While You Were Away...

After a quick pizza dinner, your heroine returned to her craft room to continue the work at hand. I enjoyed the process of creating last night like I haven't in awhile. Bob was at rehearsal--the band is singing "Grand Illusions" by Styx to open the service, to set the tone for the sermon series called "Illusions"--and Michael was practicing piano, so I had the evening to do what needed to be done.

This card came to be because I was captured by the whimsy of the dot design in the Autumn Vine Designer Series Paper. I was about to completely detach the circle I'd cut with the Coluzzle, when the idea of a little window occurred to me! BTW, that is Groovy Guava as the card base because it's clearly there in the design. Who said InColors retire? I think they just go undercover...

In my last post, I didn't specifically identify the name of the set that has this sentiment and a few others in it. It's called Best Yet and is, as I mentioned, a Level 1 Hostess set. This and all other hostess sets will go away soon when we get another new catalog, so be making a list and checkin' it twice so you don't miss out on the sets you want before they disappear.

The last card I made last night was helped along by the fact that the main panel was already completed and staring at me from my craft table. Leah, the PakMail manager, was completely wowed by this card when I showed her some samples, so I adapted that layout for this quickie. I'm showing you the envelopes because I'm photographing everything I'm selling so that I can remember what I did if someone wants a duplicate! The ol' memory ain't what it used to be! This uses Pocket Silhouettes and the color scheme is Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, More Mustard, and Very Vanilla. One of my favorites, for sure.

After a good night of sleep, I woke naturally at 5:30 this morning and came back to the table to work on thank-you cards. I'm not going to end up showing you all the cards I'm selling her in these and subsequent posts because I'm using some from my stash that you've already seen. This card reprises another favorite combination from this fall, Upsy Daisy and Urban Garden DP. I also used the layout I created the first time I made this card, so that helped move things along. I really like Baja Breeze much more than I expected to, and it pairs so well with that DP! The little white satin ribbon and silver hardware flower add just the right accents to spruce up this addition to the pile.

Last but not least is my CASE of Amy's card I showed you yesterday. I used the Autumn Vine DP again, and went with So Saffron for the inked images in order to use every color of the DP on the card. I really like the Sage Shadow ribbon. It brightens up this fall card. Again, you'll recognize Pocket Silhouettes. I think it's interesting how different the same stamps can seem when used in different layouts!

Well, I'm going to try to tackle 2 masculine birthday cards before I head into work, but I'll be continuing this morning and evening crafting routine until I get all of them done. It's going faster than expected, and I may be done by my SAS on Saturday! That would be a relief, because I still have to type up some sort of small labels for those cards that have interior sentiments, since the cards will be sealed in plastic bags to protect the art from fingerprints. Never a dull moment around here, that's for sure! Have a great day...

Thumbs UP for Upsy Daisy and Urban Garden DSP!

I was under the gun last night. I had not come up with a fifth card for SAS that I was just thrilled with, although the other experiments I'd made had turned out fine. I wanted something that was different, unique.

I had all the card stock and ribbon and supplies culled together for the other four cards, so I had dinner with my family and watched the Olympics we have stored on TiVO. (Marvelous invention!) So, now that it was 9:30 pm, I had to get down to business.

I had ordered Upsy Daisy because it coordinates with Inspired by Nature and Pocket Silhouettes, two sets I already own. I ALSO liked it because it has a variety of very useful sentiments. I ALSO liked it because it's on special from now until Sept. 30 at 15% off. Stamps on sale? I'm there.

This flyer has all the details. Click to enlarge and see ALL that's on sale!

The other thing I reached for at the late hour last night (keep in mind I'd been up since 3:30 am to work an 8-hour shift at Starbucks) was a package of Urban Garden Designer Series Paper (DSP). This too has been designed by SU! to coordinate with Upsy Daisy, as well as 4 other stamp sets, ribbon, rub-ons, chipboard, brads, and some accents and elements adhesives. With all that work having been done before I even pick these things out of my pile of goodies, how can I fail?

I CAN'T! This card came together almost by itself. It's so lovely that the only reason I can stand to part with it because I know the person I'm sending it to will love it too. The soothing combination of Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White just puts me in a mellow mood and creates a certain calm, don't you think? It certainly had that effect on me last night. After I'd chosen the color combo, I looked over all the pattern options in the DSP pack and chose a portion of one page as the focal point.

Then I took the main silhouetted image of flowers and inked it with Versamark. I wanted to repeat the floral image that's in the DSP in the background, and so I began stamping and this pattern emerged. Stamping an image UPSIDE-DOWN intentionally is really "coloring outside the lines" thinking for me, but it was late and my creativity took over the rational part of my brain. If this is the result when that happens, conquer away!

The other design tip to share is that I inked the sentiment with my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker and stamped off once to get the "gray" you see. I should also mention that the beautiful ribbon is the new SU! Whisper White taffeta ribbon. So soft and elegant...

I also want to point out, in case you missed it, that the envelope is featured in the picture with the card. Don't forget to do this! It really makes everyone at the post office wonder what's inside, and it alerts the recipient--who's mindlessly thumbing through her junk mail--that she's about to have an encounter with beauty and encouragement because someone cared enough to create for her.

The gals who came for SAS today really enjoyed their time together. At one point, my husband looked at me from the other room and asked, "Are they still here?" They were so happily ensconced in their creating that they didn't need to speak! It was great to be back together. Hope you can join us next month--the date is Sept. 27!