{Tuesday: Technique Video (Distressing)}

Today's topic is distressing. I mean to say that the technique we'll be discussing is the practice of distressing, not that the very discussion of it will be distressing...

I've got another video for you! No jammies, promise! Below the link you'll find pictures of each of the projects I discussed in the video. Unfortunately, the video camera's resolution isn't that great, so the best way to see them is here, in still-life...

Here are some of the cards I shared...

Herb Expressions with Torn Edges:

Fruit and Nut Catalog Inspiration Challenge with Sueded and Crumpled Card Stock:

Dreams Du Jour with Sueded Paper and Distressed Edges:

Sense of Time with Crumpled Paper (or the smooth side of a Sueded piece):

and up close:

Wanted with Mellow Moss Sueded piece:

Wings of Friendship with a flower stamped on the smooth side of Sueded Paper:

Baroque Motifs with a Sueded piece of Barely Banana:

Deets on the first card (created in the video):

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Garden from the Heart and Thank You Kindly sets

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel and Very Vanilla card stocks

Inks: Basic Brown Classic, Whisper White Craft and VersaMark (Not Quite Navy and Ruby Red Classic Inks for watercoloring)

Accessories: Distressing tool from Cutters Kit, Wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, linen thread, Clear Detail Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Modern Label Punch, Blender Pen

Thanks again for your visit! The teacher in me thrills at the idea of making these tutorials. Please let me know if there's something specific you'd like me to cover! Have a great day!

A Woodsy Happy Birthday to Uncle Coot!

First of all, I wanted to wish a very happy fortieth birthday to Uncle Coot! We love you very much and are so lucky to have you in our lives!

Uncle Coot is an avid outdoorsman, so for his birthday card, I went to one of my all-time favorite sets, Lovely as a Tree. Since he is also a woodworker extraordinaire (he does exquisite homebuilding, finishing work and has built some amazing furniture for my kids), I was also anxious to use the background stamp, Woodgrain. In an effort to capture rugged outdoorsman in papercraft, I opted to use three of my favorite techniques for texture. First, for the Bravo Burgundy piece, I sueded it and mounted it on a piece of Very Vanilla. The second rugged piece is a crinkled and crumpled piece of Brilliant Blue that I crumpled big-time, smoothed out, and then fed through my Big Shot with the Top Note Bigz die. Finally, for the piece with the pine tree, I used the Distressing Tool from the Cutting Tools to rough up the edges.

The birthday sentiment was inked in Garden Green then stamped on Very Vanilla and punched out using the Modern Label Punch. Finally, to make it stand out more and to tie it in with the rest of the card, I inked the edges with Bravo Burgundy. It's adhered to the Brilliant Blue piece with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Woodgrain, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Papers: Garden Green, Brilliant Blue, Bravo Burgundy and Very Vanilla card stocks

Inks: Garden Green and Bravo Burgundy Classics and VersaMark

Accessories: Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Top Note Bigz die, Distressing Tool, Modern Label Punch and Stampin' Dimensionals

Thank you so much for your visit to the studio! I will leave you with the beautiful morning we were given today... Not very rainy for the Pacific Northwest in January, but you won't hear me complaining!

Just Hanging Around with Vintage Vogue...

Welcome to the Studio! When I made this card, I was interested in creating a little "movement." I wanted the flower to be the focal point of the card, but I also wanted it to move a little. Here's how I did it:

• I stamped the large flower image from the Vintage Vogue set on Whisper White card stock, using Dusty Durango Classic ink. Then I used my Paper Snips (they have super-sharp tips) to cut right along the edge.

**Studio Suggestion: Be careful when you return your snips to their sheath (REALLY! They're *THAT* sharp!), as you can permanently bend the tip if it gets caught funny going back in...**

• Punch a small hole in the center of the flower and add the Chocolate Chip Jumbo Brad.

• Lay a piece of Linen Thread so that the middle of the thread is over the middle of the flower image (the piece I used was about five inches to start). The flower image was then attached to Dusty Durango card stock and the flower is once again cut out, using Paper Snips, along its very edge.

• For the "banner" at the top of the card, I inked the stamp in Soft Suede Classic ink and stamped it on Very Vanilla card stock. I also inked the edges of that piece of card stock with Night of Navy Classic ink. **Be sure to let that dry** and then distress it with the Distressing Tool from the Cutter Kit.

• Punch two tiny holes (with a 1/16-inch Punch) and thread the two ends of the linen thread through, making sure that the flower is centered and then knot.

• Adhere the Very Vanilla piece to a piece of Night of Navy card stock that has been sueded.

• Finally, for the textured Garden Green piece, run it through your Big Shot with the "Flourish" Texturz Plate from the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I set.

• Attach the banner at the top of the Garden Green piece and then add to the Very Vanilla card body using Stampin' Dimensionals and you're finished!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue

Inks: Dusty Durango, Soft Suede and Night of Navy Classics

Papers: Dusty Durango, Night of Navy, Garden Green and Very Vanilla

Accessories: Big Shot, "Flourish" Texturz Plate from Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I set, Jumbo Brad, Distressing Tool, Linen Thread, Paper Snips, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you have a great end-of-the-week!

For My Dear Friend...

Good morning and happy Monday! Despite the fact that we had a rare rain-free weekend here in the Pacific Northwest, I spent a ton of time in the studio stamping. Stay tuned! I've got a lot to show you over the next coupla days...

One of my dearest friends celebrates her birthday soon and so this was the card I cooked up to give her.

I love the richness of the colors found in Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper.

The body of the card is Very Vanilla and I've dry embossed the large piece of Elegant Eggplant using the "Flourish" Texturz Plate from the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I set. That set of Texturz Plates, used with the Big Shot, is a bargain at $11.95. The set comes with four plates and each side has a different texture. That's eight textures for $11.95!

I dry embossed the Orchid Opulence flower that I created using the 5-Petal Flower punch with that same "Flourish" Texturz Plate. It's adhered to the Very Vanilla piece with a Stampin' Dimensional. I also used a Dimensional to attach the punched flower from the "With All My Heart" set that I inked on Elegant Eggplant on the same color card stock. I punched it out with the Trio Flower Punch, which fit it exactly! Using the Distressing Tool from the Cutter Kit, I roughed up the piece of Very Vanilla.

The Scallop Edge Punch finishes the bottom edge of the Elegant Eggplant piece onto which the Very Vanilla is layered.

The flowers and sentiment are both from the new "With All My Heart" set from the Occasions Mini. Given the option, I chose to purchase the clear-mount stamps (though wood-mount are still available). I'm thrilled with them -- that's a whole different post, though!

Other details in the card include Very Vanilla 5/8-inch Grosgrain Ribbon and a layer of Old Olive card stock. Since each package of Designer Series Paper comes with so many designs, it's easy and quick to design a card with eye-catching detail and interest! Once again, I'm turning to my

Big Shot to add touchable texture (dry embossing).

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: With All My Heart (from the new Occasions Mini -- email me for your own hard copy or refer to the right side bar of this post for a PDF version)

Paper: Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence and Very Vanilla card stocks

Ink: Elegant Eggplant and Old Olive Classics

Accessories: Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plates, Trio Flower, 5-Petal Flower, and Scallop Edge punches, 5/8-inch Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Distressing Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks so much for looking! I really appreciate your visit and hope you have a great start to the week!

Medallion as Sunflower

"Every friend is to the other a sun, and a sunflower also. He attracts and follows." Jean Paul Richter, Humorist and Novelist

One of the challenges this week at 365 Cards is to include a sunflower. I only have one stamp that includes a sunflower, but I thought I'd see what else I could come up with. One of my favorite new stamps from the 2009-10 Idea Book and Catalog (aka, "The New One") is Medallion. It's one of those stamps that, at first blush, seemed pretty limited in its potential. The more I play with it, though, the more I find I can do with it…

--First, ink the entire stamp surface with Summer Sun Classic Ink. Use a Stampin' Sponge to add Ruby Red Classic Ink to the "middle" and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink in the very center. The sponges allow the ink to be more gradual and less precise, much like the coloring of the sunflower's petals. Give the entire stamp surface a few good huffs (heavy-breathing on the stamp) and stamp on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.

--To add the effect of sunflower seeds, I placed a layer of Sticky Strip on the center of the sunflower and pressed it into the container of Microbeads.

--I used the Distressing Tool from the Cutter Kit to rough up the edges of the Very Vanilla card stock. Adhere it to a piece of Basic Black card stock (which has been cut just wide enough to allow for the Natural Hemp Twine).

--Wrap enough Natural Hemp Twine to go around the Basic Black piece three times and knot. Adhere this to the half sheet of Elegant Eggplant card stock, which has been folded in half.

--The sentiment is made with the "for you" stamp from the Fresh Cuts set. Ink it first in Ruby Red Classic Ink and then in the Chocolate Chip Classic Ink to mirror the colors of the sunflower. Stamp on Very Vanilla card stock. Use the 1-inch Circle Punch to punch it out.
**Studio Suggestion: Stamp the image first and then punch it out. It's easier to flip the punch upside-down to view your card stock and punch out the precise image, rather than trying to line up and stamp the image on your punched piece.**

--Use the Stampin' Sponge and Summer Sun Classic Ink to add a bit of color around the circle. Punch a circle of Basic Black card stock using the 1 ¼-inch Circle Punch. Punch a piece of Ruby Red card stock using the Designer Label Punch and assemble the three pieces.

--To add interest to the inside of the card, I used the remaining bit of card stock with the stamped sunflower as the writing surface.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Medallion and Fresh Cuts

Inks: Summer Sun, Ruby Red, and Chocolate Chip Classic Inks

Papers: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Ruby Red and Elegant Eggplant card stocks

Accessories: Sticky Strip, Microbeads, Designer Label, 1-inch and 1 1/4-inch Punches, Stampin' Sponges, Natural Hemp Twine and Distressing Tool.

What a fun challenge! Thanks so much for your visit! Hope you're having a lovely summer!

Rustic Dreams du Jour

I was enjoying a quiet moment (kids were napping), listening to "Lake Woebegone" from Garrison Keillor. The "country" feel of his stories (esp. the one where he beams his sister with a rotten tomato) inspired this card...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamp Set: Dreams du Jour

Papers: Very Vanilla, Sage Shadow, Bordering Blue and Night of Navy card stocks

Inks: Creamy Caramel, Bordering Blue, and Night of Navy Classics

Accessories: Distressing Tool, Very Vanilla 5/8-inch Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Sponges

I started with a sponge and inked over the Very Vanilla card stock with the Creamy Caramel (to give it the aged look). The butterflies were stamped in Creamy Caramel and Bordering Blue, but I stamped the ink off each time first. Finally, the ribbon was colored using my Creamy Caramel and Bordering Blue ink pads (Classic). I drug the ribbon between the pad and a Stampin' Sponge (to keep my hands clean). It gives the ribbon an uneven color, which was the effect I was trying to achieve.

Thanks so much for the visit!

Taken with Cameo Coral

So I bought some of this SU! card stock (Cameo Coral) for Anna's adoption announcement (below).
I just wasn't fond of its bright orangeness (I can't wear orange, I don't decorate with orange, but I'm a Denver Broncos fan; go figure)... Anyhoo, with the Silhouette challenge, I decided to give a bold color scheme a try and found I really like it!

Here's the next card I came up with using Cameo Coral:

What I like about this card is its ease, but also its versatility. With this stamp set, I can easily change it up for the seasons. Among the images, there's a leaf for fall and a snowflake for winter. I'd probably keep the colors the same for the fall version, but I wonder what fun combo I can make for the winter snowflake?

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Anna's Adoption Announcement:

Stamp Sets: Embrace Life

Papers: Ginger Blossom DSP (Retired now), Cameo Coral, Ruby Red and (retired) River Rock card stocks, watercolor paper

Inks: Cameo Coral and River Rock Classics, Stazon Black

Accessories: Aquapainter, Distressing tool from Cutting Tools, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread

Second Card:

Stamp Sets: Best Wishes and More

Papers: Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss, So Saffron and Cameo Coral card stocks

Inks: Cameo Coral, Mellow Moss and So Saffron Classics

Accessories: Natural Hemp Twine, Paper Snips

Thank you so much for looking!

Birthday Card for Mom

My mom's birthday was in April and I made this card back in mid-March. That's saying something, as I'm usually racing around at the last minute, sweating bullets because I can hear the postman's truck coming... The punchline is that *I LOST THE CARD* in my slovenly stamping area (I've been drooling over the pics of people's stamping areas, but that's another post). Back to Mom...

Here's the card I made (actually, re-made) to send for her birthday. Love you, Mom!Stampin' Up! Supplies:

• Stamp Sets: Fresh Cuts; Holiday Blitz
• Inks: Chocolate Chip; Bordering Blue; VersaMark
• Papers: Bordering Blue, So Saffron and Very Vanilla Card Stock; Bella Birds DSP
• Accessories: Chocolate chip 5/8-inch grosgrain; Linen Thread; Natural Hemp; Sizzix Big Shot; Petal Card Bigz Die; Distressing Tool from Cutter Kit; Scallop Edge punch; Button Latte

**A cute photo of my Crazy3 are inside of the Petal Card at the upper left**