card you can make from an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of cardstock (which is what I work with. I don't own much 12x12 cardstock as I don't have anywhere to store it).
To see how I made the card watch the following video:
So the other day I was in the mood to make a girly birthday card just because. After all the Halloween cards I've made and then gearing up for the Christmas cards I just needed a bit of a "break" so this was the result:
It's embarassing to admit but I had yet to use my Magical Wishes stamp set (hangs head in shame) so I decided to go with that and then pulled out my Princess Anya image to go with it.
The patterned paper is from the Echo Park Springtime pack. I die cut a bunch of the patterns with my circle Spellbinders dies.
The ribbon is Mellow Moss taffeta from Stampin' Up!
I did a video on coloring the image - you can see it here:
After I had finished filming I ended up adding a bit of V93 and V95 to her lids as "eyeshadow".
Of course I had to bling her up a bit so I added Diamond Stickles to her crown and scepter and her dress. And then a teeny bit of it to her lids cuz a girl's gotta have sparkly eyeshadow *wink*.
The little diecut branches behind the prima roses were actually made with the new C.C. Designs Cutter Mistletoe Die. I cut out the branches, sponged them with ink then trimmed them down a bit before adhering them to the card.
The sentiment like I said is from my Magical Wishes stamp set. I stamped it onto one of the patterned papers then cut it out with one of the Spellbinders tag dies (I can't find a link to them sorry!).
All those little sparkly baubles are Stamping Bella Glitter Dots. I've had them for years and always forget about them. You just glue them down with liquid glue (I used Tombow Mono Multi) and you're good to go.
On the inside of the card I followed the same "circle theme" I had going on the front - just making sure to use a "plainer" patterned paper for the largest circle as that's where the giver would write the note on.
The sentiment is again from Magical wishes - I thought it fit quite nicely on the yellow circle (and saved me from having to die-cut another label) so that's where I stamped it.
This whole card started with theDeLovely Cosmo Cricket patterned paper pad. I pulled it out the other day and wanted to use is - the bright colors were just begging to be used!
So I decided to make a "Get Well" card - I already had the sentiments sitting out from my Get Well sentiments set - so it was just a matter of finding an image.
That didn't take long - I hadn't put away my sleeves of TGF images and I've had this Nurse Anya image for some time and of course she's perfect for a Get Well card!
So I inked her up (Memento Tuxedo Black), stamped her out (CCD CQ80lb cardstock) then colored her in with Copics.
And of course added some Sticklesto the cross on her hat - gotta have some bling ya know *wink*
For the sentimentI stamped it onto cardstock with pigment ink then embossed it with detail white embossing powder - something I seem to be doing a ton of lately. I really like the look it gives! Then I punched it out with my SU Key Tag punch.
The butterflies were all made with a Martha Stewart punch and some vellum. After adhering the butterflies to the card I covered them with Stickles then set the card aside to dry (it takes a LONG time for Stickles to dry on vellum). As it dried the vellum curled a bit (which I expected) so they look really neat IRL!
On the inside of the card I followed a simplified version of the layout I used on the front, and added this sentiment from the Get Well Sentiments set - again stamped in pigment ink and embossed with white detail embossing powder.
I added a couple more glittered butterflies and that was it!
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Whisper White and YoYo Yellow, Copic Markers
ACCESSORIES: Stickles, Spellbinders Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle dies, SU! Detail White Embossing Powder, Small Corner Rounder Punch, MFT Open Scallop Border Die, Martha Stewart Butterfly Trio punch, SU! Key Tag Punch, DoodleBug Brads, May Arts ribbon
It felt SOOOO good to actually sit down and stamp!
My studio is *thisclose* to being done - we just need to switch out a couple of outlets (and maybe get a new light fixture - the one that's here isn't cutting it), and I need to somehow get everything that's in the closet of the old studio stored in the new room. THAT is something I'm a little worried about - the closet is FULL - floor to ceiling (literally - the stuff is touching the ceiling in the closet and there are things stored on the floor!). All my cardstock and 12x12 patterned paper is stored in there along with a plethora of other crafty things.
That's the only drawback with my new space - there's no closet! But that may be a bit of a good thing as I'll have to be rather creative in finding ways to store it all and I will also have to go through everything and see what all I can purge!
ANYWHO - back to the card!
This was the first card I made in a looonnnggg time! I had to do a bit of fiddling (my mojo was a little rusty) but am pleased with how it turned out!
This TGF Hello Ian image was stamped onto white cardstock and colored in with Copics. I paper pieced his hat and coat with a bit of new Basic Grey Marjolaine papers (that I got in my last haul which I haven't had time to upload and edit yet - the video is still in my camera! I'll get to it...). I cut him out and adhered him to the card with dimensionals.
This sentiment is from my new Love-ly Sentiments set - isn't it the best? I HAD to cut this one out first thing and use it before any of the rest of them. It's so true ;o)
The ribbon is my new May Arts crinkle ribbon - loving that stuff. Now I am wishing it had some in a wider width too (coming from a gal that purged 2 grocery bags FULL of ribbon when moving everything and STILL has enough to prolly wrap around the earth a few times....).
Oh and FYI other than the white cardstock used for the base and the CS I stamped Hello Ian onto - the rest of the card is all from the Basic Grey 6x6 pack! I just noticed that now LOL!
I like how it turned out. I purposely avoided using anything pink/red/girly as I wanted this to be a strictly masculine valentine/love card.
And then the next card I made was all pink/red/girly LOL - but I'll share that later.
Unless you want to see your birthday card early of course ;)
Anywho - when I got this Nurse Anya stamp not too long ago I KNEW I had to use it for my MIL's (mother-in-law) birthday card b/c she's a nurse of course.
Since it's her birthday on Friday and we're still down in the Bahamas I had to get everything ready ahead of time (including this post!).
While making it I decided to use my latest Friday Sketch as I didn't have time to make any other samples!
My next video will be something OTHER than coloring with Copics - promise! Altho I do get a lot of requests for Copic videos so I hope y'all enjoy!
This is of the Teacher Anya I colored for the cards I posted yesterday - I had to cut it down some to be able to get it under 10 minutes - so here it is:
(if it's not showing up on here you can see it HERE on YouTube<---click!)
