Tag: SUO

Life Is Beautiful

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends!

Today’s card features the “Life Is Beautiful” stamp set which can be seasonally appropriate throughout the entire year, depending on how you choose to adorn your tree.  Since it’s Fall, I chose to stamp my leaves in bright Fall colors.  I also used some preserved Madrone tree bark, as I’ve used in previous posts.  Directions for how to preserve the bark can be found here.

I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment on this card, also from the “Life Is Beautiful” stamp set.  Despite the havoc coming at us from every direction throughout 2020, if we stop and take stock of how beautiful and precious life is, it becomes quite easy to focus with 20-20 vision – Life-Is-Beautiful!

This year has required many adjustments, but despite the inconveniences and angst, life goes on and we have so much to be thankful for!  I guess it all comes down to “looking at the glass half empty, or half full”.  I choose “half-full”.

I have to admit that I haven’t always had that “half-full” attitude.  I had some life circumstances in years gone by which were “trying” (to put it mildly), and I felt quite justified in my negativity.  I began down a very slippery slope of unhappiness and the “blame game” secondary to somebody else’s choices, and circumstances that were out of my control.

A very dear friend, who also happened to be my doctor and employer, recognized this and on a particularly bad afternoon, simply said to me, “You know, Jan, happiness is a choice.  You can choose to be happy even during tough times.”

Whoa!  Wait a minute!  I wanted to argue and justify that this, this and this were why I couldn’t be happy (it wasn’t my fault…)!  But that small voice inside me told me to keep my mouth shut and think about what he’d just said.  After much deliberation, I had to admit, he was right!  While I couldn’t control many of the circumstances around me, I could control my attitude and make a choice to be happy despite my circumstances.

Light-bulb moment:  My happiness didn’t have to hinge on what someone else did or didn’t do.

That revelation changed everything for me and I set about very purposely being happy, seeing the glass half full instead of half empty you might say.  It wasn’t easy, as my circumstances and challenges were still there.  But I awoke every morning with a determination that I would be happy today, regardless of the actions of others.

It took many months of very purposely choosing happiness, not allowing someone else’s actions to dictate my emotions and attitude.  I learned during that time what it was to really lean on my faith – to let go and let God!  Trust me my friends, God still works miracles.  I’ve been on the receiving end a couple of times which I can identify with all certainty, and probably more that I’m not even aware of.  I’ll share those miracles given me in due time.  But let me just reaffirm… Life Is BEAUTIFUL! (And, happiness is a choice!)

LET’S GET INKY!

Stamp sets used:

  • Life Is Beautiful
  • Gather Together

Metal Dies:

  • Gathered Leaves

Paper:

  • Very Vanilla CS – card base 5 1/2″ x 8 1/4″ – fold at 4 1/4″ (Card front will be 1/4″ smaller than card back)
  • Early Espresso CS (mat 2) – 5 1/8″ x 3 3/4″
  • Soft Suede CS (mat 2) – 5″ x 3 5/8″
  • Very Vanilla CS – image panel – 4 7/8″ x 3 1/2″
  • Gilded Autumn DSP – inside edge strip – 1/2″ x 5 1/2″

Ink:

  • Early Espresso
  • Cajun Craze
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • So Saffron
  • Balmy Blue
  • Tuxedo Black Memento

Accessories:

  • Preserved Madrone Tree Bark
  • Linen Thread
  • In Good Taste Elements
  • Light Soft Suede Stampin’ Blends
  • Stampin’ Sponges

Putting It Together:

  1. On the Very Vanilla Image Panel, starting at the top, lightly sponge So Saffron across top and about three-fourths down the panel until it fades out.
  2. Next lightly sponge Balmy Blue ink in sort of an arch across the top.
  3. Stamp the tree trunk image in Early Espresso.  Color in with Light Soft Suede Stampin’ Blend.
  4. Stamp the leaves in Cajun Craze, stamping first below the tree, and then with the second generation ink (stamped off once below the tree), the leaves in the tree.
  5. Repeat with Pumpkin Pie ink, stamping below the tree with fresh (1st generation) ink, and then with second generation in the tree.
  6. Stamp the “Life Is Beautiful” sentiment above the tree.
  7. Stamp the pumpkins from “Gather Together” stamp set on preserved Madrone tree bark, or Cajun Craze CS, using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.
  8. Crop out the pumpkins using the corresponding die from “Gathered Leaves Dies”.
  9. Adhere pumpkins beside tree trunk.
  10. Lightly sponge Early Espresso ink around edges of image panel.
  11. Wrap Linen Thread around the left edge of the panel x 3, attaching ends to back of image panel.
  12. Using a short piece of the Linen Thread, tie a small bow around the 3 vertical threads.
  13. Use Early Espresso ink to lightly “grunge-up” the wood leaf from In Good Taste Elements.  Use a glue dot to adhere the wooden leaf just below the bow.
  14. Adhere the Early Espresso mat to the card base, followed by the Soft Suede mat.
  15. Adhere a length of tree bark, (or a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock 5 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ – moisten top and bottom edges and carefully tear edges away) to mid-left side of card front.
  16. Adhere image panel over all.
  17. On the inside of the card, adhere the DSP strip along the right edge, even with the card base edge.
  18. Stamp the leaf image from Gather Together in Pumpkin Pie ink.
  19. Stamp the sentiment from Gather Together in Early Espresso, slightly overlapping the bottom of the stamped leaf.

DONE!

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!  Spend some time looking around; I hope you find some inspiration here and may you GET INKY TODAY!

  DSP Sale

OH, OH, OH!!!  Don’t forget that the Stampin’ Up Designer Series Paper is ON SALE through the month of October!!  Now’s the perfect time to stock up on all the gorgeous papers you’ve had your eye on!

Click here for the flier of all the DSP on sale!

Or, simply go to my online store and click on Designer Series Paper Sale!

Janet

Product List

Life Is Beautiful Photopolymer Stamp Set

$17.00

Gather Together Bundle

$38.50

Gather Together Photopolymer Stamp Set

$17.00

Gathered Leaves Dies

$26.00

Gilded Autumn Specialty Designer Series Paper

$15.00

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Cajun Craze 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$6.00

Linen Thread

$5.00

In Good Taste Elements

$6.50

Stamping Sponges

$4.00

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

$4.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$120.00

Paper Trimmer

$25.00

Pumpkin Spice & Elk – Yep, It’s FALL!

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends!

As you may recall, I mentioned in my last post an excess of canned pumpkin in my pantry.  As such, I’ve been looking for recipes, other than pumpkin pie, in an effort to use some of it up.  Nothing against pumpkin pie, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s that far into Fall to warrant pumpkin pie yet! So, as an alternative, I found a recipe on AllRecipes.com for “Great Pumpkin Dessert” and made that instead.  I must say, it’s very good!  It also made the house smell like pumpkin spice!  A win-win!

It is, however, far enough into fall for hunting season!  It’s a time of year that Dean and I look forward to every year.  I know hunting isn’t for everyone, but it’s a big part of our lifestyle and we both enjoy getting out on a crisp fall morning, hiking through the woods in search of a big bull elk.  Dean archery hunts, which means his season is before mine with a rifle.  While hunting with a rifle is enjoyable, I must say, there’s nothing like going with Dean archery hunting.  To hunt with a bow, one must get very close to his target.  That means getting fully camouflaged up, face paint, the whole nine yards.  I love the thrill of going with Dean and getting right in the middle of a herd of elk, trying not to move, even breathe, so as not to be discovered.  One slight move, or the breeze blowing the wrong way, and the elk will be gone in an instant!  The adrenaline rush of having a gigantic bull elk a mere arms length away with only some brush between you and him, I can’t even describe!  Of course, when they’re that close, it’s impossible to draw a bow without being discovered, so just standing there ,still as can be, afraid he’s going to hear your heart beating as it feels like it’s going to beat right out of your chest, trying to breathe slow and easy so as not to make a sound or move a muscle.  There’s nothing quite like it!

I’m proud to say, Dean was successful in his hunt again this year, tagging this beauty of a bull a couple days ago! (Just for perspective, Dean’s 6’0″ tall)

ELK….it’s what’s for dinner in our home!

And soon, we’ll be back outside in search of another bull for me to harvest.  I’m going to concede right now, Dean’s going to win the big bull contest in our home this year!  I’m okay with that, you can’t eat the antlers, and the rest is all meat in the freezer!

But back to pumpkins and fall.  If you have any pumpkin recipes that you recommend, I’d be happy to give them a try!  I think I have 7 or 8 more cans of pumpkin in the pantry to use up.  After all, it’s going to be on sale again soon and I’ll have to buy more!!! LOL!!!

While I don’t generally get too into Halloween, I do like to put together a little something special for the grandkids.  Today’s card will add to the festive flair of their goodies!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Hallow’s Night Magic
  • Drybrush

Metal dies used:

  • Halloween Magic Dies (tag & bats)
  • Layering Ovals Dies (pumpkin – cut 3 of the smallest oval)
  • Ornate Borders Dies (Crushed Curry border on DSP)

Paper:

  • Plaid Tidings DSP- 2″ x 5 1/2″
  • Basic Black CS – card base 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″; scraps for die-cut bats
  • Pumpkin Pie CS – scraps for three ovals cut with smallest oval die in Layering Ovals
  • Mossy Meadow CS – scrap for pumpkin stem
  • Crushed Curry CS – 5 1/2″ x 1/2″ – cut 2 borders with Ornate Borders
  • Whisper White CS – scrap for front tag cut with Halloween Magic Dies.

Ink:

  • Tuxedo Black Memento
  • VersaMark
  • Pumpkin Pie

Accessories:

  • Silver Embossing Powder
  • Black Baker’s Twine from Country Club Twine Combo – retired
  • Stampin’ Blends:  Mango Melody Combo; Old Olive Combo

Putting It Together:

  1.  Use a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Basic Black CS for card base, folding in half at 4 1/4″.
  2.  Use the Drybrush Stamp and Versamark ink, stamping image on card front.
  3. Sprinkle Silver Embossing Powder over entire card front, tapping excess off.
  4. Heat emboss with heat tool.
  5. Apply Crushed Curry border pieces to Plaid Tidings DSP, and then apply that to card front centered.
  7. Apply Pumpkin Pie ink with sponge to edges of three ovals.
  8.   You can see in the picture, the first oval on the left has ink applied to the edges, the other two don’t.  Adding ink creates depth.
  9. Hand cut the pumpkin stem with scissors from Mossy Meadow CS.
  10. Apply two of the ovals side-by-side centered on the bottom card front.
  11. Place the hand cut stem between the ovals.
  12. Adhere the third oval centered over the other two ovals to make the pumpkin.
  13. Stamp the tag border from Hallow’s Night Magic onto Whisper White and then crop it out using the smaller tag die from Halloween Magic Dies.
  14. Color the flowers with Stampin’ Blends.
  15. Stamp the Happy Halloween sentiment from Hallow’s Night Magic.
  16. Adhere tag above the pumpkin.
  17. Use Halloween Magic Dies to crop out bats.
  18. Adhere bats above tag.
  20. Wrap a piece of Black Baker’s Twine around card front vertically and tie in bow.

DONE!

Thank you for visiting my blog today; I hope you’ve found some inspiration here.  Your comments and orders are always much appreciated!

I hope you have a fantastic day, and I hope you get a little INKY today!

Janet

Product List

Hallows Night Magic Bundle

$46.75

Hallows Night Magic Cling Stamp Set

$21.00

Halloween Magic Dies

$31.00

Drybrush Cling Background Stamp

$17.00

Layering Ovals Dies

$35.00

Ornate Borders Dies

$34.00

Plaid Tidings 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Pumpkin Pie 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$6.00

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Versamark Pad

$9.50

Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder

$6.00

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)

$30.00

Mango Melody Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Old Olive Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Stamping Sponges

$4.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$120.00

Paper Snips

$10.00

Poinsettia Place - not just red anymore

Poinsettia Petals – They Don’t Have To Be Red

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends!

It’s raining outside which means – the smoke is clearing!  I’ve been praying hard for rain, as I know so many others have as well.  I’ve not heard official reports as yet, but I’m guessing the showers we’ve been getting since last night have really knocked the heat out of the fires we’ve been experiencing.  A very welcome change for all of our amazing firefighters!  Hopefully the thousands of displaced families will be able to go back home soon.

I met some lovely pups at the animal shelter this week, many of whom are there due to their owners having to evacuate and unable to have their pets with them.  The pups were all so eager to get out of their cages and soak up some affection, which I was happy to provide.  Hopefully they and their families will be reunited soon.  I can only imagine what’s going through the minds of those fur babies.  It was obvious that some of them are quite accustomed to being lap dogs and are missing their people badly, as I’m sure their people are missing them too.  I’m looking forward to returning to the shelter next week and hopefully finding that some, if not all, of the evacuees have gone home.  I enjoyed my time at the shelter and have committed to volunteering there at least one day a week.

At any rate, the rain has me back in my craft room and I chose to play with the Poinsettia Petals products once again.

I’m a country gal and my jeans are nearly always dirty by the end of the day.  I frequently have to scrub the dirt from under my fingernails as well.  I find myself frequently trying to “grunge up” my cards just a little bit for a more rustic look; today was no different.

I cut my mat layers and when I laid them out, everything just looked too “clean”.  I generally turn to my ink pads and sponges to ink up the edges, but this time I decided I wanted a little imperfect “gilded” edge to my DSP.  I tried my gold gilding marker, but it wouldn’t apply evenly and didn’t look as I had imagined.

So, I found some metallic paint (I think I got it on Amazon some time ago), and a flat brush and sort of smeared that around the edges of my DSP.  I intentionally applied it thin so I could see the DSP underneath, and rounded the inside corners a bit.

The paint has just enough metallic shimmer to it to highlight the gold foil paper without being “matchy-matchy”.  I think it adds that little bit of rustic-ness that I was looking for!

I chose to use So Saffron Stampin’ Blends (dark and light) to color the poinsettia petals which were stamped in Early Espresso.

Has anyone else noticed that poinsettias come in just about every color of the rainbow the last few years?  As such, one could make the poinsettia any color, as they’re certainly not limited to red, pink and white any longer!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp Sets Used:

  • Poinsettia Petals
  • For Unto Us

Metal Dies:

  • Poinsettia Dies
  • Beautiful Boughs

Punch:

  • Label Me Lovely

Embossing Folder:

  • Scripty 3D

Paper:

  • Whisper White CS (card base) – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ – fold in half at 4 1/4″
  • Poinsettia Place DSP – Mat 1 (Brown pinecones) 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″    Mat 2 (poinsettias) 5 3/8″ x 3 3/4″
  • Gold Foil Paper – 3″ x 2 1/2″
  • Garden Green CS

Ink:

  • Early Espresso

Accessories:

  • Gold Glitter Enamel Dots
  • Gold Cord
  • DecoArt Metallic Venetian Gold Paint (available on Amazon)

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Apply metallic paint to edges of DSP and let dry.
  2. Run gold foil paper piece through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss machine in Scripty 3D embossing folder.
  3. Stamp one each of all three poinsettia petals stamps in Early Espresso.
  4. Use So Saffron Stampin’ Blends Combo to color petals.
  5. Crop petals out using Poinsettia Dies and adhere together using liquid glue or mini glue dots in the center of each.
  6. Apply Gold Glitter Enamel Dots to center of poinsettia.  Using the Take-Your-Pick tool to apply these small dots is the easiest method (personal opinion!)
  7. Crop fir boughs from Garden Green CS using Beautiful Boughs Dies.
  8. Stamp the sentiment from For Unto Us on Whisper White scrap and use Label Me Lovely Punch to cut out.
  9. Adhere paint-edged mat 2, to brown pinecone mat 1.
  10. Adhere sentiment label to gold foil embossed piece, and adhere that to mat stack about 1/2″ from top and centered.
  11. Adhere the end of a 6″ piece of gold cord to back of mat stack approximately 1/4″ from left edge, wrap over the front and adhere other end to back as well.
  12. Tie a small bow with a piece of gold cord and use a mini glue dot to stick it to the cord on the front of the card approximately at the bottom edge of the gold foil piece.
  13. Adhere fir boughs and place poinsettia in the center.

DONE!

A country-rustic, not-red poinsettia for Christmas!

I hope I’ve inspired you to get a little inky today.

It’s time for me to go feed my horses and get a little country-grungy cleaning their stalls!

Until next time,

Janet

Product List

Poinsettia Place Suite Collection (English)

$94.00

Poinsettia Petals Bundle (English)

$56.50

Poinsettia Petals Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$27.00

Poinsettia Dies

$36.00

For Unto Us Cling Stamp Set

$21.00

Poinsettia Place Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Beautiful Boughs Dies

$35.00

Label Me Lovely Punch

$18.00

Scripty 3D Embossing Folder

$10.00

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

So Saffron Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Gold Glitter Enamel Dots

$8.00

Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack

$9.00

Take Your Pick

$10.00

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

$4.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$120.00

Magnetic Cutting Plate

$24.00

Paper Trimmer

$25.00

Beautiful Autumn For A Beautiful Day

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends,

I got back into my craft room today after really struggling with motivation the last few days.  The fires and hardship suffered by so many in our local communities has really been burdening my heart;  the need to help and yet unsure where I can be of use.  Everywhere one turns these days it seems there’s gloom and doom, violence and fear, left versus right, etc., etc., etc.   I’m generally a quiet personality type and it’s easy for me to slip into the background where I’m more comfortable, rather than getting out there and facing challenges head-on.  However, I can only hide for so long before I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me to put on my full armor and GET OUT THERE!  I’ve been a prayer warrior for sure over the last many months, but I’m feeling the push to get out and put my feet and hands to work!  There are many needs out there currently, and while I don’t have the resources to fund large donations, I certainly know how to work and am willing to do so.

It was recently brought to my attention that our local animal shelter has taken in many pets from families who’ve been displaced due to the fires, and as well, they have taken in animals from another county shelter which had to evacuate.  They’re calling for volunteers to help at the shelter with their extra load of animals, so this is where I will start.  I have a very soft spot for animals, so this will be a good fit and I’ve promised myself (and Dean) I won’t fall in love with all of them and want to bring them all home… a real danger if you know me at all!!! LOL!!!  Helping the animal shelter seems like a small donation of time and energy, but we’ll see where God leads me from there!

With that decision made and looking forward to starting at the shelter, I was able to settle into my craft room and create this card using largely scraps of cardstock.  The larger leaf is cut from madrone tree bark, as I used in earlier posts.  The instructions of how to rehydrate and preserve the bark are noted in my post from August 30; click here to see this post.  I love the realistic leaf look it lends to the card; it looks like it fell right off the tree.  Actually, I guess it did – just not in leaf form!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Beautiful Autumn (bundle w/punches)

Dies & Punches used:

  • Beautiful Autumn Punch Pack
  • Layering Ovals
  • Gathered Leaves Dies

Embossing Folder:

  • Tasteful Textile 3D

Paper:

  • Very Vanilla CS:  8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ score at 4 1/4″ and fold in half for card base.
  • Very Vanilla CS:  5 1/4″ x 4″
  • Gold Foil Sheet:  Cropped with Layering Ovals Dies

Ink:

  • Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
  • Early Espresso
  • Old Olive
  • Crumb Cake
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Cajun Craze

Accessories:

  • Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker
  • Gold Cord from Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack
  • Preserved Madrone tree bark
  • Mini Glue Dots

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Creating the mat.  Using the Very Vanilla CS 5 1/4″ x 4″ piece, sponge ink across panel lengthwise.  Start with Old Olive, using swiping motions back and forth across the bottom 1/4 of the panel.  Then sponge Crumb Cake ink back and forth, letting it lightly blend into the Old Olive ink.  Next is Pumpkin Pie, again, letting it blend slightly into the Crumb Cake ink.  Finally, finish with Cajun Craze, allowing that to slightly blend into the Pumpkin Pie ink.
  2. With ink applied, run panel through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine in the Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder.
  3. Cut panel in half at the 2 5/8″ mark.
  5. Apply inked mat to card base, flipping one panel so that the coloration is opposite the other.
  6. Adhere gold foil oval centered over the center seam.
  7. On scraps of Very Vanilla CS, stamp 2 acorns from Beautiful Autumn in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.  Fill in the caps with Early Espresso ink, the bottom with Crumb Cake ink.  Punch them out with the acorn punch from Beautiful Autumn Punch Pack.
  8. Stamp 4 oak leaves, and 4 maple leaves on scraps of Very Vanilla.  Fill in the oak leaves with Old Olive ink, and the maple leaves with Cajun Craze ink.  Punch these out with the punches from Beautiful Autumn Punch Pack.
  9. Using Early Espresso ink, stamp the wheat stalks (left and right sides) and small leaves (top and bottom).
  10. Using an Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker, draw the border lines and hash marks in corners.
  11. Stamp sentiment from Beautiful Autumn in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla strip of CS and then cut the words apart using scissors.
  12. Adhere words to gold foil oval.
  13. Adhere the acorns to the left and right sides, centered between the wheat stalks.
  14. Scatter the oak leaves about the four corners, and the maple leaves around the gold oval – adhere all.
  15. Using the embossed leaf die from Gathered Leaves Dies, crop leaf from madrone bark (or Cajun Craze CS) by running through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.
  16. Using Mini Glue Dot, adhere leaf to center top.
  17. Tie a small bow with the gold cord and adhere to top of leaf with Mini Glue Dot.

DONE!

I hope that you’re all doing well out there!  For those of you who are local and dealing with the fires and smoke, please let me know if there’s anything I can do to assist you!

Until next time,

Janet

Product List

Beautiful Autumn Bundle (English)

$50.25

Beautiful Autumn Photopolymer Stamp Set

$17.00

Autumn Punch Pack

$39.00

Layering Ovals Dies

$35.00

Gathered Leaves Dies

$26.00

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Gold Foil Sheets

$5.00

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$6.00

Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder

$9.00

Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack

$9.00

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

$4.00

Paper Trimmer

$25.00

Paper Snips

$10.00


 

Whale Done Tri-Fold Peek-A-Boo For A Double-Digit Birthday

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends!

One of our grandsons is hitting the big double-digit birthday soon, 10-years-old, and I want him to know that he’s “Kind of a BIG deal”!  Whale of a Time was the perfect fit for this occasion!  I chose to use my favorite fancy-fold, the tri-fold peek-a-boo, to highlight his big 10 years!

As I recently used this fancy fold in another post, I will simply refer you back to that post for the video and step-by-step instructions of how to create this card here.

Of course, I used a different array of products to make today’s card, so a listing of those are below but the instructions are otherwise the same.

This past week has been incredibly difficult with so many throughout our state being evacuated from their homes due to the wildfires to the north, south, east and west of us.  So much loss all about us… there are no words.  At this point, our ranch is not in harms way and a friend of ours inquired if we’d be able to accommodate horses for people who’ve had to evacuate.  Thus far we’ve taken in 8 horses.  I pray that those horses and their families, as well as so many others, have homes to return to when all is said and done.

The smoke has been dense, burning the eyes, nose and throat when outside for very long.  I’m sure the hospitals are being inundated with those who have asthma, COPD, and other breathing disorders.  My thoughts and prayers have been significantly directed toward all the firefighters, first responders, and of course, all the people who have lost loved ones, their homes, their pets, and livelihoods.   I thank God above that there are people who are willing to put their lives on the line day in and day out for the safety of the rest of us.  I don’t like the smoke we’re experiencing here and yet, there are those who are rushing into the fires where the smoke and heat are truly horrendous.  To those true heroes, I say Thank You and May God Bless You!

LET’S GET INKY!

Whale Done Trifold Peek-A-Boo

Materials:

Stamp Sets/Bundle Used:

  • Whale Done Bundle
  • Blossoms In Bloom (happy birthday sentiment)

Metal Dies Used:

  • Layering Circles
  • Smooth Sailing (seaweed)
  • Playful Alphabet (10)

Paper:

  • Pretty Peacock (carebase – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″)
  • Granny Apple Green (Mat 1 inside & out 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″ – cut 2)
  • Whale Of A Time DSP 5 1/4″ x 4″ – cut 2 (calypso coral for card front & seahorses for card inside)

Ink:

  • Tuxedo Black Memento Ink

Accessories:

  • Whale Punch
  • 2-inch Circle Punch
  • Seabed 3D embossing folder
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

As mentioned above, there is a video of this process in my earlier post here.  Please refer to it; the written instructions are otherwise below.

  1.  Fold cardbase in half and set aside.
  2. Adhere the DSP to the Granny Apple Green mats and set aside to dry.
  3. Using the 5 1/2 x 5 inch piece of Pretty Peacock CS, score the 5 1/2 -inch side at 3/4″.  On the non-scored sides of that piece of cardstock, measure to 2 3/4″ and mark lightly with pencil.
  4. Use a paper trimmer to connect the pencil dots, to create the triangular flap.
  5. Use the 2nd largest (plain) circle from Layering Circles Dies, and cut the hole in the center of the “flap”.
  6. Emboss the flap using the Seabed 3D Embossing Folder.
  7. Use the largest scalloped circle die and the 2nd largest plain circle die from Layering Circles Dies to cut the scalloped “ring” from DSP to go around the hole on the front of the card flap.  Adhere this ring to flap front around hole.
  8. Now bring in your card base… THE CREASE WILL BE ON THE RIGHT FOR THIS CARD (it opens backwards).
  9. Crease the flap on your score line and insert the card base with open side into the crease of the flap. (Remember – your card base will be backwards from usual, i.e. open side on left/crease on right).  Make sure the top and bottom of both flap and card base are even.
  10. Punch a circle from a Post-It note using the 2″ circle punch, making sure the adhesive edge of the Post-It note is on the punched circle (so it will stay in place).
  11. Lay the punched circle in the center of the hole on the flap (will be on the front of the card base) to guide where the hole needs to be punched for the “peek-a-boo” hole.
  12. Remove the flap piece and place the card front, with the Post-It Note circle attached, in the 2″ punch with the Post-It Note circle aligned with the punch and punch your hole.
  13. Now when you lay the flap back over the card base, your holes should center up.
  14. Adhere the DSP inside sentiment panel (seahorses) onto the Granny Apple Green mat for the inside panel.  Lay that in the card base with even borders (where it will be glued down, but don’t glue it yet!), close the card and lightly trace the circle onto the white panel with a pencil. (This marks where to adhere your numbers).
  15. Remove the inside panel, adhere the numbers cut with the Playful Alphabet dies and stamp the sentiments. “Hoping all your birthday fishes come true” from Whale Done, and “Happy Birthday” from Blossoms In Bloom.
  16. Now lay the Calypso Coral DSP with Granny Apple Green mat (that you glued earlier) on the card base front.  Hold it in place and carefully open the card keeping the DSP stack in place.  Lay the 2″ circle Post-It Note in the center of the circle again, lift the cardbase off, and punch the hole in the DSP stack.
  17. Adhere the DSP mat to the card front, lining up the holes.  Stamp the “You’re Kind Of A Big Deal” sentiment on the right upper corner of the Calypso Coral DSP card front.
  18. Adhere the inside DSP stamped panel to the card base.
  19. Apply some adhesive to the straight edge of the flap (behind the score line) and apply to the back of the card so that the flap folds over the open edges of the card base.
  20. Use the seaweed die from Smooth Sailing Dies and cut four of those from a piece of the DSP that’s mostly Granny Apple Green.  Adhere those to the card fronts.
  21. Punch the whale from a piece of DSP using the Whale Punch and apply to front of card using dimensionals.

DONE!

Stay safe out there!

Janet

Though I didn’t use the ribbon or sequins from the Whale of a Time Suite, I used everything else.  Therefore, I listed the suite, as well as the bundle, as when ordered either in the suite or bundle, you get a 10% discount versus buying everything separately.

Product List

Whale Of A Time Suite Collection (English)

$65.50

Whale Done Bundle (English)

$31.50

Whale Done Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$17.00

Whale Builder Punch

$18.00

Seabed 3D Embossing Folder

$10.00

Layering Circles Dies

$35.00

Whale Of A Time 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Blossoms In Bloom Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

$22.00

Playful Alphabet Dies

$34.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$120.00

Smooth Sailing Dies

$32.00

Paper Trimmer

$25.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.00

Country Home With A Little Halloween Magic

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends!

Since it’s too hot to do much outside today, I’ve spend my day playing in my craft room.  I still have lots of products from the holiday mini catalog that I’ve yet to explore and so today seemed a good day to bring out some of those new toys and “break them in”!

I’ve been wanting to use the Halloween Magic Dies for a non-Halloween card since I got them.  There are two nesting labels included in those dies that are quite elegant-appearing and so I opted to use them today to create a layered opening for a gate-fold card.  All of the die-cuts featured on this card are from the Halloween Magic Dies with exception of the small, Cajun Craze flowers (Small Bloom punch), and the center sentiment label which is also a punch (Timeless Label).  So, let’s do a little Country Home with some Halloween Magic!

I love a little bling, so out came the Wink of Stella to glitter up the Crushed Curry Flowers, Champagne Rhinestones for the flower centers, and Gold Embossing Powder to make the sentiment shine!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Country Home

Metal Dies:

  • Halloween Magic

Paper:

  • Very Vanilla (8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″) – score and fold at 2 1/8″ and 6 3/8″.
  • Very Vanilla – small scrap for sentiment to be punched out with Timeless Label Punch.
  • So Saffron (5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″)
  • Crushed Curry – scraps for 4 flower outline cuts using Halloween Magic Dies.
  • Cajun Craze – scraps for 10 Small Bloom punched flowers.
  • Mossy Meadow – scraps for 10 leaf clusters cut using Halloween Magic Dies.
  • Plaid Tidings DSP – 4″ x 2″ to crop with smaller label die from Halloween Magic Dies.

Ink:

  • Versamark

Accessories:

  • Small Bloom Punch
  • Timeless Label Punch
  • Wink of Stella marker
  • Champagne Rhinestones
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals
  • Gold Embossing Powder
  • Heat tool

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Score and Fold the Very Vanilla card base as noted above.
  2. Lay the smaller of the two labels in Halloween Magic Dies in the center of the front, making sure the center of the gatefold is running down the center of the die.  Use some craft tape to hold the die in place on ONE side.
  4. Open the gatefold with the die still taped to one side, and run through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.
  6. Close the gatefolds and keeping the die lined up with the side you just cut, tape the die to the opposite side (uncut side).
  7. Open the gatefold and run through Cut & Emboss Machine again.
  8. When closed now, your opening should line up perfectly on both sides.
  9. Tape the larger label die from Halloween Magic Dies to the center of the So Saffron panel and run through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.  Save the center label you just cropped out for the inside of the card.
  10. Run the cropped So Saffron panel (with the hole in it) through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine in the Tasteful Texture 3D Embossing Folder.
  11. Cut that embossed panel in half lengthwise at 2 1/16″
  12. Use a metallic gold paint pen (I like the Uchida DecoColor Premium paint pens – available on Amazon) to highlight the openings on both the Very Vanilla and So Saffron edges.
  13. Adhere the So Saffron panels to the Very Vanilla gate-fold fronts.
  14. Crop out 4 of the outline flowers using Halloween Magic Dies from Crushed Curry CS.  Use a Wink of Stella marker to add glitter to them.
  16. Crop out 10 outline leaf clusters using Halloween Magic Dies from Mossy Meadow CS.
  17. Use the Small Bloom Punch to punch out 10 flowers in Cajun Craze and slightly curl petals for dimension.
  18. Arrange the flowers and leaves around the So Saffron “frame” and adhere.
  19. Use the So Saffron label made in step 9 on the inside, centering it under the window made by the gatefold.
  20. Crop a piece of Plaid Tidings DSP with the smaller label die from Halloween Magic Dies.
  21. To get that center in your gatefold window, close the gatefolds and after applying some adhesive, lay it in the middle of your gatefold.  It’s the same size as the opening, so it fits perfectly.
  22. Stamp the sentiment from Country Home on Very Vanilla, in Versamark and sprinkle with gold embossing powder, tapping off the extra.  Set it with heat tool.
  23. Use the Timeless Label Punch to punch out the sentiment.  Apply sentiment label using dimensionals to the center of the Plaid Tidings Label.
  25. Apply Champagne Rhinestones to the center of the flowers.

DONE!

I’m looking forward to cooler weather again; fall will be a welcome change!  My last several projects seem to reflect this by the colors I’ve chosen to use!  Come on cooler temps!!!!

Until next time, my friends,

I HOPE YOU GET INKY!

Janet

Product List

Country Home Photopolymer Stamp Set

$21.00

Hallows Night Magic Bundle

$46.75

Hallows Night Magic Cling Stamp Set

$21.00

Halloween Magic Dies

$31.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$120.00

Plaid Tidings 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Cajun Craze 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Versamark Pad

$9.50

Versamark Refill

$6.00

Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder

$6.00

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)

$30.00

Small Bloom Punch

$0.00

Timeless Label Punch

$18.00

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

$8.00

Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels

$6.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

$4.00

Paper Trimmer

$25.00

Cutting Blades Multipack

$12.00

Using Partial Die-Cuts To Create A Scene

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends,

Today’s card was made in honor of my niece’s birthday.  She loves lighthouses and the Christian symbolism inspired by Psalms 119:105, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  She’s an amazing photographer and videographer, so when she comes to visit from Texas, a trip to the coast and taking pictures of Oregon’s lighthouses is always on the list!

She had a birthday recently, and so, when it’s time to make her birthday card, what else other than a lighthouse?! Thankfully, Stampin’ Up has given us a couple of nice lighthouse images to work with over the last few years!

I’ve noticed several Christmas cards on Pinterest recently with partial die-cuts and given that “Sailing Home” has a lighthouse image and coordinating dies, I thought I’d give it a go with a lighthouse scene!

LET’S GET INKY!

Lighthouse card with partial die-cut

 

Materials:

Stamp Sets Used:

  • Sailing Home
  • Happiest Of Birthdays
  • Celebrate Sunflowers
  • High Tide

Metal Dies:

  • Smooth Sailing Dies
  • Layering Circles Dies

Paper:

  • Bumblebee – card base (8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″) fold in half for 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ card
  • Basic Black – Mat 1 (5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″) – Cut 2 (one for outside and one for inside)
  • Whisper White – Mat 2 (5 1/4″ x 4″) – Cut 3 (sunset panel outside, image panel w/cutaway outside, and sentiment panel for inside)

Ink:

  • Memento Tuxedo Black
  • SU Sahara Sand (sand)
  • SU Mossy Meadow (grass)
  • SU So Saffron, Bumblebee, Mango Melody, Gorgeous Grape, Blackberry Bliss (sunset)

Accessories:

  • SU Stampin’ Blends:  Light So Saffron, Ivory, Light Crumb Cake, Dark Crumb Cake
  • Gold cord from Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack

Putting It Together:

  1.  Stamp the lighthouse image from Sailing Home onto one of the 5 1/4″ x 4″ pieces of Whisper White cardstock, in Memento Black ink.  The lighthouse should be centered horizontally and down from the top edge of the cardstock about 1 1/2″.
  2. Place the metal die from Smooth Sailing Dies around the lighthouse and watch it very closely as you put it through your Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine – stop cranking it through as it reaches the bottom of the lighthouse, and before it begins to cut the “ground” around the bottom of the lighthouse.  Reverse crank it back out of the machine and remove die.
  4. Place the circle from Layering Circles Dies over the lighthouse to where the edges of the circle intersect with the bottom of the lighthouse as shown in the picture below.
  5. Again, watch closely as you put it through your Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine, stopping the forward motion as it meets the base of the lighthouse.  As you can see in the picture, I stopped a little bit early and cut the rest of the way with my snips.
  7. Using the sand and grass stamps from “High Tide”, and Sahara Sand and Mossy Meadow inks respectively, create your beach scene around the base of the lighthouse, extending to the sides and bottom of the panel.
  9. Use the Crumb Cake Combo of Stampin’ Blends to fill in around the sand and grass, creating some shadowing.
  10. Color the lighthouse with the Ivory Stampin’ Blend, and the lighthouse windows with Light So Saffron Stampin’ Blend.
  11. Wrap a small piece of gold cord around left side of panel through circle and tie small bow.
  12. Lay the lighthouse panel on top of another Whisper White  panel the same size (5 1/4″ x 4) and very lightly mark where your circle is with a pencil.
  13. Put the lighthouse panel aside and using a sponge, create the sunset on that second panel.  To do so, start with the lightest color first (So Saffron) and sponge ink in a back-and-forth swiping motion down to the bottom of the penciled circle and a little beyond.   Next use the Bumblebee ink, starting at the bottom of So Saffron, and sponge up about two thirds into the So Saffron allowing the color to lighten as you move up.  Do the same with the Mango Melody, start at the bottom and bring the color up just into the Bumblebee.  Next would be Gorgeous Grape, just up into the Mango Melody, and finish it off with just a little bit of Blackberry Bliss just at the bottom of the circle.
  15. Stamp the flying seagulls from Sailing Home in black ink across the top of the sky.
  16. Apply the black mat 1 to the Bumblebee cardbase front.
  17. Apply the sunset panel on top of the black mat.
  18. Use dimensionals and dimensional strips to pop up the entire image panel; make sure to put some on the back of the lighthouse to keep it popped up.  Center over the sunset panel (the 2 panels are the same size) and tack down.
  19. Stamp the sentiment from Celebrate Sunflowers on a scrap of whisper white and crop ends with Lovely Labels Pick-A-Punch.
  20. Apply with dimensionals to bottom area of card.
  21. Stamp inside sentiment from Happiest Of Birthdays with black ink to 3rd Whisper White panel 5 1/4″ x 4″, apply to 2nd black mat, and adhere to inside of card.

DONE!

Just as a reminder, if you’re interested in becoming a demonstrator in any capacity, be it for the product discount, or to produce an income, Stampin’ Up is having a special promotion through the month of September.  If you sign up this month, not only do you get the usual starter kit but you will also receive the “Get & Go Starter Kit”!  I would absolutely love to welcome you aboard and work with you as much or as little as you wish!  I’m simply not the pushy type!

However, I was a cheerleader back in the day, as well as the high-school cheerleading coach when my girls were in high school.  If you want to be pushed, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader and coach to help you get what you want out of your Stampin’ Up business!  Just ask either of my daughters, or any of my former cheerleaders… this momma can push you ’til you drop if you want me to!  (We placed at the OSAA State Competition every year I coached – but it doesn’t come without effort!)  In fact, our team motto was, “It’s good to have fun, but it’s FUN TO BE GOOD”!

It’s quite simple to sign up, just click on the tab above that says “Join Stampin’ Up” and you’ll be walked through the process.  Or click on the “Contact” tab to ask me any questions or discuss what Stampin’ Up (and I) can do for you.  I’m just a click away!  😉

I hope you’ve found some inspiration here today & I hope you get INKY!

Janet

All of the products I used for today’s card are listed below and each picture is a direct link to my online store.   Simply click and shop!

Product List

Sailing Home Cling Stamp Set

$24.00

High Tide Photopolymer Stamp Set

$26.00

Happiest Of Birthdays Cling Stamp Set (English)

$19.00

Celebrate Sunflowers Cling Stamp Set (English)

$24.00

Smooth Sailing Dies

$32.00

Layering Circles Dies

$35.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$120.00

Magnetic Cutting Plate

$24.00

Bumblebee 8-1/2X11 Cardstock

$8.75

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

$6.00

Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Bumblebee Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Mango Melody Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Stamping Sponges

$4.00

So Saffron Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Bronze & Ivory Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Stampin' Dimensionals

$4.00

Foam Adhesive Strips

$8.00

Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack

$9.00

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

$4.00

Falling Leaves and Galloping Steeds

On By JanetIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Hello Friends!

Dean and I went for a horseback ride yesterday morning and I noticed that our maple trees are already losing their leaves.  Though the calendar doesn’t say so just yet, I think it’s beginning to look a lot like FALL!

In pondering how fast time goes by, The Steve Miller Band popped into my head as I was riding, and I started singing “Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future; I want to fly like an eagle to the sea…” About that time, Jake, my horse, must’ve been listening carefully to the lyrics (or he doesn’t like my singing), as he picked up the pace and suddenly I was feeling that “wind of heaven which blows between a horses ears”!   I reined him back, which he did readily, and then he blew as if to say… FINE, just no more singing!  This reminded me of my son, Adam, when my kids were young.  My daughters liked to sing in the car, and Adam would ask them to stop.  They rarely did upon his request, and finally Adam would be begging me, “Mom, pleeeease make them STOP!”  I guess Jake was either 1) giving me my wish to “fly like an eagle”, or 2) was saying in his own way “pleeease stop singing!”  Either way, I stopped singing and we settled back into a nice easy walk!

Oh how I love my horses!  The following just about sums it up for me and my boys (horses)!

But I digress…

I was speaking of seeing the maple leaves already falling, and that’s what prompted today’s card!   I had just one more Madrone bark leaf leftover from my card a few days ago and wanted to incorporate that.

I had wanted to use bark for the larger leaf also, but I didn’t get glycerin applied to my flattened bark soon enough and the bark was quite brittle, so I started the process described in my last post all over again, this time applying glycerin to the bark as soon as it came out of the water.  It should be ready for working with by tomorrow!

A couple quick notes before we get down to the inky business:

Stampin’ Up updated the Clearance Rack a couple days ago, so be sure to check out the deals there!  I noticed there’s quite a bit of cardstock and embellishments, as well as designer series paper deeply discounted so check it out!

Also, if you’ve been kicking around the idea of joining my team, now is a GREAT time to do so!  Through the month of September, if you sign up to be a demonstrator, you’ll receive not only the regular starter kit ($125 worth of products for $99 – plus all the business supplies and FREE shipping), but you will also receive the “Get & Go Starter Kit” which includes enough cardstock pieces to make 16 cards, a pack of Rhinestone Basic Jewels, the So Much Love stamp set, and the Queen Anne’s Lace stamp set.  This is enough to easily get you set up for your first event if you choose to do so! Though, as I’ve mentioned before, many join simply to be “hobby” demonstrators (getting the discount and being able to pre-order ahead of the public).  That’s what I did initially, and I can promise you I will never push you to do more than you want to do!  So, if you’re interested or have questions, please just click on the “Contact” tab above and I’ll get back to you promptly!

Let’s get INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Winter Woods (trees)
  • Gather Together (leaf)
  • Life Is Beautiful (sentiment)

Paper:

  • Very Vanilla cardstock
  • In Good Taste DSP (frame)
  • Gilded Autumn (inside)
  • Bumblebee cardstock (large leaf)
  • Early Espresso (bottom border)

Metal Dies:

  • Layered Squares
  • Gathered Leaves
  • Many Mates

Ink:

  • Soft Suede
  • Early Espresso

Accessories:

  • Preserved Madrone bark
  • Embroidered Ribbon
  • Gold thread from Forever Greenery Ribbon Combo

Putting It Together:

    1. Fold the Very Vanilla cardbase in half and stamp the trees from Winter Woods across the front using Soft Suede ink.
    2. Cut the window in the left side of the front using Layering Squares dies.
    3. Using the same size square die that you used to cut the window in the front, and the next larger scalloped square, cut the frame for the window from the In Good Taste DSP.
    4.  Adhere that frame around the window in the front.
    6. Stamp the sentiment at the top of the panel, beside the front window, in Early Espresso ink.
    7. Cut a piece of Embroidered Ribbon long enough to just slightly overlap the ends when wrapped around the front panel through the window.
    8. Adhere ends of ribbon on the front side of the card using Mini Glue Dots.  I adhered the ends on the front side of the card so the inside would have a neat & clean look, and I could hide the ends on the front with embellishments.
    9. Cut a piece of the Gold Thread from the Forever Greenery Ribbon Combo and tie in a bow.
    10. Adhere that and a die-cut leaf over the ends of the ribbon.
    11. Using the metal die from the Many Mates die set, cut the border embellishment from Early Espresso cardstock.
    12. On the inside, adhere a 5 1/4″ x 4″ piece of Gilded Autumn DSP.
    13. Stamp the large leaf image from Gather Together stamp set in Early Espresso ink, onto Bumblebee cardstock.  Crop the image out with the associated die from Gathered Leaves Dies.
    14. Adhere the leaf to the inside of the card, aligning with the window in the front of the card.

 

I chose not to stamp a sentiment on the inside of the card so that I can write a personalized, handwritten note.

DONE!

Until next time, I hope you get a little INKY today!

Janet

Product List

Gather Together Bundle

$38.50

Gather Together Photopolymer Stamp Set

$17.00

Gathered Leaves Dies

$26.00

Winter Woods Cling-Mount Stamp Set

$23.00

Life Is Beautiful Photopolymer Stamp Set

$17.00

Layering Squares Dies

$35.00

Many Medallions Dies

$34.00

Gilded Autumn Specialty Designer Series Paper

$15.00

In Good Taste Designer Series Paper

$21.00

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Bumblebee 8-1/2X11 Cardstock

$8.75

Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

3/8" (1 Cm) Embroidered Ribbon

$7.00

Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack

$9.00

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

$120.00

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Fine-Tip Glue Pen

$7.00

Adding Nature’s Touch & Getting Back To The Future!

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends!

A couple days ago, my husband, Dean, brought me some rolled-up, dried-up tree bark from a madrone tree, with the suggestion that maybe I could find a way to incorporate it into my cardmaking.

Madrones grow quite prolifically around here and make the best firewood; they’re a hardwood and burn quite cleanly.

They have a smooth, rusty-orange-colored “exfoliating bark” which peels, curls and falls off as part of the natural process; they shed quite aggressively as demonstrated in the pictures below.

You see, when I first began my Stampin’ Up business, in brainstorming various ideas to make my business stand out from others, I had the idea to use “natural” elements and incorporate Stampin’ Up products into them; and not just cards.  After all, we have lots of “natural elements” growing all around us.  My husband is a retired taxidermist who enthusiastically prodded me in that direction.

This idea was solidified when we were out clearing roads on our property following a particularly bad snowstorm that downed literally hundreds of trees on the ranch.  My attention was drawn to wild honeysuckle vines growing up and through many trees around us.  They had a twisted, grapevine sort of look, and I wondered aloud to Dean, “Do you think that would dry and make a good wreath, something like a grapevine wreath?”

 

Well, there’s one way to find out!   He helped me pull a couple long lengths of honeysuckle vine from a tree.  I brought them home and using a 5-gallon bucket turned upside down as a form, wrapped the honeysuckle vine around it until I was happy with the “thickness” of it.  I then used another piece of honeysuckle vine to “weave” through and around the “wreath-on-a-bucket” to hold it all together and tied it off with some florist wire.  I left it sitting on the front porch for about a week, letting it dry, and when I removed it from the bucket “form”, it held it’s shape great and looked quite similar to a grapevine wreath.

This was shortly before Easter and so I simply went and bought silk tulips which I arranged around the wreath and topped with a burlap & ribbon bow, and a cross.

That wreath has been tulip-clad since, coming out of the closet in the Springtime to adorn our front porch.

HOWEVER, Dean reminded me of my initial “business plan musings” when he brought me that dried-up madrone bark; and my mind drifted back to that honeysuckle wreath.

First things first though, I had tree bark to contend with!  The bark was quite brittle, so rehydrating seemed the first step toward making it useful!

I put some water in the kitchen sink and placed the rolled-up bark in the water.

It only took a few minutes until the bark was pliable enough that I was able to flatten it in the water.

I pulled it out of the water and laid it on some paper towels between waxed paper, and then placed my good ol’ dictionary on top for weight.

I checked on it a few days later and it was mostly dry.  So, taxidermist husband suggested that I use some glycerin to moisturize and help preserve it.

I dabbed some glycerin on the bark with a cotton ball and put it back in the paper towel/waxed paper sandwich with the dictionary on top.

When I checked on it again a couple days later, it was dry but still fairly pliable.  I left it open to air for a couple days to see if it would curl back up, but it didn’t!  It stayed flat and pliable YAY!

Next test was to see what I could do with it.

Stamp on it – yep, worked!  It took a little extra time for the ink to dry, but eventually did.  Staz-On would probably work great, though I’ve not tried that yet!

Metal dies?  Yep, worked like a charm!

So, here are the results of my first tree-bark embellished card!

Unfortunately, the leaf die I used is from a retired SU die set, “Seasonal Layers”, but I will be following this project up with others using the “Gather Together” bundle.  After using it, I also realized that the gold thread is retired, but the gold cord from Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo could easily be substituted.

Hmmm… I haven’t tried embossing the tree bark yet!  That will be the next test I guess.  I’ll have to repeat this process and try embossing it while it’s still somewhat moist and then see if it will dry with the embossed impression!

I have since pulled that aforementioned honeysuckle wreath out of the closet and stripped it of its tulips.

I’m going to see over the next few days, what I can do with it using Stampin’ Up products and natural elements only! (wish me luck!)  I currently have some Myrtle tree branches soaking in some “Never Say Die” plant preservative that Dean had in his taxidermy supply which I plan to use as a “green” element if the plant preservative works!  So far, I don’t see the branches soaking the preservative up, but time will tell and I’ll keep you posted!

And now…. GETTING BACK TO THE FUTURE!

The rest of my initial business plan a few years ago consisted of  “stamp camps” at our cabin (still waiting to be built) up on one of the mountains on our property which has a spectacular view overlooking forested hills and valleys, which we would access by horseback (for those who wanted to… those who didn’t could be brought up by vehicle or hayride (?) depending on the season!)

Oh my!  Dean may regret bringing me that tree bark and reminding me of those initial ideas!  I have two horses now…. but if there was enough interest, SURELY I would need at least four more, RIGHT!?!  And just another idea….ride a horse up, and zipline back down!!!  WooHOOOoooo!!!

What do you think?

Let me know in the comments below…. Do I need to press Dean to get that cabin built???  More horses??? and who’s game for a zipline????

A weekend spent stamping, horseback riding, ziplining, collecting honeysuckle vines for your own wreaths, more stamping, eating, relaxing on the deck around a firepit….hmmmm…. the possibilities are endless!!!

I think the next weekend after stamp camp would be spent telling stories on each other, sharing pictures, laughing, and scrapbooking those memories…

They would be stamp camps to remember for sure!!!  LOL!!!

BUT, BACK TO TODAY….

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Autumn Goodness (pumpkins/fruit image)
  • Pallet Thoughts (sentiment)

Dies / Punches used:

  • Seasonal Layers – retired (leaves)
  • Layering Circles
  • Triple Banner Punch

Paper:

  • Early Espresso – card base – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (score at 4 1/4″ and fold in half)
  •                           banner mats – (1 5/8″ x 4 3/8″) ; (1 1/8″ x 3 7/8″ ); (7/8″ x 3 1/8″)
  •                           sentiment mat – 2 1/4″ x 1/2″
  •                           image mat – 3″ x 3″ – crop with Layering Circles die
  • Gilded Autumn DSP – mat 1 – 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″
  • Regals 6×6 DSP – Cajun Craze DSP 1 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ ; Old Olive DSP 1″ x 3 3/4″
  • Neutrals 6×6 DSP – Crumb Cake DSP 3/4″ x 3″
  • Very Vanilla – 3″ x 3″ and crop with 2 1/2″ circle die; 3/8″ x 2 1/4″ for sentiment strip – hand crop reverse banner ends with snips.

Ink:

  • Early Espresso

Accessories:

  • Stampin’ Blends – Pumpkin Pie, Cinnamon Cider, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Cinnamon Cider
  • Gold thread – retired
  • MADRONE TREE BARK! 🙂  (could substitute Cinnamon Cider CS – but not as much fun!) LOL
  • Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker – hand draw the veining on the leaves

Putting it all together!

  1.  Stamp pumpkin image from Autumn Goodness stamp set on Very Vanilla CS and color with Stampin’ Blends.
  2. Crop image using Layering Circles Dies.
  3. Adhere image panel circle onto Early Espresso scalloped circle mat (cut with Layering Circles dies).
  4. Crop out small leaves and draw veining on them using Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker.
  5. Punch banner pieces using Triple Banner Punch.  The widths of the CS/DSP may not fit the guides perfectly, so just make sure they’re center before punching.
  6. Adhere the three DSP banners to Early Espresso banner mats.
  7. Adhere the Gilded Autumn DSP mat to Early Espresso CS base front.
  8. Adhere banners, starting with largest (Cajun Craze) first, down a smidge from the top and to the left side of card front.  Next, place Old Olive banner  slightly higher and about midline on Cajun Craze banner.  Finally adhere Crumb Cake banner slightly down from top of Cajun Craze banner and over top of Old Olive banner.
  9. Wrap gold thread around  your fingers several times, slip off and adhere ends with glue dot.  Apply with same glue dot about center over the Old Olive banner and with glue dot to the right side so the image panel will cover.
  10. Adhere the image panel over the ends of the gold thread and to right side of card front.
  11. Stamp sentiment on Very Vanilla sentiment strip and hand trim ends with snips.  Apply to Early Espresso sentiment mat.
  12. Adhere sentiment under image panel.
  13. Scatter leaves on card front, adhering in place.

DONE!

I know it seems like a lot of trouble to go to with regard to the tree bark, just for a few leaves that could’ve simply been cut from cardstock, but this is just the first trial!  And quite frankly, though I don’t know that the pictures really pick it up, the color is richer and they have a “woody” look and texture that I love.  I’m going to continue trying to use it in various ways and see what I can come up with!  So, stay tuned!

Until next time, I hope you get INKY today!

Janet

Product List

Autumn Goodness Bundle

$45.75

Autumn Goodness Photopolymer Stamp Set

$17.00

Pallet Thoughts Cling Stamp Set

$22.00

Gilded Autumn Specialty Designer Series Paper

$15.00

Regals 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Neutrals 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper

$11.50

Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$8.75

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$9.75

Layering Circles Dies

$35.00

Banner Triple Punch

$23.00

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

$7.50

Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker

$3.00

Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Cinnamon Cider Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Real Red Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

$9.00

Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack

$9.00

Paper Snips

$10.00

Mini Glue Dots

$5.25

Paper Trimmer

$25.00


 

 

Reindeer Reign Supreme For Christmas…Or, Is That An Elk?

On By JanetIn Uncategorized

Hello Friends,

Continuing with the Christmas theme today… I can’t believe Christmas is only four months away!  I’ve gotten my shopping started, but far from finished.  I do have a pretty good jumpstart on cards, however!  I guess if I’m going to have my Christmas shopping done by the end of this month, it’s crunch time!  Amazing how time slides right by…

Today I’m sharing a card that I put together combining items from three different bundles from the Aug-Dec Mini Catalog (holiday catalog).  That’s just what I do when I can’t decide on a single set!  Hmm… let’s see how I can combine these!  Anyway, this is what I came up with.  As detailed below, I used North Pole Wonder Dies (deer, snow & sentiment tag), Pine Woods Dies (trees), and Wrapped In Christmas (sentiments).

I’ve been using so much Misty Moonlight and Snowflake Splendor, I decided it was time to get a little more traditional with the reds and greens.

My reindeer actually looks more like an elk, as that’s what I’m used to seeing.  I had to Google reindeer images to remind myself what a reindeer actually looks like, but I had already colored his chest hair darker (like an elk), whereas per Google images, a reindeer has lighter-colored chest hair.  Oh well, in our neck of the woods, an elk is more appropriate!  We’ve actually had to chase a dozen or so elk cows & calves out of our apple and pear trees in our yard several mornings recently.  I wake up to the sound of branches snapping and elk “chirping” at each other.  They’re fun to watch up close like that, but boy do they wreak havoc on the trees!  Therefore, it’s up out of bed and a stroll out the door with a “get outta there ladies!”.  They scatter readily, thankfully, up the hill with a leap over the fence and they’re gone until tomorrow morning!  They’ve pretty well eaten up all the apples and pears already, so they’ll be on to greener pastures soon enough!

Dean managed to catch a couple pictures the other morning as they moved across the driveway and up the hill after being chased out from under the apple trees!  A couple stragglers stopped to see if we really meant it, or if they could sneak back to the apples!  Moments like this never get old…

It is frustrating at times, though.  I love flowers and working in my flowerbeds, but then there’s this…

Yep, little buck just walked right up on the deck to check out my geranium.  My plants don’t stand a chance!  Later that evening, his big brother surveyed the scene from the hill behind our house, just waiting for me to finish watering so he could come help himself to whatever tender little morsel he chose!  Dean took this photo and had to zoom in, so it’s a little fuzzy, but you can tell he’s just waiting for me to finish watering so he can come help himself!

Ahhh…. the country life!  They eat my flowers and our apples, but at least they’re quiet!!!

But, back to my “elk” card!  LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Wrapped In Christmas

Dies used:

  • North Pole Wonder Dies (part of the Wishes & Wonder Bundle)
  • Pine Woods Dies (part of the In The Pines Bundle)

Paper:

  • Whisper White for cardbase (5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ – folded at 4 1/4″); Mat 2 (5 1/4″ x 4″); sentiment tag cut with die from North Pole Wonders (2″ x 4″); snow cut with die from Pine Woods (1″ x 5 1/8″); inside sentiment panel (5 1/4″ x 4″)
  • Garden Green Mats (cut 2) for base mat on front and mat on inside (5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″)
  • Tis The Season DSP – green (5 1/8″ x 3 7/8″); red (1 3/4″ x 3 7/8″); two green strips (1/8″ x 3 7/8″)
  • Mossy Meadow pine trees – scraps for 2 large and 1 small pine tree cut with dies from Pine Woods.
  • Cinnamon Cider scrap large enough for detailed reindeer (elk) die.

Accessories:

  • Gold Cord (part of Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack) – two 6″ pieces and one 4″ piece.
  • Dark Cinnamon Cider Stampin’ Blends.

Putting it together!

  1. Adhere Whisper White mat to Garden Green mat.
  2. Adhere red DSP strip to left side of green DSP mat.
  3. Adhere both 1/8″ strips of green DSP to left side of red strip.
  4. Cut snow in Whisper White using North Pole Wonder Dies and adhere to bottom of DSP panel, clipping ends flush as needed.
  6. Cut tag in Whisper White using North Pole Wonder Dies and stamp with sentiment from Wrapped In Christmas, and flourish underneath, using Cherry Cobbler ink.
  7. Cut trees in Mossy Meadow using Pine Woods Dies – 2 large trees, 1 small.
  8. Cut reindeer (elk) from Cinnamon Cider CS using North Pole Wonder Dies.
  9. Use Dark Cinnamon Cider Stampin’ Blends to color chest hair, antlers and hooves.
  10. Adhere center tree – I cut the trunk of the tree off and placed the treetop at the top of the card panel, and the trunk on the snow hill.  Otherwise, it’s too short and the tree has no trunk once the tag is placed.
  11. Adhere the tag over tree and to the right side of the card.
  12. Adhere the smaller tree to the right side.
  13. Adhere the second large tree to the left, covering the hole in the tag.
  14. Adhere reindeer (elk) over tree and tag.  I lined the deer’s leg up over the tree trunk, as it looked funny to have the trunk sticking out from under the deer’s belly.
  15. Cut two pieces of gold cord 6″ long and adhere ends to back of card with tape or glue dots to make it appear you wrapped the cord around twice.  (Doing it this way just saves ribbon/cord.)
  16. Cut a small piece of the cord, tie a small bow, and adhere with glue dot on top of cord.
  17. Adhere entire panel stack to front of card base.

  1. For the inside of the card, stamp the sentiment from Wrapped In Christmas in Cherry Cobbler ink on Whisper White panel.
  2. Adhere sentiment panel to Garden Green mat and adhere that stack to the card base.

DONE!

I’m having so much fun hanging out in my craft room and making cards.  I love Stampin’ Up! products not only because of their superior quality, but because they make it so EASY to create beautiful things with color coordination, product coordination…. etc., etc., etc.

If you’ve found yourself placing large Stampin’ Up orders and have no intention of ceasing that, I would love to chat with you about becoming a demonstrator.  Many demonstrators are “hobby” demonstrators only – no classes, no blog, etc.   That’s how I started my business… I wanted the demonstrator perks of a product discount, ability to order new products earlier than the general customer, and access to the Stampin’ Up community.  It took changes at work, and my upline (who happens to be my sister, Krista Thomas of regalstamping.com) counseling me on the possibilities I was sitting on, to finally say okay… I’ll look at this as a business rather than a hobby; and brightacrescreations.com was born.

If you’re placing orders to average $100/month or more, we should seriously talk.  I would love to build a team of friends who have the same interests as I, and seriously, no pressure to “get out there and sell, sell, sell!!!”  Our creative journeys are our own, but if you’re interested in sharing your journey with like-minded friends, Stampin’ Up is a great company in which to do so.  Hobby demonstrator or business-minded demonstrator… I’d love to have you on my team!  If you’re interested at all… just click on that “Contact” tab up above, and I would be happy to discuss the fun and adventures, as well as business end of things!

Stampin’ Up’s Statement of the Heart is this:

“To love what we do and share what we love, As we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments, In this we make a difference”

In a time when this country is so polarized and politicized, finding common ground in creativity, I do think we can make a difference.  Reaching out to others with beautiful cards, scrapbook pages, or whatever else, handmade and personal…who doesn’t like happy mail?  And, if we’re honest, who doesn’t like to sit back and admire one’s own creativity…Wow!  I made that!   We can make a difference by promoting positivity.  For me, that’s where I find satisfaction; i.e.  I just put my heart and soul into that envelope that I just dropped in the mail…hopefully the recipient feels that!  Or, I opened the world of creativity to someone new  and now they can feel that same satisfaction!   In this, I can make a difference…

If any of this appeals to you on any level, please reach out to me… we could make a wonderful team!  Together we could definitely better our best!

Until next time, I hope you get INKY!

Janet