Punchy Owl Birthday Card

Today's tax day - uuuugh!!!!  And to make matters even worse, we woke up with snow!!  Oh my!  We really need to do something fun to offset the snowy, tax grumpies I have.  So let's have a little fun focusing on a kid's card.  We haven't done one of those in awhile.   Since we're running into a bunch of birthdays around here for kids in the 2-5 age range, I've been doing a bit of brainstorming to come up with different ideas.  One of my class ladies asked me to come up with something using the Owl Builder Punch, so this was made with her in mind.

Stamps:  Woodgrain, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi pads, and Basic Black marker
Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Pacific Point, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Owl Builder Punch, 1  3/4"Scallop Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Word Window and Modern Label Punches, White Baker's Twine, sponges, and Dimensionals

 The tree was slightly shaped by cutting along one of the growth lines.  The outfit and heart were punched from a left-over piece of Brights DSP that was sitting around getting in the way.  It could be switched to use the back side to look more girlie.  

I cut and knotted the Baker's Twine and attached it to the wing with a glue dot.  The balloons were just attached over the ends of the twine with either glue dots or a Dimensional.

The eyes of the owl had the pupils colored in with Basic Black marker.  The added wing was punched with the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch and trimmed to be a good size for this little owl.  I thought he looked cute peeking out from behind the tree. 

That's it for today's card.  Just a cute little card for a kid for you.  Some of the ladies were already talking about changing the colors to be more girlie for their other grandkids - you know, the little girls!  Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope you're having a great day and getting in a little stamping too.     Sharon

Last Call

In many ways I don't like this time of year.  When all the changes and retirements are listed for all the stamps and products I've used and grown to love in the past year.  This year is no different than any of the others.  I'm so disappointed to see some of my old favorites ( and some new favorites) be retired to make room for all the fun, new items coming up.  Today's card uses a stamp set and a Sizzlit from the Spring Mini that won't make it to the new catalog.  I thought they were lots of fun to use and have used them several times this spring.  So I needed to share these items quickly before they were gone for good.  If you like them too, you've only got til the end of the month to get them before they're gone!  Here you go.....

Stamps:  Wishes Your Way
Ink:  Pacific Point
Paper:  Pacific Point and Whisper White cardstock and Sunshine and Sprinkles Designer Series Paper, and Polka Dot Parade DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot with Pinwheel Sizzlit, 1/8" Silver Mini Brads, Marina Mist Striped Organdy Ribbon, Dimensionals, and either a wooden skewer (or cute little coffee stir sticks that are white with primary color stripes)

I love how fun this card is!  Don't you remember having those twirly pinwheels and running around so there was enough 'wind' to make them go around as fast as possible.  Anyway, doesn't this bring back memories and make you feel young again? 

I'll be honest and tell you the first time I tried to make one of these pinwheels, it was a real struggle.  But now I've got an easy trick.  Put the brad in through the back, fold in each point onto the brad all the way around, hold it tightly.  Now for the trick - pull the brad out from the back and put into the front so you can see the head.  Easy peasy.

I thought all these prints and colors just lent themselves to the whole pinwheel look.  Very lighthearted and springy.  Hope you have fun with this idea.  If you like pinwheels, this sizzlit makes it soooooo easy.  It cuts it and puts in all the holes needed to make it.  Takes all the trouble out of it and leaves in all the fun.  Get it while you can!

Ok, that's it for today.  Thanks for all the lovely comments that have been left.  I appreciate any input and comments you have for me.  Happy stamping, Sharon

Monkeying Around

Ok, don't let anybody kid you, two kids under 2 years old are a lot more crazy than just one at a time. My hubby went out of town this week and I got to handle both grandsons by myself. Whew! Nothing like staying busy and totally collapsing when they leave. Of course, it was classes this week too, so needless to say it's been a bit harried around here. But let me add, I just love both my little grandsons to pieces!!! The 6 week old baby is so very precious, and the 23 month old is a non-stop little boy that's full of fun and curiosity. Am I bored? Not a chance!! Anyway, I do have a few class samples that I'd like to share with you in the up-coming days. The first one was inspired by the little guy whose 2nd birthday is coming up next month. I made this card for him, then thought the class ladies could probably use a card like this too. Here it is.....

Stamps: Fox & Friends
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White with Cheerful Treat Designer Series Paper (hostess)
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: 1 1/4" Square Punch, Decorative Label Punch, and Dimensionals

When I was planning this card, I went pawing through all of my word stamps to get the sentiment that would really go with the card and couldn't find anything that I thought would do it justice. There was nothing that really went with the idea of monkeys jumping on the bed - which is one of his favorite books. So after giving it alot of thought, I decided to just make up a sentiment and then printed multiples for everyone to use on their cards too. Don't you think the sentiment works for the card??

When I was making the first card, I tried using the larger 1 3/8" punch for the backing layer, but it got too big and crowded looking for my taste. Then I tried a 1" punch for the monkey layer and that seemed a little too small. So I cut out all the square at 1 1/8" for the monkeys and that worked out just right. (hmmm, maybe this should be about Goldilocks and the 3 Bears instead) Ooops, too many kids stories here!

I chose the Cheerful Treat DSP for the card because it made it more universal instead of just boyish, since some of my students have little girls or grand-daughters. And one of the ladies said she'd be giving it to her niece who is 13 and loves monkeys. Anyway, the cards made us smile when they were done, and that's what mattered. Hope you like the idea too. You're more than welcome to use the sentiment I decided on. I'm sure somebody would just love to get this card! Have a great weekend - Sharon

Get Whale Mojo Monday

What a great week this has been so far. This has been class week for me so I'm running a little behind on things. I enjoy having classes here so much. It's really a thrill seeing so many friends each evening. (Roni and Diane, hope you're both feeling better! I missed you Monday!) Because of summer there are fewer ladies coming, but that gives me a chance to really sit down and chat much more than normal. Usually I'm hopping around trying to make sure everyone has what they need and understands my directions. So the last several nights have been extra fun for me. I love you ladies! You're the very best!!

So with classes going on, I haven't had a chance to check on the Mojo Monday sketch until late last night. I didn't get started then, but let the ideas percolate. I woke up this morning with an idea for a card that was needed. It would be perfect for the sketch. So it was off to the stamping dungeon and pulling out more of my excess retired DSP. I had in mind the stripe from Treehouse DSP. Do you remember it? It's been awhile, but it was just what I needed for this get well card for a younger boy. See what I mean....?

Is this something an 10 year old boy would get a kick out of? I sure hope so! Anyway, it was fun working with the retired papers again. I really need to do it more often so my stash gets a teeny bit smaller, or else it just might take over the whole shelf!

All stamps and materials by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Pun Fun and Think Happy Thoughts

Cardstock: Brocade Blue, More Mustard, Soft Suede, Whisper White cs, and Treehouse Designer Series Paper (retired)

Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Brocade Blue

Accessories: Blender Pen and Stampin' Pastels, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, 3/4" and 1 1/4" Circle Punches, Linen Thread, Kraft Corduroy Button, and Dimensionals

One of the things that has surprised me with this lovely new catalog is the fact that so many of the new In Colors work well with printed papers we've had in the past. The Soft Suede little circle of cardstock on this card really coordinates quite well with the greenish/brownish stripes in this paper. I'm going to have to get more of my papers out to see what works with what. Of course, I'll be fitting this in between my workshops, the downline meeting Thursday, and getting swaps made for convention trading. Sure I can do all that (as my head is spinning around trying to figure what should be first on the priority list)! Maybe I better quit talkin' and start stampin'.

See ya later...

Sharon