This type of card is always difficult to make

Pin It Now! The project I'm sharing today is a sympathy card. I never have any of these on hand & every time I have to make one I tell myself I need to make several at once so I have them. Well I never do; I guess I just can't make myself sit still long enough to "force" myself to get more than one done at a time. They are difficult to do: I don't want them to be all dreary & dull yet I don't want them to be all flowery & happy looking either. Do ya get what I mean? After trying to come up with something appropriate on my own (& struggling)  I went looking for inspiration & found a fantastic card on splitcoast stampers by Lisa Curcio. I fell in love with the simple yet elegant monochromatic card & decided to case it for my sympathy card.

I kept everything the same as Lisa's original card but changed the sentiment & I used a different ribbon. I even made a second one so I have one on hand. You could use this idea for a male birthday, thinking of you, thank you, or anything just by changing the sentiment. You can't really see it in the picture but the image is popped up on dimensionals. A simple but wow card. Sometimes it's the simple things in life, isn't it?

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope y'all have a great day.

Supply List:
Stamp sets: En Francais; Wonderfall; Petite Pairs
Ink: Crumb Cake; Early Espresso
Cardstock: Crumb Cake; Very Vanilla; Early Espresso Core'dinations; Early Espresso
Accessories: Big Shot; Woodgrain embossing folder; VersaMark; embossing buddy; white emboss powder;  Heat Tool; dauber; Soft Suede 3/8" taffeta ribbon

Please email me today if you'd like a catalog mailed directly to you.

Here comes autumn

Pin It Now! For the past two weeks we've had fall-like weather over here & it's been really nice. Cool enough the kids need light jackets at the bus stop in the morning but warm enough after school they don't need one. With the kids back in school, cooler weather, & the dulling of the greenery I've been thinking about autumn & the gorgeous colors that will soon be on display this year. It's been over three years since we've experienced any true fall colors; living in far west Texas we didn't see colorful trees ;). Over here we are surrounded by forests & are anxiously awaiting God's awesome display of color. While we're waiting I decided to pull out some new goodies that I haven't played with yet & try to create some fall on a card. What do ya'll think?

When I first started playing around I didn't know what this card would be used for so it was sentiment-less when it was finished. However when my husband came home from work that day he asked if I had anything for a co-worker who was having surgery soon so I added the "thinking of you" at the bottom. The colors work great for a masculine card, don't ya think? To create all the different shades I took sponge daubers & inked up the edges of the leaves after they were cut out. The best part is I didn't have to spend forever cutting them all out: the stamp set coordinates with a Big Shot die! (the cute little acorn too). And how cool is the "tree"? I used the new core'dinations card stock & new Woodgrain embossing folder, all found in the new Holiday catalog. I love how it looks (& it feels real, too)

Here are a few quick tips for using the Autumn Accents die & coordinating Wondrfall stamp set:

• Use the die to create the leaves/acorn first.
• Before stamping the images onto the shapes use a bit of non-permanent adhesive on the back of the shape to prevent it from moving around.
• Use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to help you line up the images perfectly.

Remember you can always order online 24/7 from my business website or email me if you have any questions.

Supply List:
Stamp set: Wonderfall; Best Dad Ever
Ink: More Mustard; Cajun Craze; Cherry Cobbler; So Saffron; Pumpkin Pie; Soft Suede; Early Espresso; River Rock
Cardstock: Very Vanilla; Early Espresso Core'dinations
Accessories: Big Shot; Woodgrain embossing folder; Autumn Accents die; sponge daubers; sanding block; linen thread

Please email me today if you'd like a catalog mailed directly to you.

Quick & Easy

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Does this ever happen to you: a friend or relative's birthday is coming up & you think there's plenty of time to get their card in the mail, only to realize you need to have it in the mail in less than an hour? Or maybe that only happens to me...well, it happened to me last week & I almost panicked: I have to mail things back to the states at least a week ahead of time if I want it to reach the recipient on time. I needed something fast & easy so I grabbed the Mixed Bunch stamp set & got right to work. Here's what came from my mad-dash to the finish:

It's hard to see in the photo but I ran the white layer through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. *TIP: If you want a sentiment be sure to stamp it first before running it through the Big Shot. I then ran it back through the Big Shot with one of the Adorning Accents edgelits to create the scallop edge. The main flower image was stamped onto some vellum using VersaMark then  heat embossed with white emboss powder before punching it out using the coordinating Blossom punch. It's also kind of hard to tell but the white layer is popped up on dimensionals (sneaky trick to hide the ends of the ribbon). I'm quite pleased with the finished product & hope my friend likes it as well. 

Go on & see how many of these fun & quick little creations you can make today; I dare ya! :)  Enjoy the possibilities today!

Supply List:

Stamp set: Mixed Bunch; Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess, retired)

Ink: Island Indigoo

Cardstock: Island Indigo; Whisper White; White Vellum

Accessories: Big Shot; Perfect Polkda Dots embossing folder; Adorning Accents edgelits; VersaMark; Blossom punch; White emboss powder; heat tool; Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack; basic jewels; Island Indigo 3/8" ruffled ribbon

Please email me today if you'd like a catalog mailed directly to you.

Changing it up

Pin It Now! Yesterday I shared with you the first card in a long time, the one I CASEd from the catalog. After I finished it I started thinking about all the different color combos you could use so I immediately made another one, only I changed it up a little & I "think" I like this one better :)

What a difference a few little changes make, right? Change the color, pattern stamped on the butterflies, & embossing folder & imagine all the possibilities ya'll can come up with :)  And to think it started by CASEing a project in the Annual Catalog just to get the creative juices flowing again. I may have to try creating a masculine card using this sketch, since I never seem to have a masculine card on hand when the need arises. (Like last minute co-worker birthdays my husband notoriously mentions the night before he needs to take it to work...*smirk*)

Once again thanks for hanging out with me for a few minutes :) Hope ya'll have a great day!

Please email me  today if you'd like a catalog mailed directly to you.

Supply List:
Stamp sets: En Francais; Itty Bitty Banners; Papillon Potpouri
Cardstock: Summer Starfruit; Whisper White; Midnight Muse; Primrose Petals
Ink: Summer Starfruit; Midnight Muse: Primrose Petals
Accessories: Big Shot; Argyle embossing folder; Labels Collection framelits; Elegant Butterfly punch

It's been 7 months...!

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I knew I hadn't posted anything in awhile but wow! 7 months!? Time has a way of getting away from us at times doesn't it? Life threw some issues at us, which shouldn't be a surprise when you're a military family :) However the news that we would be moving to Germany was a big one, even though we knew it was eventually coming (I mean we've had over 10 years to prepare *smile*). When we were first told at Christmas time we told ourselves we'd have plenty of time to get everything ready for the move in May/June....we should have known better! There's always a ton of stuff to do leading up to a move but a whole new set of hurdles to overcome when that move is overseas. Long story short the kids & I moved about 6 weeks after my husband; so yes, a lot of the last-minute details fell on me :) On the huge plus side we had a house by the time the rest of us arrived :) The one major downside to moving overseas is not having household goods for a long time; as a matter of fact are stuff took 60+ days to arrive...try being without all your crafting goodies that long!!! lol At least I can look back at the transition time & laugh instead of cry :) We're almost completely settled (garage & basement need to get arranged properly but hey, at least my office is all put to rights *smile*) Now that school has started I have the entire day to myself so I can FINALLY get back into stamping! Enough rambling; here's my first card made in a long time:

I admit after not being able to get my fingers inky for so long my creative mind was running blank; or maybe there were too many things rattling around up there? In order to jump-start the creative juices flowing again I browsed through the Annual Catalog & decided to CASE one of the cards I saw. I didn't copy it exactly but  it's pretty close. It went together pretty quickly & I used a color combo that I'm not sure I would have come up with on my own. That's just one of the many pros of CASEing, "forcing" yourself to think out of the box & try something new :)

Thanks for hanging in there & not giving up on me completely :) I'm back & my plan is to post more regularly; now that my "baby" is in kindergarten I don't have any interruptions during the day ;) Hope you're able to get some stamping or other crafting in today!

Supply List:
Stamp sets: En Francais; Itty Bitty Banners; Papillon Potpouri
Cardstock: Pool Party; Whisper White; Calypso Coral; Lucky Limeade
Ink: Pool Party; Calypso Coral; Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Big Shot; Lacy Brocade embossing folder; Labels Collection framelits; Elegant Butterfly punch

Please email me today if you'd like a catalog mailed directly to you.

PPA111 - New Scketch Challenge

Pin It Now! We're enjoying another cooler day; it was over 90 degrees yesterday so it feels nice at barely 80 today :)  With the cooler weather I'm definitely thinking autumn so I created another card with an autumn theme. I used the new challenge at PPA & got to work:

I am waiting (patiently) for some goodies to arrive, namely a pack or two of the Spice Cake designer paper (among other things). I love the colors in it & can't wait to play with it; can you tell....? I just had to incorporate those colors into my project today :) The card base is Very Vanilla with a 1 1/4" x 4 1/4" piece of textured River Rock card stock on top. On the bottom portion is a 3 3/4" x 4 1/4" piece of Soft Suede designer series paper. The main image panel was created by inking up one of the leaves from the brand new set "Gently Falling"  with River Rock & randomly stamping it on a 2 3/4" vanilla square.I layered this onto a  slightly larger Soft Suede square & adhered it to the card base using sticky strip. On a separate piece of vanilla I stamped the bold image of the maple leaf with More Mustard & stamped the outline using Soft Suede. I used my paper snips to cut this out & popped it up on dimensionals. I took some twine & tied some in each of the More Mustard buttons (from the Regals designer buttons) & used some Crystal Effects to adhere them to the top of the card. To attach the Pool Party ribbon I cut a narrow slit on the spine of the card (my 4 year old is learning parts of a book at school so now everything folded he has to point out the spine) & used some sticky strip to adhere the ends to the inside of the card. Before I send this out I'll add a piece of designer paper or something to cover them up ;).

Another card that went together super quick & a fantastic sketch to work with. I've had a lot of fun challenging myself during the week & will be going back & creating some different cards with the sketches :)  Hope you'll be able to find some time to enjoy your weekend & maybe carve out some time to get creative too :)

Combined Challenges

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A couple of weeks ago Mojo Monday had a sketch challenge that I just had to try & I've done a few cards with the same sketch; I like it that much :). I also saw a color challenge over at CCMC using Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, & Lucky Limeade. Today I'm sharing the card that come together when I paired these two challenges together:

It's hard to tell in the photo but the card base is Very Vanilla. On top of the bottom Pumpkin Pie layer is a piece of Very Vanilla designer paper (from the Neutrals designer series pack) with a piece of Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon. The larger panel is Very Vanilla layered on top of Lucky Limeade with Pumpkin Pie & Rich Razzleberry butterflies I cut out using the Big Shot & the Beautiful Wings embosslits die; this was popped up using dimensionals. The smaller panel is once again Very Vanilla layered on top of a piece of Lucky Limeade. On a scratch piece of Very Vanilla card stock I stamped two of the flowers from the set "For All You Do", one using Pumpkin Pie ink & the other using Rich Razzleberry ink, & cut them out using my paper snips. I popped each of them up on a dimensional & then hand drew the stem using my Lucky Limeade marker. This panel was popped up on dimensionals as well before using dimensionals to pop up the whole layer on top of the card base. For the finishing element I grabbed my Doily Triple Layer punch & used it in the first position to punch out a piece of Rich Razzleberry card stock. I then used it in the third position on a piece of Lucky Limeade & just layered them together with 2-way glue before adding a Pumpkin Pie button using a dab of Crystal Effects. I left the sentiment off since I wasn't sure what this particular card will be used for yet but I'll be able it on the inside.

This card went together fairly quick & the color combo is pretty, too. This is definitely a sketch I'll be using again & again :) Why not challenge yourself today? What colors are you a bit shy of? Is there a particular sketch or layout you're not sure about? Step out of the box & see what new favorites may await you. :) Have fun & don't forget to laugh! :)

New Technique

Pin It Now! One of the many perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is the opportunity to attend Convention in Salt Lake City every summer. They have TONS of goodies exclusively for those in attendance; however, there is usually a very limited amount of stuff that's left over that Stampin' Up! puts out for sale to those demos who were unable to attend. Well, since I wasn't able to attend Convention I have been anxiously awaiting the list of "left overs" to see what kind of goodies they had; it's always fun to look ;). About 2 weeks ago the list came out & one of the things I "had to have" was a DVD featuring quite a few different techniques fellow demos have presented over the past year at different Stampin' Up! events all over the country. I received all my goodies late last week & sat down & watched the whole DVD over the weekend. One of the presentations I fell in love with & of course had to try right away was the Faux Mother-of-Pearl technique that Heidi Baks demoed. My husband just happened to need a going-away card for a co-worker this week so I decided to use it on her card. Here's my first card using this new (to me) technique:

I cut out a Top Note using my Big Shot & Whisper White card stock. On a paper plate I poured out some Frost White Shimmer Paint & using a wadded up piece of plastic wrap I dabbed it into the paint; blotted off the excess on the paper plate. I gently blotted the plastic wrap all over the Top Note & added more Shimmer Paint as needed. You don't want to cover the whole thing, you want some of the card stock to show through. Once the Top Note was dry (it doesn't take very long) I stamped the main image from the set "Elements of Style" with StazOn & colored it in using Regal Rose & Wild Wasabi markers & a blender pen. I then used a sponge & sponged on Blushing Bride over most of the image. I also sponged on some Bashful Blue. When I was satisfied I took a paper towel & gently wiped the image to get the excess ink off. I did the exact same thing on a scratch piece of white card stock & stamped the sentiment from the set "Sincere Salutations". I used the Extra Large Oval punch to punch that out & a piece of Blushing Bride. I then used the brush end of the Basic Gray marker & ran it around the edges of the Top Note & the 2 ovals to add some definition. I used a scrap piece of Blushing Bride card stock & punch it out using the Scallop Trim Border punch & adhered it to the Basic Black card base using Sticky Strip. I used a piece of Basic Gray DSP (another scrap) & trimmed it to 5 1/2" x 1 3/4" then used Sticky Strip to attach it to the card front. The Top Note is popped up using dimensionals. I layered the 2 ovals & glued them together with Sticky Strip before using some more Sticky Strip to adhere it to the Top Note.

None of the photos I took really did this card justice; it's very pretty in real life. :) This technique is one I'll definitely do again; I'd like to play around with the pinks & blues some more & I'd like to try peach & yellows, too. The part that took my the longest was coloring in the flowers; you could stamp a solid image instead if you'd rather not color ;) Hope you feel inspired to try this technique for yourself; you'll love it too! Have a wonderful week! :)

PPA107 - A break from other projects

Pin It Now! For the past several days I've been working on a project for a large Stamp Camp a fellow demo is having in early October. I'm in charge of the stocking card I shared a few days ago & have to have 80+ of them prepped & ready to go by the end of September. I actually had to turn Christmas music on yesterday to help me kick it into gear so I could completely finish 20 for the meeting last night ;) It was then that we found out how many we have to have ready for the next meeting. Well, before I dive head first into them I needed a break so I decided to do the challenge over at Pals Paper Arts. And here is my finished card:


I just received the Blossom Bouquet triple layer punch & HAD to use it! WOW! I don't know why it took me so long to order it but I'm so glad I did; it's quickly become my favorite ;) I punched out 4 blossoms from  Blushing Bride card stock & 4 from Very Vanilla. I used some multipurpose glue & glued the pink outside rings to 1 3/4" Basic Gray squares. I then used the same glue & glued the vanilla middles & finally glued the pink centers. I created the centers using the small circle punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack & Blushing Bride card stock. Once all the squares were finished I ran them through the Big Shot with the tiny dotted background texturz plates. On the Very Vanilla card base I glued a piece of 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" Blushing Bride designer series paper pack. All the squares are popped up using dimensionals. I left the sentiment off the front since I don't know what I'm going to use it for yet ;) When it comes time for me to use it I'll stamp the sentiment on the inside. Maybe a birthday card? Thinking of You? Congratulations? Hmmm....the possibilities are endless! :)


Hope you're enjoying your week so far & happy stampin'!

Are we there yet...?

Pin It Now! Our 4 year old asked that question a "few" times over our 2-week vacation & we can finally say "Yes!" We left our house early on July 1st & arrived back home before noon July 17th. We spent our vacation visiting our families who are spread out in Kansas, Missouri, & Wisconsin. The time went way too fast (as always) but we had tons of fun! We spent time swimming, enjoying a baseball game, celebrating a few birthdays, & just spending quality time with family that we don't get to see very often. AND I even got to spend some quiet time stamping with my mom & a few other special ladies while I was vacationing. What made it even better is my hubby & my dad took the 3 boys out of the house while we could create without interruptions! How amazing is that!? Needless to say it was the best vacation I've had! lol I'll be sharing the projects I made at a little later but first I want to share the birthday card I made for my mother-in-law (her's was one of the few we celebrated)

On a piece of vanilla card stock I stamped the image using black StazOn & then used blender pens with different colors of ink to color it in. I trimmed it down so the piece was just barely wider than the stamped image. When I was satisfied with the coloring I ran it through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder & layered it onto a piece of Early Espresso that was wider on one end. I then ran a 2nd piece of vanilla card stock through the Big Shot using the same embossing folder & took the Early Espresso piece & layered it on top. I took a piece of vanilla taffeta ribbon & wrapped it around all the layers & tied it to the front before using sticky strip to adhere the entire thing to the Early Espresso card base. I layered a vanilla top note that I cut out using the Big Shot so we could write a message on the inside. You could add any sentiment on the inside: Sympathy, Happy Birthday, Thank You, etc.

I am so glad to be back home so I can share more projects again! I have so much more to share with you so I'll be posting regularly now ;) Thanks for hanging it there while I was away. Come back soon! :)

Another Sneak Peek

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Yesterday the temperature reached 106! It was already 90 when I ran some errands at 10:00 am & I'm so glad I didn't after go anywhere else for the day. Today is supposed to be the same; perhaps I should start on my Christmas cards so I'm not frantic come early December...? ;)

Today's sneak peek project uses a new set you can spend your earned hostess dollars on called "Precious Butterflies". The set includes a total of 9 stamps including 3 different sized butterflies & I used all the butterflies on this card. :) Hope you enjoy today's sneak peek:

The 2 larger ones were stamped in one of the new In Colors, Pool Party. I then stamped the smallest butterfly in another new In Color, Calypso Coral & cut them all out using my paper snips. The leaf/scroll image is one stamp but I wanted the scroll to be a different color so I used the Lucky Limeade marker (yet another new In Color) to color the leaf part & the Crumb Cake marker to color the scroll. I huffed on the entire stamp to moisten it before finally stamping it directly onto the white card front. The sentiment, from the same stamp set, was inked using Calypso Coral & stamped directly on the card front also. I layered the white piece onto a piece of Crumb Cake card stock & then added a strip of  Chocolate Chip 1/2" scallop dots ribbon before adhering it all to the Early Espresso card base. I wanted the butterflies to pop off the page so I used dimensionals. It isn't exactly how I pictured it in my mind but that's okay :) I really like those colors together & they're not a combo in the Color Coach either ;)

Stay cool & enjoy your day!

Last Chance Reminder

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**Don't forget to order your favorite stamp sets before they're gone forever! June 30th is the LAST day to order!**

One of the many perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is being able to see the brand new Idea Book & Catalog a whole month before anyone else. I received mine yesterday & all I can say is "WOW!" It is full of LOST of amazing new things that I can't wait to get my hands on & play with :) If anyone is interested in having their own copy of the new Idea Book & Catalog - or IB&C - for a special price of $6 let me know & I will mail one to you. I can't mail them any earlier than June 28th but I'd love to drop one in the mail for you so please email me at: sarah.goke@gmail.com or call me: (915)799-3187. If you already have a demonstrator please order one from them. However, if you don't have a demo already I'd love to be yours :)

Okay, so now on to today's share! My oldest son asked me to make a graduation card for the leader of the trumpet section; he wanted me to make a "big" card so all of the trumpets could sign it for her. What do you think of this:

 The music notes are actually a wheel (pg. 125) in the current IB&C. I didn't have the wheel but fortunately it is download for My Digital Studio! I made my own"sheets of music" in MDS & printed a few onto Whisper White & Very Vanilla card stocks so now I have them on hand for whenever I want it again ;)  I layered the "sheets of music" onto the very top & bottom of the Basic Black card base being sure to leave a large enough area in the middle to put the sentiment & butterflies. The sentiment is from the stamp set "Word Play" & was stamped in Versa Mark then embossed in gold on a piece of Basic Black card stock. This was then layered onto a piece of Real Red & adhered to the card with Snail. I used the Beautiful Wings embosslits die & ran it through my Big Shot with another "sheet of music". Those were on dimensionals to give it some texture. On the inside of the card & layered a piece of white card stock to the top & bottom so everyone's signatures could be read :)

My son told me she was a bit teary-eyed when they gave it to her; I would say it served it's purpose, wouldn't you? ;) Hope you enjoyed the simple creation today. Have a great week & thanks for stopping by!

May Flowers!

Pin It Now! That's the theme for this week's challenge over at SU-Only Challenges. The card I made is a birthday card but you could use this for any occasion. Just imagine all the beautiful color combos you could use!

For the card base I chose Shimmery White card stock; not sure how well it showed up in the picture. I also used a 4 7/8" x 3 1/4" piece of Shimmery White for the top layer & ran it through the Big Shot using the small polka dots from the Backgrounds Texturz Plates. I wrapped a piece of Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon around the bottom third of the layer & adhered it to a 5" x 3 3/8" piece of Basic Black card stock. I stamped the sentiment from the set "All Holidays" using the Daffodil Delight classic ink. I adhered this entire layer to the card base & then ran some Poppy Parade card stock through the Big Shot using the Floral Fusion sizzlets die. I layered each flower & put a black brad in the center to hold them together. I put a glue dot in the center of each flower & positioned them on the ribbon.
Now how quick & simple was that!? Because it was so quick & easy I actually made up several to have on hand, all with different color combos: Blushing Bride, Perfect Plum, & So Saffron; Marina Mist & So Saffron just to name a couple. ;)
Thanks for stopping by & I hope you all have a great day! Take a minute to enjoy all the beautiful flowers today ;)

Awash with Flowers

Pin It Now! Here is one of the projects we did at the Stamp Camp last weekend:

First we ran the entire card through the Big Shot using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. Using Snail we attached a piece of DSP from the pack "Sweet & Sour. We then layered Rose Red & Pumpkin Pie card stock to create a frame for our main image. One a piece of Very Vanilla we stamped the large bloom from the set "Awash with Flowers" using Jet Black StazOn. We then inked up the stem from the same set & stamped that with the StazOn. We colored the flower using Aqua Painters & Rose Red classic ink. The stem was colored in using the Wild Wasabi marker. Before popping the Very Vanilla card stock up with dimensionals we inked up the sentiment from "Occasional Quotes" with a Pumpkin Pie marker & stamped that in the bottom corner. I think I've mentioned this before but who would have thought Pumpkin Pie & Rose Red would look so great together!? I must admit it has quickly become one of my favorite color combos ;)

I hope all of you have a very blessed Easter weekend. Tomorrow (Saturday) we'll be dyeing eggs with our youngest; the older two (ages 15 & 10) are no longer interested ;). Hopefully I can post a picture of the event this weekend. Take care & enjoy. God Bless!