Almost Father's Day

Yes, the time keeps right on moving along whether I'm keeping up with it or not.  It's shocking to see that Father's Day is coming up this weekend already.  Where has the time gone?  Since it's time to consider all the wonderful things our dads and grandpas have done for us over the years, I thought it was appropriate to share a Father's Day card that I'll be giving to my hubby this year.

Stamps:  The Open Seas and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler
Paper:  Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot with Arrows TIEF, Word Window Punch, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, and Dimensionals

 Yes, this stamp set has been around awhile, but it's still a go-to set when I need something masculine.  And what could be more masculine than a Father's Day card I ask you!?  The layout I chose to use is very basic with a good number of layers.  With using Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler  colors, we ended up with a clean and crisp look to the card.  Just right for the stamp set I used.

The tiny Night of Navy layer under the sentiment was embossed with the Arrows TIEF to give just a little more interest and texture to the card.

And what would I ever do without the Teeny Tiny Wishes little sentiment?  Those little sentiments are just the perfect size to add on just about any card, and they cover just about any sentiment you might need.  Definitely a must-have stamp set.

Well, that's it for today.  Just wanted to say hi to my sister Connie for telling me to get back to my blogging.  Thanks for the push and if I fizzle out again (or is that 'when'), make sure you give me a nudge back into it again.  Alright?  Thanks for stopping by today.  I always appreciate hearing from you.   Happy weekend!          Sharon

A Tree for Dad

 I've had it with the snow lately, so thought I'd move on to a tree card for father.  Trees in full leaf are a sure sign of summer, so let's do some pretending that there's no snow on the ground and it's warm and sunny outside.  We needed to make cards for Father's Day already to send on to the military.  I know, it's hard to think that far ahead, isn't it?  But we already made a bunch and sent them last week.  So today's card was one of the many styles that we stamped over a week ago.  If you like the idea, you've got lots of time to make it for your dad!   Or you could use the idea for any masculine birthdays you might have coming up. 

Stamps:  Look Up To Father
Ink:  Early Espresso pad and Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green, and Early Espresso markers
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla cardstock with Old Olive DSP
Accessories:   Big Shot with Circles Framelits, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals

It's amazing what you can do with a single stamp!  The stamp used is from the Occasions Catalog and is still available until the end of May.  Both the tree and the sentiment are all on the single stamp.  I cut them apart so they would be more versatile - either use them together or separately!  The tree on this card was colored with markers to get the trunk colored in differently than the green leaves and grass.  The leaves were colored with the Pear Pizzazz marker and then thumped with the Garden Green marker.  I liked how the leaves looked with the two colors instead of just one.  Can you just see how nice this would look with multiple colors for fall?  Just gorgeous!

That's it for today.  Short and sweet.   I need to hustle and get ready for church this evening.  I love all the services leading up to Easter.   All these services are somber and then there's the grand celebration of Easter.  Truly glorious!!   Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope your Easter preparations are well underway.  I'll be doing lots of cooking and baking on Saturday to get finished.  If I don't get another post in before Easter  -  I wish you and your family a very blessed Easter!          Sharon

Another Fish Tale

Today I've got another card to share with you using the By the Tide stamp set.  I wasn't too sure about getting this stamp set when it came out last January.  But the more things that I saw others making with this set, I knew I had to get it too.  It is such a versatile set with wonderful images that you can use for so many different occasions.  This card is a very simple monochromatic card.  See what you think...

Stamps:  By the Tide and Sweet Essentials
Ink:  Basic Gray and Basic Black
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Whisper White, with Neutrals Collection Designer Series Paper Stacks(ret)
Accessories:   2 1/2" Circle Punch, Piercing Mat and Piercing Tool, Neutrals Mini Brads(ret), Paper Snips, and Dimensionals

I've looked at a lot of samples using this set, and I love the simplest lines and clean look with this set.  This card is a cased idea that's been rolling around in my head and I can't remember where I saw the original.  So if you know who made one that looks similar, let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.

Usually my cards are very symmetrical with all the layers lined up just so.  On this one, the layering is all at angles and there's straight lines played against a circle and the cut out fish added for lots of different shapes.  Definitely gives it lots of interest.

My Hostess Club ladies made this card recently and each of them seemed to like it too.  It's always good to have another masculine card on hand, so I try to plan one every once in a while.  I hated to use a retired DSP for my club ladies, but my new papers aren't here yet, soooooo we made do with what I had on hand. 

That's it for today.  Hope you enjoyed this one.  It's one of my favorite cards in a while and hope you liked it too.  Hugs,     Sharon

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there!  My dad was one of the really good ones and I still miss him very much even though he's been gone for many years.  Somehow my dad was still my special 'daddy' even when I was grown and had kids of my own.  Miss you dad!  Now I'm lucky to have a husband that loves and cares for me and our family, so happy Father's Day to you dear!  Then I have a wonderful son-in-law who has blessed our family by being part of it.  And he's a great dad too!  This card is a version of the one I made for him to celebrate this special day.  Hope you like this idea...

Stamps:  By the Tide and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  VersaMark, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, Midnight Muse, and Soft Suede ink pads
Paper:  Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, and Whisper White
Accessories:   Winter White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Piercing Tool and Mat, Word Window Punch, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Sponge quarters, and Dimensionals

Love this soft look of embossing resist with the under water images.  This is a CASEd card from my downline Phyllis D.  When I saw her card, I knew I had to make one of these too.  I loved the collage effect of all these stamps with the overlapped stamping onto the embossed coral.

 Holding the card, the colors are so soft, but still rich looking.  I wasn't sure exactly what colors she used, but just went with what I had on hand.  I was surprised with how dark the Crumb Cake was for the sand, but when all the other colors were layered on, it worked out nicely.

This would be a great card for many occasions, and with the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, it's easy to make whatever kind of sentiment you need for you card.  I actually ended up making 3 of these for different occasions and with different people in mind.  I mean, if you get out all these colors to use, might as well make more than one.  Right?

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope this card inspires you to try the Emboss Resist Technique.  Just emboss one of your images first, then stamp and sponge colors over it.  It's fun seeing the seahorses and fish peeking out from the coral on this card.  See what you can do with the idea!  Happy stamping and a very Happy Father's Day!  Sharon

Today's card is a little different than my normal offerings.  This card came about because a friend ordered the Ex Libris background stamp and wanted me to help her come up with an idea for it.  This stamp is so not anything I would ever choose myself, so this was a real challenge.  And after fooling around several days trying to get something to work, all at once I had an idea and it came together so easily I was surprised.  Here's the card I made with it...

Stamps:  Ex Libris, Four Frames, and Fabulous Phrases
Ink:  Versamark, and Cajun Craze
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Decorative Label Punch, 3/16" Metallic Brads, Piercing Tool and Mat, Sponge, and Dimensionals

I wanted to make the card look like it was an antique book with a tooled leather cover.  After a few tries, I hit on using Crumb Cake cardstock and Versamark ink to emboss the image.  It was then heavily sponged with Cajun Craze ink to enhance the lovely detail on the stamped image.  It was fun seeing the detail come to life the heavier I sponged.  Yes, it was a little work, but it was definitely worth it!

I chose the Four Frames for the 'title' on the book.  It was punched out with the Decorative Label Punch that mimicked the label on the main stamp.  It was popped up with Dimensionals to make it stand out.

The final touch was some metallic brads in the corners to go with the 'tooled leather' look.  All in all I'm very happy with how this turned out.  It was a struggle and a challenge to work with something so different than my style, but it was fun getting stretched and stamping outside of my little comfort zone.  Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you enjoyed this look.  See you soon!  Make time to stamp this weekend - it's what I wanted for Mother's Day!!  Sharon

Dapper Dad Watch Card

Well, I can start this out one of two ways - either complain about being sick again, or get right into sharing the card for today.  Since I'm so tired of being sick and complaining about it, let's get right into the fun stuff and forget about the not-so-fun stuff.  Today's card used those fun Soda Pop Tops.  Don't you love them??  If you haven't used them yet, you really ought to give them a try.  I'm pretty sure you're gonna love them too!  Here's the card for you...

Stamps:  Dapper Dad and Delightful Dozen 
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, and Not Quite Navy
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla cs with Parker's Patterns Designer Series Paper
Accessories:   Big Shot with Apothecary Accents Framelits, Soda Pop Tops, Natural Trim Ribbon, 1" Circle Punch,  Sponge, and Dimensionals

I had seen someone else use the flattened Soda Pop Top for the watch face and thought it was such a cool idea.  So of course I had to try it too. It  looks so much like those watches with the oversized watch face that seems to be popular right now.

I used the Natural Trim Ribbon as an accent to tie in with the Soft Suede ink on the watch band.  Thought they went well together.  The Father's Day sentiment is stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink to tie in with the DSP print color.   I sponged the one layer with the Cherry Cobbler ink also.

This is a simple card to make, especially when you have the tools to make it easy like the Apothecary Accents Framelits.   Love being able to quickly die-cut the shapes I want to use for a project. 

That's it for today.  Hope I'll be back soon.  Thanks for sticking with me and my very erratic posting lately.  I'm trying to post regularly, but if I'm too sick to stamp there's just nothing to post.  Boohoo!  Have yourself a great weekend.  Sharon

Dads and Ties

Or maybe not so much in the case of my hubby.  Never did like to wear ties, and never would if he could get away with it!  So maybe a card with ties he could never wear, but only look at would be perfect for this man of mine.  It's a tad early to be thinking of Father's Day cards, but this could be used for a birthday, or for whatever reason came up to tell your dad how wonderful he is.  And all dad's would appreciate that, wouldn't they?    Let's take a look and see what you think...

Stamps:  Best Dad Ever
Ink:  Lucky Limeade and Night of Navy markers
Paper:  Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, and Night of Navy
Accessories:   2011-2013 Designer Printed Brads, Piercing Tool and Mat, Tag Corner Punch(retired), and Dimensionals

This card ended up very clean and simple looking after several tries at something else.  Originally I had used multiple colors of Regals markers on the different ties.  The colors all went together fine, but it just looked too busy for my tastes.  I still wanted more that one color for the ties, so my compromise was making a navy one in the center and limeade for all the rest.  To me it looks so much more calm and dignified.  Or something like that anyway! grin 

I love the contrast of the circle brad which is at odds with all the other lines and angles on the card.  But the brad has a subtle windowpane check on it that carries through with everything else.

 I just had to dig out that retired punch to have the two corners mimic the bottom of the ties.  It didn't look finished without it!

So there you have it - a very clean and simple card for your dad (or hubby, depending what wording you choose).  Wonder if I could just use a marker to cross out the word dad and write in husband over it?  I think my hubby would get a kick out of me doing that to a card.  Think I'll give that a try...

Thanks for checking in today.  We made it back from the wedding late Sunday night, and we're getting back to a routine of sorts.  My niece's wedding was truly wonderful - maybe the best, most meaningful wedding I've ever gone to.  What a great foundation for the rest of their lives together!   That's it for today.  No telling what I'll have for you next as I skip around on the holidays.  I seem to have forgotten Mother's Day in there somehow.  Now I'll need to get going on that, won't I?
Many hugs, Sharon

One for the Guys

 

I know this doesn't happen very often, so I thought you should be warned about it.  I actually made a masculine card today, woo hoo!  And I'm even going to get it posted today too!  Wow!  Hope you appreciate how incredibly unusual this is.  And  don't go expecting this to happen all the time now.  That would take away from the specialness of it all, and that wouldn't be a good thing now, would it?  Anyway, I was checking out a few blogs to get my mojo working late this afternoon, and I came across a card by Carolyn Lindemayer at this blog - www.papecraftcrew.com  They were sharing their Sketch Challenge #28 and Carolyn's card caught my eye.  I needed to change a few things around to use what I had on hand, and I love the finished card so much!  If I had enough of the materials needed on hand, it would probably be one of the cards for February's classes next week.  But... not enough of the needed materials, sooooo on to other creating.  But, just wanted to share this card tonight. 

Stamps:  On The Seas and Apothecary Art
Ink:  Basic Black
Paper:  Basic Gray, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White with 2011-2013 In Color Patterns Designer Paper Pack
Accessories:  Big Shot with Labels Framelits, Argyle TIEF, Silver Soda Pop Tops, 1" Circle Punch, Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, Silver Embellishment Kit(ret), Corner Rounder Punch(ret), Mini Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

I had fun playing with all the texture and layers on this card.  At first it was a stretch to consider making a seafaring card in anything other than a blue of some sort.  But after getting it done, I must say this is one of my favorite cards that I've made lately.  The silvers and grays compliment the Lucky Limeade very nicely.

And really ladies, you need to try out these Soda Pop Tops - so cool!  They're such a bright, shiny accent on your cards.  I know I need to order me a small truckload for all the ideas that are rollin' around in my head.  he he

Well, that's it for tonight.  I need to get some sleep so I don't catch any of the germs the grandsons are spreading around again.  Yeck!  This has to be the sickest winter I've lived through in quite a few years, and I'm getting reeeeeealllllly tired of it!!!!  So, nighty, night all...  Sharon

 

Sneak Peek Vintage Phone Booths

To be very honest with you, this set, Feeling Sentimental, was not one of the first Sale-a-bration sets I had considered getting.  But you know how it goes.  You see what someone else has made with it and you just have to have it right now!!   In this case, my sister Connie showed me this fabulous card she made and I knew it was a winner.  So I followed her instructions and made my own card.  When I finished making it, I was impressed.  Connie - this card is even classier in person than in a photo!  Thanks for sharing.  Now, are you ready for this?  You're gonna love it too!

Stamps:  Feeling Sentimental
Ink:  Real Red and Stazon Jet Black
Paper:  Glossy White, Basic Black, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot with Honeycomb TIEF, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Real Red 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, and Dimensionals

Considering the number of materials and tools needed to make this card, it's quite simple.  But it really packs a punch because of the many textures and layers used here.  One of my new favorite tools is the Honeycomb embossing folder.  It leaves such clean, crisp lines and is generic enough to be used on many different cards.

Glossy white cardstock was used for the card base so the embossing on the card looks like white ceramic tiles.  Really kind of a cool look.

With the three image panels being long and skinny, I liked the look of the ribbon cutting across them and bringing them together. The added border-punched strip just finishes it all off nicely.  Again Connie, you came up with a winner here.  You sure convinced me that I needed this set.  I hope it will convince others that it's just what they want too!

Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope you got a bit of inspiration here.  Check back soon for more goodies.  Hugs,  Sharon

A Daring Adventure Card

My sister Connie is a very creative stamper and comes up with cards I really enjoy.  They are always eye-catching and a little different.  A couple months ago she sent my hubby a birthday card that I really liked.  Since then, one of the items on her card has been retired - the twill tape.  I struggled to find something else to use instead, but didn't really like the looks of any of the ribbons or threads I tried.  So instead, I made her card without any extra embellishment at all.  I'm happy to say that I liked it just fine.  So here's the updated version of Connie's card that the ladies in Hostess Club made....

Stamps:  Daring Adventure
Ink:  Not Quite Navy and Early Espresso
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, and Baja Breeze
Accessories:   Big Shot with Square Lattice TIEF, and Dimensionals

Wow, that's probably the fewest items I've used on a card in a long, looooong while!  It has really clean lines, and the hardest part is just cutting all the little layers with only an 1/8" difference.  Sometimes embossing cardstock changes the dimensions a bit, so I did a little trimming on the Early Espresso layers to make them look right.

So if you're in the market for a masculine card, this one sure fits the bill nicely.  Thanks for the idea Connie!  It really worked out well even without the twill tape accent on it!  Happy stamping, Sharon

Speedy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!  That's especially meant for my hubby and also my wonderful SIL Jesse.  How blessed I am to be married to a good man who loves me and to have a SIL who truly loves my daughter.  What more could anyone ask for?  Oh yes, wonderful grandkids too!  Yes, I've been blessed beyond measure.  So I needed to make a card for my SIL.  I checked into the Stamping 411 blog to see what the sketch was for this weekend.  Thought it might work and got started on it.  Well, after playing around with the sketch a little and pulling things together to make his card, it all came together just fine.  Of course, it didn't really follow the Stamping 411 sketch to closely, as usual.  The ladies there do say to use it as a starting place, and I guess that's what I did.  Here's my version of their sketch...

Stamps:  Need For Speed, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock:  Midnight Muse, Riding Hood Red, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White
Ink:  Midnight Muse
Accessories:  Big Shot with Tasteful Trims Bigz XL Die, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Regals 3/16" Brads, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, and Dimensionals

Following the sketch started going off track when I decided to add the motion-stamping behind the car.  That made the dimensions all wrong for this layer.  It was all downhill from there.  I really like how the finished card looks though, and that's what really matters.  Hope Jesse likes his card.  It was made with lots of love and caring.

Have a great day!  Enjoy the holiday and spend time with your family.  That's what makes life really special!  Well, we're off to spend time with our family.  Hugs, Sharon

Nature Silhouettes

I don't have too many stamp sets that I would consider 'masculine'.  In fact I have almost none!  Oh dear!  So my sister came riding to the rescue!  She sent me a couple stamp sets more than a month ago and I was able to make a few cards while I had them.  Unfortunately, the Nature Silhouettes stamp set is on the retired list, so I needed to get them back to her so she could use them one more time in her classes.  So, this is the last one I'll be sharing with you.  If you like this set, you can still order it until May 31st.  After that, they'll be gone for good.

Stamps:  Nature Silhouettes, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Bravo Burgundy, and Very Vanilla cs with Well Worn Designer Series Paper
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Cajun Craze and More Mustard pads, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and Garden Green markers
Accessories:  1 1/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Metallic Brads, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, and Sponge Daubers

The images of the tree and grasses were all colored on the stamp with markers.  The leaves were colored on with More Mustard marker then tapped or thumped with the other markers to varigate the colors. 

The outside edges were all sponged with either More Mustard or Cajun Craze, or in some cases a mixture of both colors.

The sun was sponged on through a Post-It Note that had a 1 1/4" circle punched out of it.  For not making too many masculine cards, I think this one turned out nicely.  Not too girlyfied (is that a word?) and no ribbon or frou frou on the card.  That bit of scalloped border doesn't count, does it?  I love this DSP for manly cards.  The colors are dark and rich and go well with all those manly things!  At least, that's what I think!!

Thanks for stopping in today.  Have a great week, and find some time for stamping.  Sharon

Motorcycle Mania

Who would have guessed that a card featuring motorcycles would be a hit at my classes? There were a couple of ladies that I knew would be happy with my choice of topic, but I wasn't too sure of the rest! I'd been putting off making a card with a masculine theme, but it was time to face the challenge. My sister, Connie, came to the rescue by loaning me a couple of her stamps that fit the bill. I finally got around to using the motorcycle stamp (unfortunately it's already retired!)for the card, and it got rave reviews. Here's what the ladies made in class with it...

Stamps: Motorcycle (ret), Happiest Birthday Wishes, It's Your Birthday (ret), and Making Tracks Wheel (ret)
Cardstock: Naturals White, Basic Gray, and Real Red
Ink: Basic Black and Real Red
Accessories: Handle, Neutrals (black) Brads, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, AquaPainter, Cutter Kit, and Dimensionals

Isn't this fun? The ladies weren't sure about wheeling on the tire tracks, but once they got started, they were on a roll! grin There were tire tracks inside the card, the front of the envelope and the back too. One lady actually put the tracks all over the front and back of the card base! She was definitely 'making tracks'!

I loved the idea of using the Cutter Kit to distress the edges of cardstock too. It just makes it look more 'manly' with the roughed up cardstock, don't you think? And the bits of red makes it go from dull to 'zing'!


Thank you, Connie, for sending me this stamp to play with. It's wasn't the one that I had originally planned to use for class, but it worked out just perfectly. If you need the stamp back anytime soon, let me know. Otherwise I might be using this again a few more times. (And I haven't even gotten to the other stamps you sent me yet! Time to get stamping!)

Thanks for stopping by today for the latest card installment. Sorry so much of it is retired, but it was fun playing with some oldies. Now I wish I had ordered this stamp. Oh well, no matter how much I'd like to have it all, I just can't!! Thanks for sharing any comments you might have. I'd love to hear from you. Sharon

Truckload of Hearts

Hey, I'm back! Can you believe it - three days in a row! Alright, the class has finished for the night, so it's time to get back to blogging. Today I want to share a new look for an old stamp set. Seems like I've had the set Loads of Love just about forever. It's always good for a more masculine take on Valentine's Day card, instead of all the lace, glitter and other frou frou stuff that my hubby doesn't care for at all. And I got out my trusty Pastels that I haven't used in ages. Seems like this was turning into an oldie, but I added a new twist with a strip of the new Twitterpated Designer Series Paper to give it a bit of a facelift.

Stamps: Loads of Love
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Gray, and Riding Hood Red with Twitterpated Designer Series Paper
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, Basic Black Colored Pencil, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, and Dimensionals

Here's a closer look at the images. Loved how the print looks rather geometric and more masculine so I thought it would go nicely with the truck. I still might tuck in a stamped lady in the truck window from the coordinating stamp set. Just couldn't decide if I really wanted a person in the window or not.

Just a tip when using the Pastels, don't try to dig into the chalk and really load up on it to color. I tend to use surgical qtips for coloring with Pastels and always use a light touch. You can always add another layer or two of color if you want it more intense. On some of the hearts I added a second layer of Riding Hood Red chalk to make them stand out more.


Thanks for stopping by today. I plan to share another class project tomorrow if all goes well. Toodles, Sharon

Definitely the Last Ship

Ok, here it is! Ta da!!!! The very last card I'll be sharing with you from the now retired set, The Open Sea and the retired (boo hoo) Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper. I hope you were smart and made sure you had this ordered in time. I'd love for Stampin'Up! to bring this paper and set back in a regular catalog, but I don't get a vote on this. Too bad! And this card is also a fancy fold card idea too! This fold is called the Joy Fold for those of you that need a name for it. It's been around for awhile and always is an interesting card to make. I've taken lots of pictures so you can see how it's made if you haven't made one of these before. Once you get the idea of the folding, it's a snap to make these cards. Here we go...

Stamps: The Open Sea, Family Reunion

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake with Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, and Cherry Cobbler Classic pads, and White Craft pad

Accessories: 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Twill Tape, Metallic Mini Brads, Sponge quarter, and Dimensionals

Here is the 1st fold opened up. This side folds over the left front and tucks under the compass in the top corner to stay closed.

And here the 2nd fold is shown open revealing the full inside of the card. Pretty neat, huh? As you can see, the Joy Fold card isn't that hard to make. The main focus when making the card is to get the folds in the right place to overlap properly.

Now give it a try and have some fun with this idea. Thanks for dropping in today. Wonder what I have in store for you tomorrow? Come back soon and find out. Think I'll work on something not manly and get back to some girly stuff!

Ta ta for now, Sharon

Last Ship Sailing

Today (Aug 31) is the very last day to get anything from the Summer Mini Catalog. And by anything, I'm talking about the great set - The Open Seas- and the coordinating Designer Paper called Nautical Expedition. Bummer!! I'm going to miss both of these items so much. They're my favorites for making masculine cards and the cards always turn out so nice. So I just had to share this set once more before it's gone. (Unless you order it today or get the Digital Download for them. Then you can use them forever!) For the card today, I used the set alone without the Designer Paper and made a versatile masculine card that could be used for many different occasions. Hope you like it...

Stamps: The Open Sea and Whimsical Words (past SAB set)
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, and Confetti White
Ink: Stazon Jet Black and Chocolate Chip
Accessories: AquaPainter with Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Big Shot with Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Curly Label Punch, Chocolate Chip 3/8" Taffeta (retired), Sponge quarters, and Dimensionals


Making the card is very straight-forward - stamping, coloring, Big Shot, punching, etc. It was really made in about 15 minutes. You know you have to work fast when the little munchkin is down for a nap!! So thanks for stopping in and seeing what's up. I've got one last (really!) ship card that I just have to share with you tomorrow because it's too cool and a Jan Tink original!! So make sure you have your stamp set and Designer Paper 'cuz we'll show it tomorrow and you won't want to miss it!
Toodles, Sharon

Another Masculine Card

It's grandbaby's nap time, so I'm trying to get a post in here quickly!! Seems like this month I've been pushing myself to make masculine cards, both for classes and for personal use. And last night was no exception to that. I've got another birthday coming up - this time for my brother. After fooling around with several ideas that just didn't end up looking the way I pictured them in my mind, (in other words, yucky!) I decided to go to a basic sketch that I've used often and go from there. After that it was easy and the card fell into place quickly. That's the card I have to share with you today.

Stamps: The Open Sea and Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White

Ink: Basic Gray, Not Quite Navy, and Marina Mist

Accessories: Cutter Kit, Vintage Brads, Word Window Punch, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals

The Open Sea is one of my new favorite stamp sets to work with lately. The images are all nicely detailed and can work in any number of combinations. To have a masculine set I like as much as this one is almost a minor miracle! lol

Like I mentioned earlier, this is a very basic sketch that I've used over and over. The reasoning being that is if you're comfortable with a sketch, it's easy to choose the components that go into making up the sketch. I don't always use diamond shapes to fit onto the layer going across the card. You can use any shape that will work, circles, butterflies, flowers, etc.

Even though it's an easy sketch to work with, I think my brother will like the card and appreciate getting it from his sister that has a horrible memory for getting cards mailed out in time. If it goes in the mail today (or tomorrow!) he'll have it by his birthday. Hooray! I've managed 3 whole birthday cards on time this year. And I'm not admitting to how many of them have been late!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you find some time to do some stamping today. If you're pressed for time, fall back on to one of your favorite sketches and make it quick. It'll give you a wonderful feeling of accomplishment that you got another card made for your own stash!

Sharon

Graduation Star

Today is one of those happy and sad days all rolled into one. I'm wishing I could be in Iowa right now watching my godson graduate from high school. He's had many challenges in his life, but he has a friendly personality and a bright future ahead of him. So instead of being there, I'm sitting here at home writing on my blog. After checking out all my options for getting to Iowa for all the festivities, I realized it just wasn't possible. (very sad!) But since I can't be there in person, I'm thinking of him and sharing with you the graduation card I made for him.

Stamps: Seeing Stars and Go, Graduate!

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Early Espresso, and Confetti White with Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist Pads, with Cherry Cobbler Marker

Accessories: Extra Large Star Punch, (Small Star Punch retired), 1" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, and Dimensionals

I've chosen to use a star theme throughout his card, 'cuz he really is a star in my book. To keep it more masculine looking I added stitching lines on some of the punched pieces. The addition of a layer of the new Nautical Expedition made the choice of colors to use very easy. There's a stamped line-up of tiny stars across the bottom edge of the card. Also there's a medley of different star sizes stamped inside the card with Sahara Sand, and off-stamped Marina Mist and Cherry Cobbler. I forgot to take a picture of the inside of the card, but you can get an idea of what I did by looking at the side of the envelope shown above. It really finished off the card nicely by having the envelope and card match like this.

Hope you like this very patriotic idea. It could easily be adapted to 4th of July party invitations or a masculine birthday card. Thanks for stopping by today. Enjoy your weekend!

Sharon

Open Sea Ideas

Well, we're back in town and going a little nutty around here. This week is class week so that means people coming and going on a regular basis. Plus our sweet little grandson is turning one year old tomorrow, so I've been doing a little shopping for presents in my down time. Whew! But it's all fun and I'm lovin' every minute of it! Since most of the classes are finished now, I wanted to share another card the ladies are making. With Father's Day coming up quick, I chose to make a card with the new Open Sea stamp set and give them a choice of either Father's Day or birthday sentiments. Think everyone really liked this card. Hope you do too!

Stamps: Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes, and Versatile Verses (retired)

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Confetti White, with Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper

Ink: Marina Mist and Early Espresso

Accessories: Cutter Kit, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon, and Dimensionals

Here's a shot of the detail on the card. I had seen ribbons layered like this and thought it would work nicely on this card. Don't you like the look?

I had decided against sponging the layers on this card, but still wanted it to look old and ratty. So as you can see, most of the layers all have some heavy distressing going on! The Cutter Kit really comes in handy for doing the distressing. Otherwise my fingernails would be a mess by now from doing all this roughing up!

I made two versions of the card. They're identical except for the piece of DSP that was used. Not really sure which one I prefer. As it was, some of the classes did the Cherry Cobbler version and some did the blue. Either version, this card is a knock-out. (yes, I'm so very modest too, aren't I?)

I figured you'd like to see the inside of the card too. It's very simple - no distressed edges, though I did consider that!! I've hung onto my old Versatile Verses set from years ago. So often one of the sentiments just fits the bill. (hey SU!, I really want more sentiments for inside of the card!!) Just added the anchor in Marina Mist for an accent and also for the envelope.

Everyone said this card was their favorite of the class. I know I liked it alot and hope you do too! Give it a try - even if you don't have a sailor to give it to!

Happy stamping. Thanks for dropping in to check things out. Stop by again soon. Hopefully I'll be getting more stamping in this week.

Sharon

Hooray for Cheers!

As I mentioned last post, the time has come to work on those masculine cards we all need. We always need birthday cards and now it's getting time to think about Father's Day cards too. So that's what I've been working on lately. The card today could be used for either, depending on the sentiment used on it. So let's get started right away! I had this idea floating around in my head for awhile, but just hadn't put the ink to the rubber so to speak. Time to give it a try. This one is my first try. It's ok, but seems a little too plain. I had been thinking monochromatic, but now I'm not too sure. Stamps: Cheers to You and Party Hearty Cardstock: Old Olive and Very Vanilla Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Old Olive Accessories: AquaPainter with bleach, Black Hemp Twine, Tag Punch, Word Window Punch, Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Sponge quarter, Paper Snips, and Dimensionals

Things I like about the card - definitely bleaching the foamy beer, the hanging tag, the tone-on-tone layering. But the total amount of the olive color seemed just too much. I also debated about the 'party hearty' sentiment. Wasn't sure I liked it. So I was off and running on the remake before the bleach could dry out in my painter

This is my final take on the card. A few changes were made and the look seemed much more eye-catching to me. Hope you like it too.

Here are the major changes - ribbon color and type (major difference - more manly!), Ticket Corner Punch corners added, changed the hemp twine to a natural color, and lastly I left off the sentiment. Instead I might add either a Father's Day or birthday sentiment.

Well, there you have the two versions, similar but quite different in the total look. One of the quirky things about making this card was the additional beer mug. Seems like I had to make about 4 of them before the bleached out color was the same. Different dye lots of cardstock really do give a different finished look - everything from a golden yellow, to cream, to purplish white. Crazy!! But it was fun to do, and now I've got a few more beer mugs all set to put on another card! Maybe I'll stamp the background on Vanilla and watercolor the beer mugs with Old Olive the next time. We'll see how that would work out!!

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you're in the mood to party with your stamps!!

Sharon