Baby Diapers

Hello, hello!  I'm still here, and have been doing some stamping...but not much posting.  I'll try to change that--starting with this cute invitation to a baby shower, which is shaped like a diaper.

I was very excited to get an electronic cutter for my birthday, and recently got to put it to work to make these invitations for a friend of a friend.  She saw a great baby shower invitation on Pinterest (haven't we all?) and wanted to make them herself.  I realized it would be much quicker--and much easier--to print and then cut out the invitations with my ecutter, so that's just what I did.

But nothing is complete without a little stamping, and it wouldn't be a baby shower invitation without Fox and Friends.  In keeping with her jungle theme for the shower and the nursery, I called on the monkey, giraffe and lion to give these diapers a little extra flair.

Hope you like them!
~Melanie

Stamps: Fox & Friends
Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Cajun Craze

A Minnie Mouse Birthday!

For a niece's 1st birthday, I was happy to take on the Minnie Mouse challenge.  =)  Ayushi's one-year milestone was a black, white, and pink-polka dot fete fit for a beautiful little mousey!  Check out the invites, thank you cards, cupcake toppers I made with punches.  This is just another testament to how much [more than cards] you can make with just your punches!  Get them & get them in various sizes.  The trusty Big Shot can create the name banner & large round circles for the invites.  And, the fuzzy cake topper and table center pieces were fun craft projects in glitter & pom-poms.  Enjoy the photos & I hope this gets you inspired to use your Big Shot & punches for projects other than just cards.  

The perfect invites: 

 The pom-pom & rhinestone cake topper: (it's a keeper!)

Styrofoam w/black glitter table center pieces:

Ayushi's glitter name banner:

Cupcake toppers:

Heat embossed TY Cards: 

Happy [crafting] & stamping!
~Kiran

Paisley Bridal Shower for Kiran

If you've learned one thing about Kiran by now, it's that she LOVES her paisleys!  Her decor radiates between paisleys and peacocks, and is quite a thing to behold--just beautiful.  So when it came time to make her shower invitations, there was only one place for me to go--For the Bride.  Kiran has been saving this stamp set and planning its deployment long before her lucky groom popped the question, and I was both excited and nervous to finally make her vision a reality.

The good news is that Kiran LOVES the invitations, so I did something right.  I went with a color combination of Cherry Cobbler and Very Vanilla because Hindu brides wear red on their wedding day.  I used my trusty Big Shot and the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder to create the textured edge.  I stamped the "paisley bride" (Kiran's name for the stamp set) on Very Vanilla with the matching Cherry Cobbler ink, and added the invitation sentiment in Early Espresso.

The back has all the details for the shower...and there is loads of fun in store for Kiran at the end of June.  I hope she's ready!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: For the Bride
Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler
Extras: Big Shot, Framed Tulips embossing folder

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

Western Wedding 2

And we have a winner!  Heather and Jeremy decided that this invitation, which is elegant and has all their favorite elements but also is eco-friendly because it uses minimal paper.  This invitation is 8.5 x 3.5, which is a nice large size that has plenty of room for scripted lettering and some fun stamping.

I used the Tetons stamp, which Heather special ordered for these invitations, to make a medallion belly band with the Wide Oval punch.  The stand of three pine trees, which I love, is from Plant Hope.  I plan to use this stamp set much more, so stay tuned for that.

The invitation looks nice without the belly band as well--and that can be slid anywhere you like along the invitation.  The belly band will hold everything together--invitation, RSVP postcard, map, and website information.  I'm ready to mass produce!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Plant Hope
Ink: Pear Pizazz, Perfect Plum, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Ivory Naturals, Perfect Plum, Pear Pizazz

Western Wedding 1

More wedding invitations!  I've been busy again, working on some Western wedding invitation ideas for my good friend, Heather.  She and Jeremy met in Jackson Hole, WY and share a true love of the outdoors.  As I mentioned when I shared her bison thank you cards, this isn't my usual style so I've been doing a LOT of thinking outside the box.

The first option I'm sharing is this compact 4x6 invitation with a belly band.  Stampin' Up! doesn't have any mountain stamps in their current line-up, so Heather special ordered this stamp of the Tetons.  I also used a non-SU embossing folder to get that wood grain textured look on the top flap.  The bottom flap has "You're Invited" from Wedding Sweet embossed in gold, though it's hard to see because it was so sunny when I took these pictures.

When you open the invitation, you still see "you're invited," which I think is a nice way to tie the front and inside together.  Underneath the text are three pines from Plant Hope, and the edges are sponged with the corresponding ink.

While I like this option, it isn't my favorite...and I still haven't heard from Heather to know what she thinks.  So stay tuned!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Plant Hope, Wedding Sweet
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizazz, Versamark
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizazz, Naturals Ivory
Extras: Corner Rounder punch, Big Shot, Gold embossing powder, Heat Tool

Sweet and Simple Wedding Invite

Today's Bingo piece is the snowman!  Did I mention that I love that guy?  I do.

Today's project is not for the holidays, but I needed a break.  This is by far the simplest wedding invitation that I've designed--and that works for me, since I'll be making lots of these!  A. and V. are planning a small, simple garden wedding and wanted invitations to match, but in bright colors that would match their spirits.  I made this demo just because I wanted to play with the Wedding Sweet set, but they loved it.  And why wouldn't they?  It's hard not to love silver heat embossing.

The invitation is flat, so this is the back.  The belly band holds together any inserts that they may want, like RSVP cards or directions.  It also makes it feel like you're "opening" the invitation, even though there's nothing to unfold.  The initials are from Monogram Sweet, and stamped in Night of Navy on White Naturals.  I used the Wide Oval punch to pop the initials, and mounted that on the Decorative Label punch from the holiday mini.

This is the back of the invitation, where the actual text will go.  Since this is a flat invite, I opted for three layers to make it feel more sturdy, and used my Corner Rounder punch on each layer for an easy, polished look.  What do you think?

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Wedding Sweet, Monogram Sweet
Ink: VersaMark, Night of Navy
Paper: Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, White Naturals
Extras: Decorative Label punch, Wide Oval punch, Corner Rounder punch, Silver embossing powder, heat tool

Fall Wedding Invite #2

Here's the second fall wedding invitation sample I came up with.  I got my colors from the Autumn Spice Speciality Designer Series Paper, which currently graces our blog header and background--I love using Designer Series Paper (DSP) for new and different color combinations.  I'm doing a similar borrowing for my Christmas cards!

Other than the colors, this is very similar to yesterday's invitation--except for its size.  The invitation I shared yesterday was quite large, but this uses half sheets of paper for each side of the cross over pocket, so the finished product is the same size as my normal card, approximately 4.25 x 5.5 inches.  

I used the same With Gratitude (retired) stamp set for the leaf images, and stamped them in matching colors to the paper (so Old Olive on Old Olive and Early Espresso on Early Espresso) to have a sharp tone on tone look.  With darker colors of paper, I find that stamping tone on tone is more visible than using VersaMark ink.

I wasn't sure how I felt about More Mustard as the background for the invitation text, so I also made an insert with Naturals Ivory.  I think that small change tones down the entire palette, and gives this invitation a more refined look.  And this is very close (but not quite!) to the invitation that the couple choose.  Stay tuned for more!

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: With Gratitude (retired)

Ink: Old Olive, Early Espresso

Paper: Old Olive, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Naturals Ivory

Fall Wedding Invitation #1

Recently, I've been very busy with wedding invitations, so you can expect to see lots more of these in the coming weeks/months.  I have three samples for a wedding next fall that I'll be sharing first.  The couple is planning to take advantage of all the fall color, and wanted to carry that theme over to their invitations.  I can do that!!

You'll recognize this criss-cross pocket style from Hitty's and Steve's bold and bright summer wedding.  With just a quick change of the colors and stamps, this is ready for fall.  I used Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango (which has suddenly replaced Pumpkin Pie for my go-to fall shade of orange) for the folder, and stamped images from With Gratitude (retired) in Cajun Craze.  I'm so glad I got that stamp set!

For the cluster of falling leaves, I used my Big Shot and the Leaves #2 die to cut out Cajun Craze, So Saffron, and Old Olive, then embossed the couples' initials in gold using the Lovely Letters stamp set.  The amphersand is inked in Chocolate Chip, and all the leaves are popped with the dimmensionals for a little extra interest.

The insert card you see, which is where the invitation text will go, is Naturals Ivory mounted on Cajun Craze, and I rounded all the corners with the Corner Rounder Punch.

This is a large format invitation, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, which means that I need full sheets of each Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango to make the pocket.  The couple decided they want something smaller...so this invitation is up for grabs.  Are you planning a fall wedding?

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: With Gratitude, Lovely Letters

Ink: Cajun Craze, VersaMark, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Naturals Ivory, So Saffron, Old Olive

Extras: Big Shot, Leaves #2 die, Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, dimmensionals

Monkey & Friends Shower Invites

Somehow I did this backwards, and showed you the thank you notes before these baby shower invites.  Oops!  I guess I got carried away with my love of Fox and Friends--but it's just perfect for little kids or babies on the way.

Two of Kiran's best friends are expecting any day now, and these are the invitations we made for their baby shower.  Both mother and father-to-be liked the animals in Fox and Friends, but it was too hard to chose just one, so they decided they wanted a 'variety pack' of invites to include their favorites--the monkey, the turtle, and the giraffe.  They also chose the colors: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, More Mustard, and Chocolate Chip.

The invitations are fairly simple: 4.25" by 5.5", with white mounted onto the base color, which coordinates to the animal on the invite.  The animals were punched out with the 1-1/4" square punch, layered onto a scallop square of Chocolate Chip.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Fox and Friends
Ink: Certainly Celery, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel
Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip
Extras: 1-1/4" square punch, scallop square punch

Bold Bright Wedding Invite

A while ago, I showed you the save the dates for Hitty and Steve's wedding--remember that bright blue and green?  Well, now that their big day has come and gone, I want to share with you the invitations that Kiran and I came up with.

To start, Hitty and Steve were both very concerned about having invitations that were both lovely and earth-friendly.  That means less paper, so we went for a criss-cross pocket rather than an elaborate folder for the invitations.  While this still gave the invites weight and a place to include all the little extras (RSVP card, directions, etc.), it used far less paper than a more traditional folder with pocket would have.

In keeping with the organic motif of their wedding, we use two different images for the invitations.  The first is visible on the Tempting Turquoise side of the criss-cross pocket.  That embossing was easily done (even for 230 invites!) with the Big Shot and the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder.  On the invitation itself, the RSVP card, and on the envelopes, we used the main scroll image from Baroque Motifs in Tempting Turquoise and Green Galore--but only one of those is stamped!  I bet you can't tell which one...so I'll tell you.  We hand stamped the envelopes and did the invitations, including the scroll image, with My Digital Studio.  That's a huge time-saver!  Which means it was also a money-saver for the couple.

Next up, I'll be showing you what Kiran did with the scraps left over from the criss-cross pockets.  Waste not, want not for an earth-friendly celebration.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Extras: My Digital Studio, Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder

You're Invited

Next up in our featured invitation week are invitations for a party I hosted back in October.  I got the idea for a "fall feast" from a former roommate and her college friends, and it was a success.  But this is just about the invitation.

When the 09-10 Idea Book and Catalog came out, I was immediately drawn to the set Compliments to the Chef.  Kiran, however, raised the practical question--when in the world would I use a silverware stamp?  Yes, it looks nifty, but silverware isn't exactly a greeting card staple.  How did I convince Kiran that this was a good way to use my stamping dollars?  Two words.

Silver embossing.

Kiran's eyes lit up, and she abandoned all resistance.  Why?  Because sometimes you have to see things differently than they initially appear...and as elegant as the silverware sample looked in the catalog (a menu with the silverware stamped in Soft Suede), it didn't fit the "I can use that more than once" bill.  But silver embossing is a whole different story.  Combined with one of my favorite Big Shot dies--Leaves #2--this was the perfect combination of fancy and fun for a Fall Feast Invite.  Especially once I discovered that "you're invited" and "bon appetit" fit on those leaves.  The final touch was sponging around the edges to make the leaves look real

The script on this invite--as with all of those we've made--was done in a word processing program and then printed directly onto colored cardstock.  I wasn't doing a lot of invitations, so I didn't worry about using up a ton of my printing ink (but you can get things printed cheaply at any office store, in case you're having a big bash).  To make the Pumpkin Pie side match the fun reverse, I borrowed the retired set With Gratitude from Kiran, and stamped the small leaf in Versamark for a watermark effect.

So there are two lessons here.
1. Think outside the box and you'll find any number of ways to use a stamp set you like.
2. When you like--really, really like--a stamp set that is retiring, you should get it!  I keep kicking myself that the lovely leaves of With Gratitude are not in my collection.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Compliments to the Chef, With Gratitude (retired)
Ink: Versamark, Really Rust
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun
Extras: Big Shot, Leaves #2 Die, Sponges, Silver Embossing Powder

Yes, We Do Invitations...

When I first started sharing my cards, the one question that I got most often--and that most surprised me--was if I made invitations.  Of course I could, but I certainly hadn't tried my hand at it.

No more, I'm proud to share.  Kiran and I have been making a number of invitations for a variety of events, and since we're *not* stamping this week, it seems like a great time to share these invitations with you.

First up is a baby shower we did recently--invitations for a friend of a friend.  It was the perfect chance to use Fox and Friends, and these sweet and simple cards were pretty easy to put together.  And check it out, we used RIBBON!  I rarely use ribbon on cards because I'm not great at tying bows--but thanks to my aunt and upline, I learned this great, no-tying ribbon trick.  Just use the double rectangle punch to make holes wide enough for your ribbon, then thread the ribbon from front to back to front to back to front again.  Obviously this isn't so simple to explain, but what it means is that you loop the ribbon around the middle cardstock, then trim the ends so it looks like a bow...and that takes care of any ribbon tying worries.  Whew!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Fox and Friends
Paper: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel Marker
Extras: Double Rectangle Punch, Bashful Blue 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Square Punch, 1-1/4" Square Punch