Non-Traditional Baby Card

Friends of ours just had their third girl, Ruby Elliot, and I wanted to make a card welcoming her. I didn't want to use a traditional baby stamp set though, so I combed through my sets and pulled out Friends Never Fade. I like the floral image and thought I could give it an autumnal look.

Poppy Parade from the latest InColor collection seemed like a good choice because its orange-red reminds me of bittersweet. Love that stuff! Anyway, I colored the petals of the flower using my Stampin' Write Marker and added some Peach Parfait (another InColor) accents. I love how SU! does the color coordination work for me, so I can focus on creating. I decided to use Pear Pizazz, also from the collection, for my stem and foliage. Then I stamped it on Very Vanilla card stock. I sponged the edges with Soft Suede to soften it a bit and set it aside.

The color scheme was coming together nicely, so I only had to choose what other elements I was going to incorporate into it. I pulled out my A to Z small background stamp because I wanted to add a subtle inference to childhood to this card. I used Versamark for a tone on tone look and embossed it with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder.

Then came the tricky part: choosing a sentiment. I ended up going with "small wonder" from a retired Hostess set because it communicated that this baby is a special and unique wonder. I inked it with Soft Suede and used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to position it.

The Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder demonstrated its versatility again by adding some great texture and femininity to this card while not overpowering the main image. I used Very Vanilla again, cut to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8", so that the Pear Pizazz card base would still be seen.

Next I went to the ribbon drawer and chose Victoria Crochet Trim because baby girls make me think of frills and lace. I also added three Crumb Cake flower buttons from the Neutrals Designer Button collection because I wanted to create an element that would make reference to Ruby being the third girl in the family.

Why not give yourself this same challenge the next time you have an occasions card to make? Choose a set not normally thought to be used for that application and see what your mind comes up with. It knows how to think outside the box.

Baby GIRL Card

It seems everyone I know is having BOYS this summer, so I was thrilled when I read the birth announcement on Facebook of Neelam's third little girl, Mira. Neelam and I met three years ago at the annual SU! convention, when her two oldest girls were not quite sure they were happy about Mommy being away from home for three days. Mommy, though, certainly was! Now I'm sure those not-so-little-anymore girls are beyond excited to have their little sister join them at home.

I've always struggled with baby cards, and I don't tend toward pink or frilly, given the choice. As I thought about what stamps to use for Neelam's daughter's card, I wandered around my craft room and my eyes fell upon So Many Scallops, a retired set that I'm planning to sell that has a baby image. I pulled that one out of the case, and I also picked up the daisy design that's part of the set.

I chose Kraft and Pretty in Pink and Whisper White as my color scheme and the base is 4.25" square. I ended up liking the idea of pink daisies better than the image intended for use with baby cards. I had to hand color with my Pretty in Pink SU! Marker the flower, so as not to ink the non-baby related words in the center. To fill the center, I used a .75" circle punch and some retired striped Kraft Designer Series Paper.

I like to customize baby cards whenever possible, so I pulled out a small, non-SU! alphabet and stamped the baby's name using Close to Cocoa ink. Can't WAIT for the new Kraft (renamed Crumb Cake) ink pad to arrive with my order next week!! It's long overdue.

For the interior, I used the scallop circle punch and made some daisies. I stamped one of the circles from long-retired-but-still-one-of-my-favorites Riveting and created the center of the flower with it. The leaves are from my 2-step Bird Punch, which will be returning in the new catalog that debuts July 1. Can hardly wait for that either!

Lastly, I spritzed the entire front of the card with a new product called Smooch Spritz. It gives a nice shimmer to any project, although I think I laid it on a bit thick on this one. I didn't know how it would dry, so I just went with my Mom's motto: If a little's good, a lot is better! In my opinion, it's too much, but oh well.

I have another graduation card to make for a party we're going to this weekend, so be on the lookout for that.

Baby Shower Invitation

Finally! I've come up with a card for a baby that I LIKE! This card is the invitation for my cousin Abby's baby shower, which will be held next month in Indiana. I won't be able to attend, but I wanted to be part of the event in some way, so I volunteered to make the invitations.

The baby's nursery doesn't really have a theme, but the walls are painted baby blue and tan. So I pulled out Bashful Blue and Kraft card stock and began experimenting with some new stamps I have.

The striping on the Kraft is done with a new small stripes stamp that's featured in the Occasions Mini. It's a great size; 2 7/8" square. This makes it easier to work with than a large background stamp. There are 4 of these, and I purchased 3! I stamped the stripes with Whisper White Craft ink and heat embossed them with White Embossing Powder.

I used a second one, albeit in a very small way on the BB card stock. If you click on the picture of the card, you can see the small letters peeking out behind the focal image. I have a feeling these are going to get a lot of use!

The bug is from the Level 1 Hostess set offerings and is called Love Bug. I stamped it with Sahara Sand Classic Ink and then colored it with that and a BB Stampin' Write Marker.

The heart was almost an afterthought. I couldn't figure out how to incorporate a sentiment that made this into an announcement/invitation. I had this heart in the same small box I was keeping the buttons, and I remembered that I have a very small stamp that says "it's a boy". My son wandered in while I was trying to determine placement of all the pieces, and he's responsible for this result!

I only have 11 of these to make once I get a thumbs-up from the hostess, so that won't be overwhelming. I have a pretty busy week. Working every day except Wednesday, crafting at Ronald McDonald House tomorrow night, then hosting a group of high school girls Friday night through Sunday morning for our church's local retreat. Good times! Have a great week!