September Stamp of the Month - example

This little 3X3 card was ALSO inspired by another CTMH consultant!  I confess that I looked at this stamp set and thought - "nah" - but then I saw what people were creating with it and my eyes bulged out!  It's easy to use, fantastic results in very little time.  This card was for a birthday gift, but the set seems to be primarily holiday and Halloween!  There are all sorts of little decorative elements!  

The design paper mat was one from two years ago when I was in Hawaii.  That brings back memories!  First of all, that I was SILLY enough to think I could be gone 2 months without doing any stamping!  Good Golly Miss Sharli!  That lasted about 2 weeks and I was ordering supplies from CTMH and Amazon!  LOL  I certainly don't create every day - but I think about it every day!  

PS - if you want this SOTM - you've got to act fast!  It's only available until end of the day today, Sept. 30th.

Autumn thanks

This sweet card was also inspired by another stamper, this time on Stamp Junkies.  She used a 5X5 square format, different leaves that were cut from design paper and "antiqued", different music, a different sentiment, and a different ribbon.  Other than that . . . .  Hahaha.  So, I used CTMH's retired Flourished Blessings.  The card base was white daisy cardstock and the rest is from my stash.  I used Goldrush and Sunset inks for the leaves (using the Rock-n-Roll technique).  The sentiment was stamped in Espresso.

I am hoping to get creative today sometime - I need some more thank you notes in my stash!  

Scandinavian Wishes

I was inspired to get ink on this retired stamp set from CTMH by another CTMH consultant who created a similar (but portrait) card.  I changed several things, so I hope it doesn't count as stealing!  I used my embossing buddy to wipe down the kraft cardstock first, then stamped with clear versa mark ink, used fine white detail embossing powder and heat embossed.  The heart in the middle was created out of a piece of glitter tape.  I made a negative by cutting a heart out of a scrap of kraft - then I traced the heart opening onto the back of the tape and cut it out with my detail scissors.  It was fussy work, but I couldn't find just the right size of heart shape punch or die cut.  Good stuff to do while lounging in front of the TV.

The inside has a white daisy piece added with simple washi tape (red/white) decoration.  Hope, Love, Peace.  A very good Christmas message!

Happy Birthday to You

Do you remember Dew Drops?  Do you still have any?  I do!!  LOTS of them!! I was smitten with them and bought them by the bottles.  They look great on these cards - the light shines through them a bit.  The HAPPY is from a scrapbooking special (retired) and the rest of the sentiment is from one of the Birthday Sparkles.  Have you ever tried to mask a sentiment by putting washi tape over the word you don't want, inking the stamp up, pulling off the washi tape (carefully) and then stamping?  It works!!!!  The color was Espresso and the YOU is filled in with Sapphire.  I laced up the card with another oldie-goldie, the waxed twine.  These could be masculine cards, too!

Bird - Masculine Birthday

The bird here is another retired CTMH stamp.  I was inspired by another CTMH Consultant to try to copy her card.  I changed the ribbon/twine, changed the color pallet slightly and the underneath focal piece (dots on the left, woodgrain on the right).  I added sequins that are dark gray.  The image was stamped with Momento Tuxedo black and I did some hand drawing on the edge with a Faber Castell Pitt artist pen in "M".  I use these pens a lot for writing and journaling because they don't bleed through the paper and they are very smooth and clear.  

Birthday Stars in Grateful Hearts

The Grateful Hearts paper has a splash of Sapphire in the design papers - making this combination almost look like a 4th of July celebration!  Everything except the smallest black stars were cut from the design papers or matching cardstocks.  The little happy was cut from a birthday sentiment for use here - stamped in Pomegranate ink.  The new Candy Apple red cardstock is shown in the actual color as the mat on the front, and on the slightly paler red on the star upper right.  

Sunflower Garden in Lilac/Pansy inks

This Anniversary card is so pretty in real life.  My photo is all off on the colors and I couldn't figure out how to fix it!  The above one is pretty true to color but the bottom one makes the card base look pink and the flowers look orchid!  The inks used were Lilac/Pansy for the flowers and Mint/Sage for the leaves and made up design paper.  The purple silk ribbon is from my stash.  Sunflowers are favorites of mine and this stamp set is a really, really old one!

Birthday in Grateful Hearts

Grateful Hearts - from the new Holiday catalog - is not just for Thanksgiving!  This paper is so lovely and it's finally available!  

I used the chubby birdie that I love so much (paper pieced) and another birthday sentiment from Papertrey Ink on the inside stamped with Pomegranate ink.  

A2 stand up card - Happy Birthday!

This is another "stands up on it's own" card!  I like that it folds up to an A2 card size, although it does have a weight to it that might require additional postage.  

I used Fundamentals papers and some design paper (all retired) and stamped the sunburst from a 4th of July stamp!  The embellishments cover up the stars for the most part!  The butterfly was from last spring - a beautiful creature that I stamped on white cardstock then sponged with Sunset ink.  I hate photographing my fingers - but my wedding ring is pretty, huh!  (LOL) Most of what I've been making recently has been in sets of two.  

Happy Birthday cards with Grateful Hearts

September brought a need for approximately 20 birthday cards!  YIKES!  So I go busy playing with the new design papers from CTMH.  The Grateful Hearts paper is a favorite because I adore fall colors!  The bird is from a retired set (Happy Birds - I think) and on a whim I had it stand on top of the word!  *giggle*

The dark color is actually Sapphire - a deep blue.  I love that addition to the traditional fall colors!  

Grateful Hearts papers - AVAILABLE NOW!

The Grateful Hearts paper pack is so pretty.  I am SO partial to the autumn papers.  I know I'm going to LOVE them every year - especially when the palette is this rich and warm!  

I had a little image from House Mouse that I couldn't decide what to do with - was he playing hide-and-seek and he was the counter?  Was he so ashamed that he forgot someone's birthday that he covered his eyes?  I decided he was shielding his face from the huge butterfly!  

Someone on Stamp Junkies was asking if anyone decorates the inside of the card so I thought I'd include this photo today.  Not much, just a little something to connect it to the front!  Ink color is Pomegranate.

This little house mouse is really a spring card, but I thought perhaps it could also be a "get well" or "thinking of you" card!  I wanted design paper for the background - but didn't see anything I liked in my stash so I pulled out a plain gray/white pattern and started coloring it!  I've never tried that trick before and am pretty happy with the result!  Of course, the big soft silk bow makes the whole thing!  LOL

Birthday double point card

Another double-point fold card - it occurred to me that I could use shapes other than the curvy die cuts.  I pulled out some circles and went to town on this sweet card!  I had this little birdie fluttering around on my studio desk all ready to go somewhere so I added her to my card, added happy birthday to the inside and used Grateful Hearts (available NOW!!!).  All CTMH product except the birdie stamp.  

Thank You note

About two months ago we looked out the kitchen window and realized that there was a huge swarm of bees in the back yard!  They looked like moving clouds!  Steve called a friend, who knew a bee-keeper and so we asked them for help.  It took two trips to capture most of the bees and the queen but she got them all into a portable hive and took them to her farm.  We were thrilled that they were rescued rather than destroyed (I've had experience with Africanized Bees in AZ - they simply kill them).  

As if saving the bees wasn't enough, the bee-keeper showed up this week with a quart jar of honey!!!!!  I was so overwhelmed I couldn't say anything intelligent - - - just "OMG" and "Thank you" and "Are you SURE? - we owe YOU for the favor".  Well, I went looking for an idea to make a nice thank you note for them when I realized that I did have the address on the label of the honey! 

This is such a simple card once you know the trick.  Lisa Curcio has a nice tutorial if you're interested.  I used CTMH papers, inks, and stamps.   I love this simple card and will be making more of these!