AYSI #002

I love, love, LOVE this sketch! So much fun!! I made a goal for myself this Stampin' Up! year that I would use more Designer Series Paper.  So far, I am managing to use it on most of my projects as of late!! Today is no exception! I love how the numbers from the Soho Subway DSP pack are an important element of today's card. Fitting for a birthday, I think!

Here's the sketch:

And here's my take:

I hesitated ordering Positively Chevron (that gumbo background stamp) as I wasn't sure the chevron pattern would stick around. I'm still not "positive" it will, but I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I have a thing for chevrons.  To get the worn look, I inked up the entire stamp (it's a big one) and then just dabbed it with a scrap of paper. Lightly in some places, more pressure in others. This gave it an uneven, slightly worn effect. Easy peasy.

I also chose to use linen thread as the vertical piece of the sketch as I didn't want to cover up any of those gorgeous numbers. I'm planning to recreate multiples of this card (it didn't take long) to give to our church's Kid's Birthday Ministry. We send out over 200 cards a year to each and every child who has a birthday! We have a great team of about 8 ladies, I think ;) 

...And that sweet little cupcake. Here's your closeup, Cupcake..

Again I used Sketched Birthday on this project. I've really been drawn to that set lately. The sketchy images are just fun, I suppose. I used Stampin' Write markers to colour the image Early Espresso and Crisp Cantaloupe. I pulled those colours from the Soho Subway DSP. That's a great way to coordinate your card. Just use the same colours as your DSP. 

Here's one more view, just because it's fun:

Hope you enjoy the sketch challenge and that the Design Team entries inspire you to create something you love!!

Have a fun & creative weekend!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Set: Sketched Birthday, Positively Chevron
Card stock: Summer Starfruit, Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla, Soho Subway DSP
Ink: Summer Starfruit Classic Ink Pad, Crisp Cantaloupe and Early Espresso Stampin' Write markers
Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" scallop circle punch
Accesories: Basic Pearls, linen thread
Other: Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge, Snail Adhesive

Happy Birthday, Baby!

I made this sweet card for the newest addition in a very close friend's family! Little Hayden was born in May (showing how long my camera cord was lost since I hadn't uploaded these photos!). I wanted the card to be boyish, but still cute and soft. I think I achieved that this go.

 What do you think? It's So Saffron, Pool Party, and Basic Gray. It was a fun colour combo to work with.  Hayden was not quite 10 days old when I met him, so I thought it was appropriate enough that I could still say Happy Birth-day! I got some snuggle time in and visited with his sweet momma. It's so good to have friends who know what it's like having toddlers at home! It's easy to feel very overwhelemed at times, but I know I have a good circle of other moms going through the same struggles. It's nice to know I'm not alone.  That's partly why I love stamping and papercrafting so much. It's a way for me to BE ME. Having young kids means doing a lot for everyone else, except yourself. Through my stamping, I've been able to escape and have "me time" almost every day. I've also met a lot of great friends (and babysitters) through stamping, which is a huge positive!

Anyways, I got a little sidetracked.

I hope you like little Hayden's first birthday card!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Set: Patterned Occasions (SAB), That's the Ticket
Card Stock: Basic Gray, So Saffron, Pool Party
Ink: Pool Party, So Saffron, Basic Gray classic Ink, Basic Gray stampin' write marker
Accessories: Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals
Tools: Big Shot die cutting machine, Polka Dot TIEF, 2 1/2" Circle punch, Ticket Duo Punch

Happy Dirtday!

I made these cards a REALLY long time ago, but then I misplaced the cable for my camera and couldn't upload any photos. We did a big rearrange of rooms in our house recently and my camera cord reappeared! It's too bad that now basically all of the stamps and papers I used are now retired! I thought you might enjoy seeing them anyways. You can always subsitute a stamp set you do have along with Designer Series Paper you have on hand. (If you don't have ANY, please shop with me at my online store).

This is still one of my all time favorite boy stamp sets! It wasn't for sale at my Rubber Rummage sale and I'm not sure I'll ever part with it. Even when my little boy grows up, it'll be something I use for years to come! I used markers to colour in the stamps and then did some paper piecing by snipping out the bucket part of the dump truck and then popping it up with a dimensional. 

Parker's Patterns Designer Series Paper was a great package of paper for creating masculine cards. Even the yellow chevron pattern has a rugged look to it. 

Here's bascially the same card just a different orientation:

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping in!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Set: I Dig You
Ink: Marina Mist, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Markers
Card Stock: Marina Mist, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Parker's Patterns DSP
Other: Stampin Sponge & Early Espresso classic ink, dimensionals
 

Punch Art Lion

Our friend recently turned 4 years old and he LOVES animals. He is always pretending to be in a zoo and gets his mom to feed the animals :) I thought he would enjoy this punch art Lion card. It's adapted from a few different lions I saw by Patty Bennett, Jackie Topa, and some random google finds. 

Here's what I came up with:

Fun, hey? I think he's pretty cute! I brayered the background with So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, and Tangerine Tango classic ink. The grass is just a chunk of Old Olive and I used paper snips to make some tall grass and I sponged just a bit for definition (although it's not very noticeable in the photo).

For Monsieur Lion, I cut out two large flowers using the Fun Flowers Bigz Die in Tangerine Tango. I sponged the edges with coordinating ink. His head is a 1 3/4" circle of So Saffron. The ears are 1/2" circles, the eyes are from the Owl punch, and same with his pupils. His jowls/cheeks/what are those things? are from the 3/4" punch (same with his feet). The little heart nose is also from the owl punch. Then I just used a Basic Black Stampin Write marker to freehand a little mouth and his whiskery whiskers, along with his paws. Sponging makes all the difference in bringing this cute lion to life!

Feel free to leave a question or comment :) I love REAL comments, instead of all the spam ones I get!

Enjoy,

Tamara

 

Out Comes the S

We've had a pretty cold spring so far, so even with the crazy winds we've been getting the last few days, at least there are some glimmers of sun!

I've been hoarding a few products lately so I decided to sit down and make myself create something with them. The first is the Cloudy Day textured impressions embossing folder (TIEF) and the second is Bootiful Occasions. I was drawn to the gumboot stamp in Bootiful Occasions as I grew up in a rainy location on the West coast. I'm used to moisture. My first pair of footwear was probably a pair of gumboots. My elementary school's logo was a gumboot. There's even a restaurant name the Gumboot Cafe.  I was enamoured with this stamp but when it came down to using it, I was perplexed. I decided to just go with a simple and straightforward design and I have to say, I like it. It brings some cheery memories of my time splashing in puddles (which I get to do again now that I have two toddlers!).

 

Nothing too glitzy or complex, just some bright colours set on a moody background of Baja Breeze and Basic Gray.

I was happy my photo actually shows the glitter! I stamped the gumboot in Jet Black StazOn and then coloured it in with a Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Marker. With my two-way glue pen, I coloured inside the clouds and then sprinked Dazzling Diamonds glitter on top and shook off the excess. 

A few small scraps of Bright Blossoms DSP and some paper snips make quick flags for a fun pop of colour and design.

I hope you find some sunshine of your own today!

Tamara

 

MOJO Monday 281 I Dig You take II

              

I know I already posted today, but I wanted to get this up for the Mojo Monday and the Dynamic Duos colour challenge!! I tried uploading from my iPod as I couldn't find my camera but it.wasn't.working.at.all!! So, I looked a little harder and found my camera! Yippee!

 

Mojo Monday 281

  

Dynamic Duos

Let's get on with the card!

I love this sketch! It didn't take me too long to come up with this card as I already had the sketch, thanks to Mojo Monday, and the colours, thanks to the Dynamic Duos. I did simplify it just a tad as I wanted to KISS (which I have renamed Keep It Simple Sweetie 'cuz no one likes being called stupid!).

Some fun texture makes this a textile card for a little boy! This card was designed for my cousin who is getting married in August. She's going to send it to her nephew to ask him to be her ringbearer. I think he'll say "YES!" but maybe only if he gets a digger or truck ;)

 To make the greeting pop up, I just scored two lines close together and mountain/valley folded them. The "stitched" border is just a marker. It's messy so don't look too close....StoP looking!! :)

Hope you've enjoyed today's double posts!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:

Stamp Set: I Dig You

Card Stock: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black and Tempting Turquoise Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories:None

Tools: Big Shot, Chevron TIEF, Honeycomb TIEF, Simply Scored, 2.5" circle punch, paper snips, dimensionals

I Dig You!

If you're a parent, you've probably noticed that birthday's (and birthday parties) come in waves. Mason was invited to two birthday parties last weekend so this mom had some work cut out for her. Without further delay, here is the card we created for a special 4 year old:

 I've used this set a TON! It's such a wonderful set for little boys. It's also the only set that I let Mason stamp with and he's only allowed to use Tempting Turquoise with it as the blocks are completely covered with Tempting Turquoise ink from a previous "stamp with mommy" time. He loves to stamp though and doesn't care what colours we use. It's just fun.

For this card, I coloured the image with Stampin' Write markers. Have I ever said how much I LOVE the Stampin' Write markers? Yes? Well, I do. A lot. I've had them for almost a year as I bought them with my birthday money last March and I can't say how often I reach for them. Such a good investment. It's also saved me from purchasing those last few ink pads I don't own yet. (Bravo Burgandy and Cajun Craze. I'm not that into reds really.)

Mason was helping me with this card so we kept it pretty basic. We ran some Gumball Green card stock through the Big Shot with the Argyle TIEF and then the Early Espresso piece with the Chevron TIEF. Mason is fascinated by the Big Shot. Just like his momma. Sigh.

I love how the sentiment isn't straight. I did that on purpose! Honest! I wanted it to look like it was falling out of the bucket.

 We made our own wrapping paper too! Mason had fun with this for a while. Kept him busy while I packed up some of the other materials. I saw him eyeing my markers and didn't want to see what creativity would be unleashed if he possessed those! I've already witnessed his crayon abilities on our couch. Black crayon and tan microfibre = new work of art that mom doesn't appreciate. Memories.

Hope you've found some inspiration today! Birthday season is upon us!!

Tamara

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamp Set: I Dig You
Card Stock: Tempting Turqoise, Early Espresso, Gumball Green, Whisper White
Ink: Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink, Tempting Turquoise and Basic Black Stampin' Write markers
Accessories: none
Tools: Big Shot die cutting machine, Chevron TIEF, Argyle TIEF, dimensionals