Well Worn Birthday

Well Worn Birthday

Today is my husband's birthday and I have been contemplating the card that I want to create for him.  For me, a male card is sooooo hard.  It is a challenge to think outside of the female/flower/froufrou box.  I will come up with a unique card to show you tomorrow, but for now here is one that I have on my card buffet.    I have to thank Dawn Olchefske for this idea.  Don't you just love how easy it is and what a great way to use up dsp scraps.  If you cut your dsp for card fronts, first cut the 12x12 into three 4x12 strips.  Then with each of these cut into 4x5 1/4 and you will get six card fronts out of one sheet of dsp!  Then the bonus is that you will also have three pieces of 4x1 1/2 strips and those I used for this card, punching out the circles with the 1 1/4" circle punch.  You could make a card for children or adults with this theme. 

I am making many cards for our soldiers by donating cards to Operation Write Home.  Our local ladies will be having a card making day for Operation Write Home on Thursday, April 12th from 10 to 4pm at the Sallie Logan Library in Murphysboro, IL.  Please come and join us, but if you can't we can always use donations of paper, envelopes(A2 size) or money for postage.  Email me with questions or donations.  Last year our small group sent 552 cards and this year we plan to beat that number.

Recipe:

Stamp:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Early Espresso

Paper:  Well Worn DSP, Early Espresso and Naturals Ivory Card Stock

Accessories:  1 1/4" circle punch, Modern Label and Word Window Punches

PPA97-Fashion Inspiration-What's Your Signature Style

I have been creating cards for my card buffet on June 27th and ran across the Pals Paper Arts Challenge this week of :Fashion Inspiration-What's Your Signature Style.  I definitely am a vintage kind of girl.  My ladies are always asking: "What do I sponge", and my answer: "Sponge stain everything".  LOL

Open Sea Birthday

Distressed World

Recipe:

Stamp:  The Open Sea

Paper:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand Card Stock and Nautical Expedition

Ink:  Soft Suede and Basic Grey Classic

Accessories:  Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Spiral Border Punch(Retired list, go shopping now to get it before it is gone), 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Sanding Block, Stamping Sponges, Cutter Kit

Tuesday Card Class

This Tuesday we will be making three cards.  I had a request for a baby shower card where the sex of the newborn is not known.  I must say that this threw me for awhile.  Several months ago one of the other Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrators mentioned in a chat that she had an album of all of the current Designer Series Paper that she showed her classes.  I thought this was a great idea, so I have made my own DSP album.  I can't tell you how it has helped my MOJO to refer to this DSP album when designing a card.
So back to the baby shower card, sorry, I was side-tracked for a moment there.  I opened my DSP album to the Nursery Suite Specialty paper and wow, SU has made it easy for me to design a card with no gender specified.

Baby Shower Card

Recipe:

Stamps:  A Slice of Life - Hostess (Free with a $150 party until April 30), Something to Celebrate - Hostess (Free with a $300 party until April 30)

Paper:  Nursery Suite Specialty DSP, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White and Chocolate Chip Card Stock

Ink:  Chocolate Chip Classic Inc; Regal Rose, Baja Breeze and Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Up Markers

Accessories: Pear Pizzazz 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, Pear Pizzazz Big Designer Buttons Springtime Vintage, Hemp Twine, 1-3/4"x7/8" Oval Large Punch, Scalloped Oval Extra-Large Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

I am always needing a male birthday card so I decided to use the technique "Poppin' Pastels" along with the stamp set - Lovely As a Tree, I hope SU never retires this set, I really love it.  My friend, Marsha Reed, go check out her blog: Coffee Pot Cafe,  had a tutorial on using the Dotted Scalloped Ribbon Border Punch in a different way, so I used her tutorial on the following card.

Male Woodland Walk Birthday

Recipe:
Stamps:  Something to Celebrate - Hostess (Free with a $300 party until April 30), Lovely As a Tree
Paper:  Confetti Cream and Very Vanilla Card Stock, Woodland Walk DSP
Ink:  Versamark, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Dotted Scalloped Ribbon Border Punch, Photo Corners Extra Large Punch, Bone Folder, Stampin' Pastels, Glue Dots and Stampin' Dimensionals

Elizabeth Wedding/Anniversary

I was out surfing the blog yesterday and was inspired by Sage Kimble to dig out my Elizabeth stamp again.  When Elizabeth first appeared in the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog on page 18, it was the first stamp I bought from the catalog and I have sat and ignored it for six months, it was time to pull it out and put a different spin on it this time.  The Always from the Always Elegant stamp set can be used for either a wedding card or an anniversary.  Don't you just love those little rosettes?  They come in vanilla and you can use your Stampin' Markers to color them any matching color to your card.  Win, Win!

Recipe:
Stamps:  Elizabeth, Always Elegant
Paper:  Confetti White, Very Vanilla and Pretty in Pink Card Stock, Lap of Luxury DSP
Ink:  Basic Grey Classic Ink;  So Saffron, Pretty in Pink and Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories:  Vanilla Rosettes (page 16, Occasions Mini Catalog - ends April 30), Retired SU ribbon

Embedded Embossing Technique Birthday Card

Well, I had to get inspired to make some male birthday cards this week, we have three male members of the family with birthdays in the next four days.  I was inspired by Gretchen Barron and her Polka Dot Birthday, but I had to change it up and put my twist to it.  This is one of the techniques that we will be learning on 3/2 Technique Class.  Hope my brother-in-law and two nephews enjoy their cards.  These were clean and simple cards to make, I have two Girl Scout Troops that I will be making cards with in March and these would be an excellent choice for them to make.  I'll have to see...

Embedded Embossing Technique Birthday Card

Recipe:

Stamps:

Something to Celebrate ( Hostess Level 2 Occasions Mini Catalog)

Paper:

Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight

Ink:

Early Espresso

Accessories:

Big Shot, Top Note Die, Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, 1/2, 3/4 and 1" Circle Punch