A Tale of Two Designs

I imagine that sometimes it can be confusing that I show pictures of the homes I have designed on my Facebook page, but I only show my stamping projects here on my blog. They are both a big part of my life. I can't imagine not having either creative outlet. They are quite different, and both haven't always come very natural to me. I see and feel the homes I design. They become part of my mind and I am fortunate that I am able to let the ideas escape my imagination and that other people allow me to create their dreams. Sometimes they are grand and impressive homes, but more often they are standard livable everyday homes. 

I love to design so it is not more fun or more rewarding to work on a larger homes. Knowing that what I design is someone else's dream is rewarding in itself. It is heartbreaking when a home I designed is not built and it is joyous when homeowners move into a finished home. I make a special bond with each family that I design for because it is never about what I like or how I would do it for myself, it is about them. I have to get into their heads and figure out what is the best solutions for them and how their families live in their homes. It is something that I do very well and it is what makes each project unique and fun to work on. 

The same could be said for my card designs, they are each unique and fun, but I actually have a harder time with my card designs than I do with home design. I think it is a struggle for me because I have to design with my own wishes in mind. I am not trying to please someone else. It has taken me awhile to find my style and trust my decisions on the cards I design. I find that I do my best work when I get inspired by something else and put my own spin on it. I saw a card on Pinterest by a designer named Lisa which inspired me. So then I put my spin on it.

I used the same panel size and colors, but used a different stamp set, different greeting, and added embellishments. The main thing that I love here are the colors, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, and Crumb Cake on a crisp Whisper White base. The panels are 1 1/8" wide x 5 1/4" high and then spaced to create equal looking spaces. Play with it a little. The greeting strip is stamped with Crumb Cake ink and is a skinny 1/2" high x 4 1/4" wide. I love how the card turned out and in my mind it is my own design, as I didn't copy the other card completely. In fact, if I hadn't told you about that other card, you would have only seen mine and thought it looked wonderful! My point is, use what inspires you and copy a little if you need to, but just get out there and create!

 

Pretty Paper Everywhere

Who doesn't love pretty paper? Can you imagine the cute, cute cards you could make with just one pack of paper, some ink, and a stamp set or two? Maybe something like these! Would this give you a great start to your Christmas cards this year? There is such an awesome sales special going on right now called Buy 3 papers, get 1 Free! It is awesome! There are 8 paper packs to choose from that would get you through Christmas and into all the cards you will need for next years card giving times!  You could use the same card layouts shown here, but change up the colors by matching the card bases and ink to the papers that could let you create dozens of cards for any occasion! Did you know you could get all 8 packs of paper for only $66 plus tax and shipping? Such a great deal! Here are the two Christmas papers:

But, as I said you don't JUST need Christmas cards! Maybe you want some pretty wedding or more feminine feeling cards? I suggest the classic and beautiful Floral Boutique or Blooms and Bliss papers. There are going to be times when you need whimsical and fun cards! Then you will want to go with the bright and cheery Festive Birthday or the luscious Fruit Stand papers. You are covered when you need something classic or masculine when you choose the By the Shore paper or the exotic Morrocan paper. All in all, there really are papers and color options for every taste. 

Go check out all the papers available and get your favorite paper pack today!

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Grateful for Fall

There is just something magical this time of year. I don't know if it is the way sights and sounds can easily take me back to my younger days or just the way colors seem to change before my eyes. Have you been seeing children kicking through leaves on their way to school or heard that infectious giggling when they jump in puddles? It immediately takes me back to my days of walking to school and making sure that every leaf pile or puddle between my house and school got a sample of my footprints in them. Were you that way too? It didn't seem to matter to me then that my feet would get wet even through that extra protection layer provided by an old bread bag in each boot (or maybe you're not as old as I am). Crunching of leaves under my feet is still a favorite sound to my ears, and it makes me imagine I could run and jump into that pile of leaves like I am the next great Olympic high jumper or a youngster of 6 or 7.

Most of all this time of year just makes me feel grateful and I find I start to count the blessings in my life. It doesn't take me long to start thinking about all the special people in my life and why I am thankful to know each of them. I like to design and make Thank You cards as often as I can. I just think they are appropriate anytime and don't get sent as often as they should be. This week's card was presented at a recent card making party as one of my "fall" cards. It could easily be turned into a sympathy card or a masculine birthday card as well. 

Here are the card basics:

  • Cardbase (Soft Suede) 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half. Put fold to top for a horizontal opening card.
  • Accent Layer (Very Vanilla) 5 1/4" x 4"
  • Embossed Layer (Cajun Craze) 5" x 3 3/4"

There is something special about the Petal Burst embossing folder. It blends in nicely with a floral background or it it right at home with this leaf look. I love it when products are so versatile. It brings value to the purchase. Speaking of value, this set of framelits looks beautiful when the leaves are stamped and then cut-out, but as you see I am using the "negative" effect on my background. I cut my leaf using the Leaflets framelit out before I embossed, because I wanted to put the leaf inside the card for an extra embellishment, but you could cut the leaf out after you emboss to have a little texture on that accent piece as well.

Some tips to help assemble the card. 

  • Adhere the accent layer to the cardbase.
  • After embossing and cutting out the leaf use Stampin' Dimensionals to pop up the embossed layer to give some added shadow to the card.
  • Attach the greeting to the cutout accent layer then tie a cut bow with the gold ribbon.

You can get additional help with the instruction page or if you don't have these great products in your stash do a little shopping today!

 

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Warm and Snuggly

Wrap yourself in a cozy knitted throw and grab a cup of something warm.

It is that time of the year when the nights get cool and bundling feels like the right thing to do. This card gets its bundling from the extra texture of the dynamic embossing and the layers of colors on both the main card and the greeting accent.

This card uses a Classic Layout.

  • Cardbase (Rich Razzleberry) 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded at center for Left fold
  • Accent Layer (Crushed Curry) 4" x 5 1/4"
  • Embossed Layer (Very Vanilla) 3 3/4" x 5"

To create the embossed layer you will use the Cable Knit embossing folder. There is an amazing difference in how deep the embossing goes with this "dynamic folder". Because it is different you will have to use a special layering “sandwich” .

  • You use the platform
  • the embossing folder with paper inside
  • top with one acrylic cutting pad.

Add a pretty Greeting Layer. 

  • Using the Lots of Labels framelits select size large enough to allow desired greeting and then select one size up for accent color.
  • Stamp greeting in Rich Razzleberry ink on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla cardstock.
  • Run the greeting piece through the Big Shot with the appropriate Lots of Labels framelit. With placement you can also run the Crushed Curry accent piece on the platform at the same time to make the most of your pass through the machine.

Some tips to help assemble the card. 

  • Adhere the accent layer to the cardbase.
  • Wrap the approx. 4 1/4” of ribbon around the embossed layer. Adhere the two ends at the back of the embossed layer using Glue Dots. Adhere the embossed layer to the accent layer using Fast Fuse for a little extra staying power.
  • Attach the greeting to the cutout accent layer. Then using Stampin’ Dimensionals attach the combined greeting over the ribbon.

You can get additional help with the instruction page. 

tams# 9402

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Snuggly warm and filled with Love

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Wrap yourself in a cozy knitted throw and grab a cup of something warm. It is that time of the year when the nights get cool and bundling feels like the right thing to do. This card gets its bundling from the extra texture of the dynamic embossing and the layers of colors on both the main card and the greeting accent.

No Bones About It

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I adore the Cookie Cutter bundle and the extra Cookie Cutter Halloween stamp set! There are so many clever uses for this set and I am just starting to create with it. I provided this card at our September cardmaking party. I had to put a little of the sparkly Pumpkin Pie Glimmer paper on there. I used my absolute favorite Halloween color combination, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant, and Crushed Curry.

Collar Fold and Butterfly

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The collar fold is such a fun way to show off two beautiful patterns on the same sheet of paper. I have seen so many cards with this layout, that I wanted to give it a try myself. I presented this card at a recent cardmaking party and everyone loved it. I selected the rest of the colors from the paper, so a bright yellow butterfly seemed like the perfect choice! Another fun detail is the gold sequins that seem to show the butterfly lifting off the page and the cute clip that we used to hold the sequins in place. I heard more than once, "I didn't see those in the catalog" or "I've seen them but didn't know how to use them on a project. Thanks for the idea." You're welcome! Can't wait to see what you come up with using the collar fold yourself!

Holiday Time already?

I am not quite ready for Christmas yet. I like to wait until November to think about it myself, but I know that when I make my own cards and crafts that I need to get an earlier start! One of the new product suites in the Holiday Catalog is this cute 3-D house called Sweet Home.

It can be used for a Gingerbread House or part of a Christmas Village, but it also makes a sweet Haunted House! So, maybe now is the perfect time for this bundle. I have included a cool video that Stampin' Up! shared with us before the catalog got released. I thought maybe you'd like to see it today! 

https://youtu.be/X_z4wBR8Bko