Goodbye, Butterflies, Blooms & Bliss!!!

I was sooooo sad to see this line of products retire.  It's a stamp set called Papillion Potpourri and it has several different images of butterflies and two coordinating punches: the Elegant Butterfly and the Bitty Butterfly.  It really does make a versatile suite.  I have used it on all kinds of cards and scrapbook pages, too, because they can be somber or sweet, playful or pretty, depending on the type of project you are making.  The stamp set will be made until the last part of May but the punches are only while supplies last - so if these projects excite you, you'll want to grab these items before they are gone!  Also retiring is the patterned paper used on all three cards.  It is called Blooms & Bliss and contains the most wonderful color combination: Blushing Bride, Island Indigo, Mint Macaron (also retiring), Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand, Sweet Sugarplum and Whisper White.

To see other projects I have made using Papillion Potpourri and/or these punches, CLICK HERE!

DSC #178 - DO STARS Challenge- Butterflies & Pretty Petals

I’m not gonna lie – this challenge was exactly that. A challenge! When I first saw the sketch, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it come out on paper like I had imagined it.  Have you ever had that happen?  Anyway, I finally gave myself permission to just play and throw away what didn’t work.  And you know what?  That’s okay…sometimes you need to lighten up and give yourself permission to experiment.  After a few iterations that ended up in the trash, I came up with this version and I’m really happy! 

An interesting aspect of my design is that I created it without a single stamp!  I also really love the bold colors against the black, don’t you? 

So, here’s the skinny – I used patterned paper from the Pretty Petals DSP Stack.  After trimming the DSP into rectangles, I matted them with black.  I originally tried to make both the green layer and butterfly patterned layer the same size, but I felt like the green layer didn’t show much, so I ended up making that layer ½” bigger in each direction than the butterfly layer.  I embellished the card with some retired ribbon from my stash, and a little layered circle embellishment I created using my 1-3/4” Scallop Circle punch, my 1-1/2” CirclePunch, and my Elegant Butterfly Punch.  I gave popped it up with some Dimensionals and gave it some Pearl Basic Jewels as a finishing touch.  I decided to decorate the inside, but left it free of sentiments so that I can either hand-write my own note, or add an appropriate sentiment when I want to use it…I think this is versatile enough for many occasions, so I wanted to keep my options open…it’s always nice to have a few cards laying around that can be sent quickly as the need arises.

***ALERT: The 1-3/4" scallop circle punch IS retiring so grab it while you can!

Here's the sketch that inspired my card:

Now, grab a favorite beverage and snack and click the following links to see what my friends did with this same sketch:

• Judy Strickling
• Sharon Bennett 
• Dawn Thomas 
• Cathy Peck
• Joan Weidling
• Angela O'Neill
• Dawn Olchefske
• Michelle Harrington 
• Robyn Rasset
• Debbie Sollinger 
• Miriam Bollinger  
• Jan Carlson
• Connie Plaumann    

Happy Together Owl Anniversary Card

Six years ago today, my brother and sister-in-law got married on a beautiful beach in Hawaii!  Today, they have two beautiful children and fun life together.  I have known them for most of those six years, and they are a couple that I look up to in how their handle their marriage and in how they have raised their family.  I couldn't imagine anyone more perfect for either of them.  Happy anniversary, S +K! Six down, a lifetime to go...and I know you can't wait!  Love you, both!!!

I sent this card to them this week - hopefully they got it so this won't ruin the surprise!  I found the inspiration here.  I adapted it a bit because I wanted to use my Owl Builder Punch rather than create them from a variety of circles and ovals.  I also chose to use patterned paper rather than cardstock and dry embossing.  The tree branches were made with the Bird Builder Punch: I punched three from Early Espresso cardstock and three from Old Olive Cardstock.  Then I cut the leaves off the green punchies by hand and adhered them to the brown punchies. The flowers were punched from the Tree Builder Punch. To add some texture, I ran the Early Espresso cardstock through my Big Shot Machine inside a Wood Grain Embossing folder, and then cut the tree shape by hand.  To add some interest and depth, I popped the owls up with Dimensionals and topped the flowers off with Pearls.  I loved using the "Happy Together" sentiment that was in the Sale-a-bration Pedal Pusher set.  Unfortunately, that set is no longer available, but the small anniversary sentiment in the Teeny Tiny Wishes would work well here!

I hope you enjoyed my punch card!  Have a great weekend!!! :)

In Color Chevron Background

Do you ever have an idea in mind, and when you actually try it...it works!?! :)  I love it when that happens. That's what happened with the backgrounds on these cards.  When I found this die online, I knew I wanted to try cutting it out of multiple colors and then piecing it back together.  So I was pleased when I tried it and it worked.

What I didn't think through was how labor-intensive it would be.  You see, I had to run the die through the machine 8 times.  3 times to get 3 white borders, and 5 times (one for each color) to get the all the little pieces. Then I had to glue each piece back in place by hand, but found out that most of the holes are slightly different sizes from each other so you had to find the right piece to put back in the right slot. Needless to say, I'm pleased with the look, but will definitely be saving this technique for the occasions where I have more time. There were actually enough pieces leftover to make a few more, but I ran out of patience for now.

If you're a Stampin' Up! fanatic like me, you might be thinking you don't recognize that chevron background die from our line-up.  And you'd be right!  I usually purchase Stampin' Up! products...after all, they are they are high quality, beautiful and I get a discount.  What's not to love, right?  But every once in a while, something comes along that I just have to have, and we don't offer anything comparable.  That's what happened with this Chevron Pattern Full Card Craft Die from Simon Says Stamp...I just had to have it.

My process in designing these cards was simple.  First, I wanted a color combination that would work well for several cards because I knew I could be assembling up to five of them to use up all the pieces.  I decided on the 2014-2016 In Colors because they look beautiful together.  What surprised me, though, was how different each card ended up looking depending on which base color I chose and how much of each color I added to the chevrons. The purple-based one seemed contemporary and festive, while the orange-based one reminded me of Indian corn, and the yellow-based one reminded me the long, hot dog-days of summer.  That's how I ended up with different "themes" for the focal piece of each card.

Scroll down to see close-ups of each card, and list of supplies you'll need to create your own.

This bird card could really be used for a lot of occasions.  I'm making some cards for a friend to use, so I chose a simple  "thinking of you stamp" for the inside of the card, and left the outside free of sentiments. Supplies: In Color Card Stock, Whisper White Cardstock, Bird Builder Punch, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Tag Topper Punch, Button (this one is retired, but we have plenty to choose from here), In Color Ribbon (retired), White Baker's Twine, Corner Rounder Punch

I loved the funkiness of this card and thought it would make a great birthday card.  Supplies: In Color Card Stock, Whisper White Cardstock, Rhinestone, White Baker's Twine, Flower Punch, Sprinkles of Life Stamp Set, Paper Piercer, Paper Piercing Guide, Paper Piercing Mat, In Color Ribbon (retired), Tree Builder Punch, Dimensionals.

And finally, a simple fall-themed card.  I chose to use a "Happy Thanksgiving" stamp inside, but any fall, Thanksgiving or Halloween-themed sentiment would do, or you could even leave it blank.  The pumpkin was made of punched-out pieces of cardstock...three ovals of the same size, the leaves from the bird punch, and the stem is the branch from the Tree Builder Punch.  Supplies: In Color Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock, In Color Ribbon (retired), Oval Punch, Tree Builder Punch, Bird Builder Punch, Dimensionals

 

If you'd like to purchase the pumpkin card, you are more than welcome to swing by my Etsy shop!

I hope this was a fun post for you and got your mind racing with options! Thanks for checking in on me today!  Happy stamping!