Three-Tiered Birthday Advice

My dear friend Melissa turns 40 on Wednesday, and that milestone birthday warrants a special card.  As I perused Pinterest today, I came upon this card design by Heather Summers from Canada.  She's a two-time Artisan Award winner with Stampin' Up!, so I knew I could trust the design and instructions.   You can try your hand at this card by following this link.  The trickiest part is creating the sliders for the second and third tiers, but with careful measuring, it can be done. If Heather can go to all the effort to convert it from metric for us Americans, I think you can get past your fear of the measuring.  Keep Calm!

What I love about this card is that the design is the WOW factor, so you don't have to do much else to embellish it.  I kept it simple, using a retired "Happy Birthday" stamp, numbers cut with the Big Shot, and a fun sentiment from the new stamp set, Carry On.  Isn't that advice appropriate?!

The Designer Series Paper I used is from a Simply Scrappin' Kit called Pinwheel Parade.  It pulls together Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit, two of the new InColors for 2012-2014, and Riding Hood Red.   I think it's a stellar combination, and working with the DSP made me rethink my opinion of the new InColors.

Hearts & SAB

Once a month I make cards with some sweet sweet sweet teenagers. The girls are staying at Jesse's House, a local organization that houses girls who have removed from their residences by the county court because the environments aren't safe. The location is so secret that I can't even reveal to the other members of my family where it is. I wish there wasn't a need for such a place, but this is a good place if you have need of it.

Whenever I go, I try to create a card that ties to an upcoming holiday or is something a teenager would find hip. I'm SO not HIP, y'all, so this is quite a challenge for me! With Valentine's Day being just about 2 weeks away, I thought this would be the perfect time to see what I could come up with using the Heart Framelits from the Occasions Mini Catalog. More about that in a minute.

I chose the 3 smallest hearts and placed them on the Whisper White panels, which measure 1 7/8" x 5.25". A quick run through the Big Shot and I had a cute overlay for the base panel of Melon Mambo, which measures 2" x 5 3/8". This is a shutter card, which just means it measures 5.5" x 8.5" and then it's scored along the 8.5" side at 2 1/8" and 6 3/8".

The WOW factor for this card comes inside (which was hard to photograph, so excuse the slightly blurry pics!). I was inspired by this card by Heather Summers of Canada. Check out her video to see how this card opens and closes, creating the peek-a-boo effect. To create this, take 2-3" x 2" strips of patterned paper and cut a triangle shaped notch out of one end. Then you overlap them over the image that's peeking through the circle created by the 1.75" circle punch. A little adhesive in the right place (watch the video), and you have a place for a secret Valentine-y message to be hidden and revealed only to your sweetie.


Now, some other news. I've already shared that we have a new Occasions Mini, but what I haven't told you is that it's SAB time! Sale-A-Bration time! SAB is a great 2-month period every year when SU! rewards you for buying stamping goodies.

Pick out $50 (before shipping and handling and taxes) of ANYTHING--from the Occasions Mini or the Big Idea Book & Catalog--and you'll get to choose a FREE FREE FREE product from the special Sale-A-Bration brochure! ANYTHING you can think of to purchase qualifies you for FREE STUFF. What's better than FREE STUFF? Nothin', if you ask me! If you choose to host a get-together of your friends and the gals' orders total $150 (or you place an order all by yourself of $150), you get this cool tote bag! If the orders from your get-together or your personal order total $400, you get a FREE bundle of coordinating stamps, Designer Series Paper, and ribbons and brads. Seriously, this is a WIN WIN proposition.

So follow the link above to the new Occasions Mini or click on the picture of the Big Idea Book and start shopping! All you have to do to place an order is contact me. Leave a comment on this post with your email address, and I'll get in touch!

A Tisket, A Tasket

It's time for an Easter basket! When I saw Carrie Gaskin's card where she explained how she took her oval punches and made an Easter basket, I looked at my Petal Cone die and the scallop edged half circle that is created, and then I pondered the half circle flaps on the cone, I thought I had the makings of my own Easter basket WITHOUT the punches!

Here's how I made this sweet basket. I used Sahara Sand card stock and ran my Petal Cone die through the Big Shot. This gave me 2 scallop edge half circles and 2 half circles that I could cut away from the cone shape. I used Carrie's tip and created a basket weave look using my Sahara Sand marker and a ruler. Then I trimmed the scallop edge horizontally and removed 2 of the scallops. I punched holes in the scallops using my Mat Pack. To make the handle, I cut a rim off the second half circle and adhered it to the back side of the basket base.

Then it came time to make the eggs. I wanted not a round shape, but an oval, because eggs are more ovals than balls. I grabbed my 3-Heart Punch and punched out hearts in almost every color from the Brights collection, using the fattest of the hearts. Then I cut the heart in half and adhered half of it to the basket, arranging them so that they looked like they were laying against each other. Some Daffodil Delight 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, and the basket was complete!

I used a frame left over from cutting out a Top Note with the Big Shot and created some grass using a strip of Certainly Celery and my Paper Snips. The sentiment is from a retired set, Well Scripted. This was stamped in Pacific Point so that every color in the Brights collection would be used!

If you'd like to make this Easter basket card, join me April 16 at my monthly Stamp Camp at my house! Just leave a comment to RSVP or to inquire about details.

It Isn't Tuesday? or Playing Kissy Face

I know, I know. I said I'd have a post for you Tuesday about a technique I did and how I married it with this flower for another card. I was too tired and distracted with other things and it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the "to-do" list. Better late than never, right?

Okay, here's what happened. I have a group of teenagers that I make cards with once a month. They're temporary residents at Jesse's House, a shelter for girls who need to be away from their homes due to domestic violence or abuse. They're a sweet, polite group of girls, and I wanted to offer them something to do on Sunday afternoons, which can be long, and to show them how to use cards to encourage someone in their lives.

But here's the deal: I'm not hip or cool. While that's no secret to those who know me, I wanted the girls NOT to have that impression of stamping. So I tried my best to come up with a card that was pretty cool. Turns out they liked it, so I guess I succeeded.

What did I do? Well, I took the Extreme Elements set and stamped it on Whisper White card stock. A technique came to mind as I was doing this that made me rethink the card entirely. I eyed a scrap piece of card stock that had been embossed with the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder for the Big Shot. I wondered if the "kissing" technique would work using the paper instead of a stamp.

Don't know about kissy face in the stamp world? Well, "kissing" with stamps involves taking a solid image, inking it, pressing it on a patterned stamp, and then stamping it on paper. The pattern on the stamp that "kisses" the original stamp stays on the original stamp and some cool stuff happens.

So, I tried inking my stamp, stamping it on the debossed side of the scrap, which transferred the pattern, and stamped it on the base for my card. Squeal--it worked! And it looked cool and hip, at least in my mind.

I used Old Olive classic ink, and for the flower, cut from the Fun Flowers Bigz Die for the Big Shot, I chose Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie, all from the Brights Collection. The sentiment is from Friends Never Fade. It made the perfect sentiment for this card, although a few of the girls asked if I had any "Mom" or "Dad" stamps. Made me sad.

None of the girls had ever stamped before, and now they're hooked. I'm going back in April and want to do something else hip and cool, but I might have used up all of that on this card. Any thoughts on what I could do that teenaged girls would like? Have a great weekend!

Fun Flower Card

The Fun Flowers die for the Big Shot is great for creating fabric flowers, but it's also great for making quick cards. I took advantage of the deal available during Sale-A-Bration of getting the Ice Cream Parlor DSP and Quick Accents FREE for placing a $50 order (SAB ends MARCH 31), and I really liked the Melon Mambo floral DSP with the sweet scalloped edge at the bottom of the sheet. This became the catalyst for the entire card, and it came together in a few short minutes!

I used Whisper White and Melon Mambo to create a three-layered flower. I added a Melon Mambo button from the Brights Collection Designer Buttons pack. Then I wanted to have some leaves, but the diecut doesn't include them. I thought a minute and realized that I could use the bird body from the 2-Step Bird Punch! Some scraps of Old Olive, and a few squeezes, and I had what I needed.

I added a little knot of 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon using a glue dot. Then I decided I wanted to add a sentiment, so I pulled out another FREEBIE from SAB, So Happy For You, and stamped "birthday wishes", one of 4 sentiments in the set, in Old Olive, and created a little banner.

I used my Scallop Edge Border Punch to mimic the scallop on the DSP and created a little extra border along the card's bottom. It's nice to change up a card from a standard straight edge look once in awhile.

I have another card I made using this diecut and a cool technique that I'll be back to share tomorrow.

Fabric Flowers for Your Hair

Okay, so yesterday got away from me, so what I meant to share yesterday I'm sharing NOW. When I started gettin' my fabric mojo flowin' using the Springtime Vintage cloth now in the Occasions Mini, I decided to try my hand at making something for my downline, Bekah. She welcomed Mary Ellen to the world in January.

Having only one child, a boy, I have NO experience with girls, so I wasn't sure what I was attempting to make would even be wearable when I was done. I shouldn't have doubted myself so much. The Fun Flowers die and the Big Shot made it so easy!

I used my hot glue gun again and layered the flowers together, using a pencil pressed in the middle of the flowers that were in the palm of my hand (that was too hard to photograph, so I used the ironing board) to create fluffiness. When I was finished, I adhered a corduroy Baja Breeze button (retired) to the top and stuck the whole thing on a stretchy headband I found at a big box craft store for less than a dollar!

I wish I'd thought to take a picture of Mary Ellen wearing it! She looked so so cute! She attended an area SU! demonstrators meeting with me and her Mama, and all the ladies oohed and aahed over her and how fashionably she was accessorized for our get together.

Since I was on a roll, I made another flower only using the smallest flower. I had purchased some barrettes with the little hinge at the end, the kind you pinch to open and just slide into your hair to place, and I attached the flower to that. I gave that to Bekah too, because Mary Ellen will have enough hair one day to sport this little beauty.

I'm planning on taking these samples to my Club meeting Monday night. Many of them are moms to little girls, so I think they'll be a big hit!

Spring, a Fat Quarter, & Flowers

I'm so not a flower kind of gal. I'm lovin' spring and all the blooming of tree leaves and those kinds of flowers, but I don't have much use for flowers otherwise. I'm weird, I know. I'm comfortable with myself. I also don't have a sewing bone in my body. I can sew a button on, but other than that, I'm lost.

When my Club hostess for this month said she wanted to do something with the new Springtime Vintage FLORAL FABRIC, I almost broke out in hives. But, I'm a full-service SU! demonstrator, so I ordered the fabric and the latest floral diecut for the Big Shot, Fun Flowers. It took me several days to work up the courage to pull everything out and start creating. It turned out to be WAY EASIER than I anticipated, and I was kicking myself for waiting so long to try this form of crafting!

Perhaps the reason it worked out so well is that there was no sewing or pattern piecing involved. I layered pieces of fabric--3-18"x28" swatches come in the "fat quarter" SU! sells (I don't even know what "fat quarter" means!)--on the 3 flowers on the Fun Flowers die and ran it through the Big Shot. The machine/die will cut 8 layers at a time, so that makes quick work of preparing lots of layers, which is what makes the flower pin I made so full.

I used a hot glue gun and pressed in the center with my finger or a pencil (the pencil makes for a fluffier flower) until the glue set. I repeated the layering--I used 4 of each of the two smaller sizes--until I had the look I wanted.

Then I added a corduroy Baja Breeze button and used just one of the largest flower from the die to serve as the base. I glued a 1.5" latch pin from the craft store to the back and positioned it on a hat I already owned. I had received this hat as a gift, but I found the same style in khaki on Amazon, so I ordered 1 for me and offered them to my Club gals. I'm going to give one to my niece for her 12th birthday that's coming up at the end of the month.

Check back tomorrow to see what else I made using this beautiful fabric.

A Little Birdie Told Me

My aunt had double knee replacement surgery last week. Yes. Double. While the recovery may take longer, at least when she's feeling better she won't be facing the prospect of rehabilitation AGAIN. I think this is very efficient, and I applaud efficiency. My mom, her sister, suggested I send her a card. Good idea, mom!

This one was inspired by Mary Fish, fellow SU! demonstrator, who profiled this little quickie technique of sponging a lawn and a sky with two colors on a circle. Well, I wanted an oval, so I changed things up a bit. The two colors I chose were Certainly Celery and Baja Breeze. The bird on a branch is from Silhouette Sentiments, a Level 1 Hostess set. It's colored using Soft Suede, Wild Wasabi, which my Color Coach told me was the Dynamic Duo for Certainly Celery, and Riding Hood Red.

I used some CC patterned DSP for a mat, using my Ovals Originals die for the Big Shot, and then I pulled out my newest favorite thing: my Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Folder {squeal}!! Tulips are my favorite flower, but you can't have them when you get married in August. Now I can have them anytime I want, thanks to this little folder that's only $7.95 in the current Occasions Mini. {happy sigh}

The inner dimensions of the frame are 3 1/8" x 4 3/8", so I added some BB there. Stamped the little phrase from Apple Blossoms (another Level 1 Hostess set), tied some non-SU! {shhh} ribbon around the focal image, and the card was complete. Some Stampin' Dimensionals helped the simple image stand out from the card base.

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!

Sweet Treat Holder

There are many fun ideas floating about the internet for packaging treat size candies for Valentine's Day. One I enjoyed making was designed by Sue Bendinsky, fellow demonstrator. I like that it didn't rely on any diecuts from the BigShot. It's just folded card stock, which means it's easy for kids and parents to make together!

The Whisper White card stock base for this is 4.25" x 8.5", scored at 3" and 6.25" along the 8.5" length. Now I know I just said you don't need a BigShot for this project, and you don't. I just couldn't resist jazzing mine up a bit by using my Square LatticeTextured Impressions Folder. Don't worry; it'll be very cute without this element!

I used the Scallop Edge Border Punch along the edge, and my Small Heart Punch for the nine hearts. The hearts were punched from Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, and Rich Razzleberry card stocks. These are all in the Brights Collection, so they coordinate with Real Red, also part of that collection, perfectly. They are adhered with Mini Glue Dots, which makes placement quick and easy. A 16" length of 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon holds the package closed. That ribbon comes in 14 colors, so you could change up the color scheme here and still have plenty of options!

The "friend to friend" sentiment is from Love You Much. I think it's just right for valentines for kids at school. The pocket is held together with two strips of Sticky Strip, double-sided tape that's only 1/4" wide.

It's not too late to order supplies to make these cute holders before Valentine's Day! All the items you'll need are highlighted in this post. You'll have plenty to make for several classes of children, with leftover supplies. If a group of you wants to go together to purchase the supplies and share them, that can be arranged. You can shop online through my store or you can contact me directly by leaving a comment with an email address and I'll get you set up!

For easy list making, here's what I used:

Whisper White card stock 100730
Brights Collection card stock 119706
Scallop Edge Border Punch 119882
Small Heart Punch 117193
Mini Glue Dots 103683
Sticky Strip 104294
Love You Much stamp set 113756

Happy crafting!

An Extreme Word Play Birthday

I love a good color combination. It takes a lot of the thought process out of a project and allows one to focus on being creative with other elements. Such is the case with this card by Karen Thomas, which I adapted slightly but CASE'd mostly.

Some of the colors Karen used have been discontinued, so I used More Mustard, Crumb Cake, and Not Quite Navy. The main stamp set in use is Extreme Elements, one that grows on me more each time I use it. It just creates a really cool vibe without much effort, and I need all the help I can get to craft a hip look!

The base barely shows here, but More Mustard is one of those colors that's best used sparingly. Two mats, Not Quite Navy and Crumb Cake, cover the base mostly, and the CC piece was stamped in CC ink with the Wonderfully Worn background stamp. The Very Vanilla panel was stamped with More Mustard, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Not Quite Navy, using half of the design pieces from the set. Wish Big, from Word Play, is stamped in Soft Suede. I love how different one stamp can look when paired with a different layout and a different set of stamps!

The stars were made using the die for the Big Shot. If you don't own this machine, you really should consider investing in it or asking for it for Valentine's Day. I use it so much and it adds so much to my cards--texture, cutting shapes, letters--quickly and simply cannot be overstated.

The last feature of this card is the use of the Decorative Label Punch with a Jumbo Eyelet to create visual interest and an anchor for the twine. I folded the punch in half and punched a hole for the eyelet in it using my Crop-A-Dile. The correct tools make things easy peasy!

Here's a Snowpocalypse update for those interested: the entire week of school was cancelled, and the kids have Monday off in observance of Martin Luther King Day! We went back to work on a normal schedule Friday, but the roads are still a bit dicey in the subdivisions, exit ramps, and intersections. This is one storm that will not quickly be forgotten!

A Card for Grandma's 90th

It's not often that you get to extend birthday wishes to someone who turns 90. My maternal grandmother had this milestone birthday Dec. 22, and we traveled from GA to IN the weekend before Christmas so that we could be there to celebrate with her and my extended family.

I knew I wanted to make her a card, but I don't have much experience making cards for these kinds of very special birthdays. I know she likes flowers, so I started with an image I've had on my desk for awhile, saving for a what I knew I wanted to be a special card.

It was the hydrangea image from Because I Care, the Level 1 Hostess set. I wove the strips of Whisper White card stock like I did for this card but I made a smaller square this time. I matted this on Baja Breeze card stock and added some 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon. Then I mounted this with Stampin' Dimensionals on a Top Note Bigz die that I embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder for the Big Shot, and I made it shimmer using our new Frost White Shimmer Paint. It's a bit hard to detect in the picture, but it created nice visual interest and highlighted the dry embossing.

Because I know my grandma likes texture--she quilted and crocheted for years--I decided to emboss the Old OIive card base with the Square Lattice TI Folder. Love it!

On the inside, I decided to make use of the frame that remains after diecutting the Top Note shape. I stamped the sentiment from Fifth Avenue Florals and added the simplest Happy Birthday I could find in my stash--from It's Your Birthday (retired)--along with some numbers from a non-SU! set, and the card was complete.

Here's a picture of my grandma with all her grandchildren. I'm the oldest one, so that's why I'm sitting by her! For those of you who have heard me mention my sister, she's the blonde on the left. I'm so glad we made the 12-hour drive to be at this event. It kicked off our Christmas celebrations in memorable fashion.

Christmas Decor without a Speck of Green

It seems there are no rules when it comes to what is considered Christmas colors. A few years ago, when pink was added, I wondered if people had lost their minds. PINK?! Royal blue and navy have been part of traditional Christmas color schemes, paired with gold and silver, but lately light blue, as in BABY blue, has found a place.

If you can't tell by now, I'm a traditional red and green kind of gal when it comes to decorating for Christmas. But this year, I saw a color combination that changed my views. Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake.

I know! Can you believe it? But as soon as I saw it I was lovin' it, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I caved and made something for the holidays with this palette.

This ornament and candle set is the result of that creative catalyst. I received the Northern Frost Decorative Strip Die for the Big Shot Friday, and I knew at once that I wanted to break it in by making Baja Breeze snowflakes. The rest evolved from there.

The base is a Cherry Cobbler cut out of the Top Note Bigz Die. The Crumb Cake layer is also a cut out of the die, but the perforated edge has been removed to create a layer. I also ran a strip of Very Vanilla through the Big Shot with the die and stamped the greeting from Seasonal Sentiments on it to complete the package. Then I added the snowflakes! This strip has 8 snowflakes in various sizes and all have intricate details you'd expect to find when viewing a snowflake, all able to be punched out after they're cut. They're BEAUTIFUL!

The ribbon is a three-layered creation of retired Baja Breeze ribbon, 1/2" Cherry Cobbler seam binding from the current Holiday Mini, and retired Crumb Cake 3/8" taffeta ribbon. I started out with just the CC seam binding, but it wasn't sturdy enough.

The back of the ornament has plenty of space for writing a special message to friends and family. That way, when the recipient pulls it out with the rest of the ornaments yearly, you will be part of their decorating and celebrating! I also think this has potential as a photo card, but the only suggestion is that the picture be in portrait orientation. Landscape orientation works, but it's not the full size of the die.

Now about the candle...I was making a banana run (translation? a quick in and out stop, but not for produce) to Walmart the other day and I came across these little candles--for $1! Who doesn't want a little candle on hand for those times when you need to infuse a little aromatherapy into an environment? Well, I snatched up a few and after the ornament came together, I thought I'd try my hand at snazzing up this little jar. A simple 1.5" x 8.5" strip of Baja Breeze, a thinner strip of Very Vanilla, a few Cherry Cobbler snowflakes, and some hemp twine, and I was in business! The lid is covered with a 1.75" scalloped circle, a 1 3/8" circle, and a snowflake. Seriously simple but simply adorable!

These are going to be mass produced for friends and family this year, as we don't have a lot of money but we'd like to give something in celebration of the relationships we've been blessed with.

Celebrating New Life

A friend of mine became a grandma for the second time last week. This grandchild had some stressful circumstances during her gestation and surrounding her arrival, so I wanted to make a keepsake for the baby so that she would know how loved she is and has been since before she made her debut.

The mother likes the colors brown and orange, and I know the baby has a quilt in those colors, so that influenced my palette for the card. I used the heart from retired Loop to Loop and stamped it in Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, and Peach Parfait. I wanted the hearts to overlap to communicate how many hearts joined together on behalf of this child before she was born. The "you are loved" stamp is a random one I've had for over 10 years, and I love its simple message in a stylish font.

The card is a simple gate fold with a piece of Crumb Cake down the middle to anchor the heart image to. I used some Chantilly Crochet Trim to soften the card.

For the interior, I pulled out my Billboard Alphabet for the Big Shot and used Early Espresso card stock to create the letters. Old-fashioned names are very hip these days, and Lucy Jean is very in vogue. The letters are glued onto Very Vanilla card stock and matted with Crumb Cake on the Peach Parfait base.

I hope you can find some way to use your paper crafting to enter into someone else's joy this week.

Altered Inchie Thank You

I promised I'd share a second card using the Cute by the Inch stamp set from the Hostess line, and this is it. The layout is simple and makes this a quick and easy card to duplicate for numerous occasions, since there are a variety of images.

The panel of Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper is offset by two score lines, and the Daffodil Delight 1/4" grosgrain ribbon provides just the right accent color.

The inchie looks a little different when stamped; it has a "u" underneath the word "thank". I'm a journalist and I have to grit my teeth to use shortcuts like these when I'm texting (only to save characters), so I couldn't leave it like that on my card. I cut a piece of Real Red card stock to cover it and used my Billboard Alphabet for my Big Shot to spell out y.o.u. in Whisper White card stock. Aaahhhh...that calms my OCD brain!

Here's what the entire card looks like. Again, did I mention how quickly this came together? Love that, and love those inchies!

If you don't own this set, you can make your own inchies using any small image and cropping it to 1" square. Try it and see what you come up with. I bet you'll be hooked on these miniatures like I am.

Thanks to Amy Voida of Gone Inkognito for this layout!

Top Note Tent Card

Better late than never! That's my motto for today. I committed to posting something today, and it may be late, but I'm not going to bed until I do!

I found out last night that the mother of a friend of mine passed away. I needed to get a card in the mail, and today's tutorial on SCS for tent cards helped me get the job done. Of course, I couldn't just do it the easy way the way Beate recommended, but with enough adapting, I achieved the look I wanted and had a card that would stand up on my friend's desk to remind her that I care.

The flowers are from Fifth Ave. Floral, and the mat they're placed on is called a Top Note Bigz Die for the Big Shot. I used this because it is new to me, and because I don't have a die that will cut a single circle big enough to serve as a window for an object. I colored the flowers with Rose Red markers after stamping them on Pretty in Pink card stock. The sentiment is from Because I Care.

I'll write a message on the back of this and hope that my friend is encouraged when it arrives.

Trying New Things is Hard Sometimes

Oh my. My nephew Nik's birthday is Monday, and I sat down this morning, thinking I had a plan for his card and would just whip it together and post it on my way to work later today. I feel as though I have conquered the arch enemy of creativity by finishing this card!

Ten is a difficult age, especially for a boy. Things that were once cool start not to be cool, and yet you're not old enough to embrace the things of adolescence. So, I knew when I looked at the image I'd chosen that it wasn't going to work. It was just too juvenile. So I pulled out Extreme Elements and grunged up my card a bit. I'm so not grunge, so this was challenging.

Then I went back to my original image, the Builder Wheel trio of Candle Crazy (retired) and Birthday, to see if there was anything there I could salvage. At this point, I was feeling the clock ticking...LOUDLY.

I ditched the candles and even paired down the words from Happy Birthday to You as far as I could to remove as much of the Whisper White. That would work...I thought.

My next idea was incorporating the NUMBER of Nik's birthday into the card design, but in order to do that I had to call my mother-in-law to confirm that he is turning 10. I had made a mistake on my niece's birthday card in this category, but that's another story for another time...

Okay, yes, he will be 10 on Monday (at this point, this card might not make it there before he turns 11!), so I pulled out my retired Headline Numbers and stamped them on Basic Grey. Blah. So I ran them through the Big Shot in my Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder (could we please come up with some agreed upon shorter name for this?!) and liked that look. I mounted them on the card using Stampin' Dimensionals and used the same to place the sentiment.

Done? Please? NO! The card looked unbalanced on the left side due to my placement of the word "Happy". I was NOT "happy" at this point. Glancing around my desk, I saw a piece of Silver Metallic card stock that I had embossed with the aforementioned folder and remembered I had the Big Shot Stars #2 Originals diecut in the shape of stars! Yes, yes, yes, I would finish this or DIE!

The stars adhered, the card was complete, and I am glad I pushed through all the obstacles my arch enemy used to try to deter me.

Now I have to cram some lunch down my throat, change clothes, and run this by the post office on my way in to work. Whew! Who said card making was relaxing?!

Simply Stunning Friends Never Fade

Some things are so good, they don't need to be improved. Such is the case with this card from SCS. Isn't it elegant?

The Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder really shines here, and I love that I now know you can dry emboss only a portion of a card front using it in the Big Shot. The image is from Friends Never Fade, and was colored direct to rubber using the Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers.

For the sentiment, I inked the image that goes with the set that includes the wording using PP ink. I just cut out what I wanted and left the rest behind! I highlighted the word "never" with my DD marker. The piece is popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

The ribbon is DD 1/4" grosgrain. I wrapped it around the card and tied the bow separately. There's a 1/8" ribbon in this color, and I think I'm going to have to include it in my next order. Still, I don't think the 1/4" is too substantial for the card.

I'm off to the Farmers' Market this morning--I have a whole Saturday to do whatever I want! I'm hoping for sweet corn for dinner this evening.

Just One More...

I know this is the third origami shadow box card I've shown you in a week, so I promise I'll stop now. I did use some new items from the catalog for this baby girl card for one of my customers...does that help?

See the sweet little half pearls around the shadow box? They are the second smallest size of three sizes in the package of 150 for $5! I used the Victoria Crocheted Trim again too, and I must say it's just one of the best ribbons SU! has ever offered.

I chose the "small wonder" sentiment from Whimsical Words because little Jordan entered the world weighing 4 lbs. 13 oz., three weeks premature. I'd say the phrase fits, wouldn't you?

The base is Very Vanilla, impressed with the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder, and the Designer Series Paper is retired Candy Lane. I used my Big Shot and the Billboard Sizzlits Decorative Strip alphabet to customize the card with the baby's name.

More new stuff to come!

More New Products--Friends Never Fade

One of the items available for pre-order from the new catalog was Friends Never Fade and the coordinating Designer Series Paper, Greenhouse Gala. I didn't jump on the bandwagon. I wanted to see what else was in the catalog before I decided. Well, I decided, and here's the first card with the set and the DSP. I have to thank Marie for inspiring this look.

I used Cajun Craze, a new core color in the Regals Collection, as my base, and I paired it with now-retired Dusty Durango (gotta use it up!). I used my Big Shot to create a stunning embossed background using the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder. I'm tellin' ya, those TI folders are really great!

I added a 2.5" strip of the GG DSP, matted it on more CC, and then turned my attention to the main image. The colors featured in this piece of GG DSP are Pear Pizazz, Daffodil Delight, and Pumpkin Pie. (Click here to see the rest of the patterns in this package.) I don't have the Pear Pizazz ink pad yet, so I pulled out Certainly Celery and discovered it was its Dynamic Duo. I stamped it on Whisper White and then stamped it again on a scrap so that I could color the flower with my markers. I adhered it with some Stampin' Dimensionals after I cut it out. I tied some WW taffeta ribbon around the whole panel just to give it a little somethin' extra.

I'm tellin' ya, this is THE BEST Big Idea Book & Catalog I've seen since I became a customer over 10 years ago. If you don't have a copy of your own already, you can shop online by clicking here. I'd also love to partner with you to provide a hands-on experience using these fantastic new items. Interested? Contact me and let's get a date on the calendar. There's so much I can't profile here on the blog, and you need to see it ALL for yourself.