Technique Cards

The backgrounds for the first and second cards are Split Coast Stampers Frosted Filter technique. Coffee filters are Meijer 8 -12 cup Basket Style. Stampin' Up dye reinkers Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, and Bashful Blue were used to color the filters. Card stock is Stampin' Up Crushed Curry, Whisper White, and Old Olive for card one and Hollo's Papercraft brown card stock for card two. Ribbon for card one is Stampin' Up Whisper White 5/8 th inch Organza. Stamp sets are Stampin' Up Asian Artistry and Kind and Caring Thoughts. Card one is stamped with Versafine Onyx Black, Encore Ultimate Metallic Gold, gold Stampin' Up embossing powder added, and colored with water brush and Melon Mambo, Old Olive, and Bermuda Bay classic ink pads. Card two is stamped with Melon Mambo and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers and edges sponged with Crushed Curry. Corners on card two are punched with EK Success Corner Adorner Interlaced.

Card three is Black Magic with a Twist technique CASED from Lynn Larson. Card stock is Stampin' Up and Hollo's Papercraft; Stamp set is Stampin' Up Kind and Caring Thoughts; ink is Stampin' Up Whisper White Craft Ink; image is colored with Prismacolor watercolor pencils; outlined with Ranger Inkssentials White Opaque pen; and scalloped edge is punched with Stampin' Up Eyelet Border Punch. The black layer is embossed with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder and corners are punched with EK Success Corner Adorner Interlaced.

Card four is Technique Junkies Depth of Field from the June/July newsletter. Card stock is Stampin' Up and Hollo's Papercraft; stamp set is Stampin' Up Kind and Caring Thoughts; inks are Stampin' Up Real Red and Only Orange, Versafine Smokey Gray and Ranger Archival Inks Jet Black; corners are punched with EK Success Corner Adorner Love X 3; ribbon is Offray black 3/16 inch Spool of Ribbon; Cricut cartridge Accent Essentials was used to cut layer 3; layer 4 was cut with Stampin' Up Scallop Oval Punch; and layer 3 is adhered with Stampin Dimensionals.

Hope you've enjoyed viewing the cards as much as I enjoyed making them.

Technique cards

Polished Stone with Ranger Adirondack alcohol inks Lettuce, Pink Sherbet, Wild Plum, Alcohol Blending Solution, and Krylon Silver Leafing Pen. Card stock is Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and Bordering Blue and Hollo's Papercraft glossy card stock and pink card stock. Stamps are Stacy Stamps 341T and Stampin' Up Oval All set. Inks are Color Box Pigment Option Pad black, Brilliance Moonlight White, and Stampin' Up Brilliant Blue Stampin' Write Marker. Embossing Powder is Judi Kins Detail Black and also Ranger Holographic for second card. Corners are punched with Fiskar's Corner Squeeze Punch Something Old, Something New and the first layers are edged in Krylon Silver Leafing Pen. Second card has Sulyn Industries Glitter Glue added to the scallops on the Stampin' Up Scallop Oval diecut which is mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals.

Manhattan Flower and Fifth Avenue Floral

Both cards are all Stampin' Up and both are cards we made at the Avon Senior Center card making classes. The first is Pink Passion card stock and classic ink while the second is retired Baja Breeze. The ribbon is 5/8th inch Whisper White organza ribbon. The rose stamp is from the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set and the embossing folder is Big Shot Textured Impressions Manhattan Flower used on Vellum Card Stock. The ladies at the card making classes enjoyed these cards as they are very versatile. Inside verses varied from birthday to sympathy. Don't you think they are very elegant? Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Christmas In July

These are my Christmas in July cards. I'll try to describe them as best I can. All stamps and card stock are Stampin' Up. Inks are Stampin' Up, StazOn, and Ranger, acrylic paint daubers are Ranger Adirondack, alcohol inks are Ranger, embossing folders are Cuttlebug, and dies are Nestabilities. The technique on the third card is Transparent Opalites from Technique Junkies June/July 2007 newsletter. The corners on that card and card 9 are punched with a Fiskars Corner Squeeze Punch. I'm not sure what the technique is called for cards 4 and 5. The image is stamped with StazOn ink on an acetate sheet. Then the sheet is turned over and alcohol inks are applied to the back of the sheet. Aluminum foil is wrapped around the card stock and embossed. Then the acetate sheet is mounted on the aluminum foil with brads. The backgrounds for cards 6-9 is Bingo Blast from Technique Junkies April/May 2009 newsletter. For this fun technique I used acrylic paint daubers which are spritzed with water and then "banged" onto card stock. Cards 2, 6, 8, and 9 the main image is sponged with Ranger Adirondack dye inks. Cards 1, 2, and 7 are cut with Nestabilities dies. Hope you enjoy the cards. I'm sorry it's been so long between postings. All I can say is it's been a busy summer. I have quite a few cards I want to post but that's for another day. Hope you are enjoying summer. If you have questions, please leave a comment with your Email and I'll get back to you. Thank-you for stopping by!

More Fourth of July cards

We had a quiet July Fourth until the neighbor across the road cranked up the music for his party and the fireworks started. There are still firecrackers going off once in a while but it's fairly quiet again. Hope everyone who celebrates the holiday had a good day. I'm posting the last three of my cards to celebrate the holiday. The first card was for a cousin who has dogs. I used Cricut cartridges Plantin Schoolbook and Paper Pups to cut the images from Stampin Up Riding Hood Red and Brilliant Blue card stock. The card is a Halcraft Original Greeting Card. I sometimes choose to use their blank cards since the card and envelope come in the same package, and if you are not planning the standard 5 1/2 by 4 1/4 card you don't need to search for an envelope that's the right size. I guess I was in sort of a whimsical mood so I didn't try to line the letters up in a straight line. It's fun to occasionally let things be a little random. ;-) The second card was for my mother and her friend who collects Teddy bears. The stamp is made by The Rubbernecker Stamp Co. It was colored using Derwent Watercolor Pencils and the Niji Waterbrush. The background is Technique Junkies Bingo Blast from the April/ May 2009 newsletter. I used Ranger Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers Red Pepper and Sailboat Blue on Stampin Up Whisper White card stock. This is a really fun technique but a little messy. I usually do it in a box so I don't have paint splashing all over. Since this one was done at a crop, I didn't have a box, but I lined the table with newspaper and still managed to get some paint on the table and had to do a little cleaning. The card and matting are Stampin Up Real Red and Brilliant Blue card stock. The third card was for my sister-in-law's Fourth of July birthday. Card stock, markers, and stamp are Stampin Up. The technique is Technique Junkies Double Bugging from the June/ July 2009 newsletter. Cuttlebug folders are D'Vine Swirls and Swiss Dots, stamp was stamped with Palette Noir Black, and the ribbon is from Michael's. This is another fun technique but I find that I'm not real good at sponging on the inks. This time I tried a very slim cosmetic sponge and found that I did a little better keeping the ink only on the raised portions of the embossed card stock. Notice the color is darker on the card posted yesterday using the same technique. That card I applied the ink to the embossed areas with Stampin Write markers which is my modification of the technique as it's described in the newsletter. I like both methods and think they both have a look I like, but sponging on the color does give a much softer appearance. That's all for today. Thank's for stopping by my blog and comments are always appreciated.

July Fourth

It's incredible how fast this year has gone. Time to Celebrate 4 July already! I did several cards to celebrate our nation's birthday. I'm going to post them and just say that I used Stampin Up stamps, inks, card stock and markers. Ribbon and flowers were from Michaels and embossing folders are Cuttlebug. The technique for the embossed card is Technique Junkies Double Bugging. Color added for sky and grass on the golfer card is Ranger Adirondack ink applied with a cosmetic sponge.

Another Stringing You Along card

This technique is from the Feb/Mar 2009 Technique Junkies Newsletter. As I said in the June 14th post I've had fun using the same Stampin' Up stamp set to try different colors and techniques. For a description of this card please see that post as the two cards are similar. This card I used EK Success Paper Shapers Interlaced Corner Adorner punch on all four corners and left off the ribbon. Stampin' Up colors for this card are Really Rust, Night of Navy , Very Vanilla, and Garden Green. I'm thinking I need to try this technique using pastel colors and give something feminine a try. Thanks for stopping By and hope you enjoy my blog.

Father's Day cards

Two more Father's Day cards. These are using Technique Junkies Feathered Tye-Dye technique from the Dec 08 /Jan 09 newsletter. Card stock, markers, and stamp is Stampin' Up. Color Washes are Ranger Adirondack and Memories Mist and inks are StazOn and Ranger Adirondack. This is a fun technique that requires you to moisten, crumple, and then straighten a paper towel. After spraying with the color washes, the paper towel is sprinkled with table salt and then microwaved. That's what causes the feathering. Of course you have to be careful not to scorch your paper towel.

Father's Day 2009

This is Technique Junkies Stringing You Along technique from the Feb / Mar 2009 newsletter and it was made for a Father's Day swap on my Stamper's Life group. Card stock is Stampin' Up and Hollo's Papercarft, ink is Stampin' Up and Ranger Archival Ink, ribbon is American Crafts, and markers and stamp are Stampin' Up. I'll have more Father's Day cards to post but I think that's all for tonight. I've enjoyed using different colors and techniques but the same stamp set to make my Father's Day cards. I need to get another one made today and in the mail Monday if it's going to arrive before Father's Day.

Get Well card

This is another card I did for a friend. Ink for embossing is VersaMark and embossing powder is Judi Kins. Card stock, ribbon, markers, and stamps are all Stampin' Up. Ovals were cut and embossed using the Cuttlebug and Spellbinders Nestabilities dies. The background layer is Basic Gray although it looks a bit purple in the picture.

Stampin Up card

Finally getting around to posting this Mother's Day card I made for a friend. Stamps, card stock, ribbon, and inks are all Stampin Up. The ovals were cut using Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cartridge. Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder was used for the Pretty In Pink layer. Halcraft Bead Gallery beads were strung on a Jewelry Essentials corsage pin. I need to find the little tips that you put on the end of pins to cover the sharp point and keep the beads in place. Evidently they have to be ordered online as none of the stores I've checked carry them.

I did sort of a patriotic theme for our son and daughter-in-law's anniversary card since it was close to Memorial Day.

Card stock is Stampin Up Real Red and Hollo's Papercraft smooth white. The blue patterned paper is from The Paper Studio All Season's paper pack, and I ran it through the Cuttlebug using the Spots and Dots embossing folder, and punched the corners with the EK Success Paper Shapers' corner adorner Love X 3. I like doing red, white and blue cards and just picked up a couple new stamps and more paper. I'm all set for The Fourth of July now. ;-)

My sister just called me on the carpet again for not working on my blog. It's a good thing I have her to be my conscience. LOL I have been working on cards but just haven't taken the time to post them. One of the members of an Online stamping group I belong to had a serious surgery; so we are doing a card shower for her. This is the card I sent this week.

It's using Technique Junkies Bingo Blast technique from the April 2009 newsletter. It's really fun to do. Card details: Card stock Stampin Up Summer Sun and Elegant Eggplant; & Hollo's Papercraft leatherette white. Ink: Ranger Adirondack Acrylic Paint Daubers Purple Twilight, Lettuce, and Denim. Stamp: Stampin Up Heartfelt Thanks which I applied the paint daubers directly to. Rhinestone is from The Big One Pound of Rhinestones from Darice, Inc. Inside is stamped with The Rubbernecker Stamp Co.'s: A "cherry" hello! Hope she likes it. I thought it was quite cheerful. I sent a few stamped images and a couple embossed backgrounds also since she wants to try making some cards, and I don't think she' s supposed to be using her arms a lot right now.

Cards for Avon Senior Center class

First...Happy Mother's Day! These are the two cards I gave instructions for at a beginning card making class at the Avon Senior Center. The ladies all seemed to have fun and some were interested in having more card making activities. I think it went well. I was really nervous as I don't do well in front of groups. In fact I was so bad I forgot to introduce myself...pretty basic, but right out the window when I started. Regardless they all did well with their cards and hope they will consider coming back. I had fun deciding what to do and getting all the materials ready. I had asked for a cut off date a week before so I would know how many to cut the card stock for, and I asked for a class limit of 6 since this is the first class I'd taught. Monday I called and was told there were 4 registered so I prepared for 7 in case there were mistakes that couldn't be remedied. The morning of the class a friend called and said she had a friend she wanted to come, but when she called the class was full. I told her I had time to prepare more card stock so I prepared for 10. We had 7 in the class and it was a very nice group. Luckily a few had some stamping experience so it went pretty smoothly. We did have to restamp a few but no problem.

First card uses Stampin Up Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White card stock and Tea Party Designer Series Paper. The Old Olive layer is embossed with the Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes folder. The stamp SU Golden Oldies from the Occasions Mini is stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black and colored with SU Stampin' Write markers Blush Blossom, Bordering Blue, Old Olive, So Saffron, and Pumpkin Pie.

The second card uses Stampin Up Sage Shadow, Pretty In Pink, and Whisper White card stock and Hollo's Papercraft black card stock. The Pretty In Pink layer is embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder. Stampin Up Scallop Edge punch is used for Slit Coast Stampers Scalloped Edge Medallion. The edges of the medallion are "smudged" with Pretty In Pink ink using a cosmetic sponge. The butterfly stamp is from SU Great Friend set sold in the Occasions Mini Catalog and is stamped with SU Pretty In Pink Classic ink pad. The message is stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black and is from SU Sincere Salutations set. Ribbon is Offray Dashes, Dots, and Checks 1/4 in. gingham.

That's all for today. I have 4 more Mother's Day cards I finished and will post them another day. Hope every one has a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by.

More Mother's Day cards

First card is Stampin Up Pink Passion and Hollo's papercraft black with Provo Craft patterned paper. Ink is VersaFine and Stampin Up Lavender Lace. Main stamp is Rubber Stampede and center one is Stampin Up Polka Dot Punches. Middle card is Technique Junkies Frosted Glass technique from the Dec 2002 newsletter. Card stock is Stampin Up Barely Banana, Night of Navy and Whisper White, and glossy card stock bought at Stamplistic in Amherst, OH. Ink is Ranger Big and Juicy Hydrangea rainbow pad which was brayered over a sheet of dry embossed acetate. Then the glossy card stock was placed over the inked acetate and brayered again so the glossy card stock picked up the image of the embossed rose. The rose stencil is a Darice brass stencil. Ribbon is Stampin Up retired Fairy Tale So Saffron jaquard. The last card is Stampin Up retired Perennial Friendship stamped with Palette Jardin Moss ink and the blossom is colored with Stampin Up Cameo Coral marker. The outside is "smudged" with Jardin Moss using a cosmetic sponge. Card stock is Hollo's Papercraft white, Stampin Up Glorious Green and Confetti White and patterned paper is Stampin Up DSP Tea Party So Saffron. Ribbon is retired Stampin Up Fairy Tale Regal Rose gathered grosgrain. I only have a few more Mother's Day cards to do. Whew!!

Two-toned Crunch Mother's Day cards

The two cards are Mother's Day cards which I started working on since I had a young friend asked me yesterday if I would make a card for her mother. I donated cards as prizes for a charity shower we gave at our church and the teen received one of the cards. She said her mother likes pink and yellow so I've started with those colors first. The two cards use Technique Junkies Two-toned Crunch technique from Dec 08/Jan 09 newsletter. The first card also uses Splitcoast Stampers Scalloped Edge Medallion technique. Card stock is Stampin Up Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, and on card 2 Mellow Moss. Ink is VersaFine and everything else is Stampin Up. Stamps are from the Eastern Blooms and Wagon Full of Fun sets and the flowers are colored by using markers direct to rubber. Markers used are So Saffron, Pretty In Pink and Chocolate Chip. Ribbon is So Saffron from the SAB collection. Sorry my scans are crooked. The cards kept sliding when I closed the scanner. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've all been enjoying some of our "summer" weather. ;-)

Lila Catherine Estelle

Here are the pictures of the new granddaughter!

New Granddaughter

Just a quick note to let my friends know we have a new addition to our family. Lila Catherine Estelle was born April 22 at 5:08 PM and weighed in at 7 lb 0 oz. She is just gorgeous!

Heartfelt Thanks

This was a quick card I did yesterday. It uses the outline of the diecut I used on another card. I colored the Stampin Up Heartfelt Thanks stamp direct to rubber with Stampin' Write markers Pretty In Pink and Old Olive and stamped it on Stampin Up Whisper White cardstock. Then I centered the image inside the oval cutout. I thought it worked quite well. Cardstock is Stampin Up Pink Pirouette and Kiwi Kiss and Hollo's Papercraft leatherette look brown cardstock. I like it's texture. I don't know the name of the Cuttlebug embossing folder I used on the Kiwi Kiss layer. I borrowed that from my friend Diana at a stamping get together. I'll have to ask her the name. I checked the Cuttlebug web page today and couldn't find it there; so it's probably no longer available. Too bad as I like it's look. The ribbon is from a retired Stampin Up set, Fairy Tale and I think the color is So Saffron. I haven't decided who will receive this card. Inside I stamped it with an unmounted rubber stamp from River City Rubber Works. It says, " Surround yourself with sunshine and have a warm and wonderful day." I thought that fit the fact that we've finally had a few nice days. Of course I hear it's supposed to be rainy next week and possibly even snow flurries. Big Groan! ;-)

Chalk Lines Birthday Card

This is the card I made for my Jamaican friend who I call my twin since we were born on the same day. We worked together at a hospital in the Chicago area and one day when we were talking about birthdays she mentioned she was born on Easter. I knew our birthdays were both on the same day, but until then I didn't know we were born on exactly the same day. I had thought she was younger than me. We are born on the very last day Easter falls on and it only falls on that date every 100 years. This is the only person I know who is a twin. We worked with a doctor who shares our birthday, but she's a lot younger than us. The people who we worked with all called us "The Twins" after that, and it really confused people when they introduced us as our skin tones are quite different. LOL (I'm of Irish descent so I have a pretty fair complexion.) At any rate Monica and I have stayed close even though she moved back to Jamaica when she retired and I moved to Ohio. We have managed to get together a few times when she visits her daughters in Chicago and of course there's the wonderful Internet and phone system.

Back to the card: It uses the Technique Junkies technique Chalk Lines from the April/ May 2009 Newsletter. I used Craft-T-Products Decorating Chalks yellow, orange, and red and swiped them onto Stampin Up Whisper White cardstock in a random pattern using cotton balls to apply the chalks. Then putting a ruler down on the cardstock I erased lines using a regular pencil eraser again in a random pattern. Spellbinders Nestabilities Large Labels die was used to cut the Tempting Turquoise background, ink is Superior India Ink Black, cardstock is Stampin Up and Hollo's Papercraft, stamps are Stampin Up Simply Said and Sincere Salutations, brads are The Paper Studio Spare Parts, and markers to color the flowers are Stampin' Write markers Real Red, Yo Yo Yellow and Only Orange. Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy the cards.

Glimmering Silk

Computer was down and I've been down with a bad cold so I haven't been doing much of anything with computers. We have a second PC in the basement that my DH uses, but it is very old and very slow so I don't like to use it. Today the computer repairman came out and replaced the power source on my computer and I'm back in business computerwise. We also installed the card for my scanner while the skin was off the computer; so I've tried scanning the last card I made. We'll see now how the scanner is working. It seems to have done a good job with the scan. The card is using Technique Junkies Glimmering Silk technique from the Dec 2008/ Jan 2009 newsletter. This is a really easy technique but a little messy. You use tissue paper that you use in gift bags and packages and spray it with a mist that has a sparkle. I used Luminart Radiant Rain Copper color and Memories Mist Lavender Tea, let the paper dry and then crumple it up to give it texture, smooth it out carefully so you don't tear the paper, and lastly adher it to a light colored cardstock. Most of the rest of the card is Stampin Up products. Cardstock is Orchid Opulence, Brilliant Blue, and Very Vanilla; ink is Classic Rose Red and Superior India Ink Black; stamps are SU Stitched Exotics, Sincere Salutations, and inside Puns From the Past. I haven't decided who will receive the card. I'm sure a need will arise soon. LOL Maybe I'll send it in for a homepage contest for one of my groups. We're having rainy weather here and it's really dreary looking outside. Not the kind of weather to go out in if you already have a cold; so I'm super happy that my computer is working again. I just finished reading a long good book so I'm even more happy that the computer is good to go. By the way the book is The Alienist by Caleb Carr in case you like historical fiction. It is a little gory in parts as it deals with a serial killer. Yep my fiction runs to psychological suspense with some romance thrown in. Hope everyone had nice Easter. I did get to church but hid out in the choir loft as I didn't want to infect a lot of people with my cold.

Brother's Birthday Card

Now to post my brother's birthday card. This one I made a few changes to April 2008 Sheetload of Cards Rectangled Up. Cardstock is Hollo's Papercraft and DCWV The Ultimate Stack, stamps are Stampin Up sets from the new Occasions Mini Catalog, ink is India Ink Black and Stampin Up Stampin Write Markers. The corner punch is The Paper Studio Large Photo Corner punch.

The Occasions Mini has some really cute stamp sets. I wanted to order them all but cool reason had to prevail and I only ordered about 1/2. LOL Maybe I'll order the other half on my April order. I'll have to check with some friends to see if anyone else wants to order. So far my business isn't making much profit since I'm my own best customer. I'm giving a free class at the Senior Center the first week in May to see if I am able to generate any interest in card making there. I think it could be a fun afternoon a couple times a month and there is a small craft room at the center. I'd have to bring supplies in, but I bought a nice wheeled tote with one of Michael's 50% off coupons so that won't be too difficult. I have to admit that the tote gets pretty heavy when it's full of cardstock and stamp sets. I used it for a crop a couple weeks ago and found it very handy, but so heavy that it was a little difficult to wheel. One of the strong young men who was helping at the crop just picked it up and carried it. I was happy since I was wondering how I was going to get it back in the car. DH had loaded it for me when I left for the crop. I'm hoping we'll soon have another crop with my online group. I really had a fun time with this group of ladies.