Origami Shadow Box Card

Nancy Riley is one of my favoritest stampers, and a few days ago she posted a card featuring a technique for an origami shadow box that she saw on LeAnn Greff's blog. I loved the look, so I decided to continue toying with the things I already had on the table from yesterday's card to see what I could come up with.

This is SO easy and looks so cool! The interior will hold a 1 3/8" square, so that sort of limits what you can do. I am one who is not easily thwarted, however, so I stamped the "Thinking of You" stamp from Kind and Caring Thoughts in three steps using Tangerine Tango ink so that it would fit on my small square! The little leaf is from Great Friend, stamped with So Saffron.

The ribbon was a bit tricky, but I like the placement at the top. It sort of makes the square look like a picture being hung by the ribbon knot, don't you think?

I'm not sure who will receive this card, but it's a good one to have in the stash. It's always good to try out a new technique. Give this a try and let me know what you think! Thanks, Nancy!

The Card I Always HATE to Make

A new friend of mine experienced the sudden loss of her dad last Friday, so I had the unenviable task of creating a sympathy card. I think these are very important to send, but I do not relish making them. The process turned out to be more cathartic than I thought it would; it gave me a way to reach out to her and feel less helpless.

Part of the reason I don't like making sympathy cards is that I don't have a "go-to" set. I've not liked anything I've seen by any stamp manufacturer, so I start from ground zero every time. Well, not every time. This time I used a stand alone stamp I've had for a long time that has one of my favorite Bible verses on it. I knew it would resonate with the recipient, so I started there.

I know she likes bold color--she has a room painted red--so I was drawn to some retired Haiku DSP I have and that determined the color palette of Tangerine Tango and So Saffron and Whisper White.

I created a funky fold using a 2"x5" rectangle. I folded it in half both ways and then scored the angle from the middle to the outside corner of the upper left and lower right portions of the rectangle. I folded those and then folded the tips back. I mounted the verse on it with Stampin' Dimensionals and mounted the whole thing to another coordinating piece of DSP from the same package.

I found some old SS DSP scraps in with my SS card stock, so I used some to further carry forward the color scheme. I mounted all of that on a large piece of TT that I scored at the top and the bottom, .25" in from the edge. The whole thing is mounted on a WW base, which is hard to see in the picture.

I do not know how long it will take this card to reach Iowa from here. I do not know when the funeral is, but I know she's not going to be able to attend, due to severe health issues. My heart is so sad for her, so I'm doing the only things I know to do: praying and stamping. Hopefully some good will come from both.

Being Thankful

A few weeks ago, I sent out an email questionnaire to my customers to inquire about an aspect of my business I was thinking about expanding. I told them that if they provided me with feedback, I would give them a stamp. It took a little longer than it should have, but this past week I was able to get those women thanked appropriately.

For each one, I made a card. I used Haiku DSP, which is retired, and I used a layout I saw on Mary Brown's blog, StamperCamper.com. I liked the layers and the 5.25" square size. The layers ended up being 5" mat of DSP, a 2" x 5" strip of a coordinating DSP, 2 pieces of 2.75" x 4" of card stock, one as a mat with a ribbon and the other as a background for the focal image, which measures 2.5" x 3.75".

I chose More Mustard, Old Olive, Whisper White, and Tangerine Tango for bases, and coordinated card stock and ribbon accordingly. The focal image is from Kind & Caring Thoughts, a Level 3 Hostess Set from the new Big Idea Book & Catalog. I used direct to rubber coloring technique and sponged the highlight color around the edges.

The other two cards I made used OO as the base and the lovely large cabbage flower images also from Haiku DSP. It was so fun to make a card that was lovely without anything else but a sentiment! The gate fold is always a great layout to go with when you want something special, and the center mat from the original layout design fit this 4.25" x 11" card well too.

The packages should arrive early this week, so I'm hoping I've delayed the posting of this post enough so that they aren't seeing their cards here first! Expressing gratitude is becoming a lost art and I don't want to be party to this social tragedy. Thanks, gals, for taking the time to help me with my business by answering a few questions.

Who are you thanking today?

We Gathered Together...

What a fun day yesterday was! Six women gathered here and made oodles of Christmas cards that the people in their lives are going to be SO blessed by. I didn't get pictures of everyone, but this one shows the "togetherness" that crafting was. I don't have a ton of table space, so the gals were elbow to elbow as they stamped, punched, tied ribbon, and heat embossed. It's what I think quilting circles used to be like. Chatting and being productive--multitasking at its best!

One of the reasons my SAS was successful was because of a new friend named Patti Montijo. She is an AMAZING card artist, and she has a HUGE and BEAUTIFUL crafting space full of SU! (and other) supplies. Well, on Tuesday I realized I didn't have enough Kraft card stock for all the card fronts that my SAS required. So I sent out an emergency SOS to Patti, and she saved the day by mailing me 10 sheets of said paper. Along with it, she sent a little note, made with a Top Note Sizzix die and an adorable pumpkin. As I was looking at it, I figured out that I could recycle it into a quick and beautiful Thanksgiving card for my stash! A little Haiku DSP, some Old Olive card stock, and it's DONE!

I think this brings the count down to 7 that I need to make, so I think I'll make my deadline. The sentiment I used on the Thanksgiving card is from God's Blessings, and reads, "Blessings brighten when we count them! Thank you for blessing my life in such a wonderful way!" That's how I feel about all of you who read this blog and share crafting with me. Know that you are very much appreciated, even if you don't comment often or at all. I know you're out there, and I'm thankful for the cyber community.

Now I have to get back to my craft room! More coming in awhile!

Miles to Go Before I Sleep

I'm sure my friends Cookie or Robin could tell me who the author is of this saying, but whoever he was, he spoke prophetically and correctly about my day! As I stare at the clutter on the dining room table, the dog hair tumbleweeds on the carpet, the folded, but as yet not put away laundry on the bed, the untidied kitchen, and the disastrous state of my crafting space, I can tell I've been on a tear for too long.

All that will need to be done and more card stock will need to be cut before tomorrow's SAS. I did get 4 cards made yesterday, but I'm growing weary, friends.

Okay, here's what I made yesterday. This first card is a CASE of Wendy Janson's layout, and I used Manchester Designer Series Paper. The color scheme for these patterned papers is Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze, Kraft, and Very Vanilla. I found her work perusing through the SAS gallery for cards made using the Party Hearty set. I hope you can see how versatile this set is, now that I've posted a few cards using it! I wrestled a bit with this color combination, but I like this card for a guy. Very masculine and quick and easy. The circle with "celebrate you" is heat embossed, which is a nice subtle detail. I contemplated using twine for some sort of embellishment, but it was too much. Simple is better!

The next card is a reprise of an origami shirt card we made at the June SAS. Here's the link to the instructions I found online. Once I refreshed my memory on how to make it, it went together fairly quickly, and I'm pleased with the results. Do you like the little pocket? There's a piece of Baja Breeze card stock inside for writing a little message. The sleeves have to be folded in in order for it to fit in the envelope, but I put instructions regarding that inside the card for whoever purchases it.

So, that covers the two masculine birthday cards, leaving the female ones. Should be easy, right? Fatigue is effecting my creativity, but I soldiered on last night. I have to tell you, though, that the temptation to plop down on the couch beside Bob and veg out in front of the TV was great. I resisted, though.

Here's another example of incognito retired InColors showing up in current papers. The Haiku Designer Series Paper has two sheets of borders, meant mainly for scrapbookers, I believe. This one seems to use Wild Wasabi. Perhaps these DPs are carryovers from last year or something. I don't care; they allow me to put this stash of card stock into play! With the base of WW decided and the panel large enough to serve as focal image, all that needed to be added was an appropriate sentiment. It's from Heard from the Heart (which always makes me think of sheep... as in "herd of"). The border picks up the colors of So Saffron and More Mustard that are in the panel.

I was uninspired to complete the female birthday category, so I picked up Baroque Motifs and made a bridal card. I don't have much experience with brides or weddings of late, so I did a little poking around online to find out what colors are popular in weddings these days. I read that jewel tones, which I used in my wedding, are making a comeback, but the author of the article quickly advised not to make the 'maids wear a dress in said colors. That's what I did, and I'm sure my 'maids weren't happy about it almost 20 years ago, so the advice is best heeded.

All that said, I went with Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip, since BB is the closest thing I have to Tiffany Blue that is all the rage. I really hope this card does not become popular, as it was a pain in the butt to make, but since I invested the better part of an hour on it, it's going in the pile! It's not a traditional card, but a postcard with an envelope. Found this beautiful sheer ribbon that matches perfectly at Michael's.

Well, that's the blow by blow from last night. I have 40 min. before I need to leave for work, so I'm going to try to go tackle something on the domestic front before I depart. We have corporate visitors today, so there'll be a little more than the usual level of stress at work today. I'm hoping it's over before I get there, but I probably won't be so fortunate. Happy FRIDAY!!

Living in the Cone of Creative Silence

Hey ya'll. I know it has been some time since I posted, and I can't really offer any better explanation than the title of this post. I've just had no desire to craft--gasp! I don't know how I got to this point. I don't know how I found myself there, but you'll be happy to know that I think my time in the "cone zone" is nearing an end.

Today I finished a card I had put aside almost 2 weeks ago. (You may not be impressed, but I am.) I had been putzing around with the Haiku DSP and Season of Friendship, since the colors seemed to beg for a tree devoid of leaves. The sentiment is from the retired Lots of Thoughts. I seem to always choose a thanks sentiment when I'm not designing a card for a specific person. Why? There's always someone to thank, isn't there?

I'm not going to blather on. There's laundry to do, dinner to prepare, and a beautiful evening walk with my dogs and my husband awaiting me before day's end. Thanks for bearing with my silence. What have you been up to while I've been quiet?

Monochromatic Marvelousness

You'd think that working within just one color family would be boring. Shade gradations shouldn't excite, right? Well, this card, made using So Saffron and More Mustard, really jazzes me!

Haiku Designer Series Paper was the basis for this card, and I was also inspired several weeks ago when I was putting together my first order from the catalog and saw a monochromatic card among the samples. The base is SS, and the 5/8" SS twill ribbon is a perfect match!

I had to fuss with the ribbon a bit to get it to do what I wanted it to in terms of how it lays, but it ties so nicely. I started out thinking I wanted a notch in the right side of DSP, but I ended up putting one on both ends of it, which helped the ribbon somehow. I used my Coluzzle Circle Cutting System and scooped out just half of the smallest circle to achieve this look.

The Scallop Square Punch is 1 3/8", which is pretty petite, so in order to give the stamp which coordinates with it from the Say It With Scallops set some umph, I mounted it on a MM square of the same size. It was a complete accident that it mimics the diamond pattern in the paper--I'm not that amazing when it comes to designing! I love it though!

The size is 4" x 8.5", which provides just enough room to express your thanks to someone without having to either write BIG or go on a bit too much in order to fill the space. I have quite a good stash of thank-yous now, so I hope to have need to give thanks soon.