A Little Birdie Told Me...

With time so limited lately, I tend to go for the fast and easy card with a little "punch." Can you tell I am hooked on using the designer papers for these fast cards? This paper is from the Flowers for You pack. This card is one that I made for a swap and also had as a make and take at a recent workshop. I think the set "A Little Birdie Told Me" is so cute.

It may be hard to tell from the picture, but the birdie is not colored in. He was first stamped onto the white layer. Then the birdie's body was stamped in tempting turquoise ink on designer paper which had a very subtle pattern to it (the reverse side of the paper used at the bottom of the card). The birdie was cut out and layered onto the birdie stamped on the white giving him a little more dimension and interest.

The double-stitched Wild Wasabi ribbon was used on this card as well as the small and large oval punches.

Don't forget there isn't much more time before Sale-a-bration ends (order before March 15th to meet the deadline). And you can order from the big catalog as well as the Occasions mini now and have those orders qualify for the free Sale-a-bration items. Here are some useful links:

Spring/Summer Big Idea Book
Occasions Mini Collection
Sale-a-bration Mini (see the free items you can get for each $50 of your order)

Theresa

So many Scallops...

... So little time! Only 2 more weeks left of Sale-a-bration (ends March 17th). I love this Sell-a-bration set. There are so many occasions and cards for which you can use it.

Here is a really simple card. The use of the designer papers on cards (in this case, Fall Flowers paper, although these colors look more spring-like to me!) is a fast way to get lots of fun color on a card.

This card is pretty self-explanatory (just a little stamping, layering, and punching with the Scallop punch). There is just one little trick to explain though. Notice the little designer paper flower in the center of the stamped and punched scallop. Before adhering the strip of designer paper to the Soft Sky layer, using the 1/2" circle punch, punch one of the little flowers out from the paper in an area that will have the punched scalloped circles layered over it.

The Stem Sayings set that was also used with this card is a really versatile set. The sayings make great stems especially with stamped and punched images from the So Many Scallop set. But the sayings from Stem Sayings also make cute curvy sentiments like on this card.

The 5/8" wide Old Olive grosgrain ribbon wrapped and knotted around the designer paper gives a finishing touch to the card.

If you would like to see all the Sale-a-bration stamp sets you can earn for free before March 17th, check out the Sale-a-bration Mini catalog.

Also, there are more NEW items available starting March 1st in the Occasions Mini catalog. With the overlap of Sale-a-bration and the new mini catalog, you can order from the new mini and earn Sale-a-bration stamp sets too!

See the Big Catalog - the Spring/Summer Collection too!

Theresa

Sassy Stems "File Folder" Card

So... Who is ready for Spring?! I know I am. But I guess we will have to wait a few more months (even longer here in MN). In the meantime, we can create some hopeful anticipation of Spring with our cards!

I call this a "File Folder" card because it opens at the bottom like a file folder - a new and different layout. This card starts with the card stock for the base (Wild Wasabi in this case) cut to 5 1/2" x 7 1/2". It was scored at the typical 4 1/4" mark but because it is 1" shorter than the typical half sheet of card stock, when it is folded upward, the one edge is 1" short of meeting with the other edge.

The corners were all rounded using the 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch. A piece of Uptown Designer paper (top corners rounded) was layered on the front. A sentiment (in this case from Hugs & Wishes Stamp set) was stamped in Basic Grey ink in the upper right corner.

The image from the now retired Sassy Stems stamp set was stamped in Basic Grey (waterproof) classic ink and colored in using Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, and Certainly Celery Stampin' Write Markers. This image was layered on So Saffron card stock.

I have two suggested ways to get the slit punch placement correct. One way is to glue the layered image in the desired location on the card front. Then mark with a pencil lightly a line to show the desired placement of the slit punch location and use that mark to help you punch in the right place. Another way is to punch the slit first at the top of the card before gluing the layered image onto the card. Then insert the layered image into the slit, place adhesive on the back on the layered image and press it onto the the card front.

The placement of photo corners punched out of Almost Amethyst card stock using the Photo Corner Punch finishes off this card.

I hope you enjoy the fresh Spring colors!

Theresa

All Supplies are from Stampin' Up! You can now order from the NEW Spring/Summer Big Idea/Catalog!

Sale-a-bration starts February 1st! Check out the stamp sets and Rub Ons you can get for FREE with your orders during Sale-a-bration! Sale-a-bration Mini Catalog.

Valentine's Tag Card

Valentine's Day will be here before we know it! Here is a possible card for that occasion although it could be used for a variety of other purposes too.

I actually designed this card a couple of years ago and just changed some colors to use it for one of the December stamp club projects. A funny thing when you make a card and go back to it much later - you don't always remember exactly how you made it! Getting the tag punched out right in the center had me stumped for a while. I had stamp club use a template and trace the punched out part to help them punch it in the right spot. BUT... it later all came back to me! Sorry, there is an easier way than how I had some of you do it! So now I will explain the easier way - better late than never, right?

Use an oversized piece of white card stock (in this case 3" x 2.75" worked well). Punch the tag out of approximately the center of that piece as shown in the first photo below (it does not have to be exactly the center). Now line up any inside edge of the tag on the 1/2" marking of the paper cutter as shown in the second photo below and cut. Shift to the next inside edge of the tag, line it up at 1/2", cut again. Once you have lined up each of the 6 tag edges at the 1/2" mark and cut, you end up with the tag "negative" with a 1/2" border all around it as shown in the third picture below.

Once you have created the tag portion of the card, the remainder is fairly self-explanatory. The base of the card is Bravo Burgundy. The now retired background called Word by Word was stamped in Pretty in Pink on Whisper White card stack.

Words from the Everyday Flexible Phrases set were stamped randomly around the 1/2" border of the tag in Pretty in Pink classic ink. The slot at the top of the tag was punched using the Horizontal Slot punch. Bravo Burgundy grosgrain was put through the slot and a piece of Pretty in Pink grosgrain was knotted around the Bravo Burgundy.

The "Love" word in the center of the tag is also from the Word by Word background stamp. The area of the background stamp with that word (the very corner of the background stamp) was inked up in Bravo Burgundy and a scrap of Whisper White card stock was placed over that corner and then it was trimmed with scissors to get just "Love".

The tag and the word "Love" were layered using pieces of foam tape to give the card some dimension.

Theresa

Happy New Year! Criss Cross Card

Here is a new twist on pocket cards. These cards are called Criss Cross cards, and they are fun to do. They are a great way to showcase the beautiful 2-sided designer papers. These cards have all kinds of uses, for example, slipping in a gift card, invitation information, or a photo in the pocket.

The Splitcoaststampers website has a great Criss Cross Card Tutorial that gives directions and dimensions for making these cards. However, I made some changes to the method in making my card to save on card stock and the weight of the final card. In the Splitcoaststamper (SCS) tuturial, 2 pieces of 4 1/4" x 11" card stock are used, and you end up doubling up the back layer of the card. There are also 2 large triangles of card stock that get cut off and not used. I used just one piece of 4 1/4" x 11" card stock, the back of the card is not a double layer and there are no scraps in the cutting.

Shown in the photo below is the single 4 1/4" x 11" piece of card stock (shown in white below, but Always Artichoke was used in the Frosty card above). As the photo shows you score a 3/8" tab at the far left (click on the photo to enlarge to see detail better). Score again 5 1/4" past that first score line (scoreline will be at 5 5/8" total distance from the left edge).

Then cut diagonally from score line to score line.

Turn the cut triangle with the tab over and upside down and place at the right end as shown in the photo below.

Glue the 3/8" tab to the back of the large central region of the card. After gluing this tab to the back, you will have the two triangular portions to layer the patterned paper on and to then criss cross.

The rest of the directions to complete the card pick up at Step 6 of the SCS Tutorial. Another minor change in my card is that the card band that wraps around the card is 1" wide rather than 1 1/2 wide shown in the SCS tutorial.

Once you make one of these cards, you will be hooked and want to make lots of different color combinations!

Theresa

**The NEW Spring/Summer catalog is on-line!

**January Customer Special - Valentine's Bundle - get the ribbon for free!

**January Hostess special too! Hold a workshop of $350 or more and choose any one stamp set from our Spring-Summer Preview Brochure 2008 FREE (up to a $29.95 value)!

Supplies for the Frosty Card (all Stampin' Up!):

Frosty stamp set (retired)

In the Spotlight (retired)

Wishing you Cheer (the Happy New Year sentiment was obtained by inking only that portion of the larger sentiment with the Bashful Blue marker)

Always Artichoke card stock

Certainly Celery card stock

Wintergreen Designer paper (retired)

Bashful Blue classic ink pad

Always Artichoke classic ink pad

Stampin' Write markers (Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery)

Scallop Circle punch

Round Tab punch

3/16" Corner rounder punch

Baroque Motifs Card

I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday. I wish you all a Happy New Year!

I got so behind on posting cards during this busy time of the year! But here is one of the holiday cards I did this year. We made this one at November's stamp club. If you can't tell, I just love this Baroque Motifs set. It is so versatile! I have used it for elegant wedding cards, for a background for a chip board journal, for this Christmas card, and a lot more.

Although this is a holiday card, this same layout could be used with different colors and a different sentiment to change the whole look. Imagine Soft Subtle colors and any other sentiment and you would have a completely different card using the same layout!

For this card, the large swirly image was stamped on Handsome Hunter card stock in Craft White Ink and then the Iridescent Ice embossing powder was sprinkled over it. It was heat embossed (tip: don't overheat when embossing the Iridescent Ice powder or the glitter in it will melt and then not sparkle). The picture doesn't show it real well, but the image is sparkly.

The tendrils were made by cutting very narrow slivers of the Brushed Silver card stock using a paper cutter. The narrow slivers are then wrapped tightly around the end of a small paint brush or any other small tool to curl them. The tendrils were then glued in place. Then flowers punched out of Rose Red and Bravo Burgundy card stock using the 5-Petal Punch were placed over the tendrils. There are several Stampin' Up! sets that have flowers that "fit" the 5-Petal Punch, in this case a flower from Looks Like Spring was used (the sets that have a flower that fits the punch include In the Spotlight hostess set, Be Happy, Priceless, Simply Said, Looks Like Spring, Heartfelt Thanks, Ginormous Flowers, and Office Accoutrement). The little dots in the center of the "poinsettia" were made using the silver end of the dual colored Paint Ziggy marker.

The Merry Christmas sentiment is from the Holiday Wishes set. It was stamped on Rose Red card stock in Craft White ink and embossed with the Iridescent Ice embossing powder. The Rose Red was layered onto the Brushed Silver card stock.

Theresa

**All materials for this card came from the Stampin' Up! catalog. The new Spring/Summer catalog begins January 2nd. See a preview of the catalog below.

Spring/Summer Catalog Preview

Thinking outside the box! Holiday card from nonholiday stamp set!

You can often stretch the versatility of your stamp sets by looking past the obvious purpose of the images and think of what other images you can get from them. I saw this idea somewhere out there in cyberland (sorry, can't remember exactly who I copied this idea from to give proper credit). Who knew a flower image (from Pick a Petal) could become a gingerbread man?!

This card also used other nonholiday sets such as Seeing Spots and Everyday Flexible Phrases. The white gel pen was used to draw on the gingerbread decorations and the dots and swirls on the tag (LOVE that gel pen)!

All materials used on this card are available from the Fall/Winter Stampin' Up! catalog that expires at the end of this month. Here are links to the list of stamp sets that are retiring from the catalog:

• Retiring List (by page number)
  
• Retiring List (alphabetical stamp name)

Theresa