I decided to make a quick card since I had some free time tonight. I am on a mission to ink stamp sets that have never been inked before so I started with this sweet little set from Melissa J. designs over at Papertrey Ink. The Polka Dot Parade sets are great--they're small, cute and only $5. I have considered buying the alphabet set with the coordinating dies but I typically never use my alpha sets as much as I think I will so I will hold off for a while. This card came together rather quickly. I decided to use some of Stampin' Up!'s In Colors--Strawberry Slush and Coastal Cabana. They're a great spring combo and I'm all about thinking about spring right now! I stamped and cut out the bird and popped it up using Stampin' Up! dimensionals (my absolute favorite) and then added some Strawberry Slush trim at the bottom. Just saw that this trim is actually one of Stampin' Up!'s weekly sale items this week--grab it while it's marked down! Cardstock is my new favorite for card bases with stamping--the Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110#.
I maybe went a little overboard shopping at Simon Says Stamp! recently so you will be seeing some more of their products today. I actually started this card several days ago. I wanted to try the bold lines background stamp and the Audrey Blue ink so I first just stamped that background onto some Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110# cardstock. The sentiment is from a set that I bought in conjunction with the stripes background set--you can see the bundle here. I stamped it with my Memento Tuxedo Black ink--I tell you what--I like that black as well as Versafine's black a lot better than Stampin' Up!'s--it's a truer black. Anyway, you can purchase the background or stamp set individually as well, but I would recommend both. I wasn't quite sure what to do after I added the sentiment...I didn't really want to cover my pretty aqua lines so I added the heart punches once I had a purpose for my card. My good friend, Ann, had posted on Facebook about how she needed some positive vibes so I figured I'd send her a little 'love' on her hectic day. The heart punches were simple but added just the right little pop of color. Wish the pink was just a little brighter (hoping my new Doll Pink which is on its way will be just the color I'm looking for!) I grabbed a chocolate bar from Fresh Market when I was picking up some groceries and dropped it off with the card where Ann works hoping the little 'pick-me-up' would help her get through her long day. Let me take a moment to discuss white cardstock for those interested in what I have found with my not-so-official research. I compared 4 different types of white cardstock: Stampin' Up!'s Ultrasmooth white, Papertrey Ink's White, Paper Studio OR Recollections was the brand (can't quite remember but it's a brand carried by Michael's--they have white and vanilla in larger packs of 110 # paper) and the Neenah Classic Crest. Here are my findings and the reasons why I would choose one over another. Stampin' Up! Ultrasmooth White: You will not find a better paper to stamp on. However, this paper does not work for me when it comes to making a card base. I will always prefer this paper when I am needing to have the best possible stamped image, but would never solely use it because of its weight being inadequate for a card base. Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110#: Wow! I guess I should have figured there was something about this particular paper seeing many people have switched to it or are using it already. This paper is smooth, though not as smooth as SU!. It's great to stamp on though and it is very sturdy so perfect for a card base that requires stamping directly onto it. FYI: I ordered the directly from Neenah because it was 'less expensive'. I did have to order 500 sheets which I know many people wouldn't want to do, but for me, it was more cost-effective for sure. The Michael's paper and the Papertrey Ink papers were nearly identical. I literally could not tell the difference between the two. In the future, I will probably just buy the packs from Michael's when they are on sale or when I have a coupon--they're super inexpensive that way compared to what I was paying for PTI. Now, some might ask why I would even bother buying that when I could just use the Neenah but there are times when I need a white card base that does not require stamping, or when I'm mounting something...I would just use the less expensive paper in those cases. What started out as something kind of fun and silly between some friends has taken on a life of its own: #TEAMBEHAPPY. We are a group of women who made a commitment of sorts to be happy in 2014. This whole idea fit perfectly with my personal 'happiness project' so needless to say, I have jumped on board. I wanted to make some cards for these women who keep me motivated and inspired so I got to work. Since I had to make 6 of them, I knew I wanted to keep it simple. I decided to use my Audrey Blue ink just because it was new and I absolutely love the color. For the record, the cardstock seems to be identical to my Papertrey Hawaiian Shores cardstock. I never had ink to match since PTI had some ink issues back then so I am very pleased to now have some! I am really liking the Simon Says Stamp paper and ink quality--will order Doll Pink next :-). Back to the card! Kept it clean and paired it with black. I typed out our hashtag and then stamped the sentiment from my Good Times stamp set. Stamping seven little people in a row was probably the trickiest part of the card but I managed just fine after a couple of goofs :-).
Every woman in the group brings something different to the table and it was nice to take a moment and just kind of acknowledge each one of them. I typically make cards and never send them or give them to anyone so that is something I am trying to change. This project was the perfect kick-off to what will hopefully be a continued practice! Other supplies: Memento Black Ink, Michael's white 110# cardstock, Audrey Blue cardstock (Simon Says Stamp), Stampin' Up! DSP, SU! Dimensionals, Colorbox Chalk Ink I purchased this Chevron Cover Plate a while back and never actually used it until recently when I made this card. I will say, I love the way it cuts and looks so I do see some more of these types of plates in my future. I like that you can cut out a card background as I did. You could also use the little chevron pieces that fall out to fill in the negative space. I've seen so many cute ideas...will have to try some other designs. This card features some old DSP from Stampin' Up!, cardstock and inks are also from SU!, sentiment is from a Hero Arts set called Many Birthday Messages.
My Pinspiration came from this color combo (which for the record also made me covet those Hunter boots which apparently are no longer available--I did get short red ones instead...now I want a hot pink pair). This card had me pulling out some oldies but goodies. I thought I was really clever punching out the top of my cupcake using the center of one of the flowers from a scrap of paper I used for the background. I really loved the way it turned out--looks like frosting! The DSP is from a paper pad from Papertrey Ink--not even sure if they still sell it. I bought it years ago when PTI was at the CHA convention in Chicago...wish CHA would come back to the area! The card base is PTIs white 110# cardstock. The other papers, inks, stamps, punch are from Stampin' Up!
My biggest designer crush has got to be on Kristina Werner. I discovered her years ago as 'StarofMay' on Splitcoaststampers and have been following her ever since. Even in times where I wasn't particularly crafty, I'd find myself popping over to her blog to see what she was creating. I love that she is designing for Simon Says Stamp! and have collected many of her products--currently waiting on an order of new stuff as a matter of fact! I love this card design of hers for many reasons but the most obvious--the Washi and the layout. Love the clean look and the gridlines in the back--so simple. I used my Stampin' Up! scoring board and easily scored the lines every 1/2 inch. The Washi-covered cardstock was so fast and easy--the hardest part was deciding which tapes to use. The sentiment is from one of Dawn McVey's sets available at Papertrey. The sentiment was stamped with White Craft Ink onto a scrap of white paper then heat embossed with white. The ink was smudged over the top of the embossed image and then the corners were snipped with the diagonal of a square punch. Super fast, super easy.
I saw that Simon Says Stamp! was hosting a challenge over on Splitcoaststampers so I had to play--I am really hoping to win one of those gift cards :-) The first card was Pinspired by this card. I loved the idea of a stacked diecut--so simple yet I had never tried it. While it was tedious to glue the pieces together--I loved the end result. The picture really doesn't do it justice! The diecut and accompanying sentiment are from Expressions from You designed by Kristina Werner. The chevron stamps are from a great set of borders from Mama Elephant that I purchased last year and just now finally inked! For this next card, I tried just stacking the 'Happy' in order to have it stand out a little more. These diecuts seemed more difficult to work with--guessing because the word has more intricate details than the 'you' sentiment. This card came together rather quickly--I defaulted to the same layout and design as my pink washi tape card.
I avoided the Pinterest craze while I was in graduate school but finally got an account once I was finished with school. Unfortunately, it was a busy time of year and I never got 'into' it until very recently. I think it goes back to my 'Happiness Project' and wanting to make time for things I enjoy and love. I started using Pinterest to keep track of cards and different layouts I wanted to try. This particular color combo is a softer version of what I would naturally gravitate towards-a richer navy and brighter pink. Softening the colors really gives a much different impression. The card design was Pinspired by these cards by Kate W. Kate's cards made me cave and purchase the Square Prints set as well as the Celebrations sentiments from Papertrey Ink. Both sets are very versatile so I bet those purchases will be well-justified!
Several years ago, I quit blogging. You can see my old blog here. The decision came mainly as a result of some changes in Stampin' Up's demonstrator agreement that prohibited demos from blogging about other products/companies, etc. I don't really know if that has changed but I am kind of at a point with my Stampin' Up! Career that if I needed to resign as a result of my blog, I would be okay with that. The past few years has led me to cut back from crafting in general but I miss it so I am trying to make time for it. 2014 brought along some new resolve for me in several areas of my life, but mainly my overall happiness is the focus. Quite frankly, I am pretty darn happy and know I am blessed beyond measure, but this is a selfish kind of happy--an 'all about me' kinda happy I am talking about. So, going to commit to making time for me: time to workout, time to craft and time to just engage with my family and friends. The more card making I have been doing, the more I started to miss blogging so with this nifty Weebly app, I can conveniently blog in those moments before bed when I am typically scrolling through FB or Pinterest. This 'Oh Happy Day' stamp is from one of my new Stampin' Up! favorites--Starburst Sayings. Love the framelits that cut the coordinating shape out so nicely!
I made this card for a challenge at Splitcoaststampers--had never tried a tent topper before. A fun alternative to a standard card. The banner punch I got with my last order is quickly becoming one of my favorite go-to accessories. If you don't snag one during Sale-a-bration, be sure to grab it when it becomes available to purchase in the next idea book and catalog. Other products: Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo DDP, , textured Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake DSP, Ink: Melon Mambo Ribbon: Bermuda Bay (no longer available) |
AuthorKaren Kelly Archives
February 2016
CategoriesFavorite DesignersKristina Werner
Julie Ebersole Jennifer McGuire Cristina Kowalczyk Laura Bassen Emily Leiphart Shari Carroll Kelly Purkey Dawn McVey Debby Hughes Favorite Places to Spend $$$Published Work |