Baby Thank You

'Tis the season of babies!  This is a simple thank you card that I designed for a customer who ordered baby shower invitations from us.  (I'll share the invites--and party favors!--soon)  These cards are sweet, simple and really cute.  I hope the mom-to-be will get lots of use out of them!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Fox and Friends, Thank You Kindly
Ink: Brilliant Blue, Certainly Celery, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Whisper White
Extras: Stamp-a-majig

Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers

Say that three times fast!  In keeping with the two recent posts, here is a card I made for new parents who are friends of mine.  This is a fairly simple card that uses two colors and two stamp sets.  Sweet and simple.

I stamped En Francais in Chocolate Chip on Kraft, then sponged the edges with more Chocolate Chip and some Riding Hood Red over the middle.  (Does this make it look vintage?  I have no clue, but everyone seems to be raving about vintage now.  I just thought it looked too stark before I added the red sponging)

The little piece is stamped with the buggy from Puns from the Past, inked with both Chocolate Chip and Real Red.  I don't have the Riding Hood Red marker...but you wouldn't know the difference if I hadn't told you, now would you?  I also sponged around this piece, then put it all together...and had to wait a few weeks for the baby to come so I could put it in the mail.  She's here now, and everyone is very happy.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: En Francais, Puns from the Past
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Real Red
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Kraft
Extras: sponges, Corner Rounder punch

Happy Mother's Day

Hi Mom!

I sent Mom her card and gift earlier this week, but have held off on posting here...just in case she decided to give my blog a quick glance.  Unlikely, but you never know!  This is the card she opened/will open today, and I hope she likes it.

I was just playing around when I made this card, and sometimes that's the best thing to do.  I got out my Circle Scissors Plus, which I love but don't use often enough, and quickly had circles in the retiring colors Ballet Blue, Orchid Opulence, and Cameo Coral--all favorites of mine.  Then I got out my trusty Big Shot and added texture to each of these circles with a quick trip through the Big Shot in an embossing folder: Bashful Blue in the new Square Lattice embossing folder, Orchid Opulence in the Manhattan Flower folder, and Cameo Coral in the polka dot folder.  The layout was, again, just me playing around; this is essentially how they landed when I dropped the circles on the table.  

The base is Apricot Appeal--a color I am not sad to lose, I have to say--and that sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  I stamped it on Sage Shadow and then popped it out with the Modern Label punch and this card was great to go.  I hope Mom likes it!

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Basic Black

Paper: Apricot Appeal, Ballet Blue, Orchid Opulence, Cameo Coral, Sage Shadow

Extras: Circle Scissors Plus, Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder, Manhattan Flower embossing folder, Modern Label punch, dimensionals

Sewing Friends

I traded one of the sets I use less for a set I've been wanting for a while...and I have to say, I love trades!  What a great way to save some money and still get what you'd like.  So here is my first card with Puns from the Past.

Also, Stampin' Up! is going through a color renovation--out with the old, in with the new--so I'm trying to use up some of my "old" colors.  It took me a long time to warm up to Sage Shadow, but once I did I went all in...which means that I have lots to use up now.  So Sage Shadow forms the base of this card, stamped with En Francais in Sage Shadow Ink.

The next piece is a color that will be staying, Sahara Sand.  And it is obviously the focal point, with the sewing machine inked in Chocolate Chip, and the sentiment in Brilliant Blue...another of those colors that will disappear come July 1.  Since it is about to go, I decided to use it for some sponging as well.  And then, my stroke of genius (in my opinion) was to use the Masterpiece Ribbon Originals for a little "stitching" to tie the whole card together.

And that's all.  Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Puns From the Past, En Francais
Ink: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, Brilliant Blue
Paper: Sage Shadow, Sahara Sand
Extras: Corner Rounder punch, sponge, Masterpiece Originals ribbon

Welcome Baby

This is perfect timing, because I just learned today about the arrival of the first of my friends' expected spring babies.  This means that Bambi and Thumper are going in the mail very soon (I don't think they're supposed to be Disney characters, but doesn't it look like them?)

The only "fancy" thing on this card is the tree--I inked it in Gable Green, then used my Chocolate Chip marker to color in the trunk and branches before stamping.  The deer is Close to Cocoa and the bunny is in Basic Grey, stamped off once.

I mounted the stamped piece of Whisper White onto Close to Coca, then used the corner rounder punch on its corners.  I chose Gable Green for the card base, so it would bring out those spring green leaves, and edged a piece of Brilliant Blue with the Scallop Trim Edge Punch.  The final touch is the sentiment, which was an easy addition from Chit Chat rub-ons.  As luck would have it, there are a number of "welcome baby" sentiments in that pack, and I'll be using those soon.

Happy Friday!
~Melanie

Stamps: Forest Friends
Ink: Gable Green, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Gable Green, Brilliant Blue, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White
Extras: Scallop Trim Edge Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Chit Chat Rub-Ons

Crazy Circle Circus

Ok, so maybe it isn't crazy, but I have a serious love-hate relationship with this stamp set.  I really liked it when I first got it, and had so many ideas for those different circles and whimsical cards.  But then I never quite liked how the cards turned out.

I've come back around to liking this set, and I think the right color combination makes all the difference.  Give it up once again for Summer Sun and Basic Grey!  (Note: apparently this color combo is HOT right now.  I don't think I could ever wear it, so it's strictly card colors for me.)  The beauty of a card like this is that you really can't go wrong, just stamp away and overlap the images and have fun.

To get a lighter shade of grey for the sentiment, I stamped it on scrap paper once before putting it on the card stock.  The little dots of solid grey and yellow are left over daisy centers from yesterday's card.  It's that easy!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Circle Circus, Thank You Kindly
Ink: Basic Grey, Summer Sun
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Grey, Summer Sun

Hello Daisy

A color combination recently caught my eye on a quick shopping trip, and I had to try it for myself.  Bright yellow and deep grey became Summer Sun and Basic Grey...but there's no way to stamp Summer Sun onto Basic Grey.  Big Shot to the rescue!

With my Daisies #2 die (which must have been hibernating for the winter), I cut out three each of both the grey and yellow, so I'd be able to layer with abandon.  Using Dotto to hold everything together, and I offset the daisies slightly to get this very full petal look.  Then I grabbed a coordinating corduroy button in Basic Grey for the center, and my daisy was ready for a card.

This is a pretty large card: 5-1/4 by 5-1/4.  There's so much room to write!  I grabbed some designer series paper in Basic Grey (from a retired set) and mounted that on summer sun for the thinnest of borders.  However, I was then at a loss for a greeting--especially because you can't stamp onto such a dark color.  I also wanted a greeting that would be as bold as the daisy, so I turned again to the Big Shot.  With my Timeless Type sizzlits, I cut out a very bright hello...and added an exclamation point (a) for emphasis (b) because my word wasn't centered.  Which do you think is the right answer?

TIP: To save paper/reduce oddly shaped scraps when using the Timeless Type dies, punch out your paper with the 1-1/4" square punch first.  That way you get only the letter you want, and I was able to use my scraps from the daisies.

This card is ready to go in the mail, but it's more likely that I'll hand-deliver this one or stick it in a package.  The size and shape mean that this card requires extra postage, and that's an important detail!

Cheers!
~Melanie

Paper: Summer Sun, Basic Grey, Whisper White, Urban Oasis (retired)
Extras: Big Shot, Daisies #2, Timeless Type, Basic Grey Corduroy Buttons