Valentine's Day Card for My Husband

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you're having a fun, relaxing day with the ones you love.  This is just a quick post to show you the Valentine's Day card I made for my husband:

I wanted something masculine but still romantic, so I avoided hearts and lace and stuck with basic ribbon and brads.  I "roughed up" the pretty paper with some distressing, so hopefully this is manly enough for my big bear of a husband (who's really more "teddy bear" than "growly bear", but don't tell him I shared that secret!).  I waited to post this until after I gave it to him, thinking it would be a surprise.  He opened it and said, "I figured this one was for me."  That's when I realized it had been sitting in plain sight after I took pictures for the blog.  Oops!  But at least I know he pays attention to what I'm crafting!

I started with a natural white (almost ivory) card stock base.  Then I used two-sided paper from Authentique: one side I stamped on for the card front, and the other side is the dotted panel, which I heavily distressed to darken the dots and mute the red a bit.  For the larger piece, I used a script stamp and Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  To get the softer effect, I stamped off first on a piece of scrap paper, then stamped on my card piece.  I used a Nestabilities die to cut my scalloped piece.  I stamped my sentiment in Rich Cocoa on another piece of natural white, then added more distressing with Tea Dye and Walnut Stain Distress Inks.  I attached the sentiment piece to the scalloped piece and added the brads.  I wrapped a piece of brown ribbon around the dotted piece, then adhered the scalloped piece over the ribbon using foam dimensionals.

Thanks for taking the time to visit me on Valentine's Day! 

Products Used:

Stamps: Old Letter Writing (Hero Arts); Be My Valentine (Hambo Stamps)

Paper: Authentique Collection: Lovely (used "Greetings" and "Crush" 2-sided paper); Classic Natural White 80 lb. card stock (Neenah)

Ink: Tea Dye and Walnut Stain Distress Inks (Tim Holtz/Ranger); Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)

Tools and Accessories: Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Rectangles Small (Spellbinders); ribbon (Celebrate It Basic-Basic); brads (Recollections); dimensional  tape (Scotch)

Valentine's Day Treats

Happy Wednesday!  Valentine's Day is almost here, which makes me a little sad because I love Valentine's Day crafting.  My son needed valentines for his classmates this week and I found a fantastic tutorial for adorable treat holders, so I just had to make some fun little packages for his class.  A friend recently lamented that her child's school doesn't allow candy at their Valentine's Day class parties.  Oh, the horrors!  As a dedicated chocoholic, I cannot imagine this holiday without candy.  Thank goodness my son's school isn't so strict!!

Here's what I made:

The kids are asked to give signed but unaddressed valentines.  
I substituted my name for my son's name just for these pictures. 

Here's a side view, so you can see how they stand:

(I have to apologize for the quality of the pictures.  I finished them late at night and sent them to school with my son in the morning, so I had to photograph them without natural light.  Nothing like last-minute crafting!)

These treat holders come together very quickly and Angie's tutorial is really easy to follow.  The tutorial shows how to make a Halloween treat package, but as you can see it can easily be adapted to other holidays.  Here's the tutorial and video I followed, which includes measurements and assembly instructions: Chic' n Scratch. (While you're there, check out some of Angie's other tutorials.  She has over 400 of them!)

If you use an 8.5 x 11 piece of card stock for the base you can make three packages from one piece of card stock.  I also had some 12 x 12 card stock that I wanted to use, so I was able to get more packages from a piece that size.  I made 12 packages for my son's class and only needed one piece of 12 x 12 patterned paper (I only used the patterned paper on the front side of each package).  I filled them with the snack size bags of candy, which cost me less than 20 cents each.  I decorated mine by making a bow from baker's twine and attaching it with a mini glue dot to the tag, then attaching the tag to the package with dimensional foam tape (all things that I had in my stash of supplies).  This is a very cost-effective project!

I chose to staple the candy to the package to keep it in place, but forgot to staple it before adhering the patterned paper.  Quick fix: I adhered the tag over the staple.  Easy peasy!

I hope you're enjoying your Valentine's Day crafting!  Tomorrow I will post one final Valentine's Day card, so I hope you'll visit me again.  Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:
Stamp: deadbeat DESIGNS

Paper: Red card stock (Bazzill); Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb. card stock (Neenah); 
Candy Pile (EK Success, Ltd.) 

Ink: Real Red Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!); Pure Black Writer (Zig)

Tools and Accessories: Small and Large Tag Punches (Stampin' Up!); baker's twine (Strands Etc.); 
mini glue dots; foam tape

Mixed Media Valentine

Happy Tuesday!  After a few days away from crafting while I nursed a migraine (oh, those evil weather changes) and rushed my way through a busy weekend, I finally had a chance to play in a brand-new challenge at Splitcoast Stampers, the Mix-Ability Challenge.  This one is so much fun!  It challenges us to use mixed media in projects, but even better, it teaches us how to use mixed media in projects.  Lydia even created a fantastic video for the challenge, which you can see HERE.

This week's challenge is "Yin Yang".  We're asked to use something matte and something shiny on our cards.  Since Lydia's video showed how to use gesso and I've been wanting to try gesso on a card, I used that medium to create a matte background for my heart.  I have two "shiny" things on my card, one subtle and one not-so-subtle.  I used heat embossing on my heart and I created a "raindrop" background using crinkled paper, Versamark and Glassy Glaze.  

Here's my card:

Here's a close-up of the heart:

And hopefully you can see the shiny background a bit better here:

I started by applying gesso to a piece of patterned paper that was black with white hearts.  (I was hoping a bit of the pattern would show through, but I was a bit too heavy-handed with the gesso.)  I used a heat gun to dry the panel because I'm too impatient to watch paint dry!  I stamped my image over the gesso with Rose Red craft ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder, then cut around the image to create the heart shape.  Because the patterned paper is very light-weight, I cut a smaller-sized heart from chipboard (so it wouldn't be noticeable) and adhered it to the back of the stamped heart to give it some stability on the card.

Next I got to work on my shiny panel.  I spritzed a piece of black card stock with water, then crumpled it.  Once it was nicely crumpled, I flattened it out a bit and ran my heat gun over it to be sure all the water had dried.  I rubbed Versamark all over it using the direct-to-paper method, then applied Glassy Glaze, which is like a chunky, shiny embossing powder.  I heat set the Glassy Glaze to create a shiny, wet look that reminds me of raindrops. 

I wrapped red and white baker's twine around the black piece.  I adhered the black piece to a panel of red card stock, then adhered the red piece to a black card base that was cut to 4" x 5 1/2" (slightly smaller than an A2 card). I attached the heart to the shiny black panel using thick foam dimensionals and placed Zots on top of the dimensionals to really help the heart stick to the black panel.

I had so much fun playing with new tools for this card!  I have really enjoyed making different styles of valentines over the past couple of weeks, especially since I can use my favorite color combo (black, white and red) so easily at this time of year!  If you want to learn how to use new mediums and explore your creativity a bit, too, I hope you'll give the new Mix-Ability Challenge a try!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

Products Used:

Stamp: Amore HeartPrint (Hero Arts)

Ink: Rose Red Craft Ink (Stampin' Up!). Versamark (Tsukineko)

Paper: B&W Doodle Hearts (The Paper Studio); red and black card stock (unknown)

Tools and Accessories: Gesso (O'Leary Paint); clear embossing powder (Mrs. O'Leary's); Glassy Glaze (Stampin' Up!); baker's twine (Strands, Etc.); 3D Foam Squares and Zots (Therm-O-Web); chipboard

Something Has Changed...

Today's post is much different than the post I'd anticipated writing.  Today's card is a Valentine's Day card, and I'd planned to write about this romantic, sweet sentiment I found that I just knew would be perfect for Valentine's Day cards for Operation Write Home.  I wanted to share this card with you in such a different way than I will today.  But this card was made prior to the horrific events that unfolded at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  This card was made before my heart was broken.  And so today's post is not the post I'd planned to write.

I was picking up my son from school on Friday when I heard that a gunman had opened fire in an elementary school in Connecticut.  I was chatting on the phone with my sister and watching my son walk out with his class when my sister asked if I'd heard about the shooting.  She didn't have any details or know of any casualties at that point, so I pushed it to the back of my mind and figured I'd hear more later.  I got out of the car, spoke with the teacher for a few moments and walked my son to the car while we talked about his day.  It was as normal as normal could be, until we got home and I saw the news for myself.  Then nothing was normal anymore.

So while today's card was created as a Valentine, today its message takes on a special significance and reaches far beyond a sweet Valentine's Day sentiment to true, deep, devoted and determined love for all who hold a special place in our hearts:

I'm holding those I love a little tighter today.  My kids are getting extra hugs and kisses, my husband is getting extra attention, and I'm focusing on present moments instead of worrying about all the stressful parts of holiday preparations.  I'm taking my kids out for ice cream and going on "adventures" with my son.  I'm having deep, important conversations with my husband.  I'm reaching out to friends and family.  I'm holding on to those I love, and they are holding on to me.  God has blessed me with wonderful people to love, and for the moment, at least, we are here on this journey together.  I don't want to waste a single opportunity to hold them close while I still can.

If you're still reading this post, bless you!  I always provide a recipe for my cards, and today will be no exception.  Here's how I made this card:

I started with a base of black card stock and covered the front with patterned paper.  I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black on white card stock and adhered it to a piece of black card stock.  I die cut a scalloped border from white card stock, then adhered the sentiment panel and border to the card front.  I added some shimmer spray to the sentiment panel for this card, but I plan to make another card like this without the shimmer spray so I can donate it to Operation Write Home.  This card is quick and easy, but its message is powerful.

 

I am submitting this card for the current challenge at Shopping Our Stash (use a sentiment as the focal point of the card). 

Thanks for taking the time to visit and read my post today.  I hope the message of this card found its way to your heart.

Products Used:

 

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamp: 7 Gypsies/Hampton Art

Paper: Solar White Classic Crest 110 lb. (Neenah); "My Heart"
patterned paper (Karen Foster Designs); black card stock (unknown)

Tools and Accessories: Big Shot (Sizzix); Die-Namics Open Scallop Edge (MFT);
Sheer Shimmer Frost Spray (Tsukineko)

 

Coffee Break Friends

Happy Monday!  I hope you had an enjoyable weekend.  It was a busy and productive one at my house.  I always feel better about the upcoming week if I've managed to get a few things checked off my to-do list over the weekend.  It was also nice to just spend some time together as a family.  We ate lots of chili and carved a pumpkin and went to a Halloween party...the perfect way to spend a few chilly days in Autumn, if you ask me!

And while my family slept, I spent a few hours in my craft room to work on completing a few challenges.  The first card I made was for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge, which uses the following sketch:

 

I combined this sketch with the Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown.  The current Midweek Throwdown challenge theme is "Celebrate Friendship", so I used both challenges to create this card:

 

 

This card combines two of my favorite themes: friendship and coffee! (Side note: I collect coffee stamps, so you'll see those quite often on my blog.  I also collect snowmen stamps, so I make a lot of winter cards!) 

 

Since this card will be donated to Operation Write Home, I wanted to keep the colors neutral enough that it could be sent or received by a man or a woman.  I made a card base from brown card stock and cut a panel of red card stock to run the length of the card. I stamped my coffee cup in Memento Espresso Truffle, then masked the cup to add the frothy milk. I applied Liquid Applique, then set the tag aside to dry. You're *supposed* to let the liquid applique dry overnight, but I never have that much patience!  After it seemed dry enough to me (an hour or two), I used my heat gun to make it puff up.  I love the texture it adds!  Because frothy milk isn't stark-white, I applied some metallic rub-ons with my fingers to change the color a bit.  Because I wanted the brown card stock to show through the vellum on my tag, I laid my tag on the back side of the red panel, traced around it and then cut out the area with my craft knife. I adhered the panel to my card base, then attached the tag to the card base using mini glue dots. I stamped my sentiment on white card stock in Memento Espresso Truffle and inked the edges of the white piece with the same color, then adhered it to the card. 

 

This old stamp set is just so much fun to use!  White Liquid Applique works perfectly for creating the frothy milk (which can also become a dollop of whipped cream for hot cocoa if you just change the sentiment). 

 

I noticed that in this photo, the red panel looks slightly skewed. It is perfectly straight on the card (I know this because I measured it...my darned astigmatism makes lining things up difficult so I rely on my trusty ruler!). I either need a better camera or I need to brush up on my photography skills!

 

Looking at this card today (when it's not the middle of the night!) I think I would like this a bit more if I had embossed the red panel to add a bit of texture.  I can definitely see several uses for the sketch and am looking forward to trying it with other images and sentiments.

 

I'll be back tomorrow to tackle another challenge or two.  I hope those of you who are hunkered down for Hurricane Sandy are staying safe and dry!  My thoughts and prayers are with all who are in the storm's path. 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

Ink: Memento Espresso Truffle (Tsukineko)

Stamps: Espress Yourself (Stampin' Up!)

Other: Liquid Applique (Marvy); Golden White Metallic Rub-On (Craf-T Products), heat tool, vellum tag

 

 

 

Once Upon A Time

No matter how many color combinations I explore, I often gravitate back to a couple.  One combo I use often is black, white and red.  I just love this color combination!  So here it is again, this time on a card for a challenge at a brand-new blog, 'ABC' Challenges 

Since this is their first challenge, they required us to use something new on our cards, whether it be something we actually purchased new or something that we just haven't used before.  Since I'm working on love-themed cards for Operation Write Home, I thought this would be the perfect time to try out a new die I purchased.  I bought it (along with several others) at a scrapbooking sale where crafters sell off supplies they are no longer using.  I came home with several dies this year, which was really exciting!  (I love getting a good deal almost as much as I love making cards!)  So the heart die cut on this card is my "new" for this challenge.  This ribbon might be a "new" also, because I don't recall ever using it before.  It was in my stash and who knows how long it's been there?!

Here's my card:

I really love this sentiment and the set that it comes from.  The stamp is definitely not new to me, as it's one of the stamps I used for my wedding.  This one always brings a smile to my face when I use it.

I started by stamping my background in craft ink on white card stock, then heat embossing it with clear embossing powder.  I wrapped my ribbon around the white panel, die cut my heart, stamped my sentiment and added some rhinestones to the heart.  I adhered the heart to the panel with dimensionals, then adhered the panel to a black card base.  I think this card would be appropriate as a general "I love you" card or as Valentine's Day card.

Here's a tip about dimensionals: For this card I used Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!) to adhere the heart to the panel.  I love these dimensionals because they are only 1/16" thick.  I have purchased several other brands and many of those are 1/8" thick, which I feel is often too thick.  If you buy 1/16" thick dimensionals, you can always stack them to make them thicker if you want a different effect.  Stampin' Up! is not the only company who offers dimensionals in 1/16" thickness, so if you're shopping for another brand, just check the labels carefully.  You can also find tape that offers a dimensional effect, but again, check the thickness.  It's not such a big deal in cards that I'm hand-delivering, but when they go through the mail, that little bit of extra thickness is not always desireable. 

My craft room table is a bit of a disaster this week, so I'm planning to do some reorganizing before I do any more stamping.  I hope to have another card to post for you in the next couple of days.

Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

Background Stamp: Tres Chic (Stampin' Up!)

Background Ink: Craft Black (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment Stamp: Fairy-Tale Wedding (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)

Die: Hearts, Tipsy (Sizzix)

Tools: Big Shot (Sizzix); Mrs. O'Leary's Clear Embossing Powder; rhinestones;
ribbon; Stampin' Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!)

 

 

Hearts Full of Love

Today's card is a CASE (Copy and Share Everything) card for the Featured Stamper Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.  Every week a stamper is chosen to be the Featured Stamper, and the challenge participants choose one of his/her cards to CASE.  It is always inspiring to look through a Featured Stamper's gallery! 

Here is a link to the Featured Stamper's original card: Wish Big

And here is my card:

When you CASE a card for this challenge, you are asked to change at least two elements.  I chose to make several changes while still following the design of the card.  I used her layout almost identically and I matted the card front to a white base card, just as the original card maker did.  The original card had pink and blue and a "wish big" sentiment.  I wanted to make a love-themed card for Operation Write Home, so I used heart papers and a "love" sentiment.  I used a slightly different border die and a Nestabilities label for my sentiment.  The original card maker used a flourish of rhinestones and I just used a small row of them, as that's what I had on hand. 

I dry embossed the sentiment panel after cutting it with my Nestabilities.  I just love how a little detail like dry embossing can take a basic shape up a notch.  But no matter how hard I tried, I could not get those rhinestones to sparkle in my pictures!  You'll just have to trust me that they are clear rhinestones and they add just a touch of sparkle and shine to this card.

I always find it very challenging to mix patterned papers, but these hearts were similar enough that I thought they would work together and complement each other. It's fun to stretch outside of the box of my usual style and borrow someone else's ideas for a card!   

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Products Used:

 

Stamp: Hope Is... (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Memento Espresso Truffle (Tsukineko)

Paper: Unknown

Tools: Big Shot (Sizzix); Nestabilities Labels Eighteen (Spellbinders);

Die-Namics Dainty Lace Border (My Favorite Things); rhinestones

My First Midweek Throwdown Entry!

I completed my very first challenge for Operation Write Home!  I am so excited!!  I have started making cards to donate and decided using challenges will help me accomplish my goal faster.  I chose to do the Midweek Color Throwdown over on their blog, Stars and Stamps.  The challenge this week was to make a card using black and white with a "pop" of either red or green.  I was surprised at how difficult I found this challenge, considering that one of my favorite color combinations is black, white and red.  In fact, I've blogged about a couple of cards using these colors recently (HERE and HERE).  I'm going to blame my creative frustration on the fact that my baby is teething so I'm not sleeping much! 

I decided to make a "general" card, as our deployed servicemen and servicewomen can always use "any occasion" cards.  This stamp is from a set that really frustrates me because the font is intentionally messy. Whenever I use it I find myself trying to correct the ink mistakes, only to realize they are not mistakes, they're part of the design.  Being a bit of a perfectionist, this drives me batty! 

Here's my card:

See how it looks like my stamp skipped a bit or I wiggled it too much?  I promise that's how the stamp is designed!  I stamped the sentiment on white card stock, then die cut it using Nestabilities in my Big Shot.  I cut red and black card stocks with the same Nestabilities set, then layered the pieces.  I embossed the white card stock in my Big Shot, adhered the stamped piece to it, and tied some baker's twine around it.  I adhered the white panel to the black card base.  This is a quick Clean and Simple card, which seems to be my style this month.  This stamp set comes with four different sentiments, so I could easily make several different cards with this CAS layout. 

That's all for today!  We have a busy weekend ahead of us, but I hope to get some stamping time in to finish another project that's waiting on my desk. 

I hope you have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

 

Stamp: That's Nice (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Various sources

Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels One; Divine Swirls Embossing Folder; twine

 

Anniversary Card for My Husband

Recently my husband and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary.  He's the kind of guy who thoughtfully remembers the little details that I often forget, so I tried very hard to create a card with details that were reminiscent of our wedding.  Our wedding colors were black and white, and my bridesmaids and I carried red roses to add a splash of color.  I recreated those colors on this card.  The sentiment is from a set I used to stamp the napkins for our wedding.  I tried to keep the embellishments to a minimum, as I didn't want to "girly" this card up too much for my husband!  Here's the card I made for him:

I stamped the background stamp in craft ink on white card stock, then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I attached a piece of red ribbon (repurposed from a package I received recently...I always save those ribbons!) to the embossed panel.  I used my Big Shot and a Sizzix die to cut rectangles of black and white card stock, stamped my sentiment and adhered the stamped piece to a larger black rectangle.  I added black brads to the corners and adhered that piece to the embossed card stock using dimensionals.  I then attached the whole panel to a card base made of black card stock and added a white liner to the inside of the card.

My husband and I have been blessed with beautiful children, a strong support system of family and friends, and a Savior who has carried us through the ups and downs of life.  There's a whole lot of love in our house, and life around here is always exciting.  If that's not worth taking the time to make a special card, I don't know what is!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Products used:
Background Stamp: Soft Swirls (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment Stamp: Love Matters (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Basic Black Craft ink (Stampin' Up!), Memento Tuxedo Black

Embossing Powder: Clear (Mrs. O'Leary's)

Embellishments: Black brads, red ribbon

The Snowman's Second Life

Today's card was created for "What Are the Odds?", this week's Ways to Use It Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers.  The requirement for this card was to use an odd number of some element on the card.  I used three snowflakes for my "odd".  Here's my card:

I have a box of unfinished projects in my craft room, and every once in awhile I will unearth a piece of a project and give it a second life.  For this card, I dug into the box and found this adorable snowman image.  I had stamped it, colored it with watercolor pencils, added some Stickles and layered it on red and black card stock, and then for some reason I never finished whatever project I had intended it for.  It's nice to repurpose your own work sometimes, so I decided to use this piece to make a new card.

I cut a larger piece of the same textured red card stock and adhered it to a black card base.  Using a black gem, white fiber and dimensionals, I attached the image to the card by hanging it from the gem.  I die cut three snowflakes and added them to the card.  I stamped the sentiment on white card stock and layered it on black card stock, then adhered that piece to the card base.  I finished by adding more Stickles to the snowman and snowflakes.  It's hard to see in the picture, but those Stickles really add some snowy sparkle to the card.

This card has reminded me that winter will be here soon, which means I really need to get cracking on my Christmas shopping!  That sounds like the perfect excuse to go shopping this weekend, doesn't it?

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

Products used on this card:

Snowman Image: Snow Angels (Stampin' Up!)

Sentiment: Close to My Heart

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Snowflakes: ProvoCraft

Other: Watercolor pencils, black gem, white fiber, Stickles