Monogram Card Workshop

I will be hosting a Monogram Card Class on Thursday, March 20th at 6:30 pm in my home.

If you would like to attend, please contact me to register and pre-pay for the workshop no later than March 7th.

The fee is $18.00 and includes all materials to make 8 cards (2 each of 4 different designs), envelopes and a purse card holder.


Please be sure to specify the monogram letter when registering for this workshop.


Here are better pictures:

Love

I snuck this card in my hubby's lunchbox today.

Cardstock: Dutch Blue, Colonial White

Patterned paper: Serendipity paper pack

Stamps: All My Love

Thanks for Your Support...

I saw this card on another site and just had to make it! So much fun!

It's a bra on one side and panties on the back side.

Colors: Colonial White, Bubblegum
Ink: Watermelon
Stamps: Lovely Lace (Flower)

Have a great day!

Clever Fold Card

This is another specialty fold card. It's made by folding a 12x12 piece of patterned paper and snipping a couple of pieces here and there.

Colors: Oudoor Denim, Crystal Blue
Patterned paper: Majestic Blue Paper Pack
Stamps: Happy Birthday, Flyin' High

Stamp Camp Projects Continued

This is a Z-Fold card.

Colors: Black, Cranberry, Sunny Yellow, Grey Wool
Stamps: Make It Count

Accessories: Pewter Brad

Stamp Camp is Friday, March 14th at 7 pm. Please note the change in date.

March Stamp Camp Projects

This month, Stamp Camp will focus on two special folds for cards.



I'm calling this one a V-Fold card.



Colors: Petal, Buttercup, Blush and Sweet Leaf
Stamps: Simple Beauty (March Stamp of the Month)
Paper: Paper Garden paper pack

Meet My Customer Design Team!

Good morning! I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to my Customer Design Team:

Marla Lesniak - I have been married for 22 short years to my supportive husband. Mother of 2 wonderful teen aged children. I love to stamp and have been stamping for 10 years on a regular basis. Marla works in the DeKalb School District.

Clare Dempsey - My name is Clare Dempsey and I am a stay at home mom. I have been happily married for 15 years and have two boys. I am currently the president of the SCRAP Guild of Northern IL and am busy planning our next crop fundraiser. My most recent job was managing a Computer Aided Design System for Sears, used in specifying apparel for overseas production. I love to scrapbook, stamp and crop with my friends.

Piper Kauffman - I have been friends with Melissa since the 80's when we were in High School..If it were not for her, I would not have learned about stamping and scrapbooking, and how much I really enjoy it...wish I had more time to do it more often, but that will come in time! I have been married to my husband Patrick for over 11 years and have a 10 year old son Tyler and our latest addition to the family...Coco the wonder dog! Thanks to Melissa I have a new found passion for cardmaking and scrapbooking...and as my husband says about $4,000 worth of stuff in the basement but never have a card made when he needs one...LOL!

Joyce Rossi - bio will come shortly!

Every 6-8 weeks the design team will receive identical packets that include patterned paper, cardstock, embellishments and stamped images. They will have to create a card using only the materials provided (punches are ok) and then return their creation to me. I will pick a winner of each challenge and the winner will have their artwork posted here on my blog and featured in my upcoming newsletter. They will also receive a voucher to attend one upcoming workshop free of charge!

So are you dying to find out who this month's winner is? It was a tough decision - everyone did a fantastic job!

And the winner is.......

Joyce Rossi!

Congratulations Joyce!

Colors: Bamboo, Black

Papers: Black and Bamboo cardstock,
Silhouette paper pack

Embellishments: Red sparkle, black organdy ribbon

Stamps: Joy Forever

Our Hero

I cannot take credit for the design of this card. A fellow consultant posted this on the consultant bulletin boards and the timing was perfect!

I made 16 of these cards yesterday to send to men and women from our church who are serving in the military.

The camouflage effect was done by dropping reinkers in a page protector and placing glossy cardstock inside and rubbing my hand over the protector to transfer the ink.

Colors: Black, Bamboo, Desert Sand, Topiary, Chocolate
Stamps: Army, Starstruck (the conchos in the corner)

Happy

Just a simple birthday card. I'll be sending this one to my mother-in-law this week.

Colors: Amethyst, Baby Pink, Bubblegum, Sweet Leaf

Paper: Sweet Harmony Paper Pack

Stamps: Fabric Finishes (stitching), Classic Caps Alphabet

Accessories: Amethyst brad, Just Blooms Paper Flowers - White Daisy collection

Baby Card

Believe it or not, the puppy was created using the egg and leaf stamps from the Happy Easter set! Isn't it fun to think outside the box? I can use this set year round now!

Colors: Sweet Leaf, Bubblegum, Buttercup
Stamps: Happy Easter, Miracle (baby)

You Have Me In Stitches

I created this card to show you how easy it is to shape our clear stamps and expand their potential! The stamps will go back to their original shape when you take them off the block!

The curved stitching you see is actually a stamp that's about 5" long. I just curved it on my acrylic block and created a swirl!

Colors: Hollyhock, Sweet Leaf, Breeze, Cocoa

Stamps: Simple Pleasures (circle), Simple Stitches

Textured Cardstock Paper Basket

I thought I would hightlight Close To My Heart's textured cardstock combo packs today. They're on sale right now for 20% off each pack of 24 sheets; regular price is $14.95. I will give the directions for this basket to anyone who orders a textured cardstock paper pack before February 24th!

This basket only takes one sheet to create! It takes a little time to make, but the end result is worth it!

Finished size is 3.5" tall and 4.5" in diameter.

Don't you just love it!

You Make Me Happy!

This card is for all my friends and customers, because YOU make me happy!

Colors: Orange, Crystal Blue and Black

Stamps: Star Struck, Friendship Word Puzzle

Tools: Corner Rounder, Cuttlebug Scallop Circle Dies

Valentine Cards for My Girls

I really didn't use any stamps on these cards, other than the Be Mine and what's stamped on the inside. I used my new Cuttlebug embossing folders (Bunny, Frog, Butterfly and Hearts and Dots). Colored with CTMH markers and brayered with CTMH ink though!

Colors: First two cards - Pink Carnation, Heavenly Blue, Precious Paisley Paper.

Third card - Dutch Blue and Topiary. The bubble background was created by dropping re-inkers on a page protector and slipping plain white cardstock inside.

Once embossed, it almost feels like suede!

Celebrate!

Isn't this a fun birthday card? Adults only, of course!

I used my Coluzzle to cut the half circl in the center of the card. Scored the rest of the fold on my paper trimmer. You may not be able to see it, but I stamped tiny dots on the blue strip!

Colors: White Daisy, Cranberry, Crystal Blue and Black

Stamps: Blooming Flourishes, Random Thoughts and Happy Birthday

Accessories: Red Sparkles

Rustic Flowers

Just a quick card that uses nothing but white cardstock, stamps and ink.

Colors: Hollyhock, Vineyard Berry, Citrus Leaf
Stamps: Rustic Flowers

Curvy Helllo

Hello! I was experimenting with curves on this card.

Colors: Crystal Blue, Chocolate, Honey

Papers: Caprice Paper Pack

Stamps: Doodle Alphabet

Catch of the Day

This is another re-inker splash card. This time I embossed the background with my Cuttlebug. Doesn't it look like water?

Colors: Topiary, Dutch Blue, Platinum Planet
Stamps: Catch of the Day
Accessories: Colonial White Waxy Flax

2/7/08 Dahlia Card

The flower on this card is called a Dahlia. It's a group of eight circles origami folded to create the flower petals. You can find instructions here.

Papers: Silhouette Paper Pack

Stamps: Joy Forever, Happy Birthday

Accessories: Red Sparkle

Ink: Black, Bamboo, Cranberry

Thoughts of You

Just a quick card to share with you!

I've been giving my Cuttlebug machine a workout lately!

The inside of the card says: "I would walk in my garden forever."

Colors: Pansy Purple, Olive, Black, White Daisy

Stamp Set: Thoughts of You

Accessories: New England Ivy Bigger Brad

Spinner Card

Isn't this a fun card? You will find a tutorial here.

The airplane spins along the cut out arch. I used the Coluzzle oval template and cutting knife to cut the the arch in background cardstock piece.

The background was created by embossing a piece of white cardstock with the Cuttlebug and then color washing it with a mixture of acrylic paint, water and re-inker. I brushed the wash on with the largest brush in CTMH's Distressing Kit.

Colors: Holiday Red, Black and Dutch Blue
Stamp Sets: Flyin High, Happy Birthday
Tools: Distressing Kit (paint, paint brush), Dutch Blue re-inker, foam pop dots, pennies (to create to the spinner)

Hidden Message Card

This is a hidden message card. It was inspired by a card I saw in the current issue of Papercrafts Magazine.

Colors: Bamboo, Black

Papers: Silhouette paper pack

Accessories: Black Organza Ribbon, Red Sparkles, Colonial White Brad

Teen Princess Birthday Card

This is the card I made for my daughter, Rebecca, for her 11th birthday.

Colors: Moonstruck, Clover Meadow and Citrus Leaf.

Stamps: Teen Princess (retired), Happy Birthday

Accessories: Blue Glitter and Tab Punch

Fossil Stone Background

We have had many birthdays to celebrate around here lately!

I made this card for niece, who turnes one on Wednesday.

The background technique on this card is called Fossil Stone.

Fossil Stone instructions:

Cut the seams down two sides of a page protector so that it opens like a book.

Using ink pads (not reinkers), rub one color on the left side of the opened page protector and another color on the right side.

Lightly mist one side with water and then close the page protector and rub together with your hands.

Open the page protector and place two pieces of glossy cardstock (back to back, glossy side out) inside the page protector and close. Rub over the page protector with your hands again to transfer the ink to the cardstock.

That's all there is to it! Very easy, but delivers beautiful backgrounds!

Colors: Pink Carnation, Key Lime
Stamps: Happy Birthday, Birthday Bash
Ribbon: Baby Pink Organdy

Another Re-Inker Splash Card

Colors: Orchid Bouquet, Twilight and Platinum Planet Reinkers, Orchid Bouquet and White Daisy Cardstock

Ink: Orchid Bouquet, Twilight, Sweet Leaf and Black

Stamps: Simple Beauty

(Used on the previous card as well.)

I used the sea sponge pouncer from the Distressing Kit to pounce Twilight ink on the stamped image.

Re-Inker Splash

I've done this technique in the past, but it was called something different.

Basically, you drop 2 or more colors of reinker in a report cover (one of them was metallic) and then close the report cover and brayer the colors together. Open cover and place two pieces of glossy cardstock (back to back, glossy side out) inside and close cover and again brayer over it. Remove the cardstock and heat dry (the metallic won't dry if you don't).

You can also do it with regular cardstock, but the effect looks totally different.