Before I discovered card making, I didn’t understand why people bought cards to put with a gift. I didn’t even really understand the point of cards at ALL! Why not just say, “Hey, this gift is from me to you! Happy (insert occasion here)!” And hand them the gift?
But now that I make cards, giving them with a gift (or alone as THE gift) is completely logical. Every card I make has a little bit of me put into it. My hands, my time, and my care and attention are part of that card! A hand made card is like a gift all on it’s own!
I have a quick post today to share this sweet and simple card design for you that uses the Parisian Beauty stamp set. This card looks a bit like a parcel, don’t you think!
The Eiffel Tower and vintage postage images are stamped on Sahara Sand cardstock with Tuxedo Black Momento Ink and Lovely Lipstick ink. I then matted the Sahara Sand piece with Lovely Lipstick Cardstock.
I wrapped the Linen Thread around these two layers vertically and horizontally and adhered it on the back. The sentiment from the Strong and Beautiful stamp set is stamped with Sahara Sand ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. Using a die from the Ornate Frames dies and my die cutting machine, I created the tag.
Through the hole in the tag, I tied some Linen Thread into a bow and used Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach the tag to the card.
The final step was to attach these two layers onto the Blushing Bride card base.
I think it looks like a gift!! Like happy mail tied up with string!!
But, like I said at the beginning of this post, a hand made card is like a gift all on its own.
I know, I know, nobody really takes New Year’s Resolutions seriously these days. The problem is that we are all gungho to make change and be better, but we often don’t have a plan to make those changes stick. I don’t have the answer for that problem. I can barely stick to a plan in a day, let alone stick to one for a year! I keep trying to find that thing that will turn on the part of my brain that gives me discipline and perseverance. I’ll let you know if I ever do.
In the meantime, I feel like we have to keep trying. Where would we be if we just stopped trying to be better. Nobody would invent things, nobody would make new discoveries, and we probably wouldn’t have any stamps!!! It would be disaster!
I don’t have any official New Year’s Resolutions, but I do know that I will continue to push to be healthy, to be more organised, to spend less time on the internet and more time with my kids, to declutter my house, and to share more of my love of stamping. There are a lot of things that I am always working on. I don’t know that I want to focus on just one thing. And it certainly doesn’t have to be decided for my whole year.
Being healthy is important to me and that’s why I’m drawn to the Do the Impossible stamp set in the new catalogue. I also have some athletes in my life that I can make cards for, using this stamp set.
If you were on my blog yesterday, you would have seen this set altered for a card I designed to give to my niece. That card was pretty involved and shows how making your own cards allows you to personalize it to the recipient. I wanted to show you another design with the same stamp that you can easily replicate. (Because not everyone wants to lay down all that extra ink or even knows what cross-country skiing is!)
The fanciest part of this card is the colour wash background behind the joggers. If you want to see that technique in a Facebook Live video by clicking HERE.
If you don’t want to get caught in the Facebook vortex, the technique involves applying ink with Stampin’ Write Markers to an acrylic block, spritzing it with water using your Stampin’ Spritzer, then “stamping” that colour onto your watercolour paper with the block as your stamp. You might need to blot off some excess water to take control of the look you’re going for, then let the colour wash fully dry before carrying on with the rest of your card.
The rest is simple stamping. Here’s the supply list: Sahara Sand cardstock, Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper, Whisper White cardstock, Watercolor Paper, Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write Marker, Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Marker, Coastal Cabana Stampin’ Write Marker, Stampin’ Spritzer, Clear Block E, Daffodil Delight cardstock, Jet Black Stazon Ink, Do the Impossible stamp set, Black Stampin’ Mini Dimensionals.
Do you have a New Year’s Resolution? I hope it involves stamping. You know that if you’re in Canada, you can order all you stamping and paper crafting supplies from my Online Store, right!? And that there’s a bunch of new products AND it’s time for Sale-a-bration when you get free stuff just by purchasing stuff that you were already going to get anyway!! How awesome is that!! Go to my ONLINE STORE and have a look!
Today was a rough day. Lots of unplanned unpleasantness, resulting in a very frustrated, irritated, grumpy, and very spent, me. When I remembered that I hadn’t made my card for this challenge yet, I very reluctantly dragged myself into my messy and crowded craft room (I haven’t unpacked boxes from my last event yet and they’re all over the floor and completely in the way). I started to consider the card I would make and I realized that this card was going to be for me today. I reminded myself to breathe. The worst of the day is done. I got through it.
Just breathe.
Just breathe.
Today is a speed challenge on the As You See It Challenge blog. Not the best activity to take on at the end of the day when you’ve already been stressed and rushing around, but no problem. I didn’t rush. I knew what I wanted to do. I had a plan. I took it slow. (well, not too slow!)
Even with taking it easy, I made this card in 8 minutes and 10 seconds. Attaching any kind of ribbon always adds a significant amount of time for me, but I think it was worth it.
I made a card with a similar layout just the other day, so the basic measurements were fresh in my mind, even though it was different paper, stamps, and embellishments.
The Feels Like Frost Designer Series Paper makes anything look amazing, don’t you think! It feels like cheating! I cut mine to 3-7/8″ x 4″, then cut it on a diagonal so I could split it over the piece of 4″ x 5-1/4″ Whisper White cardstock. I laid the lower portion of the split dsp on the Whisper White cardstock so that I could use it as a guide to position my stamped words from the Colorful Seasons Photopolymer Stamp Set, which I stamped in Night of Navy ink.
Before attaching the Feels Like Frost pieces with Dimensionals, I laid the length of Linen Thread down the left side of the Whisper White cardstock so I could tie it after the dsp was adhered.
The Whisper White is layered on a Night of Navy cardstock base. Clean and fresh. Breathe in. Breathe out.
The finishing touch was to add the three Rhinestone Basic Jewels to the Feels Like Frost Designer Series Paper.
And the very last thing was to actually do what the card says, just breathe. Ahhhh. Feels good.
My day is behind me now and tomorrow will be better.
As always, you can order the products featured in my post, by going to SHOP in the menu at the top of the page, or click on the SHOP circle on the sidebar if you’re on your computer.
Now, go and try this speed challenge and share it with us at the As You See It Challenge blog. We want to see your creations!
