The Making of a "Simple Card"!

Hi everyone,

It's the Blog Hogger back for a second time in two days!  What's up with that? :)

I have a rare treat for you today.  You get to join me in my quest to make a simple birthday card.  Yes, that's right!  You get to have an intimate view into the workings of my mind!  [insert evil laughter here]  Hmmm, maybe I should do a disclaimer . . . an official disclaimer.
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Official Disclaimer: This blog posting contains foolishness, and tracks the obsessive meanderings of a slightly-more-than wacky mind.  Viewer discretion is advised.
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Okay, now let's get to the good stuff.  lol

Here's the scenario: I needed to make a birthday card.

What follows is me talking to myself . . . and let's pretend I'm not talking out loud:

"I'll make a simple 10 min. card and get back outdoors to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather.  Okay, plan made.

Let's see, I'll use my favorite color, Pretty in Pink, and I'll go with the Fast and Fabulous stamp set . . . 'cause it's both fast and fabulous.  I'll use Stazon' ink so I can color the flowers and I'll use Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery markers. Oh, this is such a no-brainer!

Hmmmm, it's a little plain so I'll just bump up the background by running the Whisper White section through the Big Shot using the Finial Press Emboss Folder.  (Yes, I always use the actual name of the product when I'm talking to myself instead of "I'll use the pretty, flowery folder thingy", don't you?  lol)

Wow!  That was fast and easy . . . and look how pretty it is:

Great!  Now I'll go outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather.

WAIT!  It looks a little bland.  Hmmm, maybe I'll just add some ribbon.  There, that looks better.

Great!  Now it's finished!

WAIT!  I just caught a glimpse of some Glimmer Paper.  Ohhh, I could use that and make the card shiny!  Let's see . . . how about some border pieces using the Scallop Edge Border Punch?  Yeah, that should be pretty.  And then I'll balance it out by using the same paper to back the sentiment using the Modern Label Punch. Hmmm, it's easier to use punches on this paper if I take some of the backing off first.

Then I'll pop the center piece and the sentiment up with Dimensionals.  Oh, that looks awesome!

Hmmmm, the flowers don't stand out enough 'cause the Glimmer Paper is now the center of attention.

I know, I'll stamp the image again on scrap paper, color and cut out three of the flowers, put Dazzling Diamonds in the middle and pop them up over the original image!

Perfect!  Now I'm happy . . . and finished!

WAIT!  Butterflies would be gorgeous and I have a 2" by 2 1/4" scrap of Glimmer Paper I could use in the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.

Here's a view from the side:

Awesome!  I love it!  It's finished and my "simple" 10 min. card only took one hour to design! lol  (And, yes, I did laugh out loud to myself!)"

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings.  I'm heading outside just as soon as I finish typing this posting.  'Cause I am not adding anything else to this card!

Wondering-if-I-should-just-add-a-few-Basic-Pearls hugs,
Colleen

Shadow Box Card Revisited . . . With a Twist!

Hello, all you crafty people!  It's the Blog Hogger, aka Kathy's sister.

After seeing Kathy's gorgeous Mother's Day card . . . and after experiencing serious card envy . . . I decided to make another card for my mother!  (I know, I know, I already had a beautiful one made but I just wanted to make mine prettier than Kathy's. After all, I've had such a run of luck in winning all the card contests Kathy and I have engaged in . . . not!  lol)

Anyway, here's my over-the-top card:

From the front, with the flash reflecting off the Window Sheet . . .

From the front, without the shiny spot (lol) . . .

From the top . . . (Can you see the "twist"?)

And from the back!  Now you can definitely see the difference from my other shadow box cards, can't you?

I added a Whisper White cardstock (cs) piece to the back so that I would have a place to stamp/write a comment!  Yah for me!  lol

The Whisper White cs is 7" x 4 1/4" and is scored at 3 1/2" along the 7" side.  I just glued it directly to the back of the shadow box card.  And, yes, the card folds flat for mailing!  lol

If you want the directions for making a shadow box card, click on the following link: http://inkinbythebay.blogspot.ca/search/label/Forest%20Friends

For a list of what I used . . . just keep reading!  lol

• The stamp sets used are Fast and Fabulous (but you could easily use any flower stamps) and Teeny Tiny Wishes.
• I also used the Labels Framelits for the "window" and "frame" on the front of the card.
• The cardstock is Pretty in Pink, So Saffron and Whisper White.
• The ink is Black Stazon.
• The accessories are Window Sheets, the Eyelet Border punch, the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, the Finial Press Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls, Pink Pirouette/Pretty in Pink/Certainly Celery Markers, Dazzling Diamonds, and Dimensionals (I popped up some of the flowers and the Mother's Day greeting).

After spending a ridiculous amount of time on this card, I can assure you my next one will be clean and simple!  lol

Shadowy hugs,
Colleen

I hate contests!

Hi, it's the Blog Hogger again!

Now, if you've been following Kathy's blog you will be aware of the many competitions Kathy and I engage in . . . and that I regularly lose.  (And if you have just stumbled onto this blog for the first time, now you know about it too!  lol)

Well, I have always been able to sooth my ruffled feelings by knowing that I was considered the Stampin' Up Card Creator Extraordinaire at my office place.  (And, yes, I am sure that was my actual title!  lol)

This past week we at the office, along with the rest of the world, celebrated Administrative Professional's Day and I brought in absolutely beautiful cards for our two secretaries.  They were handmade cards (of course), reflecting much time and effort, and were pinnacles of perfection!  (Kathy's not the only one in our family who is comfortable with self-praise!  lol)

Yesterday, however, our head honcho, Wilhelmena - may the sun shine on her blessed head - brought an absolutely delicious homemade chocolate cake to work for our morning break . . . which was such a thoughtful thing to do.  (Especially since I love sweets and, seriously, it was soooooo good!  lol)

Unfortunately, she also brought the two hand-decorated candles she had lovingly made for our secretaries!  Would you like to see them?  Okay, here they are:

Here's the front of Elizabeth's candle . . .

and here's the back!

Here's Jenny's, from the front (showing off the Dazzling Diamonds she embedded into the candle) . . . 

and the side . . .

and the back!

There's a wonderful verse, their names, ribbon, bows, butterflies, flowers, pearls, rhinestones, and Dazzling Diamonds!!!

And as my jaw dropped and my heart sank I realized . . . I can't even win a Who-Makes-The-Most-Beautiful-Creation-Using-Stampin'-Up-Products-At-Work Contest!!!

It's a good thing I like my job, 'cause I hate my boss!  lol

Depressed hugs,
Colleen

Double Dutch Fold Card

Hi everyone,

It's your friendly neighborhood Blog Hogger here . . . for the third straight posing!  What's up with that?  :)

Anyway, here's a card I made for one of my sisters . . . a sister whose name is not Kathy.  There are four girls in our family.  (I know, I know, it's frightening to think there are more of us out there, isn't it?  lol)

I made the card using the instructions from splitcoaststampers.com for making a Double Dutch Fold card.  Here's the link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/doubledutchfold/

And here's the card I made;

Brace yourself for a rather extensive supply list:

• Peace Within, Fast & Fabulous and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets 
• random Designer Paper (dsp)
• Top Note Bigz Die
• Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folders Set
• Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing folder
• markers
• Silver Glimmer Paper
• Whisper White & Rose Red cardstock (cs)
• StazOn Basic Black ink
• Blender Pen
• Clear Emboss Powder
• 5-Petal Flower punch
• Word Window punch
• Modern Label punch
• Paper Daisy
• Pretty In Pink Flower Brad
• a Basic Pearl (in the center of the brad)
• Frost White Shimmer Paint
• Rose Red brads

And here's what the inside looks like;

And now with the bottom flaps open;

And so the supply list continues:

• On Your Birthday, Greetings Galore and Four Frames stamp sets
• Pretty In Pink & Whisper White cs
• markers
• StazOn Basic Black ink
• Decorative Label punch

My only regrets are I didn't "fancy up" the top inside flap and I didn't stamp a flower or something on the bottom panel, rather than more words.  Oh well, as you've already guessed I'm the wordy type so it makes sense!  lol

Long-winded hugs,
Colleen

Fast & Fabulous . . . I Hope!

Hello everyone!

It's Colleen, the crazy person who has just spent a beautiful, sunny day inside making cards!  In my defense tho', I was joined by a friend of mine so I guess I'm not the only crazy person.  (That's a pretty weak defense, isn't it?  lol)

Mary made a beautiful card . . . as usual!

It has so many elements: Flowers from the Pretties Kit, Pearls, ribbon and the Whisper White strip was put through the Big Shot in the Finial Press Embossing Folder.  The base of the card was done in Baja Breeze and the sentiment is from the Sincere Salutations stamp set.  I think it is absolutely beautiful and so elegant looking!

And now on to my card . . . also a birthday card.  This card was done for my eldest daughter's birthday.  You know, most people when faced with their offspring's birthday would put most of their time and effort into choosing just the right birthday gift.  However, us Stampin' Up addicted people, we put way too much effort into deciding on a design for the card, making the card, fiddling with the elements, re-fiddling with the elements, re-re-fiddling . . . you get the idea!  lol  Anyway, my daughter likes her cards simple so here it is:

First I made my base out of Old Olive cardstock cut at 8 1/2" by 5 1/2", and scored at 4 1/4".  Then I cut a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock at 4 3/4" by 3 3/4".  I used my Color Spritzer Tool and an Early Espresso marker to spray small dots of ink over the Chocolate Chip cardstock, and then tore one of the corners diagonally.  (Remember, always tear towards you.)  I finished by sponging the edges with Early Espresso ink.

I then used some paper with writing on it to layer over the Chocolate Chip cardstock.  I tore two edges of the paper diagonally, and "dirtied" up the paper by using a sponge and Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Early Espresso ink.  (If you start with the lightest color, you can use just one piece of sponge.)  I stamped the leaf image from the God's Beauty stamp set using Old Olive ink and my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.

I stamped three flowers from the Fast and Fabulous stamp set using Staz-On ink, and colored them with Pretty In Pink and So Saffron markers.  I cut them out and used Crystal Effects in the centers of the flowers to give them a raised, shiny look.  (If you do this last step before you assemble your card, be very careful not to touch the centers.  Crystal Effects takes a long time to dry.)

I assembled my card, popping up the flowers on Dimensionals.  I also included my sentiment, taken from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, punched out with the Word Window punch.  (Even though two of the three stamp sets are no longer available, one of the great things about Stampin' Up is that they sell lots of other stamp sets you could use to achieve the same result.)

So, that's it for today.  Fast and fabulous hugs!

Fast and Fabulous Sympathy Card

Good Day Stampers!  I can't believe it's Wednesday already.  Where in the world has the time gone?  All I can say is it's a good thing I retired from my job and now devote my time to Stampin' Up! cause I would never make it otherwise.

Today's card was done with love and sadness.  A good friend of mine lost her husband in a freak accident this weekend and I needed a special sympathy card.  While I hate doing Sympathy Cards I find comfort in being able to make something special for the person who is grieving.  I cry and stamp and pour my heart and soul into every part of the card.  So I guess I am sending my love and care in the only way that makes sense to me. 

I used the level Two stamp set called "Fast and Fabulous"  and  I am pleased with how it turned out.  Lost of time and cutting but the end result is beautiful.  You won't find this in a store ladies!

 I used Marina Mist, Daffodile Delight, Pear Pizzazz and Not Quite Navy for the card stock and color.

 A close up of the details.  I used the pearls and added some ribbon to the flowers.  I punched out the leaves using the Bird punch and sponged them with Old Olive.  I ran the circle through the big shot using the Elegant Lines embossing folder.

Of course with a sympathy card I pay more attention to the details and always finish the card on the inside.  I will write in my comments later. 

On the whole it works.  Well everyone thanks for spending time at my website today.  Have a great day and don't forget to tell your loved ones you care because we never know what the future will bring.  Hugs!