Thursday, April 30, 2020

Celebrate Baby!


Our family is so excited to welcome a sweet new baby...a great niece...into the world!  She was born a bit early and is still in NICU, but she is making steady strides and will hopefully be able to go home soon.   


In the past, we might've placed a single long-stemmed rose on the altar at church, but instead in these days and times, here it is on a pretty-in-pink plaid background.  Our theme this week at Stamp Simply is feminine and floral, so sweet baby Milena's card will fit right in!

A little splash of Delicata copper ink tied the colors of this Craft Consortium Watercolour designer paper in with the Copic colors of the flower.  Her card needed to be relatively flat for mailing, but I still wanted it to be pink and girlie with a little bit of sparkle, so the glittery ink splashes and Wink of Stella on the flower helped to accomplish that.  There's even a bow and one tiny rhinestone, but they should travel well enough.  


You can see more of that pretty Watercolour paper on the inside.  This is the flip side of the plaid and it is SO beautiful!  

Both of the sentiment stamps used on this card for baby "Mila" are from Stamp Simply's Farmhouse All Occasion Greetings set.  



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Thursday, April 23, 2020

Happy Father's Day!


Last week, we at Stamp Simply were featuring Mother's Day cards, and this week, it's Father's Day projects.  Since I have Yooper in-laws who snow-bird to Arizona and MIL's card used our U.P. set, I thought this paper might be fun for an AZ version of a Father's Day card.  

The pretty green background paper underneath the focal image is from Craft Consortium's Dark Grunge paper pad.  It was a great match, and gave the card a more masculine feel.


The sentiment is stamped in gold on a fishtail banner die that was cut from a scrap of blue card stock and matted with the darker green.


For the inside, I used the same grunge paper and a pre-cut scalloped strip from the Kaisercraft pad.  I stamped the sentiment in gold but it needed more "pop" so I used a Copic marker and blending tool to add a "drop shadow" to the edges of the letters.  

Clean and simple, flat for mailing.  



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Thursday, April 16, 2020

Happy Mother's Day!


This week at Stamp Simply we are featuring cards for Mother's Day, which is May 10th.  If you haven't visited the Stamp Simply blog yet, don't miss it!  Lots of beautiful cards and beautiful ideas!


It's a great time to shop for stamps and card-making supplies because we have lots on sale, and there's $1 shipping on all US orders through this Sunday. 

  

My mom has been gone for nearly 6 years, but I am so very blessed to still have my Yooper mother-in-law.  ❤️  When we go for our Summer visit each year, there is almost always a great big bowl of cherries on the counter, so this paper will hopefully make her smile and remember lots of fun times our family has had together.

The UP image was stamped on the reverse print of the cherry designer paper.  I used a couple of Copic markers to add some shading to the roadways to add interest and tie all the colors together.  I used the same markers on the edge of the sentiment banner.  


Inside there is a peek of coordinating designer print of cherry blossoms.  Everything inside and out was splashed with diluted silver Delicata ink.  I love how it adds shimmer and seems to really unify the various papers and colors.   

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Thursday, April 9, 2020

You DID it!



This week Stamp Simply is featuring a tribute to the graduates of 2020, whose ceremonies and celebrations were quite unceremoniously derailed by the world-wide crisis of Covid-19. Graduation is a HUGE deal, and the fact that loved ones can't be together to mark this incredible milestone makes sending a hand-made card that much more important.  We hope to inspire you with card designs that are fun and yet flat for mailing.


This designer paper is actually from a Christmas pad, but I couldn't resist using it.  Of course, to family and friends, every graduate is a Star!  


The diploma and the paper on the inside of the card were made from another designer print in the same paper pad.  I suppose technically it is supposed to represent marble, but it sorta reminded me of the paper some diplomas are printed on.  I used to do calligraphy on paper that had that kind of marbling.


The inside of the card gives a subtle nod to the tradition graduates so exuberantly and joyfully participate in at the end of the ceremony after moving their tassels from one side to the other...launching their caps heavenward.  How exciting to realize that graduation opens the door to infinite possibilities...the sky truly IS the limit!  

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Thursday, April 2, 2020

What Lies Within


It seems that the whole world is holding its breath as the majority of us wait at home hoping to flatten the peak of the Covid-19 contagion.  In yesterday's daily briefing we were cautioned that these next two weeks may be difficult weeks and urged to reach deep within for the hope that is vital to make it through without wavering.  

While we card-makers and crafters are likely to have plenty to keep us happily occupied (and no longer feeling quite so guilty for the stash we've accumulated 😂), that doesn't mean that staying home has been easy.  I did well for the first week and then suddenly started to feel a bit antsy...I miss my friends and our outings together (chorale, textiles guild, lunch)!  I don't think I have ever in my entire life been so thankful for technology like television, telephone, and internet!


One of the things I've been doing to keep my mind and hands occupied is spinning.  I have lots of spindles and several wheels, and a variety of projects going at once to keep things interesting. Here's a photo of my "Spring Quarantine Spin" that inspired the colors for today's Stamp Simply project.


I smeared several colors of distress ink onto a craft mat, blending the edges where they touched with a wet brush, then pressing them onto a dampened sheet of watercolor paper.  (I used Barn Door and Chipped Sapphire to make purple before adding the other colors).  Once the paper was absolutely bone dry, I stamped the sentiment onto it in Memento ink, die cut it with an oval die, and distress inked the edges.  This quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, which is included in our Graduation Sentiments set, provides us with a perfect reminder that we can help miracles happen.   


The quote inside is a reminder that this strength does not come from us alone, but from Christ Jesus.   Through Him, in Him, and with Him, we are able to stand firm and extend grace the world over.

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