Oh, Whale Birthday

Seems like the birthday season is starting for us, so I've been scouting around for ideas for children's birthday cards.  I wanted something quick and easy, but that would look fun too.  Here's my simple card using the Oh, Whale! stamp set.  This set is so cute and I used it for a baby shower card last month.   But unfortunately, I gave the card away before taking a picture.  Now how silly is that?!  So before this card gets used next week, I got the picture taken right away!  Here we go...

Stamps:  Oh Whale!, and Word Play
Ink:  Pacific Point, Marina Mist, and Real Red
Paper:  Whisper White and Pacific Point cs, with Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP
Accessories: 2 1/2" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Brights Designer Buttons, Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Paper Snips, Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

It was fun trying to get this whale to fit into one of our circle punches.  He just barely fits, but that's just fine!  The idea of all the circles was to represent bubbles.  I wanted the water squirting out to be a lighter color, so I used Marina Mist.   Because this card is for a little boy, I wanted to use only bright, primary colors.   But didn't like the yellow button on the card, so switched it for the Old Olive one.  I added the Island Indigo Baker's Twine for a little extra fun.  Even though there are a lot of different blues used, the strip of DSP had so many different tones of blue so it all worked together fine.

I hope Benny likes his whale of a birthday card as much as I liked making it for him.  Have fun stamping with this little whale - it's a cutie!  Hope you have  great week!  Sharon

Season of Giving

Oh my, can you believe I'm posting two days in a row?  Yowza!  Since Christmas time is the season of giving to others, I thought it would be a good time to post a card using the Ronald McDonald House stamp set.  It always makes me feel good when I can give to help others in less fortunate circumstances.  And purchasing this year's stamp set called Moving Forward gives a $3 donation to Ronald McDonald House Charities.  It's a win-win for everyone!

Stamps: Moving Forward
Ink:  Gumball Green pad, Midnight Muse marker
Paper:  Whisper White, Midnight Muse, and Gumball Green
Accessories:  Midnight Muse Stitched Ribbon

This is a very simple child's card that stamped up in a jiffy.  The marker was used to color the little dots on the main image, and also color the curly trail behind it.  The strip of Gumball Green cardstock was added to give it a little more color and suggest the ground beneath.

Thanks for stopping in today.  Just closing out a few items before the end of the year.  Have a great weekend and a restful Sunday!  Sharon

 

 

I Dig You card

Yes, I know it's the day after Valentine's Day, but I just couldn't get a decent picture of this card yesterday and I just gave up trying. So you get it a day late instead. So sorry about that, but you should know by now that I do everything at the last minute - or even later sometimes! I'd planned to make my little grandson a valentine, but was stuck on an idea. He's just lately gotten into "Bob the Builder", so Monday night I had an idea and quickly made up the card. Then no matter how I took a picture, the little stamped loader didn't look right. But anyway, here it is. Hope you like the idea and maybe try it out yourself for your favorite little guy!

Stamps: I Dig You
Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, Melon Mambo, and Brilliant Blue(retired)
Ink: Real Red and Brilliant Blue(retired)
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, and Dimensionals

I wanted to use bright colors for his card, so pulled out some of my retired Brilliant Blue cardstock and ink. Since I wasn't planning on lots of layers, I didn't want the loader to be too dark so it was off-stamped before stamping on the white cardstock. This is where I ran into a problem- it just doesn't show up as bright in the pictures as in reality. Here it looks so washed out and almost not even there, but that's not the way it really is. Trust me on that!

It was fun punching all those hearts and layering them up to look like they were being scooped up, tumbled, or pushed by the loader. He thought it was fun and kept pointing at it. And what more could a grandma possibly want?

Hope you're having a great week. I'll be done with classes tomorrow and get back in the swing of things again. Have fun! Sharon

More Swingin'

What a great week this has been seeing lots of friends, and finding out my card was chosen as one of last week's Operator Picks for Challenge #208. Woo Hoo! Thanks ladies - did that ever make my day!!! Last night was the 'frosting on the cake'. I went with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson to her work picnic and fireworks along the river last night. It was soooo cold, down in the low 60's brrrr, so we were all bundled up. But Carson (my grandson) just didn't want to stay covered up. There was too much to explore with all the other kids running around and those wonderful 'glow necklaces' and flags to play with. And of course hot dogs to eat, and did I mention all those other kids running around? Oh my, did he ever have fun! I'm so mad at myself that I forgot to take my camera along. What a missed opportunity for some great candid shots. bummer! Anyway, today's card post was inspired by two different things - first the Stampin 411 Sketch Challenge here and my nephew's little boy, Brooks. When we spent time at the beach last month, Brooks wanted to be on the swing all the time and kept saying "mo' swingin!" And we happily obliged, of course! Ever since then, I've had this idea in my head to make a 'swingin' card for his 2nd birthday next month. This sketch seemed like the ideal starting point.


Stamps: Recess and Best Dad Ever
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, and Whisper White with the new DSP Just Add Cake, and 2010-2011In Color DSP
Ink: Stazon Jet Black pad, Blush Blossom, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, and Basic Gray markers
Accessories: 2 3/8" Scallop Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 2" punch, Subtles Designer Buttons, Sponge Dauber, White Bakers Twine, and Dimensionals




I can't believe this card took over 3 hours to make. It really isn't all that complicated, that's for sure! I just couldn't seem to find the right colors to work on the different layers. Most times when I work with a new Designer Series Paper it's a struggle to handle the colors in the different prints. I'm glad SU! gives a list of colors that coordinate with each pack of paper, but it's still an interesting game to see how they layer up together and which one to put where. Maybe you don't have that problem, but it's one I struggle with each time I try a new design. Now I've probably got enough extra layers cut to make two or three new cards up!

Anyway the card is bright and cheery so it should be a good choice to send to Brooks for his birthday. Hopefully he won't be too big for swingin' by the time I get to see him again. Have a great day, and thanks for leaving comments. I love hearing what you think!
Sharon

Happy Birthday Carson!

Yesterday was the big day for our grandson, Carson. He had his very first birthday! Hooray!! I had to make a special card for him of course. So far he isn't partial to any kind of toy, except maybe anything that really isn't a toy. Like cell phones, remote controls, boxes, ice cube trays, plastic bowls, and wooden spoons. Yep, that pretty much covers it, so it was hard to make a card that fit his likes. That left it wide open for my imagination. I love the little Choo Choo set and use it often, so that's what I grabbed to work with for his card. BTW - just a little warning that this is a loooong post with pics of Carson at the end, if you're interested in seeing the 'light of my life'! Ok, back to the birthday card....

Stamps: Choo Choo, All in the Family, God's Blessings, Right on Track Wheel, and (retired alphabet set and unknown sun)

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Garden Green, and Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight, and (Crushed Curry & Blush Blossom retired) Pads, and Garden Green Marker

Accessories: Wheel Handle, Sponge Dauber, Aqua Painter, Paper Snips, and Dimensionals

This was so fun choosing the different elements and then putting together. It seemed as soon as I decided on one color or stamp set, several other ideas popped into mind and the card just kept getting better and better. At first I had planned on using the tiny man from the Loads of Love Accessories set, but I wasn't happy with that and cut him right out of the window! Then I had the idea of a child's face sticking out of the window instead. It's way too big for the train, but I think that's why I like it so much!!

Here's Carson with his balloon and see the ice cube trays - I really wasn't kidding about that!! Honest! The balloon was a little tricky for him. He'd never dealt with one before and he just wasn't sure about it at all! He'd grab for it and then try to get rid of it! Just too funny to watch!

Thought you might enjoy a before and after the cupcake picture. He'd just finished dinner and was still nice and clean. But just wait...

Once he figured out you could actually eat the cake and not just squish through in your fingers, he was one happy little boy!

There was cake and frosting in his hair and everywhere else! Guess where he ended up next? If you guessed the bathtub, you're right. Funny thing was his hands still smelled like cake and frosting when he was all cleaned up. That just proves he's one 'sweet' little boy!!

All in all it was a very messy but fun experience and one that I'll treasure for a long time to come. Hope you enjoyed it a little too. Thanks for stopping by for the latest update. Your comments are always appreciated!

Sharon

Vintage Balloons

Hopefully as this is posted we're almost at our destination in North Carolina. So looking forward to seeing family and having a great time! Ok, back to business. My daughter needed another quick birthday card again. Seems like all their friend's kids are having their birthdays right now! Since it was for a little 3 year old, I thought I'd dig out a real moldie-oldie from my stamp stash. I think this set first came out in 2001. But I still love it and it sure comes in handy for those last-minute cards she always needs!

Stamps: Birthday Balloons

Cardstock: Whisper White, YoYo Yellow, Only Orange, Brilliant Blue, and Green Galore

Ink: Only Orange, Brilliant Blue, and Green Galore and also Basic Black Marker

Accessories: Scallop Square Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon (SAB)

I didn't realize this right away, but there's not a single current color on this card. Ooops! But it is a great way to utilize some of those retired colors up. And I always thought these bright primary colors were perfect for children's cards. Don't you agree?

And I always loved the look of these balloons. They're just the right size and can be any color you choose. Add a sprinkle of glitter, and you're ready to get to that party!

Now if you're checking, you've probably noticed that the ribbon has different colors than were used on the cardstock and ink. Yes, you're right. They aren't the same. But after deliberating back and forth with my daughter, we couldn't find any ribbon we liked better. So there you have it. Doesn't match, but in person it works quite nicely. I guess that means - don't be afraid to improvise. You never know what will work together until you give it a try. OK?

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by again. I hope to have more ready to post while I'm away at a family wedding and then several days at a beach house right on the ocean. Hmmmm, now that's the life. Take care....

Sharon

Beary Nice Birthday

Ok, I sat down yesterday and worked on the little girl's birthday cards. For some reason, little girls (and big girls too!) seem to be much easier for me to plan out. Don't know why, but it just is! I hadn't played with my bear stamps in quite a while. In fact, all the stamps I own in the "Growing Up" category are sadly avoided. Maybe with that little grandson in our lives those stamps will get used more regularly now. At least that's the plan. So, on with the card I worked on yesterday. The ladies did a wonderful job of coloring the bears with chalks and I think they had fun doing something a little out of the ordinary for us.

Stamps: Beary Best Friends and Beary Nice Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, and Apricot Appeal (sadly retired) along with a retired Designer Paper that I don't remember the name of - sorry!
Ink: Tempting Turquoise and Apricot Appeal (retired), and Basic Brown (also retired!)
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels




It's been awhile since I had my chalk pastels out too. So it was fun sharing with the ladies how to use them, and they did a great job coloring the bears. It's always fun to try 'new' products when you're still sort of a new stamper and not a totally addicted stamper the has just about everything already!! Hope the little girls that get these bears for their birthday cards like them as much as we enjoyed making them.

Just a quick update on our stamping for the soldiers last night. Because of everything going on at church this month (including a MOPS Christmas Party tonight that 4 of my regulars were at!) we still accomplished quite a bit for only 5 of us that were there. Out of the 5, four of us had worked on the Ladies Guild Christmas Dinner Monday night so we were all exhausted and just a little bit slap-happy. We laughed so much last night it's a wonder we got anything made at all. Surprisingly, we actually finished 117 cards!! Woo Hoo!!! Now it's time to get them all boxed up for the "From Our Hearts" ladies and off to the Post Office.

Thanks for stopping by today. Relax, enjoy your day, and find some time for stamping!
Sharon

Choo Choo Birthday

I know Christmas is right around the corner and all, but today I'm taking a break from all things Christmas. At least for this post anyway! Many of you have read that I make cards every month with a group of ladies from church. We send these to From Our Hearts for the military personnel to use. Since the last of our Christmas cards were sent in early October, we've been concentrating on Valentine cards. But all the mushy red and pink stuff has really been a bit much lately. So this month we're taking a break and making more general style and birthday cards. Don't you think this little train card will be perfect for some little boy that's crazy about anything with trains?

Stamps: Choo Choo and On Your Birthday

Cardstock: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, and Basic Black

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red, and Going Gray (retired)

Accessories: Spiral Border Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch

This card is very straight forward - what you see is how you make it! My friend Michelle Glennie suggested using the Spiral Border Punch to give the black layer a look of train tracks. It was the perfect touch!

Those of you that have used the sentiment stamp (look who's...) know how hard it is to get a clean impression with no residual ink inside the parenthesis, so I got around that by adding a 1/2" circle of Bashful Blue cardstock. It fits in the parenthesis just like it was made for it. (hmmm, maybe it was!) Anyway, for the stack of cards we'll be making tonight, it will be a big help!! And it helps to focus on the number that the user can write in there. All in all it works out well.

Thanks for stopping by today. It's back to the creating table to get another card idea planned out and all the materials cut and packed. I think this time I need to find something for a little girl to even out the cards alittle. Don't you agree? Have a great day...

Sharon

Good Stampin' Morning to ya'll

Hope you've been finding time to get some stamping done! That's about all that's been on my mind the last couple of days. Tuesday the church ladies got together and stamped their little hearts out for our soldiers. We had a couple new ladies join us this month (hi Joy and Andrea!) for the first time. Our little band of stampers keeps growing! To me it's incredible that there are more ladies that come each month, so that even if some of the regulars can't make it we still have a good crowd! This is growing so fast that I'm having trouble keeping up with the demands of having enough cardstock, envelopes, and clear envelopes. Who would have thought that possible 6 months ago when we started out with just 3 of us.




Since you've been so patient with me posting so sporadically lately, I thought I'd inundate you with cards today! Well actually, 2 cards is not inundating you, but more like just sharing. So here are 2 of the cards we made on Tuesday. The other two we made I've already shared with you. The cards are simply made without alot of bells and whistles used, but since most of the ladies coming claim yheyare not stampers it works better this way. Seeing the results of what they make though, I don't think they can say they're not stampers anymore! hehehe Wonder if they're getting hooked???








Here's the Mother's Day selection. Like I said, very simple but the ladies making them all said they would be happy to get this card so the recipients should like it!





Stamps: All Holidays (unknown butterfly)
Cardstock: Whisper White and Pixie Pink
Ink: Garden Green and Pink Passion
Accessories: Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, Stampin' Pastels with Qtips, and Butterfly Punch (unknown)





Thought we should make some children's birthday cards as they're always needed, so this is the one that we made.

Stamps: Bugs and Kisses
Cardstock: So Saffron, Whisper White with Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper
Ink: So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive
Accessories: Scallop Square Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Cropadile, Sponge quarters, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Old Olive Twill Ribbon(retired)

Hope you like these ideas and can maybe use them as a springboard for more elaborate cards that you'd like to send. All totalled, the ladies stamped for 1 1/2 hours and made 68 cards. Congratulations and many, many heartfelt thanks to all the ladies who came out to stamp! You're so precious to me and you're making a difference in so many peoples' lives! Thanks for all you do.

If you're interested in learning more about 'From Our Hearts' ( the not-for-profit group that coordinates the mailings ofall these cards getting them to the chaplains in a timely fashion), just click on the button on the right side and that'll take you directly to their blog. This is my major calling right now - to touch the lives of others through my card-making, and God is really blessing these efforts. Thanks for letting me share this with you!

Happy stamping today!
Sharon

Buggy Today, Worm Tomorrow

Seems today is just a little buggy - actually that was really yesterday. I needed to make a child's birthday card and was trying to think about what an eight year old boy would like. Perusing my stamp wall, I found all kinds of flowers and flowery sayings, but not much that had any boyish appeal. Then my wandering eyes lit on my buggy stamp set. Just the ticket! We were off and running so to speak!

Awhile back, I had seen a cute background someone had made using lots of circles in 3 main colors that were then used throughout the card. I thought that idea would work for this card too, since I had nothing else for that layer. I chose Crushed Curry, Ruby Red, and Old Olive, and the rest is history.

All stamps and materials by Stampin'Up!

Stamps: Cute As A Bug, Delightful Decorations
Cardstock: Whisper White, Ruby Red, Crushed Curry, and Old Olive

Ink: Crushed Curry, Ruby Red, and Old Olive

Accessories: Summer Sun Corduroy Button, Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Distressing Tool, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, and Dimensionals

What do you think? Does is work for a little boy? Making things for boys is not something I do very often and find myself at a loss most times.

I thought the parade of bugs on the inside of the card would be a cute idea. I'm still working on the possibility of the worm carrying a HB banner. Would that work???

Hope you're having a great day today and turn those things that 'bug' you into a card! I'll try to get some ideas set up to post tonight, as I'll be doing jury duty starting tomorrow. Doesn't that sound like fun?! Oh well, off to enjoy my day stamping. Hope you can too!

Sharon