Birdhouse Thank You Card

I've been having a long overdue, major tidy up and clean of my craft room. I went to put this strip of Old Olive CS away into my scraps but got distracted wondering if I could turn it into a card! The strip was a full A4 length but only measured 3 3/8" wide but I decided to make a card that would fit in a C6 envelope by having an element extend off to one side.

I stamped the birdhouse on Very Vanilla CS and cut it out with a Labels Four Nestie die, added the sentiment and then sponged Old Olive ink around the shape. The vanilla shape is popped up over the Chocolate Chip Labels Four shape. For the background, I embossed a piece of Very Vanilla CS with the Flourish Blooms Sizzix Texture Plate and sponged Old Olive ink over the piece.

After adding the Choc Chip ribbon I decided I wanted a pop of another colour so I added a Pumpkin Pie decorative corner and a felt flower with an olive crystal centre. After making this, it was back to sorting out my craft room. Oh, how virtuous I feel now I have a super tidy room - but I'm sure it won't be long before I get it all messy again!



Supplies:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Birdhouse Flourish, sentiment from Hero Arts Clear Design Thank You Messages set
CS: SU! Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Pie
Ink: VersaMagic Jumbo Java chalk ink, SU! Old Olive
Tools: Labels Four Nestabilities dies, Sizzix Flourish Blooms Texture Plate from Texturz Plates Kit #19, decorative corner die from Cuttlebug Vintage set, sponge
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, SU! Felt Fusion felt flower, olive crystal, 3d foam pads, glue dots

Recipe CD Wallet for Debs

I've been following the GI diet to lose some weight and my good friend Debs has recently joined me. I typed up some low GI recipes and copied them onto a disk for her and then decided to make a wallet to present the disk in.

I took my colour scheme from the Daisy Bucket patterned paper I used. The wallet measures 5 1/2" square and was made with SU! Ruby Red CS. I matted the patterned paper onto a square of Tempting Turquoise CS and before attaching that to the front, I attached the turquoise ribbon so that the wallet could be tied closed.

The text was computer generated using the Bradley Hand ITC font and I printed it out onto Creamy Caramel CS. I stamped a frame and then used Labels Four Nestability dies to cut the shapes. I finished the front by adding Creamy Caramel photo corners.



Then I made the wallet insert piece for the inside by covering CS with patterned paper, trimming it to size and punching out a half circle. I attached it by sticking thin red liner tape just at the sides and bottom. Then I slipped in the disk and project finished. This was much nicer than just emailing the recipes I think and it could also be passed on to someone else.



Supplies:
Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps Very Vintage Labels no. 4 Set
CS: SU! Ruby Red, Tempting Turquoise and Creamy Caramel
Patterned paper: Poppy Petals from Daisy Bucket Garden Gate collection
Ink: VersaMagic Jumbo Java chalk ink
Tools: Labels Four Nestabilities dies, Sizzix Sizzlits Photo Corners #2 die, circle punch
Embellishments & accessories: Offray turquoise satin ribbon

Message for Kathleen

Kathleen, thanks so much for your kind comment, that was very sweet of you! I'm unable to email you so I thought it best to post a message on the blog and hope you see it. You asked about the butterfly punch I used. It's made by Craft Tonic and it's called the Multi Detail Butterfly punch (ref no 726e). Click here to visit the Craft Tonic website so you can see the punch - the page will open in a new window.

If you check out their range of punches you'll see they make a pop up butterfly punch too which I also have and love! Click here to see a card I made with that punch - the page will open in a new window. There are video demos on the web site so you can see how the punched shapes turn out.

I bought both of these punches online from Emerald Crafts in the UK. I know you're in Australia and they do ship overseas! Here's a link to Emerald Crafts - again the page will open in a new window.

Thanks again and happy crafting!

Sunshine Card for SSHP15

This card was made for the Let the Sunshine In! challenge at the Saturday Spotlight with Hidden Potential blog. Click here to visit the blog post - the page will open in a new window. I took the challenge literally and used my oldie but goodie sunshine stamps! I've had these stamps for years, it's so nice to get them inky again after being neglected for a while.

The card measures 5 3/4" square and I used So Saffron CS and textured Bazzill black CS for the mat. I stamped the sun face first in black ink on So Saffron CS and then stamped the whole sun on white CS in So Saffron ink. I cut the face out and have popped it up with 3d foam pads. The 'May your day be filled with sunshine' sentiment is just perfect to use with the sun stamp! I like it 'cos you can use it as a 'just because' card or for a birthday.

I attached the scalloped strip to the white panel and then glued the dots that came out of the holes alongside for a bit more interest. The scallop was made with the Sizzix Lace Edging Decorative Strip die. The ribbon is So Saffron grosgrain. I don't use yellow that often but I do like it with the dramatic black and white combo!



Supplies:
Stamps: Stampendous Soleil Points & Stampendous Sunshine Wave
CS: SU! So Saffron & Whisper White, Bazzill Raven
Ink: SU! So Saffron, VersaFine Onyx Black
Tools: Sizzix Lace Edging Decorative Strip die
Embellishments & accessories: SU! So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, 3d foam pads

Cupcake Birthday Wishes for SSC135

This is the card I made for the Saturday Sketch Challenge #135 at the Stamping 411 blog. What a great sketch, I really enjoyed this one. Click here to visit the blog post - the page will open in a new window. Here's the sketch:



This is an A6 size card made with SU! Regal Rose CS. I coloured the cupcake with Watercolor Wonder crayons and a blender pen and used a Marvy pen to colour the chocolate sprinkles. When I trimmed the image I cut the candle off and covered the bottom part of the candle with a punched flower. I used the smallest flower from the Boho Blossoms punch, snipped the petals a little deeper and circled an embossing stylus in the centre on a mouse mat to add some shaping. I added a pink crystal to the centre for a touch of sparkle. I embossed the white square with the D'vine Swirl CB folder before popping up the cupcake over the top.

For my circle element I used a piece of SU! Spring Fling patterned paper. There are a couple of sheets in the pack that have a ton of small patterned circles and they're great for punching out and layering. After stamping the sentiment I added three chocolate candy dots.



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Crazy for Cupcakes & Sincere Salutations sets
CS: SU! Regal Rose, Whisper White & Chocolate Chip
Patterned paper: SU! Sweet Always & Spring Fling Designer Series Paper packs
Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip & VersaFine Vintage Sepia, Marvy Le Plume II Dark Brown marker pen
Tools: Square Nestabilities dies, D'vine Swirls Cuttlebug embossing folder, SU! Boho Blossoms punch, circle punches, SU! Watercolor Wonder crayons, embossing stylus & mouse mat
Embellishments & accessories: Pebbles Inc. Chocolate Candy Dots, 3d foam pads

Playing with SU! Vintage Frames Set

I didn't choose the Vintage Frames set as my free Sale-A-Bration set last month 'cos the UK catty doesn't have all the matching punches which would make using these stamps so much easier. I know the circle stamp fits the SU! Scalloped Circle punch so that's not a problem but that leaves the two other frames and I wasn't sure how I'd get on cutting them out. I really wanted to play with this stamp set before I made my decision as to whether to get this set or not. Thank goodness for my very kind crafty friend Jan - she has lent me her set to have a play with!

As it was the oval and square frames I was most concerned about I decided to make a couple of quick cards to show Jan the results of my experiments. I'm very happy to report that the oval frame can be cut out using the oval Coluzzle cutting templates and the square frame can be cut out with a Labels One Nestie die - it's not ideal, it's not exactly the same shape and there's a lot of space around the stamped frame, but it's something!

For the first card, I had the Old Olive medallion stamped already so I just grabbed that to work with. I added a Choc Chip circle which I embossed with the Victoria CB folder and then I popped up the oval piece over the top. I added Rose Red photo corners and added the whole panel to the front of an Old Olive card that measures just a tad under 5".



For this card I used a Kraft base measuring 4 1/4" square and added a panel of Rose Red prints patterned paper. I used Labels One Nestie dies for the sentiment layer and mat and added felt flowers with a brad centre.

I'm much happier about owning this set now I've had a play and will choose this SAB set this month.



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Vintage Frames set, SU! Medallion
CS: SU! Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip & Rose Red
Patterned paper: SU! Rose Red Prints Designer Series Paper pack
Ink: SU! Old Olive, Rose Red & Chocolate Chip
Tools: Sizzix Sizzlits Photo Corners # 2 die, Coluzzle Oval and Oval Companion cutting templates, Victoria Cuttlebug embossing folder, Labels One Nestabilities dies, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Felt Fusion felt flowers, brown brad, 3d foam pads

Happy Butterfly Stamper's Ten Challenge Card

Wow, this is a bright card! This is my card for Joanne's Stamper's Ten challenge this month. She gave us CS in Tempting Turquoise, Pixie Pink and Green Galore and a piece of Kaleidoscope patterned paper. I'm afraid Green Galore is NOT a fave of mine so it didn't make it onto my card!

I layered the patterned paper onto the front of my Tempting Turquoise A6 size card. I stamped the sentiment trail first followed by the butterfly direct to the white CS. Then I stamped the butterfly again on a separate piece of white CS and punched it out with the butterfly punch. I stamped the butterfly using Pixie Pink ink - stamping off once first before stamping the solid shape. I placed the butterfly on a mouse mat and ran an embossing stylus down both sides of the body to pop the wings up. I then placed half a dimensional under each wing with the backing paper intact so the wings will remain popped up. I then stamped the tiny flower at the end of the sentiment.

At the bottom of the card, I added a strip of Pixie Pink CS with some turquoise ribbon wrapped around. I then added a bright pink Prima flower. To finish off the card I added a pale pink pearl to the centre of the flower and six darker pink pearls to the white panel.



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Flight of the Butterfly set
CS: SU! Tempting Turquoise, Pixie Pink & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper pack
Ink: SU! Pixie Pink & Tempting Turquoise
Tools: Plain & scalloped rectangle Nestabilities dies, SU! Butterfly punch
Embellishments & accessories: Offray turquoise satin ribbon, Prima flower, Prima pearls, SU! Dimensionals

Silhouette Circles Thanks So Much

This is the card I sent to our good friends Debbie and Mike to say thank you for our Christmas gift and for giving us such a great Christmas Day. I CASEd a card from page 50 of the UK SU! catalogue.

The card measures just a tad under 5" square and was made with SU! Rose Red CS. The Creamy Caramel layer was embossed with the Victoria CB embossing folder. I stamped different stamps from the Pocket Silhouettes set in different colours and punched out using different sized circle punches. I stamped the sentiment in Rose Red ink, trimmed it and swiped Rose Red ink around the edges. I didn't use the sentiment from the Pocket Silhouettes set, I used the Soft Summer set instead 'cos I used the "Kind people are the best kind of people" sentiment from the Soft Summer set for the inside of the card and I thought it would be nice if they matched. The circles and sentiment are all popped up.

To finish off the card, I added some Choc Chip ribbon and a row of piercing. I then decorated the envelope using one of the Pocket Silhouette stamps. I stamped in Old Olive ink and re-inked the stamp only every other impression. I love how that looks with these stamps!



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Pocket Silhouettes and Soft Summer sets
CS: SU! Rose Red, Creamy Caramel & Whisper White
Ink: SU! Rose Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip & Creamy Caramel
Tools: Circle punches, Victoria Cuttlebug embossing folder, Tim Holtz ruler (for piercing holes), paper piercer
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, 3d foam pads

Hydrangeas Thank You

Michelle very kindly sent me some gorgeous pretties for Christmas, including Prima hydrangea flowers with some gems and pearls. I love flowers and sparkle so I was delighted with the gift and thought I would use some of these new goodies on her thank you card.

The card measures just a tad under 5" square and I used SU! Barely Banana CS. The patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Bittersweet collection - Michelle had sent me a 6" x 6" pad as an earlier gift so I'm using lots of her goodies on this card! After rounding the bottom corners, I added the flowers with pearl and gem centres. I then tied the pink ribbon around the card and attached the sentiment oval. I stamped the sentiment once on Vanilla CS and again on Pretty in Pink and then I cut the tiny butterfly out of the pink CS and layered it over the top.



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Ovals All set
CS: SU! Barely Banana, Very Vanilla & Pretty in Pink
Patterned paper: Basic Grey Bittersweet 6" x 6" pad
Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip
Tools: SU! plain and scalloped oval punches, Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper
Embellishments & accessories: Prima hydrangea flowers, Prima gems & pearls, pink grosgrain ribbon, glue dots

CAS Teal Bird Thanks So Much

Monday's CAS challenge on Splitcoast Stampers was a colour challenge to use teal, white plus one additional colour. I chose black and I really like the dramatic combo!

The card measures just a tad under 5" square. I love this bird, it has such a pleasing plump shape and I love the swirls and snowflakes too! I cut out the image and mat with Nesties. I tied a knot in the gingham ribbon and added it to the corner. The 'thanks so much' is from a clear Hero Arts set, I used circle punches for this sentiment element and it's popped up. I added a black candy dot to the centre to finish.



Supplies:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Winter Birds set, Hero Arts clear Thank You Messages set
CS: White and black CS, SU! Taken with Teal
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, SU! Taken with Teal
Tools: Square Nestabilities dies, circle punches
Embellishments & accessories: Gingham ribbon, Pebbles Inc. Black Candy Dot, 3d foam pads


EDITED TO ADD: I so enjoyed making this card I made another with Real Red CS but I did the sentiment differently. Then I used the owl stamp to make two A6 cards using the black white plus one additional colour theme. I wanted to use colours that would pop next to the black so I used So Saffron and Tempting Turquoise. I've used a different sentiment on each card. I'm sending these as a gift to my friend Kevin.

Winter Birds Cards

It took a month for the Inkadinkado Winter Birds stamp set to get to me. I was planning to contact the eBay seller to report them not received but they arrived yesterday. The idea was to make my after Christmas thank you cards with them but they didn't arrive in time. I need to use them while it's still wintery so I got a couple of them inky straightaway!

This first card measures 5 3/4" square and was made with SU! Not Quite Navy CS. I embossed the Creamy Caramel layer with the Sizzix Ivy Flourishes texture plate. I spritzed the CS lightly with water before running it through my Big Shot to help get a deeper impression. The owl was stamped in Prussian Blue chalk ink, I stamped the frame and then cut out the shape using a Labels Four Nestie die and I've matted that on a Choc Chip Labels Four shape.

I then added the striped ribbon and the sentiment circle element. The owl panel plus the sentiment are both popped up. I added a clear crystal to the large snowflake on the image. I gave this to my hubby Owen as a "just because" card.



This next card also measures 5 3/4" square. This will go to a friend who I was supposed to meet for lunch after Christmas. Due to the snow we haven't managed to get together yet. I planned to give her a Happy New Year card when we met up but it's getting a bit late for that now so I've decided to give her this happiness always card. I've used one of my very favourite colour combos, black and white with bright pink.

I used Label One Nesties to cut out the shape and mat. I added a strip of striped ribbon with a button and to finish off the card I added 3 punched snowflakes with crystal centres.


Supplies for owl card:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Winter Birds set, SU! Best Yet set, Waltzingmouse Stamps Very Vintage Labels No. 4 set
CS: SU! Not Quite Navy, Creamy Caramel, Whisper White & Chocolate Chip
Ink: ColorBox Prussian Blue chalk ink, SU! Chocolate Chip
Tools: Labels Four Nestabilities dies, circle punches
Embellishments & accessories: May Arts brown & white striped grosgrain ribbon, clear crystal, 3d foam pads

Supplies for black, white & pink card:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Winter Birds set, SU! Whimsical Words set
CS: Black CS, white CS, Bazzill Doodlebug Bubblegum CS
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, VersaColor Opera Pink
Tools: Labels One Nestabilities dies, Woodware snowflake punch
Embellishments & accessories: Pink & black striped grosgrain ribbon, black satin ribbon, Doodlebug button, clear crystals, glue dot

Snowflake Friendship Card for SSHP14 & SSC134

I visited Dawn's blog yesterday and saw her fab card for the Saturday Spotlight with Hidden Potential #14 Snowflakes Gone Wild! challenge and as I love snowflakes I decided to take part. I'd already decided to try the Saturday Sketch Challenge #134 from the Stamping 411 blog so I combined both challenges on this card. Here's the sketch:


Click here to visit the SSHP14 blog post and here to visit the SSC134 blog post - the pages will open in new windows.

My card measures just a tad under 6" square and was made with SU! Always Artichoke CS. All the papers are Basic Grey Figgy Pudding. I stamped the Hero Arts Snowflake Circle stamp in Artichoke ink on the turquoise paper and then cut it out with a square Nestie die. I matted on Artichoke and Choc Chip squares. The large white snowflake is a punched shape and I added a small turquoise circle and a gem brad to the centre.

I masked off half the sentiment stamp and only stamped the first part of the sentiment at the bottom left. Then after tying the ribbon around the card I added die cut snowflakes, again using a gem brad in the centre.



Then I masked off the sentiment stamp again and stamped the rest of the sentiment to go inside the card. This pic shows how I decorated the inside and the envelope flap. I'm pleased with how this double duty card turned out. This friendship card will go to our friends Jan and Alan.



Now I'm off to play with some new stamps. I bought a set of stamps from eBay in the USA a month ago and I've been impatiently waiting for them to arrive. Our postal deliveries have been so haphazard 'cos of the snow and I was starting to think they'd been lost. What an unexpected treat - a Sunday postal delivery! Happy mail indeed - a handmade thank you card from a friend and new stamps that came with a Secret Santa gift of some Prima pink crystals and pearls, woohoo!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts Snowflake Circle cling stamp, each friend by Penny Black, Hero Arts snowflakes, SU! Snow Flurries set & Waltzingmouse Stamps Very Vintage Labels No. 4 set
CS: SU! Always Artichoke & Chocolate Chip
Patterned paper: Basic Grey Figgy Pudding 6" x 6" pad
Ink: SU! Always Artichoke & Chocolate Chip
Tools: Square and Labels Four Nestabilities dies, Woodware snowflake punches, 1/2" circle punch, Sizzix Snowflakes #15 die
Embellishments & accessories: Grosgrain ribbon, Making Memories gem brads, PaperMania Silver Shimmer Dots, glue dots

CAS Trees Thinking of You for Jim

Our neighbour Jim was taken into hospital last week after having had a heart attack. He is going to need a triple bypass operation. He and his wife Kath are such lovely people, it is so sad. I've made this card for Jim so he knows we're thinking of him and heartily wishing him well.

The card is a standard A6 size made with Old Olive CS. I scalloped the bottom edge and adhered a strip of Choc Chip CS to the bottom. I stamped Funky Forest in Old Olive ink and then added brown trunks and branches by going over them with a Dark Brown Marvy pen. After layering the tree panel on Ruby Red and Pumpkin Pie CS, I added some Choc Chip ribbon tied in a knot. The sentiment was cut out with a Spellbinder's Label Trio die.



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Funky Forest, sentiment from Trendy Trees set
CS: SU! Old Olive, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red & Pumpkin Pie
Ink: SU! Old Olive & Chocolate Chip, Dark Brown Marvy Le Plume II marker pen
Tools: SU! Scallop Border punch, Spellbinders Label Trio die
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Choc Chip grosgrain ribbon

Too Kind Window Circles Card for Gill

While I still had my SU! Flight of the Butterfly stamp set on my desk I made a simple thank you card for our friend Gill. We spent New Years Day at her house and we had a real fun day. She cooked the most delicious meal, including Jamie Oliver's festive strudel - scrummy! I thought I'd pop a little card in the post to her now that postal services seem to have returned to normal after the snow disrupted things somewhat.

I have a drawer full of miscellaneous card blanks and I never remember to use them. I'm going to make it a mission to use them up or get shot of them! I stamped the butterflies and sentiment on pastel coloured CS and punched them out with a 1 1/4" circle punch. I then mounted them to 1 1/2" Chocolate Chip circles which I glued to the inside of the card. You can't see that from the pic though as only the pastel colours show through the circle windows. I've added celery twill and chocolate grosgrain ribbons and a blue crystal to the dot over the i in the word kind. Done - a sweet and simple card to show our appreciation.



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Flight of the Butterfly and Whimsical Words sets
CS: Cream circles window card blank, SU! Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery & Chocolate Chip
Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip
Tools: Circle punches
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Certainly Celery twill ribbon, SU! Choc Chip grosgrain ribbon, blue crystal

Butterfly Trio 18th Birthday Card for Naomi

Made for a friend's daughter who will be turning 18 next week. That makes me feel old, I remember when she was born, where has the time gone?! Naomi's favourite colour is teal so I chose that as one of the colours for her card. I also chose my fave SU! colour - Rose Red!

The card measures 5 3/4" square and is made with SU! Taken with Teal CS. I had to use my brand new SU! Flight of the Butterfly stamp set and matching punch - oh, I love them! On the white panel I stamped the swirl from the Baroque Motifs set a couple of times in teal ink after stamping off once. After punching the butterflies, I placed them on a mouse mat and ran an embossing stylus down both sides of the bodies so that the wings popped up. Before gluing the butterfly bodies to the card, I applied half an SU! dimensional behind each wing - making sure to keep the backing paper on. This keeps the wings popped up even after being placed in the envelope - a fab tip I learned from my SU! demo Joanne.

I computer generated the sentiment using Impact and Will&Grace fonts. I stamped the small polka dot butterfly in teal ink over the top - after stamping off once. I've had the gingham ribbon unused in my stash for ages and I was chuffed to find it was a great match for Taken with Teal. To finish off the front, I added crystals to the butterfly bodies and 3 black candy dots to the top right of the card.


I then decorated the inside of the card, the envelope flap and the front of the envelope. Naomi is a very sweet girl, she's worth the trouble LOL!





Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Flight of the Butterfly set, SU! Baroque Motifs set, Hero Arts Clear Design Designer Butterflies and Designer Alphabet sets
CS: SU! Taken with Teal, Rose Red, Basic Black & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! Rose Red Prints Designer Series Paper pack
Ink: SU! Taken with Teal & Rose Red, VersaFine Onyx Black
Tools: SU! Butterfly punch, circle Nestie dies, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
Embellishments & accessories: Teal gingham ribbon, clear crystals, Pebbles Inc. Black Candy Dots, SU! Dimensionals

Flowery Thank You for RSCC #21

This card was made for Dawn's Raspberry Suite Colour Challenge #21. Click here to visit the blog post - the page will open in a new window.



The card measures 4 3/4" square and was made with textured cream CS. I added a Chocolate Chip layer and a Barely Banana strip that had been stamped with some polka dots.

I used stamps from the Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It with Style set. I stamped the frame first, then the sentiment and then I die cut the Labels Four Nestie shape. I stamped the flowers and trimmed them and they are all popped up. The large flower has a button centre - I threaded a thin strip of Banana CS through the button holes, can't have nekkid buttons LOL! The 3 smaller flowers have candy dot centres.

I really like taking part in colour challenges as it makes me use colour combos I wouldn't think up myself. This one was quite a challenge for me I must say, it took a bit of pondering! I kept to a simple thank you card and I like how it turned out.



Supplies:
Stamps: Waltzingmouse Stamps Say It with Style set, Papertrey Ink Polka Dot Basics set
CS: Cream textured CS, SU! Barely Banana & Chocolate Chip, Bazzill Orange Peel texture CS in Teal
Ink: VersaMagic Jumbo Java chalk ink
Tools: Labels Four Nestabilities die
Embellishments & accessories: Small brown button, Pebbles Inc. Chocolate Candy Dots, 3d foam pads

CAS Tissue Box Inspired Butterfly Thanks

I bought a new box of tissues a few days ago and I loved the soft blue and white colour combo - pretty but crisp too. It inspired me to get out the white embossing powder and make this CAS thanks card. I very rarely use blue for feminine cards but I really like the soft look this card has.

The card measures just a tad under 5" square. I stamped a few stamps from the SU! Pocket Silhouettes set in white ink and embossed with white embossing powder and then I did the same with the Hero Arts Dandelion stamp. I glued the Bashful Blue panel onto the card, stamped the sentiment and then tied the gingham ribbon around the card.

Next, I punched out the butterfly using the gorgeous Craft Tonic Multi Detail Butterfly punch, I do love this punch! I placed the butterfly on a mouse pad and then ran an embossing stylus on both sides of the body and this pops the wings up. I added clear crystals to the butterfly body and 3 blue crystals to the right hand side to finish the card.

Here's the card shown with the box of tissues:



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Pocket Silhouettes set, Hero Arts Dandelion, sentiment from SU! Trendy Trees set
CS: White CS, SU! Bashful Blue
Ink: SU! Whisper White Craft & Bashful Blue Classic inks
Tools: Craft Tonic Multi Detail Butterfly punch, heat gun, embossing stylus & mouse pad
Embellishments & accessories: White embossing powder, Doodlebug Bubble Blue gingham ribbon, clear & blue crystals

Sparkly Birthday Cupcakes for Bev

It was my friend Bev's birthday this week and this is the card I sent to her. I got the SU! Crazy for Cupcakes set a while ago and haven't really played with it much. I'm not sure why, I love cupcake images, especially that stand of cupcakes!

The card measures 5 3/4" square and was made with SU! Regal Rose CS. The pretty patterned papers are from the SU! Sweet Always pack and I matted those on Choc Chip CS. I coloured the cupcakes with Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a blender pen. I hadn't tried that method before but it worked really well so I shall definitely try that again. I paper pieced the cupcake stand though, using a tiny polka dot patterned paper - sweet! I added sparkly crystal ultrafine glitter to the icing on the cupcakes.

I used Label Four Nestie dies for the image and mat. After I'd coloured, paper pieced and glittered I decided to stamp a co-ordinating Waltzingmouse stamp frame. I really should have decided on that to begin with - take it from me, you do NOT want to decide to do this at the last moment! I stamped the dotty frame stamp and it didn't stamp all the way - arrrgggh! Anyway, I took a brown Marvy pen and just drew around the frame to fill in the dots in order to rescue it. It all adds to the home made charm - that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

To finish off the front, I stamped the curved sentiment from the set and punched out a circle. I've added a felt flower with a pink rhinestone brad for a touch more sparkle. The image and sentiment are both popped up.



I then decorated the inside of the card and the envelope flap. See, I CAN stamp a frame perfectly LOL! Here's a pic of the inside:



I really hope Bev liked her card, I enjoyed making it, despite the boo boo!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Crazy for Cupcakes set, Waltzingmouse Stamps Very Vintage Labels No. 4 set
CS: SU! Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! Sweet Always Designer Series Paper pack
Ink: SU Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Pie, VersaFine Vintage Sepia, VersaMagic Jumbo Java chalk ink, Dark Brown Marvy Le Plume II pen
Tools: Labels Four Nestabilities dies, circle punches, SU! Watercolor Wonder crayons, blender pen
Embellishments & accessories: Art Institute Crystal ultrafine glitter, SU! Flower Fusion felt flower, pink rhinestone brad, 3d foam pads

Trees Thanks So Much for Kevin & Peter

Another card made with my new Trendy Trees set. I also used my new Funky Forest which is a wheel stamp but I've unmounted mine and prefer to use it as an unmounted stamp with an acrylic block. I saw a card in the UK SU! catalogue that I really liked so I've CASEd that design. This card will go to our great friends Kevin & Peter to say thanks for our lovely thoughtful gifts. I really ought to make a thank you card from our two cats as they got a gift too!

The card is a standard A6 size and was made with Old Olive CS. I stamped the dotty spiral stamp repeatedly in Olive ink as a background. On the white strip I stamped Funky Forest in Olive ink, after stamping off once first. I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp my sentiment centrally and to stamp the trunks on the trees. I cut out the three trees and have popped them up.

The scalloped border was made with a Sizzix Decorative Strip die. I've added linen thread and a chunky brown button. The scalloped border is also popped up.



Supplies:
Stamps: SU! Trendy Trees set & SU! Funky Forest wheel stamp
CS: SU! Old Olive, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Rose Red & So Saffron
Ink: SU! Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Rose Red & So Saffron
Tools: Sizzix Lace Edging Decorative Strip die
Embellishments & accessories: SU! linen thread, brown button, 3d foam pads