Alphabet 4U

Day 3 of Stretch your Stamps online card class was to    s-t-r-e-t-c-h usage of that genre of stamps.  I pulled out a set I had never used (why did I buy it I wonder) and began to play.  From previous class idea, I white embossed the alphabet on white cardstock.  Then took colors of Distress Ink which I stamped on my work mat, then spritzed with water and painted over the embossed letters.  a ribbon, flourish, flower, pearl, and "alphabet" sentiment on a tag completed this alphabet card.   The hardest part of the card was getting the letters off their plastic card.  Several of them tore, but I was able to smoosh them together.  Apparently not using them for a couple of years did not help them much lol!









Supplies: 
Paper: Various Card Stocks
Ink: Distress Inks
Stamp: My Sentiment Exactly
Die: Memory Box, Paper Studio punch, Martha Stewart punch
Ribbon: May Arts

Happy Birthday in Toile

The Stretch Your Stamps online card class today was a fun combination of technique and stamp usage.  One technique that caught my eye was taking a stamp and embossing it in white on white cardstock.   The white embossing "pops" when you then take an ink and apply it all over the card.  Taking a tissue and wiping of excess ink can then brighten the white. (ooops, I forgot to do that on this card).  I absolutely love this Toile background stamp from Unity Stamps!  I decided I wanted the background to be the focal point of the card.  I mounted it on a piece of cardstock, added a strip of ribbon, used a fancy label die, and embossed a Happy Birthday.  A couple of large brads provide the pop of color.  I confess I saw using the bows on each side of a stamped image on a card made by Sharon Johnson and thought it  a perfect design detail for this card.

Supplies

Paper: Cardstocks

Stamps: Unity, JustRite Just a Note Set

Ink: Distress Iced Spruce, Versamark

Embossing Powder: Zing Charcoal

Ribbon:  May Arts

Misc: Brads from ?

Swirl Background

Use your stamps 5 ways?  Online Card Class Day One highlighted the use of background stamps.  Even though I have several (many), I always find it hard to think "outside the box" with them.  For this card I followed one of the suggested techniques...with a bit of a twist.  I made my own "stamp pad" by squirting some Mica Gloss on white glossy card stock.  I then took a second piece of glossy white cardstock and "smooshed" it together on top of the Mica Gloss squirts.  After peeling apart the two sheets of paper, I had my stamp pad.  I then stamped my background stamp on a piece of white cardstock and added a few embellishments.  The end result was adhered to the original "stamp pad" and then mounted on a coordinating piece of card stock.  Colors used for the stamp pad were blue, silver, and lavender.



Supplies:
Cardstock: Glossy White, White
Ink: Mica Gloss
Die Cuts: Spellbinder IttyBitty, Memory Box Florish, Martha Stewart Punch
Ribbon: May Arts Silk
Misc: Swarovski crystals, Prima(?) flower

Like Selma

Like Selma's by Lynn

Selma's Card

I'm always so impressed with Selma's cards!  So feminine, so detailed.   Joan's Garden's challenge this week   http://www.atjoansgardens.com/2012/07/this-weeks-challenge.html was to make a card "very similar" to Selma's using pink and white, embossed background, lace border, and flowers using Selma's tutorial.  What a perfect opportunity to make a card "like Selma's.   Selma's tutorial  http://selmasstampingcorner.blogspot.com/2012/07/rose-tutorial.html is awesome!   
Supplies
Paper: pink and white cardstock and drawing
Dies: Spellbinders 
Punch: Martha Stewart
Ribbon: MayArts
Pearls: JLC Memories and Hobby Lobby
Lace: a scrap I had
Glues, Glue Dots, Tapes
 

Pearls and Lace

Oh yeah!  Cornish Heritage Farms is back.  And ...  they have initiated a Blog challenge.  Take a peak at http://cornishheritagefarms.com This week's challenge was entitled Pearls ad Lace.  Oh my favorite....take a piece of lace (Black) and put it over sticky paper.  Rub glitter onto the sticky paper and tap the excess off.  Then choose a stamp and color it.  Get a fabulous pearl swirl and a couple pieces of paper and ribbon.  Voila! a pearls and lace card!
Supplies
Paper: cardstocks, Webster Pages
Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms
Ribbon: May Arts
Lace: Unknown
Pearl Flourish:  Prima Marketing
Ink: Memento, Copic
Glitter: Art Institute

Celebrate Stars and Stripes

I saw a piece of quilting fabric on an ebay auction (no, I don't quilt so why I happened on that particular auction is a mystery!) and thought it would make a beautiful backdrop for a red/white/blue patriotic card.  This is the first I've stamped on ribbon!
Supplies:
Paper: cardstocks, quilting fabric
Stamps: JustRite Myriad Pro Font, JustRite All Occasion Nested Sentiments
Ink: Memento Paris Dusk
Ribbon: May Arts
Die: Spellbinder Star
Jewels: Swarovski crystals
A couple of brads

The 4th is such a fun time to make cards...patriotic....celebratory...yeah! for the Red, White, and Blue.
I entered this card into several challenges....  JustRite Friday Challenge #076 - "Stars & Stripes", www.Atjoans'sgardens.com and "Oh I Love America" at http://www.myshericrafts.blogspot.com

Baby Boy

Thank you Connie MacFarlane!  I saw her "just like" card on the www.notimetostamp.blogspot.com website awhile ago and snagged it as one I'd like to make sometime.  Mostly I am not a "designer", but I am an "executor" lol!  If she ever sees this, then I hope she is falttered that I made her card.
 My daughter-in-law needed a baby card for she and her co-workers to give a new mother.  I hope all are pleased with this card.  On the inside I covered the brown cardstock with the same blue print paper and printed out a "baby poem" on it.  (Yeah for computers!)
 Supplies:
Paper: Graphic 45, Paper Studio (I think), Cardstock
Stamp: Uptown Rubber Stamps Holly Pond Hill
Cuts: Martha Stewart Punch, Spellbinders Blossom 3
Embossing: Cuttledbug Love Language folder, Comotion Brown Embossing Powder
Ribbon: May Arts Silk