I Scream for Ice Cream

Oh...how I love this stamp set! It's in the Stampin' Up Summer Mini Catalog and it's called Sweet Scoops. At first, I just wanted to have it to decorate the envelopes of birthday cards, but since I got this Martha Stewart border punch, I can hardly stop using this set and the punch! The "SWEET" on the front is a $1 stamp from Michael's, and the inside sentiment says "Have a sweet celebration!" which is part of the Sweet Scoops set. (It also includes a texture stamp to kiss the ice cream stamp once it's loaded with ink to give the ice cream scoop a horizontal texture.) To add some dots and bling to the card front, I used Silver Stickles Glitter Glue. Using Stickles is a GREAT way to add an extra finishing touch to your paper craft projects. I use the Silver Stickles to replace mini gems in many of my paper craft projects. Visit Scrapbook Island today to purchase Stickles in a variety of colors and textures...and while you're there...sign up for my September 19th Paper Crafters' Tea Party! See details in the right column.

My Next Paper Crafters' Tea Party

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for my Sunday, September 19th class at Scrapbook Island. Come and enjoy the fun of learning something new * All levels of paper crafters are welcome to attend! (The class info. and topics are listed in the right column of this blog.) 


NOTE: Everyone who attends will receive a FREE pdf sheet of Halloween graphics! 


Call Scrapbook Island today to register at (408) 978-8900. Learn how to make this versatile gift card below (shown with two different scrapbook papers and embellishments):

Ribbon Weaving & Video Tutorial

For my loyal blog readers, I now how have a video tutorial for this ribbon weaving technique. It looks a lot harder than it is to make, but it does take practice! Be sure to leave the left side of the ribbon about 3 inches longer than the right once you get to the breast cancer ribbon portion of the video....so grab a 2-yard piece of 1/4" wide grosgrain ribbon and view the video HERE. Written instructions by another talented crafter Sue Wilson can be found HERE.

I Love Palm Trees!

I got to go to a wonderful card class myself last week given by my very talented friend, Brenda Keenan, and here is one of the cards from the class. FYI details: Stampin' Up Tropical Party stamp set (from the Summer Mini catalog) and Teeny Tiny Wishes, Log Cabin Smooch spray and the SU exclusive Sizzix Square Lattice Embossing Folder for the background. When I showed this card to my friend Alice, she said..."Wouldn't it look cute to put 3 brads in the palm tree to look like coconuts?!"....so I tried it and the answer is "YES!" Here it is with the brads added:

Thank you Brenda and Alice!

Swimsuit Cards

The challenge over at Let's Capture Our Memories was to design a card for kids.....and as a guest designer for them this week, I came up with a swimsuit card. Here is the design with two variations:

Depending on your paper selection and embellishments, the swimsuit designs you can create are endless!

FREEBIE ALERT: 

If you attend my Christmas in July class this coming Sunday, July 18th, at Scrapbook Island from 2 to 3:30 pm, you will receive the template to make this card with the instructions PLUS other freebies and prizes! To register, simply call Scrapbook Island today at (408)978-8900. The class content is described in the right column of this blog. I hope to see you there!

Another Bargain Found!

As I was passing through Michael's, I came across a set of ten A2 note cards with envelopes/pkg. in the $1 bins. I wanted to make some more of the cards Alice had shown us how to make (see yesterday's post HERE) so I could finally give some away and keep the original. I was elated when these note cards called out my name (FIVE times in fact)! The envelopes are not that sturdy (I can replace those), but the note cards are of a nice quality. Oh, how I love a GREAT bargain like that! BTW - If you took my baby card class at MLO, you'll recognize the flower punch I used in this card. That punch was cut in half and used as the tuft of hair for the baby in our Sweet Pea card. (It was a punch I also found in the dollar bins!) Note: The center of the flowers was made with craft paint that comes with a fine tip. Alice's Hint: Try practicing on a scrap piece of paper first and let the paint dry completely before placing the card in an envelope...also...the "FRIEND TO FRIEND" sentiment was done on my computer and is not included in SU's Thoughts and Prayers set (which was used for the leaves and branches).

The Best of Times!

I got together with some friends and family for a card making party last week. Each person brought a project for us and here is the card my talented card making friend Alice brought for us to make. (That would be the same Alice that comes and helps me when I teach my classes!) This card was made using the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set from Stampin' Up and we were all in love with this card! It truly makes me happy just looking at it, and I don't know if I can part with this one! My friend Suzanne and I like to display our recently made cards in a prominent spot so we can smile every time we pass by them and this one definitely has a prominent spot in my house!

I'm a Happy Little Crafter!

I had a wonderful end to my 4th of July when I received an email from Let's Capture Our Memories (a Canadian online paper craft supply company). I entered my first contest with the star wreath cards seen HERE...and lo and behold...I won! I've been invited to be their guest designer and will create a card project for their upcoming blog challenge on July 12th. On that date, I'll post to my blog the card that I created for this challenge and provide a link to their blog challenge so you can enter your creations, too! Thank you, LCOM, for making my day with such a nice surprise! 

A WINNER and a FREE Download 4U!

Happy 4th of July...and

here are two special holiday cards from two of my
AWESOME card maker friends!

It's time to announce the winner of the card
(shown below posted on June 19th)
along with enough supplies to make this card.

Using an online random number generator for all 96 people who subscribe and follow my blog, the result was...

True Random Number Generator

Result = 78

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

A DRUM ROLL PLEASE: rum pa pa pum....and person number 78 is GeeMaSuzie of San Jose, CA. Congrats to her and I'll be sending out your prize this week!

...AND as a thank you to all of my followers and subscribers, I have the YOU'RE BLOOMIN' FABULOUS saying used for this thank you card in a pdf for you to download....but first...here are the card dimensions if you'd like to use up your paper scraps to make a similar quick card with some flowers, ribbon and scrapbook papers of your own:

• This A2 card folds at the top * To create your own card base with the fold at the top: 
• Cut an 11 x 4  1/4" piece of cardstock, score and fold at 5  1/2"

• The top DSP square is 3  1/4" and the bottom rectangle measures 3  1/4 by 1  1/4" 

• The ribbon length is approximately 10" long 

If you're not following my blog yet or if you want to become a subscriber to be notified as soon as I post new ideas, just use the boxes provided in the upper right column of this page. Now for your FREE FILE...

Just click HERE or HERE and get your freebie today!

Star Card Variation

I modified the 4th of July star punch card posted HERE for a card challenge today which required making a 4th of July card without using red or blue --- now that was a true challenge! Be sure to get your FREE CELEBRATE FREEDOM pdf by clicking HERE for the links to the file...and here's a birthday version:

Punches: SU Open Scallop Corner Punch & Fiskars Medium Star Squeeze Punch; White Square = 2 5/8"

FREEBIE for 4th of July!

CLICK to enlarge photos, then click on your

back button to return here for your FREEBIE below!

We just got back from a vacation to Napa and Monterey with my college roommate, Linda. I don't think we could have squeezed in any more fun if we tried...and we all came back feeling so relaxed and happy! I needed to make up a thank you/4th of July card for Linda to thank her for treating us to so many surprises on this trip...so I came up with this quick star wreath design.


To make this star card, adhere 6 stars to a 3" square base as shown below:

Then put a small piece of foam tape on the backs of the next 6 stars (see star in lower left corner below) and adhere each one in between two stars (varying the color and pattern) as shown below :

(Medium Star Squeeze Punch by Fiskars)

Since I was making up the saying on my computer for this card, I made a whole sheet to give each of you as a thank you for reading my blog! Simply click on either of the two links below to download a sheet of your own sayings, print the pdf on white cardstock and punch each saying out with any paper punch. Complete the tag by raising it with some foam tape then add some bling! BTW: The papers are OLD GLORY scraps and some solid Bazzill cardstock I had sitting around from my June Club Card project seen HERE...and this star card design can be used for Christmas, birthdays, etc.


I hope we all  celebrate the brave men and women who protect our freedom and Happy 4th of July to all of you!

 

Download the FREE

Celebrate Freedom tags

HERE or HERE.

A New Arrival

We have a Red Egg Party (a Chinese banquet celebration for the birth of a baby) coming up soon in our family, and I used this cute little baby card idea by Mercedes Weber to make a card for the newest little baby boy in our family. Her idea is just adorable....and at first, I didn't notice how she added shading to the little chick head, the wing tips and cheeks --- it's those details that really make it look professional! 

Here is my my 1st attempt ---

without the color shading:

and here's my final version --- with the color shading and

some new heart-shaped feet:

I didn't have any googly eyes, so I used large adhesive pearls and dotted each one with a Sharpie marker...and when I stamped the sentiment, the ink smudged...so I re-stamped it on white cardstock, punched it out and raised it up with foam tape...another happy little opportunity to fix a mistake! (Note to self: Maybe a little blue shading on the oval would have been nice, too!) 

To visit Mercedes website, click HERE. Stamps: SU Curvy Verses; 1 3/8" circle, large oval punch, open scallop punch and circle scallop punch; misc. gems; cardstock scraps left over from my card posted HERE. (OMG --- I just fixed a typo --- I had left off the first "s" in "scraps" --- I would have died from embarrassment if I had done that!)

More Ribbon Weaving!

Here are two more non-holiday cards made using the ribbon weaving technique that I'll be demonstrating in my July 18th Christmas in July Class at Scrapbook Island. For more details, see the Tea Party info. in the right column...and to see the post showing my original Christmas cards using this technique, click HERE. 

CARD MAKERS' BARGAIN!

Oh, how I love a bargain...and it's even more thrilling if the bargain is related to paper crafting! For only $3, I got this entire bucket of flowers - YAHOO - that was the best $3 I've spent in a long time! I found these flowers at TJ Max as I was waiting in the long check out line. (They're pretty darn sneaky to let you continue to shop even as you wait!) 


I recently added a subscriber and followers section in the right-hand column, and if you are a follower or subscriber, I'll randomly pick a winner in 2 weeks from that group to win this card PLUS enough supplies to make your own card! I'm ecstatic that this site has received over 15,000 hits in just a few weeks --- THANKS SO MUCH for making me smile!


Be sure to watch my YouTube videos to tie perfect knots and bows. Click HERE then click on the FREEBIES tab to watch those videos.


Cardstock paper: Linen Closet paper stack by DCWV; Martha Stewart adhesive pearls; saying done on my computer

Here Comes the Bride

My son asked if I could make up a card for a friend's upcoming wedding, and I used my Cuttlebug Textile Hearts cutting and embossing folder set to create this card. (Thank you, Alice, for that wonderful Cuttlebug gift!) I saw a card for inspiration --- check it out here --- so darn clever! Stamp: SU Congrats; Stampendous Detail Silver embossing powder; SU Open Scallop Punch; Tulle was used at the top of the bride's heart 

RIBBON WEAVING

 

Here are a few card samples of the ribbon weaving technique I'll be teaching at my July 18th Christmas in July Tea Party Class at Scrapbook Island. This looks a lot harder than it is....so come and learn the secrets to making your 2010 Christmas card with the WOW! factor by calling (408)978-89oo to attend this class. (More Tea Party info. is provided in the column on the right.) I'll be posting non-Christmas ribbon weaving cards on Sunday...so check back then.
(Stamp in center of middle card: SU Spotlight on Christmas with Real Red ink)

I LOVE MY CRICUT AND NESTIES TOYS!

I haven't used my Cricut for quite awhile, and I pulled it out to make a few flowers for my friend Suzanne who loves Cricut flowers. She has resisted buying a Cricut - so far! However, I must say that owning a Cricut is a black hole when it comes to buying new cartridges...but I have everything in one under-the-bed storage container and I'm vowing that I won't go to a bigger box!! I do love using my Cricut and I finally had the time to pull it out and have some fun!

This card uses the Big Scallop Circle Nesties (that I had to have recently!), the Walk in My Garden Cricut cartridge for the flowers, Recollections adhesive pearls, two types of ribbon (layered and held in place with a brad that fits through a hole in the background layer), and the paper is from a paper stack by Heidi Grace called Sparkle.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY CLASS

Over the next few weeks - until my July 18th CHRISTMAS IN JULY CLASS at Scrapbook Island - I'll be posting pics of projects that will be included in this fun class for all paper crafters. Here is the first project: Every year for Christmas, I design a favor/gift idea using a Tic Tac container. Each person who attends this class will receive all of the measurements, templates and how-to instructions to make this paper craft. 

BBQ Card for Uncle Mike

Here's a masculine birthday or Father's Day card idea. We're giving my brother-in-law a gas grill for his birthday, so of course...I had to make him a BBQ card! I used my Nesties and some real birthday candles for this one. I'll put it in a clear envelope on the night of his party --- I don't think this one would go through the mail without breaking those candles, but you could make some paper ones and attach a bow if you had to send it via snail mail. (BTW - I used the Stampin' Up slot punch and a 3/4" circle punch to make the handle for the BBQ)..and here's a terrific BBQ card from my wonderful paper crafting pen pal, Leslie-Ann, in Vancouver, B.C. - What a great idea she used for this King of the Grill Stampin' Up stamp! It's the perfect way to make a card when you're using a mega-size stamp.

Card for DADS!

Here's a Father's Day card that would surely make the dad or grandpa in your family smile!