Oodles to Share--Day 7: Another Sympathy SAB

Like I said, I'm NOT happy about all the sympathy cards I've had to make this year. This card is for a friend whose grandmother passed away.

I was inspired by Carol Valentine's card that I saw on Stampin' Connection. Sorry, she doesn't have a blog I can link to to show you the original. I used my Big Shot and Petals-A-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder to emboss the Wild Wasabi base. Then I took the branch image from Sweet Summer, a Sale-A-Bration FREEBIE, and stamped it multiple times around the edge of the Very Vanilla card stock. I pulled out my Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi, and Peach Parfait SU! Markers and colored the line art. I stamped the sentiment from So Happy For You in Early Espresso and matted the whole thing on Crumb Cake card stock.

The Peach Parfait decorative strip was made using the Scallop Trim Border Punch. It's such a delicate accent; I love this look and will probably use it again soon.

Well, that's the end of the week of Oodles to Share! If you'd like to get in on Sale-A-Bration, you have until the 31st to do so. Simply purchase $50 of merchandise--nothing is off-limits--and you'll get to choose an item of your choice from the SAB brochure. I'll email that to you when you email me with your order: jenn.nahrstadt@nahrstadt.com. Happy shopping!

Oodles to Share--Day 6: Three Little Words Sympathy

Ugh. This has been the year to have to make sympathy cards, and I've made more than I wanted to in the first two months of this year. This card was for a friend of ours whose mother passed away very suddenly. We had just been talking with him, checking in for an update on the health of his dad, who had had a heart attack during the holidays, and so we were shocked when we heard of his mom's passing.

I didn't get around to getting this card in the mail as promptly as I would've liked, but with sympathy cards I feel it's almost better to be belated than on time. There's so much hubbub around the funeral and there's a lot of attention from friends and family. But the grieving process is a long one, and getting a card a few weeks after the fact is my way of letting my friend know that my husband and I haven't forgotten his pain.

I selected this set as one of my FREE items with a qualifying order of $50 I made recently. Sale-A-Bration is a great time to purchase items you need to have in your stash and get something for nothing at the same time. Three Little Words is a versatile set, with five sentiments, the phrase "three little words" and a flower.

For this card I used River Rock as my base, and Not Quite Navy as my complementary color with Very Vanilla. I colored the flowers with my Stampin' Write Markers and did the same thing with the embellished "T". I cut it out and mounted it on top of the original stamped image, in truth because I'd colored it another color before, but also because I liked how it accentuated it. I kept it simple because it was for a man, and I didn't want it to be too froo-froo.

Is there someone you need to send a card to, but think the time has passed? It's probably not too late, and that someone will be glad to hear from you. Make it and send it today!

Oodles to Share--Day 5: Birthday Flowers

This is another card that was inspired by one I saw on another stamp company's blog. It featured their stamp set, but when I saw it I saw our Boho Blossoms Punch and the wing from the 2-Step Bird Punch and knew I could craft my own version using SU! products.

I chose a panel of Crumb Cake as my base and drew 2 lines using my Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Marker for the stems. I punched out 14 leaves using the 2-Step Bird Punch (from retired DSP) and positioned them along the stem lines. I punched out 7 of the largest flower in Whisper White and an equal number of the smallest flower in Rose Red. Quickly and easily, and with no stamping at all, I had the flower border I wanted!

I thought about adding a little button to each flower, but decided to use Hemp Twine knots instead. Glue Dots made it easy to place these right where I wanted them. I used one of the sentiments from You're A Gem, as well as a retired Happy Birthday stamp from It's Your Birthday, all inked in Rose Red. Then I decided to personalize the card by using an alphabet from the stamp company whose name I cannot mention where I originally saw the card design. She loved it!

Don't be afraid to adapt a design you see using another company's products. With a little creative thinking, it's easier than you think!

Oodles to Share--Day 4: So Happy for You SAB

Hope you're enjoying these consecutive days of posts. I've had many occasions to craft cards for, just not enough hours in the day to write up descriptions of them.

My youngest cousin and his wife just had their second baby, a surprise BOY (they didn't find out at their ultrasound--hurray!). There have been only three boys amidst a slew of girl second cousins, and none to carry on the Schwartz family name. Enter Kiptyn Dale! Everyone's very happy.

I saw this card on Stampin' Connection, a site just for SU! demonstrators to share their creations (don't worry; I linked you to Tessa's blog). Tessa's design was so clean and just my style, so I CASE'd it. It features the star from So Happy For You, a FREE stamp set available only during Sale-A-Bration (SAB) with the purchase of $50 in merchandise of your choice. I loved her color scheme but chose Marina Mist, Poppy Parade, and Peach Parfait, paired with Whisper White, Bashful Blue, and Crumb Cake card stocks for my card.

I stamped the stars on the WW first, then stamped them again and colored over them using my Versamarker. Then I sprinkled them with a combination of Clear Embossing Powder and Dazzling Diamonds and heat embossed them. I cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals--it only took 1/4 of one for each star, to give you some idea of the size of this stamp.

The panel is mounted on Bashful Blue that has been stamped with the A to Z small background stamp using Marina Mist classic ink. The A to Z stamp is one you can choose as a FREE selection from the Big Idea Book & Catalog during SAB, which ends the 31st. The A to Z stamp is really great for baby cards.

I used the Scallop Edge Border Punch and a scrap of Peach Parfait to make a border along the bottom, using my Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool to punch little holes in each scallop. Not too girly, I hope! The linen thread tied around the main piece adds some nice visual interest.

I colored direct to rubber in my colors the "so happy for you" sentiment from the set by the same name. It not only includes the star, but a heart, a four leaf clover, a flower, and a butterfly, AS WELL AS five sentiments. A 10-stamp set you can add to your collection FREE--it's a great deal, SAB is!

Put together your needs list of supplies, be it stamps, ink, card stock, markers, adhesive, ribbon, brads, you name it. Then leave me a comment or contact me via email (jenn.nahrstadt@nahrstadt.com) and I'll hook you up with a SAB brochure so that you can choose your FREE item! It's super easy, but only available til the 31st.

Hooray for baby BOYS!

Oodles to Share--Day 3: Fine Flourish for SAB

I saw this color combination of Rich Razzleberry, Peach Parfait, and Cajun Craze on another SU! demonstrator's blog and wanted to create my own card using this unique color combination.

I started with the RR base because I wanted that to be the dominant color. Now I wish I'd used PP instead. It's a little dark for spring. I chose the Fine Flourish small background stamp, which is one of the stamps you can select as your FREE item if you purchase $50 in merchandise between now and the 31st. I stamped it in RR classic ink on Very Vanilla card stock and accented it with the PP marker from the InColor set.

Then I decided to do some direct to rubber coloring on my Elegant Thank You, another choice from the list of FREE stamps available during Sale-A-Bration. After I stamped it, I matted it on PP and inked the edges of both layers with RR.

I matted everything on a piece of Cajun Craze that I'd stamped with the Linen background (retired). After I placed that on the card, it felt like something was missing. I pulled out the Medallion stamp and stamped it in the middle of the card base. While it's mostly covered, I like how it peeks out and adds just the visual balance the card needed.

Do you need some new stamping supplies? If so, this month is the time to purchase what you need. Purchase anything--card stock, ink, stamps, glue dots, etc. etc. etc.--totaling $50, and you'll be entitled to 1 FREE item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. At the back of the brochure is the list of stamps from the Big Idea Book & Catalog that are also available for you to choose from. It's a sweet deal that only happens once a year, so don't miss out! Put your wish list together, then contact me, and I'll send you a brochure via email for you to peruse!

Oodles to Share--Day 2: Aviary Background 2

When I created this patterned paper using a trio of birdcages from the Aviary stamp set, I ended up with enough for two cards. For this one, I chose Marina Mist as the coordinating color to the Very Vanilla card stock, a Crumb Cake mat, and Crumb Cake ink. I stamped the popped up birdcage in Early Espresso this time, and I like the boldness of the contrast. I added a little 1/8" Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon because it was laying on my desk, begging to be used.

The tiny word "friends" is from the Tiny Tags that was designed to scale for the Simply Adorned jewelry line (see my post on this here). I'm happy I found a use for it with cards as well. I copied my layout from my other card I made, but when I mounted it on MM, the wheels began to turn again. I had seen a card that had what looked like a bookmark as a design element on it, and I mimicked that a bit on my card.

I added some 5/8" Victoria Crochet Trim and used one of the stamps from You're A Gem, currently offered in the Occasions Mini, and had the look I wanted. I love that the coordinating Stampin' Write Markers that SU! offers make it easy to create elements that are two-toned and match the color scheme of the card.

Just because cards are fun to make, and I'm glad I have these in my stash for when the occasion arises to encourage a friend.

Oodles to Share--Day 1: Aviary Background

Today's card is my take on a card I saw on another stamp company's blog. The creator had used a birdcage to make a background paper. As soon as I saw it, I thought to myself, "I can do that!" I pulled out Aviary and positioned three of the cages together on one acrylic block. I used Crumb Cake classic ink and Very Vanilla card stock and had a sheet of patterned paper in a matter of a minute!

Then I inked up the smallest of the three I'd used and stamped it in Soft Suede classic ink. I stamped the owl--so cute!--in Cherry Cobbler classic ink and cut out the image and popped it up on dimensionals. Actually before I mounted it, I took the tiny phrase "thinking of you" from Silhouette Sentiments (Level 1 Hostess) and stamped it in CC ink in a small space left after I'd created the background.

I mounted the entire piece on a mat of CC cardstock and then mounted that on a base of Crumb Cake. Then I began to ponder what else I could do with it, because it seemed just a little bare. I eyed my retired Mark the Date set with its months stamps and I knew what I would do. Using my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I stamped each month on the sides. Now whoever receives this will know that I'm thinking of them every month of the year! Check in tomorrow to see the other card I made using this background paper.