Wedding Cake Surprise

With all the weddings this year, it makes sense that I also need to make some cards to give to the happy couples!  First up is my cousin, who ties the knot today with her high school sweetheart.  Their wedding colors are a bright blue and a bright green, so I immediately went to Pacific Point and Wild Wasabi for this card.

I'm using some favorites here.  First up, this cake is from For The Bride which I embossed with Wild Wasabi embossing powder.  That's right, colored embossing powder!  That's your second sneak peek from the Summer Mini, and I love it.  Check out the extra shine and texture it gives to the card.

I can't wait to show it to you in person--book your parties now!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: For The Bride
Ink: Basic Black, VersaMark
Paper: Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Extras: Wild Wasabi embossing powder, Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, Scallop Edge punch, Basic Rhinestones, Corner Rounder punch

Summer Mini Sneak Peek

Finally, I make good on my promises!  Here is my first sneak peek from the Summer Mini, which goes live this coming Sunday, May 1st.  May 1 is always a great day in my book, and this just makes it even better.

I received my sneak peek goodies two weeks ago, but hadn't had any time to play with them.  Then I saw a fantastic card on Angela McKay's blog that inspired me to get started.  Of course, hours passed between the time I saw her card (on my morning commute) and when I made my own version (late in the evening), so this isn't an exact replica, but I like it anyway.

The sneak peek is a new punch--and you know how I love punches!  This one is extra spectacular, since it is a 3-in-1 punch that cut all of the shapes you see on the card.  That's right, the flower outline, the solid flowers (2 sizes!) and the petaled flowers all came from a single punch.  All these shapes offer great options for layering, but also work wonderfully for the embedded technique seen here, that uses the Big Shot and Square Lattice embossing folder.

The other elements of this card are also new to me, though they've been available for quite a while.  The banner shape for my message is from the Petal Cone die in the Occasions Mini (did you catch that on page 15?) and the fantastic "happy birthday" comes from Curly Cute, a set I've wished for ever since the Idea Book and Catalog was released last summer.  So glad I finally ordered it--I'm going to get lots of use out of this great set!

So that's your first sneak peek, but there are plenty more great treats in store.  Stay tuned!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Curly Cute
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Extras: Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Big Shot, Petal Cone die, Square Lattice embossing folder

CRAZY for My Digital Studio!!!

I promise to have a Summer Mini sneak peek project to share tomorrow (no time to photograph it yet), but for today, I just want to share some of my super enthusiasm for My Digital Studio.  A recent program update added some fantastic new layouts, including a tri-fold card that I'm planning to make lots.  And this week's digital downloads include one of my favorite, FAVORITE stamp sets--Compliments to the Chef, which includes the fantastic silverware and border images I stamped on this sample menu card for an upcoming wedding.

I can't wait to use the digital file, and I have great plans for it.  Stay tuned!  And in the meantime, check out these newest digital releases to fire up your creative energy.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Compliments to the Chef
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cajun Craze
Paper: Naturals Ivory

A GrIndian Save The Date!

What better way to blend cultures and cultural imagery than on a card...especially for an upcoming wedding!  These happen to be very special to me because they are my own wedding save the dates.  Yup, that's partially the reason for my sporadic blog posts (I promise to be much better after July).

These stamps are not from SU but I wanted to share some of the great things about this card anyway.  The paper and embossing powder are SU (though retired) but the look is fantastic (I think, but I am a bit biased, haha).  I've gotten so many compliments on this card and though there were a few steps that made it tedious, it was pretty easy overall.

I knew I wanted a different shape and size so I planned that out first, checking out the various sizes of envelopes to make sure I had something to mail them out in.  =)  Then, I planned out the size of the text box and worked some MDS magic downloading both Indian + Greek-inspired fonts.  After cutting these out and mounting them on Razzleberry paper, I worked on the teal card backs.  As always I do everything as an assembly line: working on each element at a time and doing all 100 of them before moving on to another element.  The embossing was the time-consuming part.  The 'embossing buddy' is your best friend when emobssing...DO NOT skip this step...it will definitely make the difference between an "amateur" job and a "professional" looking job.  I stamped sets of 10 cards at a time with Versa and then would cover with the embossing powder & heat before moving on to the next set of 10.  Doing things in steps like this made the work easier and manageable.  I stamped all the envelopes with half the elephant as well in matching Taken with Teal ink.

The last step was of course my "hand stamped by Kiran" stamp on the back and a magnet so these beauties could be enjoyed by all!

Happy Stamping!
~Kiran

Stamps: non-SU Indian elephant, non-SU Greek Key Border
Ink: Taken with Teal (retired), Versamark
Paper: Taken with Teal (retired), Crumb Cake, Elegant Eggplant
Extras: bronze embossing powder (retired)

A "Shower" of Wishes

This was a shower invite I just did for a friend of mine.  While the design was a surprise to her, the idea came simply, and I think they look fantastic!  Elegant design + beautiful elements = 65 cards in a cinch!  I cut the vanilla paper a 1/4" smaller on all four sides, rounded all the corners and punched the top corners with a fancy punch (this one is a non-Stampin' Up! punch but you can use any decorative corner punch you like).  Though the blue cardstock color is retired, the same look can be achieved with any subtle color tones.  MDS made laying out the text easy and I love how the name is highlighted in a larger and script font.  The umbrella punch (non-SU) is a fun accent too, popped up with a dimensional on the back.

I hope you enjoyed this look and can use it as an inspiration for laying out your next project!
Happy Stamping,
Kiran

Paper: Ballet Blue, Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery
Extras: Non-SU umbrella punch, Non-SU corner punch

You Can Do It...

While these are certainly a bit more risque than other cards Mel & I have made, we had a lot of fun creating the custom stamp and making the cards.  The custom stamp is from Stampin Up! and you can pretty much get any quote, saying, name, address, etc, you'd like.  Check out page 145 of the Idea Book & Catalog for different fonts and styles.

These were for my recent house warming party with friends and I have to say, they were very well received.  Taken from an old hip-hop song, Mel and I have plenty of memories using this lyric!  Paired with the 'Have a Seat' stamp set, these were a "cheeky" way to have fun with what would normally be bland house warming invites.  We love them, hope you do too!

Happy Stamping!
~Kiran

Stamps: Have a Seat
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Ballet Blue (retired)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black

Bird Punch Bridal Shower

Melanie helped me with this one.  I was at a stand-still trying to come up with something unique and pretty for another girl friend's bridal shower invites.  One quick call to Mel got my creative juices flowing!  She mentioned the bird punch and I was on my way; checking all my stamping drawers for the perfect edge punch and accents.  Of course, MDS helped me place all the text.

This piece is a what I call a "sandwich" card, a piece of colored card stock sandwiched between two printed pieces with text.  It's a great way to keep an invitation clean, neat and informal!  

Happy Stamping!

~Kiran

Paper: Only Orange (retired), Haiku DSP (retired), Very Vanilla

Extras: 2-Step Bird Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch

Coffee, Sugar, Flour Decor Elements

I loved this project.  And, it took 10 minutes.  I purchased these cool ceramic canisters from Pier 1 Imports some months back and have been using them unlabeled.  Then, while organizing my cool, new stamping room, I found these old decor elements labels I had yet to use.  While these are now retired, don't fret, you can always order decor elements sheets and die cut any words or designs you like.  This is just a testament to how easy Decor Elements really are and what an impact they make.  I hope I got you excited about them so happy shopping!

~Kiran

Materials: Decor Elements Labels, Decor Elements Applicator

Shhh...

You'll be calling us the sleepy stampers before long!  There's something about slightly warmer weather that always brings us out of our stamping corners for showers, parties, happy hours with long-neglected friends, travel, enjoying the flowers, etc.  And that's in addition to our regular jobs!  So yes, stamping has definitely taken a back seat recently.

Actually, it's blogging more than stamping that has been on the back burner.  We've both been busy filling orders (wedding invitations, shower invitations, house warming invitations...you get the idea) and making cards for our own use and enjoyment.  So we have a lot stored up to show you, but we need to start sharing!

First up, we'll update the blog look for April--hopefully before the month is half over--and then you should expect to see lots of great things and fun projects.  There will also be sneak peeks before long, since this the last month for the Occasions Mini and I've already put in a pre-order of goodies from the Summer Mini.  So, as always, we ask that you stay tuned!

Cheers,
Melanie & Kiran