Tropical Floral Hello Card

 This is a card I've made for a Dena Rekow Facebook class challenge where the challenge was to make a tropical card.  I've used one of Dena's card layouts - the July Live #3 Card #2 layout.  I must say I've cut it a bit fine, today is the last day to enter the challenge!

Here's the card and envelope together.

 

 

As the theme was tropical I knew I'd be using the SU! 'Timeless Tropical' stamps and dies and the 'Tropical Oasis' patterned paper.  Having decided on the layout I needed to choose some patterned paper and I selected a pretty floral design and a contrasting texture design.  I made a So Saffron A6 sized card base, glued my patterned paper pieces to a Soft Suede CS mat layer and wrapped the Faux Suede Trim around and tied a knot.  I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso ink and glued the mat layer to the card front.  I die cut a stitched circle shape and then got busy stamping and die cutting flowers and leaves.  

 

I stamped the flowers in Soft Suede ink on Whisper White CS and then added Mango Melody ink to each flower using an oval make up brush, going darker at the edges.  For the leaves I applied Old Olive ink to each leaf, again using an oval make up brush.  After I'd die cut the flowers I snipped between a few petals so I could add some shape and dimension to the flowers.  I arranged the flowers and leaves on the circle, popped up one flower and popped up the Whisper White circle.  I added a gold Metallic Pearl to the centre of each flower to finish the front.

More of the pretty floral paper was used to decorate the inside of the card and the envelope.

 

 

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! 'Timeless Tropical' & 'Blossoms in Bloom' sets

CS: SU! Soft Suede, So Saffron & Whisper White

Patterned paper: SU! 'Tropical Oasis' DSP pack

Ink: SU! Early Espresso, Mango Melody, Old Olive & Soft Suede 

Tools:SU! 'In the Tropics' & 'Stitched Shapes' die set, oval make up brushes

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! Faux Suede Trim, Metallic Pearls & Dimensionals

Ruth

Snowflake Wishes Christmas Card & Gift Tags

On Thursday I had Lesley and Wendy over for a crafty play and a good old catch up.  It was so wonderful to chat, create and to spend time with good friends, it really refreshed my soul! 

I made one card with a matching gift tag plus two more gift tags.  Here's the snowflake card, envelope and tag together.  These items showcase products from the gorgeous SU! Snowflake Splendor suite.

 

 

The card is a fancy fold card and it's a great design for showing off pretty patterned paper.  I used Misty Moonlight CS for the card base and the patterned paper is from the SU! 'Snowflake Splendor' DSP pack.  I embossed a piece of Whisper White CS with the 'Winter Snow' embossing folder but chose to use the debossed side when I adhered the panel to the card base.  I inked the snowflake stamp with Highland Heather ink and then lightly dabbed Misty Moonlight ink over the top using a sponge dauber in order to get a multi tonal effect.  I popped the snowflake up and added a blue faceted gem.  I stamped the sentiment, used the 'Banners' Pick a Punch to make a flagged banner and popped it up.  

Here's a closer look at the debossed panel and stamped snowflake.  I'm SO happy how that looks!

 

 

Here's the inside of the card with a sweet little stamped sentiment and a Balmy Blue Glimmer Paper die cut snowflake.

 

 

Here's the envelope with a stamped snowflake circle element.

 

 

 

Here's the matching gift tag.  I used Highland Heather CS and a Sizzix 'Rounded Tag' die for the tag.  I used dies from the SU! 'Circle Layering' die set to get circles for the snowflake element.  I stamped the sentiment in Misty Moonlight ink.  I punched a hole in the tag using my Crop-A-Dile and added Whisper White baker's twine.  I added two Balmy Blue Glimmer Paper die cut snowflakes for some sparkle.

 

 

I added a white circle to the back of the tag with a lovely sentiment from the SU! 'Tag Buffet' stamp set.

Here's the two gift tags made using the 'Scalloped Tag Topper' punch and the 'Tag Buffet' stamp set.

Here's the bauble tag.  I punched two tags - one Whisper White and one Just Jade - stamped a leafy background with Just Jade ink and offset the two tags.  I stamped the sentiment from the SU! 'Gift Wrapped' set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I coloured the bauble using Poppy Parade Light and Real Red Dark Stampin' Blend markers and I also used the Colour Lifter marker.  I coloured the bauble topper with a gold gel pen, fussy cut the bauble, stamped the bow, added a Real Red jewel and popped the bauble up.  I added Real Red ribbon and some gold cord tied in a bow.

 

Here's the stocking tag.  I punched a Mint Macaron tag and a Whisper White tag, stamped a snowflake background on the white tag in Mint Macaron ink and offset both tags.  I coloured the stocking using Shaded Spruce Light and Dark and Smoky Slate Light Stampin Blend markers plus the Colour Lifter.  I stamped the sentiment in Shaded Spruce ink, popped the stocking up and added the adhesive backed snowflake embellishments.  I added the iridescent Snowflake Splendor ribbon and some Mint Macaron ribbon tied in a knot.

What a happy day, we chatted, laughed, crafted and ate cake - a pretty near perfect day actually!

Supplies for snowflake card & tag:

Stamps: SU! 'Snowflake Wishes' & 'Dashing Deer' sets

CS: SU! Highland Heather, Misty Moonlight & Whisper White, Balmy Blue Glimmer Paper

Patterned paper: SU! 'Snowflake Splendor' DSP pack

Ink: SU! Highland Heather & Misty Moonlight

Tools:SU! 'So Many Snowflakes', 'Snowfall' & 'Layering Circles' die sets, SU! 'Winter Snow' embossing folder, SU! 'Banners' Pick a Punch, Sizzix 'Rounded Tags' die set, Crop-A-Dile, sponge dauber

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! Whisper White baker's twine, Blue Adhesive Backed Gems,Dimensionals

Supplies for bauble & stocking tags:

Stamps: SU! 'Tag Buffet' & 'Gift Wrapped' sets

CS: SU! Just Jade, Mint Macaron & Whisper White

Ink: SU! Just Jade, Mint Macaron, Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blend markers, Colour Lifter pen, gold gel pen

Tools:SU! 'Scalloped Tag Topper' punch

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! Real Red ribbon, Snowflake Splendor ribbon, Mint Macaron ribbon, Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Snowflake Adhesive Backed Embellishments, Dimensionals, gold cord

Ruth

8 Box Of Sunshine Cards - Stampin' Up! Box of Sunshine Paper Pumpkin Kit

Stampin' Up! Paper Pumpkin kits are monthly subscription paper crafting kits available in North America only.  SU! have made the 'Box of Sunshine' Paper Pumpkin kit available to other markets in August - exciting stuff!  The Paper Pumpkin kits come packaged in sturdy cardboard boxes and the 'Box of Sunshine' card kit comes in a pretty yellow box.  The idea is that after you've made the cards you fill the box with yellow items, decorate the box and gift the 'Box of Sunshine' to someone - what a lovely idea!

Here's the box and the stickers for decorating the box.

The card kit came with fancy card bases, a stamp set, a mini ink pad, stickers, sentiment banners, glue dots, Dimensionals and pretty adhesive sequins.  I made up the cards straight away!  Here are the 8 cards and envelopes.

Here are the two pineapple You are Loved cards.

Here are the 2 Sending Sunshine cards.

Here are the 2 Hello cards.

Here are the 2 lemon Brighten your Day cards.

Here are the gold foiled envelopes.

I had a great time putting the cards together and I'm now busy searching out yellow items to place inside the box so that I can share some sunshine!  It's great fun and I'll share the box when I've filled and decorated it!

Ruth

Sunflowers 60th Birthday Card

This is the 60th birthday card I made for my friend Jackie who I've known since primary school. We bonded in the school playground aged five over our shared loathing of PE!

Here's the card and envelope together.

I think the SU! 'Painted Harvest' set is one of the most beautiful stamp sets, the stamped images are stunning.  So I'm at a complete loss as to why I don't use it much!  I must say I thoroughly enjoyed making this card.  The card base measures 5 3/4" square and I used Daffodil Delight CS.  I used Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie inks for the Sunflowers, Soft Suede ink for the centres and Old Olive ink for the leaves.  I stamped sunflowers on a scrap of Whisper White CS and die cut the 60 numbers.  I also die cut several more numbers from thick Whisper White CS and stacked them together so my numbers were nice and chunky.  I used my trusty Stamp-A-Ma-Jig stamp positioner to get perfect placement for my sentiment words.  I glued the white panel to a mat layer of Soft Suede CS, added some Old Olive grosgrain ribbon and jute twine and glued the entire panel to the card front.  I added three Pumpkin Pie Candy Dots as a final touch to the front.  Wow, some very old, retired supplies dug out from the stash for this card, it feels good to use them!

Here's a closer look at the numbers, I love the dimension!

Here's the inside of the card.

Here's the envelope flap.

Here's the front of the envelope with stamped sunflowers and a name label.

Supplies: 

Stamps: SU! 'Painted Harvest','Number of Years' & 'Peaceful Moments' sets

CS: SU! Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Soft Suede & Whisper White (regular & thick)

Ink: SU! Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie & Soft Suede  

Tools: SU! 'Large Numbers' die set, Sizzix 'Card, Square Flip Its' die set, SU! Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, jute twine, Brights Candy Dots, Dimensionals 

Ruth

Hunting Owl Friendship Birthday Card

Petra asked me to make her a friendship birthday card for her to give to a special friend.  The friend's favourite colour is purple and she loves owls.  I found this beautiful Woodware owl stamp and loved it as soon as I saw it.

Here's the card and envelope together.

Here's the card.  I used SU! Gorgeous Grape, Whisper White and sparkly silver as my colour combo and the card measures 5 3/4" square.  I stamped the image, trimmed it to size and matted and layered it.  After adhering the patterned paper I wrapped a length of purple Tricolor ribbon around the panel and glued the whole thing to the front of the card base.  I applied Wink of Stella to the moon for a touch of shimmer.  I then stamped the image again and fussy cut the owl so I could adhere it over the top.  I glued the owl flat at the body but placed Dimensionals under the wings.  I'd given Petra a list of sentiments to choose from and she selected 'Our friendship is timeless' which I cut with a banner punch.  I glued the white banner to a Silver Glimmer Paper banner and I popped that up on Dimensionals.

Here's a closer look at the popped up owl, the dimension is amazing!

Here's the inside of the card.

Here's the envelope.  I stamped the image again and cut just part of it out with a circle die.

I was very pleased when Petra told me she was happy with the card!

Supplies: 

Stamps: Woodware 'Lino Cut, Hunting Owl', SU! 'Timeless Tropical' set, Hero Arts 'Special Birthday'

CS: SU! Gorgeous Grape & Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink: SU! Gorgeous Grape  

Tools:SU! 'Layering Circles' die set, 'Banners' Pick a Punch, Wink of Stella pen

Embellishments & Accessories: SU! purple Tricolor Ribbon, Dimensionals

Ruth

Lots & Lots Of Happy Cards - Gift Set

This is a set of eight note cards and envelopes I made for Petra who made me a lovely fabric bag to keep my face masks in.  I think it's a lovely thing when crafters share their hand made goodies!  

Here are all eight cards pegged up on my new hexagon display thingy.  I kept to the same design but switched the colours up, making two of each colour combo.  It's very satisfying to see a collection of cards together!

Here are four cards showing the colour combos - from left to right it's Just Jade with Magenta Madness, Pear Pizzazz with Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green with Highland Heather and Old Olive with Bermuda Bay.  I like them all but if I had to pick a favourite it would be Granny Apple Green with Highland Heather and Just Jade with Magenta Madness would be a close second!

Here's just one card.  The SU note cards measure 3 1/2" x 5" so are smaller than a standard A6 card.  The fern and flower images are from the SU! 'Positive Thoughts' stamp set and the happy sentiment is from the 'Lots of Happy' set that went with the 'Lots of Happy' card kit.  I used full strength ink and stamped off once ink (second generation stamping) for the ferns and flowers.  The 'Positive Thoughts' set does have a butterfly stamp but I tried it and felt it was too large for the smaller sized note card so I opted to punch the smaller butterfly from the 'Butterfly Duet' punch.  After shaping the wings I added rhinestone jewels to add some sparkle to the butterflies.

Of course, the insides of the note cards and the envelopes had to be stamped too!  That fern has to be one of the prettiest stamps ever!

Once I'd finished I placed the note cards and envelopes in a cello bag and added a tag tied with a ribbon bow.

Here's a closer look at the tag.  I die cut a shape from the 'Stitched So Sweetly' set of dies and popped up a 'Stitched Shape' oval.  I love that sentiment from the 'Fancy Phrases' set - it's perfect for a gift tag!  I punched a Granny Apple Green butterfly and added three rhinestone jewels.  I tied the tag onto the bag with the purple Tricolor Ribbon which ties so beautifully.

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! 'Positive Thoughts', 'Fancy Phrases' & 'Lots of Happy' sets

CS: SU! Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Highland Heather, Magenta Madness & Whisper White

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Granny Apple Green, Highland Heather, Just Jade, Magenta Madness, Old Olive & Pear Pizzazz

Tools:SU! 'Butterfly Duet' punch, 'Stitched Shapes' & 'Stitched So Sweetly' die sets, Crop-A-Dile, X Cut 3/8" circle punch

Embellishments & Accessories: cello bag, SU! purple Tricolor Ribbon, Rhinestone Jewels

Ruth

Denim Heart & Fabric Dress Sew Lovely Card

I've had some gorgeous face masks made for me by a lovely lady called Petra - her Facebook page is Buttoned With Love - and I suggested to her that she might think about making fabric bags/pouches for people to store their masks in.  Petra very kindly made me a pretty bag and I thought I'd have some fun with fabric and buttons to make her a thank you card.  It's been a long time since I've used my SU! 'Dress Up' dies and I really enjoyed choosing the fabric and raiding my button tin!

Here's the card and envelope together.

Here's the card.  I started off by stamping the stitched heart using black StazOn ink onto a sheet of denim and I then used double sided adhesive to stick the fabric to a piece of CS.  I then fussy cut the heart and glued it to the front of an A6 sized black card base.  I used double sided adhesive again to attach the pretty floral fabric to a piece of CS, I die cut the dress and added ribbon and a sweet little flower button.  I popped the dress up on Dimensionals.  I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of Pretty in Pink CS, cut that out using a stitched rectangle die and popped that up. Wow, Pretty in Pink is a blast from the past, I only have a couple of CS sheets left but it's the pink colour that matches best with the fabric.  I threaded a few buttons with black baker's twine and attached them to the card with glue dots to finish the front.

Here's a closer look at the denim heart and dress.  The heart stamp is from an old Docrafts Papermania set that came free with a magazine - it's great!  I was given some fabric pieces years ago by some card group ladies who do patchwork.  Fabrics with a tiny print are perfect for these die cut dresses!  I still have a box full in my stash and I'm glad as I chose not to part with my retired 'Dress Ups' die set or my 'Button, Button' stamp set - I knew I'd want to play again one day!  

Here's the inside of the card.  I wanted to stamp buttons using black, Old Olive and Pretty in Pink inks.  Sadly, my Pretty in Pink ink pad has dried out and I don't have an ink refill.  I die cut a Pretty in Pink CS button instead and consigned the dried out ink pad to the bin. 😞

Here's the envelope.  I die cut a fabric flower (attached to a piece of CS with double sided adhesive) added a button and mounted it onto punched circles.  

What a fun project, I had a blast!  The anniversary card I made recently was commissioned by Petra.  I've also made her a set of eight note cards and envelopes as a little gift in return for the fabric bag she made for me.  All the cards have been delivered and I'm delighted to say Petra was so happy with them, she gave me such lovely feedback!   I'll be sharing the note cards here on the blog tomorrow.  I've not met Petra in person but it's so lovely to connect and share with a fellow crafty person! 

Supplies: 

Stamps: DoCrafts Papermanis 'Sew Lovely' magazine freebie set, SU! 'Peaceful Moments' set

CS: Basic Black, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink & Whisper White 

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Old Olive

Tools: SU! 'Dress Up' & 'Stitched Rectangles' die set, circle punches, button die from MFT 'Blueprints 14' die set, First Edition 'Flowers' die set

Embellishments & accessories: double sided adhesive sheet, floral fabric, Papermania denim sheet pack, SU! buttons, black baker's twine, Dimensionals

Ruth