Aviary in Action

My friends Michele and Larcy and I are heading to a shoebox swap today. I’m looking forward to spending a fun day with friends, chatting, snacking, and of course, stamping!

Here’s my card for the swap. I’ve had this Stampin’ Up! Aviary set for a while and thought I’d put it to use for the swap. It's mostly SU! supplies with a few non-SU items as accents. Since we’ll be making 25 cards, I figured I’d keep mine super simple. I started with a Bashful Blue card base and added a panel of retired designer paper along the bottom. One of the set’s bird cages is stamped in Basic Gray ink and cut out. The gray's just a little softer than black--better for the metal-like look I wanted for the image. I added a bird inside the cage using blue ink.

So that the cage wasn’t floating in mid-air, I threaded some green baker’s twine through the top and stretched that over the top of the card. A matching bow anchors the cage at the top of the card. I used foam tape to attach the cage to a kraft circle. The “thinking of you” sentiment is stamped on a green banner die cut. I brought the whole set of sentiments with me so people can pick the one they want to use. The edge is slipped underneath the raised cage. I added a coordinating green button with white gel pen faux thread to complete the design.

Materials Used:
Aviary and Teeny Tiny Thoughts stamp sets, Basic Gray and Bashful Blue Classic inks, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake, and Whisper White cardstock, Delicate Dots designer series paper, white gel pen (Stampin’ Up!); circle die (Spellbinders); double-ended banner die (Papertrey Ink); baker’s twine (Divine Twine); green button (Michaels)

Shoebox Swap Saturday

My friend Michele and I are off to a fun day of stamping at a shoebox swap. It’s been a while since I went to one of these since it’s a long time for Chloe the cutie puppy to be at home all alone. But, now that she’s growing up (can you believe that she’s already 8 months old??), I think she can handle it for a day. I’m looking forward to catching up with some of my stamping buddies!

Here’s the card I prepared to take with us. It’s a recent publication reject, but one I was really happy with, so I decided to use it as my card for the swap with a few minor changes to the colors and layout.

I used the hot air balloon image from the Across the Miles set from Clear and Simple Stamps as my focal image. Here, the balloon’s top is colored with Copic markers, cut out, and added to the image panel with foam tape. For my swap version, the balloon is paper pieced with some patterned paper to save time. A die cut felt cloud adds a little texture to the sky behind the balloon.

The set’s “love is in the air” sentiment is stamped in red ink on a small white panel. It’s accented with a heart brad at one end and set on the card so it overlaps the image panel just a little.

Materials Used:
Across the Miles stamp set, Perfect Little Black Dress ink, Trendsetter Blue, Kraft Like a Rockstar, and A Blanc Check cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); Real Red Classic ink (Stampin’ Up!); heart brad (Recollections); cloud die (Papertrey Ink); white felt; foam tape

Snowflake Shoebox Swap

I’m attending a shoebox swap today with some local stamping friends. I had so much fun making the spooky tealight cover I shared earlier this week that I thought I’d create a different one to make at the swap, this time with a winter theme.

I used the bold snowflake image from Stampin’ Up!’s Best Wishes & More stamp set for the image in the window of all of the panels. The snowflake fit perfectly inside the opening created by a 1 ½” circle punch. I added a little of the chunkier Ice Stickles in Crystal Ice to embellish the snowflakes and add a little sparkle.

The base for the tealight cover is made from Almost Amethyst cardstock. The top of the cover has a border done with the eyelet punch. A piece of white ribbon finishes off the piece. I gave everyone a tealight candle in their supply packet so they can display their project at home right away.

And, since it’s Halloween, for all of the Cosmo the crazy dog fans out there, I promise to be back later with a photo of Cosmo decked out in his Halloween costume . . .

Materials Used:
Best Wishes & More stamp set, White Craft ink, Almost Amethyst cardstock, vellum, Sticky Strip, eyelet border punch (Stampin’ Up!); 1 ½” circle punch (EK Success); Crystal Ice Ice Stickles (Ranger); white organdy ribbon (Michaels)

Pumpkin Patch Greetings

This morning I'm headed out to a shoebox swap with some local stamping friends. I designed this SU! only card for the swap. Since there will be 30 people stamping the day away, I kept my card pretty simple and easy to complete.

I used the sketch for this week's SCS clean and simple challenge for the card's layout. The image panel features a pair of pumpkins from the new Pumpkin Patch stamp set. The smaller, circle shaped pumpkin is punched out with my 1" circle punch. The 1 1/4" circle punch left too much of a border around the image for my liking, so I went just a little smaller than the image with the 1" punch. The sentiment is stamped in Old Olive ink to match the card base.

I layered a strip of designer paper from the Tall Tales package across the card base before attaching the image panel. The final touch is a small piece of knotted Rich Razzleberry dotted grosgrain ribbon. The deep purplish color is a nice contrast to the orange and green on the rest of the card.

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):
Pumpkin Patch stamp set, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Basic Black Classic inks, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Tall Tales designer series paper, Rich Razzleberry dotted grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

Cheep Talk Shoebox Swap

Cindy is hosting another shoebox swap today. I always enjoy getting together with the group of people that gather for her swaps. Lucky for me that my new Stampin’ Up! stuff arrived on Thursday, just in time to design this card to bring along.

Even though my collection of bird and tree sets has grown by leaps and bounds over the past year, I couldn’t resist getting Cheep Talk. I loved the whimsical bird images and the sentiments curved to fit along the branches of the tree. I found it really easy to line up the sentiment pretty much where I wanted it, even without a Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Here’s the card I designed for today. Since there are 31 swappers attending the event, I kept the card pretty simple to make and assemble. The bird image is stamped in Baja Breeze ink on a Kiwi Kiss branch. The sentiment is stamped in Pacific Point ink to pop against the white and softer bird and branch colors.

I am still working my way through tons of Bella Rose designer paper, so I used a panel of paper from the pack along the left side of the card. It’s edged with a scalloped strip of Pacific Point cardstock to bring in a little more of this bold blue. I added a photo corner, accented with a brad, and a ribbon tab to the image panel, then attached it to the cardfront with dimensionals.

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
Cheep Talk stamp set, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, and Pacific Point Classic inks, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, and Whisper White cardstock, Bella Rose designer series paper, Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon, photo corner punch, scallop edge punch, silver brad, mat pack and paper piercing tool, dimensionals

Shoebox Swap--The November Edition

I’m off to yet another shoebox swap near Baltimore this morning. Maria from Kitchen Sink Stamps has generously donated 4 KSS sets as door prizes for the swap. I can’t wait to see who the lucky winners will be!

Here’s my card for the swap. There wasn’t a set theme for the swap, so I decided to create a masculine card since stampers are always saying that they need ideas for those. I used the medallion image from Baroque Motifs as the focal image for the card. It’s stamped in Always Artichoke ink on cardstock. To add some interest but keep the card masculine, I added a silver brad to the center of the medallion, a ribbon tab on one side of the panel, and a photo corner punch on the other side.

I kept the rest of the card pretty simple. The Not Quite Navy panel on the cardfront is stamped with the Twill background to create a textured look. I also included some faux stitching along the side of the Chocolate Chip panel. The “happy birthday” sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink. I figure that my fellow shoebox swappers can either use this sentiment or one of the many others from the Fundamental Phrases stamp set.

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
Baroque Motifs, Fundamental Phrases, and Twill stamp sets, Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip, and Always Artichoke Classic inks, Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss and Confetti Cream cardstock, silver brad, mat pack and paper piercing tool, wide chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, photo corner punch, dimensionals

Baja Breeze Butterfly

I’m off to another shoebox swap today. There will be 25 stampers at the swap today, so I went with a card that’s pretty quick and easy to do.

I used a stamp set that’s new to the current SU! catalog, Flight of the Butterfly for the main image. The solid butterfly image is stamped in Pink Pirouette ink and the dots and body are stamped with darker Regal Rose ink. I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the proper placement for the image. Since there are a few images that you can layer over the solid butterfly image, I used a sturdy piece of acetate to create a Stamp-a-ma-jig imaging sheet specifically for this set. I’ll keep it in the box with the stamps so it’s ready to go whenever I pull out the set.

I did my usual butterfly trick here, too. I stamped the solid butterfly and dots images again on a scrap of vellum then trimmed around it. I layered this over the butterfly image for some dimension and interest.

I used the horizontal slot punch to create a slot in the right side of the image panel. A piece of Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon is threaded through the slot and tied in a knot. I added a scalloped edge piece to the opposite side of the panel to balance it out. Put a coordinating designer paper panel at the bottom, and the card’s done!

Materials Used (all from Stampin’ Up!):
Flight of the Butterfly stamp set, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, and Baja Breeze Classic inks, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Regal Rose, and Whisper White cardstock, white vellum, Pink Pirouette Patterns designer paper, scallop edge punch, horizontal slot punch, Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

Case-ing Myself

I'm attending a shoebox swap today in Baltimore--yay! Since the new SU! catalog was released earlier this month, I knew I wanted to use some of the new In Colors on my card and a new stamp set, too. I tend to come up with stuff that's way more complicated and time consuming than it really should be for these events, so for today, I stuck with something pretty simple but managed to fit in both In Colors and new stamps. I created a variation of this card to bring along with me.

I used two of the flower images from Ginormous Flowers, same as in the original version of the card, but used the new blue In Colors--Pacific Point and Baja Breeze. Ginormous Flowers is one of those sets in my collection that I had to have, but really haven't used much. I layered a vellum panel on top of the stamped panel. I really like the look of a vellum layer over a bold stamped image panel. The vellum softens the images just a little bit for a different look.

I stamped one of the sentiments from the new Heard from the Heart stamp set on a strip of Baja Breeze cardstock. I added a narrow strip of Kiwi Kiss and a scalloped strip of Pacific Point underneath the sentiment to draw in all the colors.

I can't wait to see what everyone else brings for the swap. Cindy's events are always fantastic--great people, delicious food, and creative cards. Definitely worth the over an hour drive each way!

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

Ginormous Flowers and Heard from the Heart stamp sets, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, and Kiwi Kiss Classic inks, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, and Whisper White cardstock, white vellum, scallop edge punch

Shoebox Swap Duo

I am heading to a SCS shoebox swap event today, about an hour's drive away from my house. All week, I've been looking forward to getting together with my stamping friends--and hoping that the weather would be nice for a drive, too! Here are the two cards I created for the shoebox swap. I tried to come up with cards that had totally different looks and were pretty quick and easy to stamp. I think I may have done just that with these two.

This first card uses the Classic Stars jumbo wheel for the main image. The image is wheeled on to a piece of vellum using white craft ink. I love the way this looks!

Since I was using stars, I went with a blue cardbase. I decided to make this card a "neutral" one for a boy/girl/whoever, so I added some red and yellow to the mix.

The small star is from the In the Stars set. I attached a small piece of striped grosgrain ribbon to the back of the star--kind of like a shooting star, I guess.

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

In the Stars stamp set, Classic Stars Jumbo Wheel and handle, Ballet Blue and Barely Banana Classic inks, Ballet Blue, Barely Banana, Real Red, and Whisper White cardstock, vellum, red striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

The second card is basically a modified version of the card I created for the SCS featured stamper challenge on Sunday. I really liked how the card I did on Sunday turned out and I decided that I'd change it up just a bit for the swap.

I changed the colors and left out the heat embossing (less time consuming without it!). Instead, I used some Dazzling Diamonds at the centers of the small flowers for a little sparkle. I also replaced the rhinestone brad at the center of the flower "medallion" with a plain silver one (because I don't have enough fancy ones for the swap!).

I used a sentiment from Short & Sweet on the card. I thought that everyone could choose their own sentiment from the set depending on how they want to use the card--Mother's Day, thank you, birthday, whatever . . .

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

Baroque Motifs and Short & Sweet stamp sets, Basic Gray and Purely Pomegranate Classic inks, Basic Gray and Pretty in Pink cardstock, scallop circle punch, mat pack and paper piercing tool, paper crimper, Dazzling Diamonds, dimensional

Stars for a Shoebox Swap

I am heading to a shoebox swap in Baltimore this morning. I have my blueberry bread baked for breakfast and my supplies all packed up amd ready to go. It's a long drive from here (a little over an hour) and the weather is crummy today, so I need to get going, but before I leave, here's a peek at the card I'm bringing to the swap. Since there are 30 swap participants, I kept the card pretty quick and simple.

I used the In the Stars set from the SU! Occasions mini catalog. I really like the bold images in the set and they're perfect for quick cards. The large star image is stamped in Summer Sun ink, then cut out. I added a little Dazzling Diamonds to the star on the large star . I stamped the smaller dotted star in Brocade Blue and cut that out, too.

For the cardfront, I used a piece of Brocade Blue cardstock. The sentiment is stamped in Brocade Blue ink on a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock. I used the mat pack and paper piercing tool to make a row of tiny holes across the bottom of the panel, picking up the dotted pattern from the small star. I added a narrow strip of red cardstock to the top edge of the light blue panel for just a pop of color.

The large star is attached directly to the cardfront. I used a dimensional to attach the smaller star for a little variation.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else creates for the swap and to catching up with some of my local stamping friends. The problem with going to these events is that I always come home with more stuff on my wish list . . .

Materials Used (all from Stampin' Up!):

In the Stars stamp set, Summer Sun and Brocade Blue Classic inks, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Real Red, and Whisper White cardstock, mat pack and paper piercing tool, silver brad, Dazzling Diamonds, dimensional

Shoebox Swap Card

Here's the card I'm bringing to the shoebox swap I'm attending today. I used one of my new SU!stamp sets, Wonderful You. I tried to keep the card simple, but not too simple. That's a hard line to find, isn't it? Well, when there are 24 cards to get through, you want to keep them pretty quick to do so you can get to all of them.

I wanted to use some patterned paper on my card, since that's a quick way to add color and pattern to a card without a lot of time or effort. So, I pulled out this dotted paper from the Fall Flowers DSP pack--love that stuff! I used it as the color inspiration for the card. Groovy Guava isn't a color in the paper I picked, but I think it works okay with the other colors here.

I used the outline and solid flower image from Wonderful You for the main images on the card. The solid image is stamped once, while the outline image is stamped several times. I used Confetti White cardstock for the image panel, something I don't use too often, but I think it looks nice here. I did some sponging around the edges of the cardstock using Really Rust ink and added a little Dazzling Diamonds to the flower center.

The flower image is matted on Really Rust and Old Olive cardstock. I added a punched photo corner piece with silver brads at the corner of the image for a pop of color. Add a piece of ribbon and stamp the sentiment and the card's done. I hope everyone likes it!

Materials Used:
Wonderful You stamp set, Groovy Guava and Really Rust Classic inks, Groovy Guava, Really Rust, Soft Sky, Old Olive, and Confetti White cardstock, Fall Flowers designer paper, photo corner punch, silver brads, Mellow Moss grosgrain ribbon, sponge

Northern VA Shoebox Swap Card

As promised, here's the card I brought for today's Northern VA shoebox swap event. The event was great! Lots of fantastic cards and stampers. Of course, there were some sets we used today that now I'm thinking I might have to get my hands on. It never fails to happen . . . Some stampers brought 3-D items to swap, too, and they were incredible. What talent there is on SCS!

When I sat down to design the card, I didn't have a specific design in mind, but I had a few criteria for my creation: no flowers, since the last few shoebox swap cards I've designed have been flowers; no retiring SU! stamp sets; using only one set, or a set plus a background or sentiment; relatively quick to complete; and using some designer paper. So, with those "rules" in mind, I came up with this card. As you can see, I didn't entirely stick to the no flowers rule--but I don't really consider this one a floral card.

The card's color combination came straight from the SU! color wheel. I used Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, and So Saffron. Unfortunately, my photo editing software doesn't capture the combo very well . . . Anyway, the "U" is done with the rock and roll technique. The sentiment is stamped in craft ink and heat embossed to add texture. The centers of the flowers on the Rose Red piece are colored in with the white gel pen for a nice "pop." I debated about using Stickles, but decided that I'd stick with gel pen to shorten the drying time, even though I love the Stickles sparkle. The Au Chocolate designer paper ended up being a great match for this color combo. Of course, there's paper piercing on the card too--couldn't leave that out, could I?

Materials Used (All from Stampin' Up!):
All About U stamp set; Chocolate Chip and Rose Red Classic inks; Close to Cocoa Craft ink; Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, So Saffron, and Very Vanilla cardstock; Au Chocolat designer paper; chocolate grosgrain; mat pack and paper piercing tool; white gel pen; copper brad; Crystal Clear embossing powder

Lunch?

I had a great time at the shoebox swap I attended today. It was fun to see some friends from past events and to meet some new ones. All of the cards were fantastic, too. I decided to use the card I brought to the shoebox swap for my swap card for the SCS VA Beach dinner on Friday, so I'll have to wait to share it--I want it to be a surprise (even though anyone who's attending the dinner is most likely not reading this anyway . . .)

I saw versions of this small square pocket card posted on SCS over the last week or so and wanted to give it a try. The original directions are from Dawn Mercedes' blog, Amusing Musings and Things, here. After a test run with some old patterned paper, I used SU!'s Au Chocolate designer paper to make the pocket . It's too bad that this project showcases only one side of this pretty stuff. The images are from a set of clear stamps by Inkadinkadoo, called Fashion. The set has a bunch of body parts, clothes, and accessories that can be combined to create figures. It took a while to figure out the placement of all the pieces and I still need to do some more practicing. I colored in the figure with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an aquapainter and added some Stickles as an accent. The card insert says "Let's do lunch." I thought this would be a fun card to send to a friend.

Materials Used:
From Stampin' Up!: Basic Black and Real Red Classic inks; Chocolate Chip, Real Red, and Very Vanilla cardstock; Au Chocolate designer paper; Watercolor Wonder Crayons; aquapainter; Chocolate Chip and Rose Red markers; round tab punch
Other: Fashion clear stamp set (Inkadinkadoo); mega scalloped square punch (Marvy Uchida); Platinum Stickles (Ranger)