Reeds at Sunset

I knew I needed a men's birthday card, and that I wanted to use the stamp set "Inspired by Nature". Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do, I turned to Splitcoaststampers.com for inspiration. I saw a really pretty card (link at the end of this post) that I used for my inspiration. The background on this card was made using a sponge and 5 colors--Really Rust, More Mustard, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive--blended together to achieve a sunset effect. The card that inspired me used the "Brayered Sky" technique, but I am brayer-challenged, so I resorted to a regular kitchen sponge dampened with water, and squeezed out really well. I began about an inch from the bottom with Certainly Celery, and added some Old Olive at the bottom. Then I moved up right above the Certainly Celery and added the So Saffron, More Mustard and Really Rust. CARD: So Saffron, Really Rust, Whisper White. INK: Really Rust, More Mustard, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Black Staz-On. STAMPS: Inspired by Nature, On Your Birthday. PUNCH: Key Tag. Card used for inspiration: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1702162?&cat=14651

Butterfly Card

More retiring colors here! This one is intended to be a birthday card for ladies, but with no sentiment on the outside it can be whatever you want it to be! Again, I used inspiration from stamp club. The link to the inspiration will be at the end of this post. Kristin's card was intended to be a quick and simple card, so I'll be the first to admit that this is just a little more complicated. The main difference is that I added a black layer to compensate for the fact that my image didn't really have room for a third color. Anyway, here's what I used: CARD STOCK: Really Rust, Only Orange, Basic Black, YoYo Yellow, Whisper White. INK: Black Staz-On, Only Orange Stampin' Write Marker, YoYo Yellow Stampin' Write Marker. STAMPS: Clear Butterfly Stamps by Martha Stewart for EK Success (Walmart), Curvy Verses (inside sentiment, not shown). CUTTLEBUG FOLDER: Stylized Flowers. PUNCH: Pinking Hearts Border. OTHER: Black Check Ribbon (Michael's). The card that served as my inspiration: http://cottagestamping.blogspot.com/2010/06/shades-of-summer.html

Father's Day 2010

I attend Stamp Club at my demonstrator's house once a month. It's a great GNO (girls' night out), and provides lots of inspiration and new ideas. This month Kristin taught us a technique called "Rock and Roll". I adapted the design a bit to make it more masculine. Instead of using the Rock and Roll technique, I used a sponge dauber to highlight the outline of the main image. Again, more colors that are going away with the SU! color change. CARD STOCK: Brilliant Blue, Going Gray, Sage Shadow, Whisper White. INK: Sage Shadow, Brillliant Blue. STAMPS: Stipple Shells, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Teeny Tiny Wishes. PUNCH: Modern Label. You can see the card I sued for inspiration at Kristin's blog here:http://cottagestamping.blogspot.com/2010/06/colors-of-sea.html

Monochromatic Gift Set

Needless to say, when I heard that Stampin' Up! was changing their entire color pallet, I was slightly disturbed! Over the next few months I will be attempting to focus on some colors that will be retiring so I can justify the purchase of new colors! With that in mind, I chose to make a set of 12 of these cards to give away as a gift. Because this card was fast and easy to mass-produce, it would be an excellent choice for increasing your own stash, or giving away as a gift set. This design can easily be adapted to a more masculine card by changing the background stamp and using more tailored lines instead of scallops and bows. Any of the "Dynamic Duos" on the Color Coach would also work well depending on the intended recipient. This card might also look good with a monogram instead of a sentiment. Monogrammed stationery is always a thoughtful gift. All the cards in the set are exactly the same, except for the sentiment. The set includes three of each of the following sentiments: "Happy Birthday", "Thank You", "Thinking of You", and "With Sympathy". CARD STOCK: Sage Shadow, Handsome Hunter. INK: Handsome Hunter. STAMPS: Hand Stitched, Warmest Regards. PUNCHES: Scallop Trim Border, Scallop Oval. OTHER: Sage Shadow Grosgrain Ribbon, 3M Foam Mounting Tape (Walmart).