Category Archives: Thank you

Sheltering Tree for a Monday challenge

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Well the challenge was set yesterday although today is Tuesday. Susan Itell often sets a “Monday Make it Mine” challenge on Mondays and I decided, for the first time today, to try it out. Her challenge sounded simple – create a one layer card using only one stamp set. I’ll point out now that the seeming simplicity of the challenge was completely misleading. And then some.

I started by creating a card with Painted Petals and then had two attempts with Endless Birthday Wishes. I had three goes with Because You Care. I didn’t like any of them. I contemplated a number of other sets and, fearing that I had a pattern going and I was going to make four attempts, pulled out the Stampin’ Up! Sheltering Tree set. Bingo! Which is more than can be said for the photography – and I tried a number of times.

Stampin' Up! Sheltering Tree single layer card

This simple one layer card has whisper white as the base and the grassy bank is stamped in pear pizzazz – my current favourite spring green. The tree is stamped in sahara sand. After using the embossing buddy, I stamped the leaves in versamark and used the blushing bride embossing powder. I pulled the combination of sahara sand and blushing bride from the colour coach. Only then did I decide to add the swing – also stamped in sahara sand – and so I had to carefully blot the ink off the embossed leaves where the swing was stamped over the blushing bride. I decided to add some clumps of flowers, using the pear pizzazz and blushing bride inks. I liked that the sentiment was just the right length to fit in the gentle curve of the bank – that’s stamped in sahara sand. Since this was a Susan challenge, I had to go with the classic envelope lining since it was from reading her blog that I became addicted to this practice!

PPA239 colour challenge

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As usual there was a new PPA challenge announced on Thursday and happily it was a colour one. I find those much easier although the colours chosen caused me some angst. I am not fond of brown; it just doesn’t seem like a happy colour. Hence it took me until Friday evening to create my card! So although it’s Valentine’s Day today, I’m not posting a Valentine’s Day card. I’m not ignoring the day though, my brother and I will be hosting our usual singles Valentine’s Day dinner for our local friends (as long as the weather is kind). Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

I’ve seen a lot of cards done with the bokeh technique lately and I thought I’d give it a try. Bokeh, according to wikipedia is “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light” and thus the final out of focus circles are usually done in white. I decided to be different. I know, what a surprise.

Stampin' Up Hello You on bokeh with a twist

I used my aquapainter to thoroughly wet a quarter sheet of water colour paper and then added crumb cake and soft suede, also with the aquapainter. After waiting a couple of hours for it to dry, I used a sponge dauber to add circles of real red. My template was created using the acetate sheet from a photopolymer stamp set and the three smallest circle framelits. The acetate sheet was available because I have followed what I’ve seen a number of people do and I stick the stamps directly onto the case. The printed acetate sheet for each stamp set is stuck on the other side to help with placement and make it obvious if there’s a stamp still out on my desk.

I then cut out the thanks from the Stampin’ Up! Hello You framelit set in real red. The water colour paper is matted in soft suede (use strong glue and ensure you get to the edges) and glued to a base of crumb cake.

And here’s the banner that inspired this card:

PPA239

A million and one thanks

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This seemed like a good card to make at a crop. I was very thankful for a lot of things, but I’ll limit it to carding related items. I was firstly grateful that I thought I was well enough to attend having caught a cold/sinus infection/cough on the plane on the way back from Barcelona. In truth, I probably wasn’t well enough because I had a bit of a relapse this week, but I have the time to take it easy so it’s all good. Secondly I was really happy that my best friend agreed to attend with me after having made a single card in her whole life. As my brother pointed out, it was more about spending time together and relaxing and if she didn’t like making cards all day, it would be fine. As it turns out, Julia got really into it; we attended the technique class and learned 6 new techniques as well as making cards – we’ve already signed up for the next crop in April! I was also thankful for the three women responsible for all the fun – for details see their website. I was especially thankful to Melissa who put together the goody bags containing, amongst other things, some of the Birthday Bash DSP.

I absolutely love the blue and white swirly paper but it’s quite loud. For me. I think I got it out of the goody bag at least three times and then put it back before I managed to cut it and proceed with the card. I didn’t want to hide too much of the beautiful paper; the swirls on this sentiment (from the Stampin’ Up! Million and One set) seem to go with the DSP so it was a simple matter of stamping the sentiment and then cropping it with the ovals framelits and cutting the next largest oval in night of navy.

Stampin' Up! Million and One

I loved the DSP so much that, not only have I ordered some, I lined the outside of the envelope so that it can’t be missed!

Crazy about bordering blooms

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I’m trying not to ignore my stamp sets from the annual catalogue for the new ones in the Occasions 2015 one and today pulled out the Stampin’ Up! Bordering Blooms set and decided to ink up a stamp that I haven’t used before. I couldn’t quite make a card with just the older sets and confess that I also used the Crazy about you set from the new Occasions catalogue! As I have mentioned, I was in Barcelona for three weeks to learn Spanish and it was fantastic. The people there are warm and friendly and I decided I needed to make some thank you cards. I stayed in Gloria’s house, with a number of other students, and she is a delight. She intimidated me hugely to start with since I could barely understand one word in twenty but by the end of the three weeks, we sat happily at the table chatting away in Spanish (mostly – my fellow students and I had to exchange a few words in English) for several hours. I’m not saying that I’m fluent, – far from it! – I have to deduce some of the content. But anyway, Gloria, this one’s for you.

Stampin' Up! Bordering blooms

I stamped the image from the bordering blooms in memento black on whisper white card stock. The leaves are coloured in the two lightest shades of the old olive blendabilities. The flowers are coloured in all three shades of the rich razzleberry. I cropped the image fairly severely (more so than my original intention) and bordered it with basic black 3/8 bigger in all dimensions. Currently I’m concentrating on having different sized borders and frames for some fun. I also stamped the Thanks from the Crazy About You set in memento black. The card base is old olive. There’s another unused stamp in this set, I think that will be inked up soon.

 

Thanks for a work of art

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I’ve been trying not to neglect my stamp sets from the annual catalogue and so I was rather pleased with this card which combines sets all three of the last catalogues – Stampin’ Up! Painted Petals, Papillon Potpourri and Work of Art.

Stampin' Up! Painted Petals, Work of Art, Papillon Potpourri

I started by stamping the swoosh from Work of Art in crumb cake on a crumb cake card stock. Then I rubbed the embossing buddy over the card and stamped the butterfly in versamark. It’s not obvious from the photo, but it’s embossed in gold. The sentiment from Painted Petals is stamped in early espresso. I had half thought of matting this in gold foil but the early espresso looked better. I decided on having a large outside crumb cake frame rather than my usual 1/4 inch frames.