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I am already signed up and have my project completed,

all I need to do is make time to write the blog post !

This years theme,

Make thank you cards based on one of our OWH sketches; post the sketch or link to it in your post. 
 Cards can be thanks cards for our heroes to send – or much more needed right now, AnyHero cards
 with notes inside written TO them!

Pop Up Bouquet Card 2

Happy Mother's Day !

I made a pop up bouquet card last year and finally got around to making another !!!! 

Here is the link to last years card 

http://craftysahmiam.blogspot.com/2012/04/pop-up-bouquet-card.html

tutorial on how to make a pop up bouquet,
these are the instructions I used as printed in the book
and now posted online
http://www.marthastewart.com/907176/pop-card
YES, it is a tricky and time consuming project !

THIS is a much better photo taken in daylight and

after I added a couple of Pistachio Pudding card stock leaves

punched out with the retiring build a blossom punch.

The colors look more true in this photo, at least on my monitor.

The glitter doesn't show up very well in this photo though.

This card uses a few new sneak peek items from the NEW Stampin' Up! Idea Book 

(Demonstrators were able to purchase a select few items early). 

It also uses some of the new In Colors !

SUPPLIES USED:


Baked Brown Sugar (NEW!)  , Pistachio Pudding (NEW!)  , Strawberry Slush (NEW!), Very Vanilla card stocks

Copy weight / printer paper

Strawberry Slush (NEW!), Crisp Cantaloupe (NEW!) inks

ABC123 Sketch Alphabet (NEW!), Gingham Stampin' Around Wheel (NEW!), Mixed Bouquet, Flexible Phrases, Whimsical Words stamp sets

Window Framelits Die, Circles Bigz die,  Blossom punch , Lace Ribbon punch (retired), circle punch

Lattice embossing folder

Paper Piercer

Stickles glitter

Dimensionals

Stampin' Sponge and Brown Sugar ink to rub along the edges of the card front

I would recommend a stampamajig for the alphabet, I don't have one and had the worst time trying to get these letters to line up properly. I finally gave up and just used the sketchy letters alone, not using the outline letters set that match them. I still had issues with lining up the MOM as neatly as I liked, I called it a day with this, the best one of them all and yet still crooked. It may have just been me, too, getting frustrated and tired.


Thanks or looking =)

Sorry I'm Late.... Card

Ugh, a smudge !!!!! Sigh......... 

I'm sending it anyway............

Watercolor paper lightly spritzed with water

then stamped with classic inks and stamp images

(retired stamp sets) from Stampin' Up!

One it was dry, I sponged on Bashful Blue ink for the sky

and a sentiment.

I used a wide Sharpie marker to color

along the outer edge rather than mat it with

black card stock ; I do this often.

The stamped piece is mounted to 

white card stock that I ran through

an embossing folder 

(Framed Tulips Folder)

Teeny, tiny butterflies are from an

embosslits die sold by Stampin' Up!

(Beautiful Wings Embosslits) 

Thanks for looking =) 

Skateboard Card - My Digital Studio

Longboard skateboard card with teeny, tiny stickers !

Second set of wheels/trucks printed, trimmed and popped up

with dimensionals

Teeny, tiny stickers placed on the board

Designed with My Digital Studio 2 from Stampin' Up!

The card folds along the top of the two upper wheels.

My Digital Studio 2 skateboard images I created.

This is a long card, it doesn't quite fit in a 

business size envelope so I had to make a 

custom size envelope. 

I printed out a second set of wheels/trucks

then cut them out and attached them to 

the top of the card with dimensionals.

To do this, insert a duplicate page on your MDS project

then delete all of the elements that make up the board,

only leaving the wheels and trucks.

My Digital Studio 2 supplies used:

Lots of punch shapes (this is basically a digital punch art project)
   Oval shape elongated and squished to make the board - Midnight Muse color fill
   Rounded corner square punch altered in size for the wheels (there are two layers for them, the bottom layer is Wild Wasabi, the top layer is filled with a Vintage Overlay)
   Word Window and Half Circle for the trucks - Going Gray
   Circles made really small for the bolts - Basic Gray
Numbers punch filled with my home made digital glitter paper
Splatter
Extreme Elements stamp - Basic Black
Scratch (?) background stamp - Going Gray

I took logos from manufacturer webpages then reduced them in size to put on the board, replicating stickers.The real card has the mini logos printed and cut out separately with pieces of double stick tape on the back. I thought it might be fun to do this so the recipient can attach the stickers to the skateboard card where he would like (great idea for little kiddos, not so sure my son will like this idea since he is older)!

This is how I printed the card (I have never been able to print successfully directly from MDS to my printer).
It took me three tries to get this to print correctly, this is how I finally got it to work:
I exported the skateboard image as a high quality jpg.
I opened the image file up in Photoshop Elements 10.
Click PRINT from the top menu.
Double check the layout and all settings for your image and printer. I placed mine in the center of an 8.5" x 11" piece of white card stock then printed.
Once it was printed out, I carefully folded the entire length of the card stock along the top edges of the wheels. I then used scissors to trim out the skateboard while being careful to keep the front and back of the folded card in place. I cut through both layers at the same time. It might be easier for you to cut out the top layer, all around the image of the skateboard except for the tops of the wheels where you want it to fold. Trace this onto the layer beneath then cut out that layer. Whichever way you choose, cut around the entire skateboard except for the top of the wheels on the top of the board ! You want to keep those two small folds there to create the card.

I hand stamped Happy Birthday on the inside of  the card and wrote a note on the upper portion.

This was created for my sons 18th birthday since  he enjoys longboarding. Here are some of the other cards I have made for him in the past:
 Ford F150 shaped truck card
 video game controller card
 slider gift card holder
 wiper card gift card holder

Thanks for looking =)

Free Digital Files - Spring Flowers

Check out these great freebies! They make great Party Favors! Easy and fun to make!

Use these to decorate your lawn or string them together and hang them.
Perfect for spring birthday parties or anything else you can think of!

Available free until May 5th.

(These files are also available in a format that can be used with other digital design programs)

http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_1

http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_2

http://www.mymemories.com/store/share_the_memories_kit_3

Use coupon code STMMMS23251 to get $10 off of your purchase 

of the software and you will also receive two free gifts ! 

May Day Basket Card

This card was inspired by May Day flower baskets.

All supplies used were from Stampin' Up!:

Petal Cone die

Secret Garden stamp set and die set

watercolor paper

decorative edges plate for Stampin' Score 

to make the decorative dry embossed design

Wisteria Wonder, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizazz,

Going Gray and Pool Party card stocks and inks

Going Gray ink used to 

"distress" the watercolor paper

aquapainter - to add highlights to the flowers

white embossing powder

I hadn't added the ribbon handle to it yet when this photo was taken

As I am writing this post, I am thinking about what is to come with 

flooding in our area, predicted to be major flooding next week

(as well as those with much more serious problems

resulting from the recent bombing and explosion or those that 

have already lost everything due to flash flooding today).

Thanks for looking =)

Scalloped Square Die Card

Super easy to create a note card that has three sides with scalloped edges using the Scallop Square die from Stampin' Up! . If you'd like all four edges scalloped, die cut out a single scallop edge piece for the front then glue it to the front of a folded card base.

Simply line up a folded card just under the one edge of the die so that it is not cut when you run it through the Big Shot machine.

You can do a similar thing with the large circle die (or other shapes, too!).

I'm sorry that I do not remember the name of the stamp set (from Stampin' Up!) that I used. I think it was a hostess set, maybe a Saleabration set, from a few years ago and I also believe this card idea I saw elsewhere.

The image was stamped with pink ink on white card stock twice. I cut out the little flower from the second stamped image, added glitter, smooshed it in my hand with the end of and Empressor stylus to give it so dimension then attached it with a black brad. This was mounted on a piece of black card stock punched out with a scallop square punch.

I am not sure where the polka dot ribbon came from, I think it was one of the rolls I ordered from an online vendor.

This card was inspired by samples I've seen.

Thanks for looking =)

Watercolor Spritz Card

Using up lots of old bits and pieces 

(yes, despite  the many cards I have made and donated to

Operation Write Home and other organizations,

I still have some scraps waiting to be used!)

for this Belated Birthday card. 

All stamp images or from Stampin' Up!

I believe the flower is from Paint Prints,

Birthday Wishes is from Sincere Salutations 

and Belated was an inked portion of a stamp

from a birthday greetings set. 

The dashed yellow lines on the background 

were made with a  Stampin' Around wheel. 

I'm sorry I don't recall the exact names right now

as the stamped piece was made some time ago.

To get the water color effect, 

lightly spritz water onto your card stock

then stamp with a water based ink.

I also lightly spritzed the inked stamp before

putting it to paper.

Stamp and cut out a single flower image then

glue to the card front.

Be sure the card stock is totally dry before stamping

on the sentiment otherwise it will smear !

Facebook Event Cover Photo Created With My Digital Studio

*NOTE: Some of the words are purposely left off for this post*

Using the same PIXEL dimensions (851W  x 315H ) as I do to create a custom project size in My Digital Studio by Stampin' Up!, I created a cover photo for an event page.

So easy to do ! I used the custom color chooser for the blue background, inserted a photo that I added a Basic Black mat and drop shadow to.

Insert text boxes for the words that are typed in Whisper White. All have drop shadows except those at the bottom with the date and time.

I'm not going to go overboard on decorations and food, but what I do make I will share as the event gets closer. I already have so many ideas, it is going to be difficult to choose only a few to do !


MY DIGITAL STUDIO IS NOW ONLY $19.95 USD !!!! WOW, what a bargain !

Spring Flower Arrangement

They make a great inspiration for a card or scrapbook page, don't they ?

I received this lovely mason jar of flowers

as a door prize for attending a recent bridal shower.

Actually, it was two different arrangements that

my sister, who also won, and I split up

then made into one.

Mine was all purple flowers with wispy greenery

while hers were the pink tulips and tiny white flowers.

We divided each arrangement in half then

recombined the two halves into two new

lovely arrangements ! 

I snapped this quick photo the day 

I brought it home, not the best lighting.

I intended on wrapping the base with

fabric and taking a better photo

 to share the next day, but

too many things distracted me

so I didn't get to around it then the flowers

started looking sad..... 

they were so pretty for those two days though !