Lovely As A Tree - Textured

Such a pretty stamp set and so perfect for masculine cards.

Project Details
Stamps	Lovely As A Tree, Hardwood
Card Stock & Papers	Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink	Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green
Accessories	Stampin’ Dimensionals
Tools	Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Banners Framelits, Sponge Daubers

Spring Has Sprung in South Carolina!

And I have been making springy and Easter things like crazy! I had the MOST DARN FUN making this bunny hole card! There are various versions around on Pinterest and other blogs. My version is an amalgamation of these cards. I'm going to send it to our Nephew's kids for Easter.

First I stamped the Crumb Cake cardstock with the Hardwood stamp in Chocolate Chip ink. Then construction changed as I went along and figured out what did and did not work. For example, I knew I wanted a sign for Happy Easter, I adhered it to the card then realized I should have sponged the edges. So I carefully pealed it up, sponged it and glued it back down. Next time I will remember to sponge the post too. I wanted pearls in the center of the flowers, but I lost an entire new package of pearls! wah!! Rhinestones will have to do, maybe this bunny has come from Vegas? Initially, I was going to use a punch for the hole, but it seemed to small compared to the bunny's butt, so I decided on the Circle Framelis, which would allow me to place the hole far enough up for the bunny's head to fit underneath on the inside.  However, I cut the hole.... before I glued down the strips of cardstock for the grass. After trying unsuccessfully to trim the grass around the hole, I decided to line up my framelit and make another hole. Then I sponged it to try and disguise the indentation made by the framelit. I attached the bunny butt and then struggled with what punches to use for the feet. The extra large oval was tooooo big, the scalloped oval didn't look like fur, so I used the large and small ovals and dipped an eraser in ink to make toe pads. I thought that would help fill in the space left by such a small pink oval.

Front of the card

Inside the card

This is when I realized that the hole would be tan color because of the Crumb Cake card base and that just didn't seem right. I figured a black circle would make the hole look right from the front, but what would a black circle be doing on the inside of the card? That's when I decided to decorate the circle/hole by stamping Happy Easter around it. I had to adjust the bunny's ears so they wouldn't be seen too much from the front. I had part of his body under the head, then realized that wasn't right, because his body would be behind him in the hole. So I pealed up the body and that left a sticky mess. So I decided to put grass there to cover that up. Which now that I think about it would not be found inside the hole. Oh well, little kids won't notice that right????

I wanted to tell you this whole story so that if you wanted to make a card like this, you'd learn from my mistakes!
Hoppy Easter!

Alcohol Ink Markers and Stampin' Up!

I have been having the most fun using my Copic alcohol ink markers. I used some lovely images from my stash along  with some Stampin' Up! stamps and cardstock. In the tables below, I listed the SU products. I can't wait to see the new Stampin' Up! catalog. Since they are coming out with their own alcohol ink markers, I just know they will have some wonderful new images to color!!

Project Details
Stamps	Woodgrain
Card Stock & Papers	Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Basic Gray
Ink	White Stazon
Accessories
Tools

Project Details
Stamps	En Francais, Woodgrain
Card Stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Smoky Slate
Ink	White Stazon, Soft Suede
Accessories
Tools

Project Details
Stamps	En Francais, Woodgrain
Card Stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Primrose Petals, Soft Suede
Ink	Soft Suede
Accessories
Tools

Project Details
Stamps
Card Stock & Papers	Elegant Eggplant, Bermuda Bay, Island Indigo, Old Olive
Ink
Accessories
Tools	Banners Framelits

Project Details
Stamps	See Ya Later
Card Stock & Papers	Pear Pizzazz, Pink Pirouette, Smoky Slate
Ink	Soft Suede
Accessories
Tools

Best of Flowers - Hydrangea

I simply adore hydrangeas, we have some in our yard that I enjoy every summer. When Stampin' Up! released the Best of Flowers set, I saw the hydrangea and quickly put it in my next order! For the background on this card I used a faux patina finish. It's really pretty simple, emboss then sponge and heat emboss. There's a great tutorial on how to achieve this look here on Splitcoast Stampers.

Project Details
Stamps	Best of Flowers, En Francais
Card Stock & Papers	Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla, Whisper White
Ink	Versamark, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Always Artichoke, Memories Black
Accessories	Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, gold embossing powder, sponges, alcohol markers
Tools	heat tool

Card Ministry

We are making some lovely cards for St. John's to use today. I always love getting together with this incredible group of ladies. They are such a sweet, caring group and just so much fun! The first one will be blank so the staff can use it for thank you, thinking of you etc. The other two will be birthday cards for our Seniors.
Sometimes I create my own designs, layouts and all. Sometimes I use a layout from a challenge and choose the colors and stamps I'd like to use. And sometimes I CASE (copy and share everything) a card design. I may change the colors or other aspects of the original design or copy it as is. I try hard to give credit to the person who created the design. The ship card below was copied as is from a Pinterest pin. There was no direct link to the website it came from, nor was there a name. If it is your design, please let me know and I will certainly give credit:)

Project Details
Stamps	Beautifully Baroque
Card Stock & Papers	Soft Sky cut 5 ½ x 8 ½, score at 4 ¼. Folded base is then 4 ¼ x 5 ½ Whisper White 4 x 5 ¼ Daffodil Delight 3 ½ x 4 ½ Tangerine Tango 3 ¾ 4 ¾
Ink	Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango
Accessories	Pearls Basic Jewels
Tools	Stampin’ Sponges

Design by Dawn Griffith

Project Details
Stamps	Petite Petals, Flower Shop, Crosses of Hope, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Card Stock & Papers	Sahara Sand 4 ¼ x 11 ·     On the long side of the cardstock, line it up at the 5 ½ mark across the top of the cutter ·     Now cut down to the 2” mark on the blade arm. ·     Rotate the cardstock, line the cardstock up at the 2” mark across the top of the cutter and cut down to the cut line ·     Place cardstock back in on the long side again and score at 5 ½ which is now just a small front piece Whisper White 4 x 5 ¼ Sweet Sorbet DSP 2 x 5 ¼
Ink	Black, Sahara Sand
Accessories	Stampin’ Dimensionals, Rhinestone Basic Jewels
Tools	Petite Petals Punch, Pansy Punch

Project Details
Stamps	The Open Sea, Hardwood
Card Stock & Papers	Sahara Sand: cut 5 ½ x 8 ½, score at 4 ¼. Folded base is then 4 ¼ x 5 ½ Crumb Cake: 3 ¾ x 5 Very Vanilla: 4th smallest Circle Framelit Marina Mist: 4 x 5 ¼, Oval Punch, and 5th smallest  Circle framelit
Ink	Early Espresso, Soft Suede
Accessories	Linen Thread
Tools	Circles Framelits, Scalloped Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch

Scalloped Tag Topper Punch Box

I just ADORE this new punch! I used it again to make the Ghirardelli treat holders in a workshop yesterday. I've been trying to work out a box with it, but I couldn't figure out the sides. A couple days ago I saw one on Pinterest that a German Demo did, she worked out the sides! Her blog is in German, no problem I thought, I'll just translate it to English. Well duh Carole, they use the metric system. Oh boy, 2.5 cm in an inch.... I hate math, it makes my head hurt. So I left it awhile, then later when I was catching up on the blogs I follow, I saw where a Australian Demo has converted those metric measurements into Imperial! Yipee! I used the photos on one blog and the measurements on the other to come up with some directions to share with you. I made two of them and took pictures as I worked on them.
 I just love purple and yellow, so I copied Niki Spencer's idea on that one. The other box is decorated in a way I came up with after looking at my ribbon collection.

Perfect Plum box. Crushed Curry Flower Shop and Petite Petals punches, Pear Pizzazz Chevron Ribbon, Petal Parade stamped in Elegant Eggplant.

Coastal Cabana cs, Strawberry Slush Ruffled Ribbon and ink for stamping Petite Petals stamp. Blender pens and Pink Pirouette to fill in petals, Crushed Curry centers. The script is En Francais stamped in Coastal Cabana.

• Cut 8 ¼” x 5 ½”
• Along the 8 ¼” side, score at 1 ¾, 2 ½, 5 ¾, 6 ½
• Rotate cardstock and score at 1, 1 ¾, 3 ¾, 4 ½  

• Cut away portions as shown below. Snip a smidgen off the tabs to allow smoother closure on your box.  

• Fold one side under to allow the box to fit into the Tag Topper Punch, and punch both ends.

 

• Stamp, sponge or decorate the box as you wish, then insert your choice of ribbon into the punched holes and tie in a bow or a double knot. Embellish with punched flowers or the Spiral Flower Die – whatever  you like!

Oh and here are a lovely set of directions for another type box using this cool punch. I want to make this one too!

Scalloped Tag Topper Punch - Envys

I sat down today and wanted to create something new and different. So I grabbed my new Scalloped Tag Topper Punch and  wondered what else I could do with it. Other demos have made a couple different treat holders from it and a unique card closure as well. I wanted to come up with my own creation. I played around and fiddled and fussed until I came up a tiny envelope.

1. It's made with two pieces of designer series paper; one 2" x 5 3/4" and the other 2" x 4 ½." Punch both ends of each piece with the Tag Topper Punch. 
   
2. Fold the longer one up 2 1/4 inch from one end. This becomes the back.
   
3. The shorter one is folded around the longer one so that the ends meet in the middle. 
   
   
   
      
4. Secure with SNAIL and tie the two sides in the front with ribbon.

  I used the following items from the SALE-A-BRATION Catalog. You can choose one free for every $50 you spend!  Banner Punch, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder, and the Banner Blast Stamp Set. Inside the envelope, is a little note.

Project Details
Stamps	Papillon Potpourri, Banner Blast
Card Stock & Papers	Island Indigo, Old Olive, Whisper White, Watercolor Wonder DSP
Ink	Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Gumball Green,
Accessories	Old Olive 1/8” Taffeta Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels
Tools	Banners Framelits, Scallop Tag Topper Punch, Banner Punch, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder

Project Details
Stamps	You’re Lovely, Petite Petals
Card Stock & Papers	Island Indigo, Old Olive, Whisper White, Twitterpated DSP from Clearance Rack
Ink	Blushing Bride, Rose Red
Accessories	Old Olive 1/8” Taffeta Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels
Tools	Banners Framelits, Scallop Tag Topper Punch, Petite Petals Punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder