So Groovy

"Groovy" is a funny word. As a kid growing up in the late '60s and early '70s, I never heard anyone actually use the word "groovy" - in person. On TV, music and movies, yes. But people in Winston-Salem, North Carolina did NOT say things were "groovy." They were cool, nifty or neat, but never "groovy."
But I think this new set by Verve Stamps is ... well, groovy. It contains several song titles and lines and this is one.
I made two cards with this sentiment. I can't decide which I like better. One is square and the other is more traditional. Both use a fun May Arts paper ribbon. On the second card, I used an SU! set colored by Copics. The other has no image; it just lets designer paper (Basic Grey, of course!) lead the way.
Seriously, aren't these cards just far out?? Peace and love. Don't harsh my mellow.

Gina K's Old Books Background

Good old Gina K. I'm reading the archives of her blog, A Day in the Life, and I see this post about using a page from an old book as background paper. I loved this idea and just had to try it. Well, it's easy and really cool-looking.
I did the background, then used a SU! set called Long Stemmed as an image. I didn't use a sentiment - thought I might just make this a note card. But I will defnitely do it again - I love the idea!

Holiday Spirit

Normally I am NOT making Christmas cards in August. I am the person who mails cards on Dec. 23, if that early. LOL. But today Rhonda very sweetly took me out for lunch (Amalfi - YUM!) and we stopped at Hobby Lobby on the way home. It's across the street from Amalfi - sue us! Anyway, they had stamps 50 percent off and this pretty cardinal caught my eye. I love cardinals! I also picked up this Christmas paisley paper - voila! - a card was born!
I used SU! Red Riding Hood as the base and that's an old SU! Merry Christmas stamp. The ribbon is a fun dot from May Arts. I colored Mr. Cardinal with Copics. Doesn't this make you want to hang a wreath?

Dreams

We grow great by dreams ... what a sentiment! I put this card together tonight while we watched some TV. It was fun and easy. I used some new DP I picked up at Carte Bella, a new stamp store here in Charlotte. The stamp is a new one from SU! I also used some brand-new Bling & Dazzle Screw Brads from Gina K - they just arrived today.
I used Copics to color the flowers in the stamp and a sponge dipped in Gina K's bronze metallic paste around edges of the image. I love the effect. A May Arts copper ribbon rounds it out. I love the colors in this card.

Patchwork

I have a friend who sews - beautifully - for a living. She owns her own window treatment business. I don't sew at all but I had her in mind when I got this Papertrey set.
I stamped the quilt squares and colored them, then punched them out with a 3/4-inch square punch. The button on the front has gold thread in it.
Years ago, when I was working in South Carolina, I used to pass a place in Spartanburg called Draperies with the Gold Thread. It was right on I-85. I think of that place whenever I see this card!

Stack of Packages

Do you wish this was your birthday bounty? I do! I made this card for one of the many August birthdays coming up on my calendar. It's a Gina K stamp and I had some fun coloring it with Copics and coordinating it with some pretty DP.
No special techniques here, but a couple of things to note:

I used a Sakura Stardust glitter pen on the package ribbons. They have a pretty shine in person - not so much on the scan.
I used dimensionals to pop up the sentiment on the front.
Those are Amuse glittery adhesive brads in the four corners.
I used an SU! ticket punch on the corners.
The paper the packages are on is PTI Cream, but I used a sponge dauber to apply a little Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Old Paper.
The corner piece at bottom right is punched by an SU! Corner Punch.

A Very Happy Card

I love getting (or making!) a card that just makes me feel good! That's why I love these Kindred Spirits stamps I bought from Gina K. They remind me of happy times, simple times. They look like Dick and Jane from my old primary readers.
It's so miserably hot here that I made this card hoping that it would help me cool off. Is there an age cut-off for running through a sprinkler? I may try this today!
Anyway, here are the details on this card:

The base is PTI Kraft.
I used PTI Spring Moss and SU's new In Color Pirouette Pink.
The ribbon is May Arts (and isn't it adorable??)
The DP, I'm not sure about - I am a DP fiend and I also love stripes. This one just jumped into my basket
The flower is a Prima.
I colored the image with Copics.

I think I'm already feeling cooler!

Snackin' Bee

I don't believe I have ever seen a bee enjoy a piece of watermelon. But his apparent gusto for diving into the melon (with salt, no less) makes me want to eat a piece myself.
That's a Stampendous stamp, colored with Copics. The sentiment is Papertrey and the ribbon is May Arts - it a paper ribbon!

Fan-tastic

I love this card! I made it for someone I admire and respect, my Pampered Chef director.
I used a set from Gina K, May Arts ribbon, SU cardstock and a Cuttlebug embossing folder. This was a super-quick card but I like how it turned out.

Flopsy

I love this set! It's a new one I got from My Favorite Things and I think it's so cute! It's called I'm Pullin' for You. This adorable bunny is so much fun to color. I did him with Copics. The paper is Papertrey Vintage Cream with SU Pumpkin Pie. The ribbon is from May Arts. I ran the SU paper through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots folder which is really my fave. What an encouraing card! I would love to have Flopsy on my side, wouldn't you?

Portrait in Purple

More Daisy Bucket paper and My Favorite Things, in a purple motif. I don't know what I would think if I actually saw someone dressed like this.

Birthday Greetings

I am so inspired by pretty paper! I picked up some wonderful Daisy Bucket papers this weekend. It's one sheet of 12 x 12, divided into quadrants, each with a different coordinating pattern. Beautiful stuff. The taupe and red inspired me to do this cute birthday card, using my beloved My Favorite Things dogs and the headless girl. This was an easy card to do, since the paper led the way.
Materials used:
Stamps: My Favorite Things
Ink: Adirondak Espresso
Nestabilities, White Gel Pen, Copics, May Arts ribbon

Thinking of You - on the Fourth of July

Here's one with an Independence Day theme. It's a Lockhart stamp, colored iwth Copics. I used SU designer paper and some cool SU striped ribbon. I hope it's festive!

Cards for a Special Baby

Exciting news this week! My dear friend Leigh became a grandmother! Alexandra Chadwick Numbers was born on Thursday night. She is Leigh's first grandchild. Her parents are Leigh's daughter Caroline and her husband, Bob Numbers. Leigh and I have been friends forever, it seems like, and I certainly remember the day Caroline was born. Keith and I were at Caroline's beautiful wedding four years ago. I am so happy for Caroline and Leigh. This is one lucky little girl!
I made two cards - one for Leigh and Carl - the new grandparents! - and one to send to Caroline and Bob.
Obviously, pink is the theme here!
I used some Basic Grey DP for these cards - the colors are just so yummy. These are from the Sugared Collection. Both stamps are old SU stamps, and I used Copics to color the image.
These were fun to make!

Summertime

Here's a card to celebrate summer. I am trying to keep a positive thought here because I don't really like summer all that much. I don't like being hot and it is HOT here.
Keith loves hot weather, and I prefer fall and winter. So we decided that I am a summer sissy and he is a winter wuss. Don't we have intelligent conversations?
Here's a summer card I did this morning. I am really working on my Copic coloring.

Fancy Purple Dress

I just love this stamp. I colored it with Copics and it has such a velvety look. The scan is a bit lopsided ... I promise the actual card is straight!
Here's what I used:
SU Cardstock
Nesties for the scallped rectangle, dotted with a white gel pen
Dress is part of the Retro Boutique set by Gina K - really cool set. I love it!
Sentiment is Paper Tray by Papertrey Ink.
Ribbon is white tafetta by SU.

For Shoe Lovers

Fun with New Stamps

Isn't this the cutest?

Scor Pal Love

I finally got a Scor Pal. If you've been hiding in a bomb shelter, you may not be familiar with this cool tool. It's the perfect way to score paper - to get that wonderful knife edge when you fold it.
I am going to recommend this tool from a unique aspect - that of a left-handed person. It's super easy for me to use - with bee-you-tee-ful results - and that's not always the case. Left-handers learn to deal in a right-handed world. I have very few problems adapting most of the time, but some things give me trouble. For example, to this day, I cannot properly tie a shoe. But I digress ...
Scor Pal is light as a feather but does a study job. I think it makes my cards look so professional. And I love the fact that I can do cool folds without lifting the paper over and over. I will post a "tiled" card later this week.
So I am sending love to Scor Pal. (I got mine from Papertrey.)

Aprons Gone Wild!

I'll admit - I am a little apron crazy this weekend. But when I'm on a roll, I go with it. I've been listening to 70s music on XM and papercrafting to the beat of the Bee Gees ("staying aliiiiive,staying aliiiiive"). O the fun.
Anyway, I have done two new apron looks - one with Papertrey's yummy new Plum Pudding and Lavender Moon, the other with PTI Spring Moss and Aqua Mist. Both are - IMHO - bee-yoo-tee-ful! (As always, click on the image if you want to get a bigger view.)
So all the paper here is my beloved Papertrey, as are the sentiments and little boxes - and ink. The black ink is Adirondack Pitch black. And the apron stamp is by Lockhart. What a nifty stamp this is ... so glad I found it. Thanks, Lockhart!

Paper Piecing Frenzy

It's not really a Pampered Chef apron unless it's denim, right? So I had to figure out a way to do that ... and with the help of PIC Rhonda, I did it. Click on it to enlarge ... and tell me, does it look like denim?

Host Thank You

You gotta love those hosts! I have been a Pampered Chef consultant for more than 10 years and have 1025 shows under my belt ... er, apron. That's a lot of hosts to thank, and I try to write each one a personal note expressing my gratitude. So I make cards for them. When I find a cute cooking-related stamp, I go for it. This is my latest favorite.
This is a Lockhart stamp. I paper-pieced this, which a fun little technique. I stamped the image on white CS, then I stamped it on three different pieces of DP.I cut each piece out of the DP and placed it on the white apron. The apron, pockets and towel are all different types of paper, although I am not sure you can see that in the photo. (Click on the photo to make it bigger.)
The paper is all Papertrey, the color is Berry Sorbet.
Isn't it cute? You can do this stamp 100 times and it will look different every time. That's one thing I love about stamping!

Keeping it simple

I wanted to do a simple "thinking of you" card for a friend who suffered a stroke last summer. Her life has changed dramatically and she's still adjusting to that. She can't really speak on the phone or even do email, so I enjoying send cards to her.
Here's one that started with the stamp - I bought it at Stamper's Alley, a store I LOOOVE in Mooresville, NC. It's a haul from my house but what a great place. I stamped it with a Brilliance black and then started coloring it with Copics. Now, I am just getting started with Copics and my selection is slim. But I tried!
The card is PTI Kraft, wth a layer of SU Soft Sky, then a layer of black. Around the flowers is an SU red grosgrain ribbon with a little piece of Hodgepopge Hardware on the ribbon. On the side: a small and simple Nesties scalloped rectangle with a simple Thinking of You Today. Simple and easy, but I love this card!

The Joy of Paper

This was a fun and easy card. I made it for a friend I spoke with earlier this week. We have been friends for 35 years but we don't talk all that often. Whenever we do, the years truly melt away! Everything was done with Papertrey and Nesties. I used Papertrey paper called Pink Patterns and the solid paper is White and Berry Sorbet card stock. I cut small ovals with my Nesties to make the flower petals. The sentiment is from that Faux Ribbon collection - love that! I will put this one in the mail tomorrow!

Sedate But Beautiful

Boy, I think I'm something! Nothing flashy here, but I like the look of this card. It uses some new Papertrey products I got this week - mainly PTI's new color, Plum Pudding. I think it has an elegant look. The ribbon is also PTI, twill in Plum Pudding and the DP is in the same family. I used my rectangle Nesties and stamped the sentiment and the little flourishes with PTI stamps.

Thinking of You

I whipped this card up today to send out to a friend. It uses SU Purely Pomegranate as a base. That is one of going-away In Colors, which I hate because I do like the color.
On top of the Pomegranate is Old Olive, then two pieces of East Coast Prep DP. That's Twill Ribbon across the card, with a border stamped with PTI Faux Ribbon in More Mustard and PTI's Thinking of You Today in Old Olive. (There's a little silver brad in there too.)
The trio of flowers are from SU.
I think the stripes and colors make this a card you could send to a guy.
Cheer someone today - send them a card!

Sunshine-y day

Here's another card with a My Favorite Things stamp, or as I call them, the headless girls. The first time I saw these stamps I thought they looked strange but now I like them. They remind me of Wilson, the neighbor on "Home Improvement." We don't know what these gals look like, so we'll just have to imagine.
I decide to do a lot on this little card, and I like the way it turned out, even if it's a little busy.
Here we go:
The base is SU Only Orange.
Next a layer of embossed Swiss Dot white.
Next, a strip of SU designer paper (I love my DP!)
Then a Nestabilities scalloped square, using the reverse side of the DP, topped by more of the first DP.
Now, my dog-walking headless lady. She's dressed in muted tones but is wearing a nice yellow hat, popped up with a dimensional. Of course, the dog is colored to look like Mocha.
We can't forget ribbon - grosgrain red and orange. Yes, TWO ribbons!
Finall, a Nestie embossed circle sun ... and an MTF sentiment at the bottom.
How's that for a busy card? A good one to get if you're feeling down and out!

Baby Card

One of Keith's colleagues at the university had a baby this week - a boy - so I sat down to make a card tonight. I was tired so I tried to keep it simple. I like the way it turned out. It's kind of a mixed bag of stamps and ideas.

I covered a piece of white cardstock on the front with SU designer paper in a blue,yellow and green paisley. Then I layered a sheet of yellow paper that had been embossed with Swiss Dots from the Cuttlebug. Gotta love that folder. I added yellow ribbon and three blue button, then used the Cuttlebug again to do two tiny blue feet. The sentiment stamp I found on sale at Hobby Lobby.

So what do you think?

Japanese Lantern

I saw this idea on the blog of Jan Tink and had to make one of my own. It was really simple but I think the simplicity is what makes me love it.

I just started with white cardstock and stamped it. I then ran it through a crimper. Then I pressed the card slightly onto a black pad. Mounted it and VOILA ... a lantern!

For Dog Lovers

I love my chocolate Lab, Mocha. Well, most of the time. Tonight he was very sweet until around 11:30, then he became Destructo Dog. I won't get into the details but it wasn't pretty.

Nevertheless, usually I love my dog and when I saw this My Favorite Things set, I had to have it. So much so that I ordered it online. Just that one stamp. It was worth whatever it cost for shipping because I just love it so much. The dog doesn't look like a Lab but he's big like my dog and I can COLOR him brown. So there.

Anyway, here's the card. I used a lot of SU! on this one. The silver brad is from the new Hodgepodge Hardware set which I like WAAAY better than the old sets. I am actually using these pieces - with my old set, I would open the box, peer into it and then close it. I have probably used three pieces out of it in three years!

More details on this card: The image is colored with Copics. I used SU! designer paper. I am totally in love with paper. I have lots of it but I USE it. My friend and stamping buddy Rhonda laughs at me because I am always buying DP but I'm totally hooked.

I love the inside sentiment. It says "You're one of the good ones." Isnt' that cute?

Cupcake Birthday

Here's a card I made tonight for my sister's birthday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right? Her birthday is today!

I used paper from Papertrey (Sweet Blush) with matching Swiss dot satin ribbon - you probably can't see it well. The patterned paper is Basic Grey from the Sugared collection, with Stampin Up! Mellow Moss.

The cupcake is from a clear set I picked up and it's colored with Copics. I used a flower with an embellishment by Bella in the middle. To frame the Happy Birthday sentiment, I used Papertrey's Borders and Corners Rectangle Set, which I really love. That is a great little set to have - I grab it all the time.

When I finished the card I thought it was cute but it needed a finishing touch, so I grabbed a Martha Stewart border punch I bought on sale at Michael's a while back. I punched some Sweet Blush and put it on the bottom of the card. Then I got a little wacky with glitter on the cupcake. All in all, I like it. I hope she does!