Birthday cards for 2 special little girls

     Two little girls I know are having birthdays in the near future.  Since most of my cards are for women and not quite ones I would want to send to a 5 year old and a 3 year old, I got out my creative juices and made them these cards.  The basic idea came from a card I found on Pinterest.  Don't you just love Pinterest?  I think they will love the cards don't you?

A card for Triplets

     One of my other interests is quilting.  I think stamping and quilting have a lot in common.  But, when I saw the designs in the Tea for Two Designer paper I thought of quilts, how about you.  One of the girls in the quilt guild I belong to just had triplets.  Identical twin boys and a girl.  Of course I did not have any cards on hand for triplets so I had to create one.  It sure was a fun card to make and of course another Sushi original.  What is your favorite Designer paper from the Spring catalog?

StampinUp's first online class

 
     Have you ever considered taking an online class?  Well, StampinUp just came out with one. It is intended to help you with techniques to use all the stamping supplies you might have on hand.  I for one am very eager to see what it is like.  You can order your own through my website. 
Here are some details. 

1. Cost $14.95  No shipping if it is all you order since it is a download.

2.  Order number 133385

3.  Includes over 30 project ideas with videos step by step directions, and supply lists.

4.  Demonstrator name Sue Scheets
 
    I wonder what new things I will learn from this class?

   

Print Poetry paper stack meets Pretty Petites

     Do you love designer paper as much as I do?  Well, in the Spring catalog there is a stack of Designer paper called Print Poetry.  There are 48 sheets in the paper pack that are sized 4 1/2 by 6 1/2.  They are organized so that one side of each paper coordinates with a blue, green, yellow and craft color pallate, while the other side coordinates with Pink green and yellow color palate. 
   The other part of this card I love is the tiny stamp set and tiny punch to match.  Both of those items can be yours for free from the Sale a Bration brochure.

Supplies needed

Crumb cake, Very vanilla card stock

Print Poetry Deisner paper stack

Crumb cake, Midnight Muse, Marina Mist, Gumball Green ink

Vintage verses, Pretty Petites stamp sets

Petite Curly label punch

Oh Hello birthday card

     How many other uses can you see for this card other than a birthday?  Sympathy, friendship, Mother's Day, thinking of you, and a simple Hello card are the ones that come to my mind.
    What is your favorite part of this card?

Supplies needed

Oh Hello, Bloomin Marvelous stamp sets

Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder

Oval Framelits

Scallop Trim Border punch, 7/8 inch scallop circle punch

Early Espresso ink

Flower Trim

How to make a plaid embossed background

     How do you make a plaid background from an embossing folder?  First of all you really need 2 folders.  Since I have only one folder I asked a couple of stampers if I could use theirs.  We will see who remembers to bring their folder with them tomorrow night. The process is very simple.

1.  Ink up the striped embossing folder on the top layer using a brayer that you roll in the ink pad of your choice.

2.  Place your background card stock inside the folder and run through the Big shot.  The stripes will be place on your card once you have finished embossing.

3.  Ink the second folder with a contrasting color and repeat the process after turning your previously inked paper 90 degrees.  In case you have only one folder you can wash the folder after embossing the first color and once it is dried re-ink with the contrasting color.

 Isn't that easy peasy?  I thought it was so easy when Cheryl Soerensen showed us how to create this look at one of our Jubilant Butterflies meetings.  This card was Cheryl's swap that day.  I love the look.  Come by my house on Friday night or Saturday and try it out for yourself.

Multiple embossing on one card

     Can you identify the items on this card that are from the Sale A Bration brochure?

1. Vine Street embossing folder
2. Patterned Occasions stamp set

 How about the items from the Spring Catalog?

1. Collage Curios
2. Needlepoint Border embossing folder

Combining more than one embossing folder on a card can work.  What is your favorite item from the Spring Catalog and the Sale a Bration brochure?

Spring catalog Honeycomb embossing folder

     What is there about this bee that makes it look so cute?  This is one of the many stamps that are in the set called Spring Sampler from the Spring catalog.  I have enjoyed using the Jolly Bingo Bits, and the Spooky Bingo Bits and thought that StampinUp needed to come out with a spring or summer set.  Well, they finally did and I love the images in the set.
   There is no special embossing technique on this card, just a way to enjoy one of the newest embossing folders, the Honeycomb.  How do you like the matching envelopes I am using this year?

How to emboss on Designer paper

     Have you tried to emboss on Designer paper?  At first I thought that was a strange thing to do since the designer paper already had a design on it.  But, when I saw what you could do when you embossed on the paper I became a believer in that technique.

1.  Choose a paper with a design that is not too bold, but colorful.

2.  Emboss on top of the paper with your favorite embossing folder.

3, Gently sand over the raised portion of the embossed image.  Since the designer paper has a white core, you will be able to sand off the color and leave a white accent on your card design.

  Come to my technique class this weekend to make this card and learn this new way to emboss.

Embossed Resist Technique card

     Do you love the look of just one color on a card?  I think this card with its varied shades of green is very elegant.  This card is one that you will make at my Everything Embossed stamp camp to be held this weekend.  The technique on this card is called Embossed Resist.  It looks complicated but the steps are very simple.

1.  Stamp desired image on a piece of card stock (light colored) with VersaMark ink.

2.  Emboss the image with Crystal Clear embossing powder.  It will be a little hard to see the embossed image on the light background.

3. Take a sponge and rub into the ink pad of your choice, then rub around the embossed image.  It will pop out of your card once the color is added.

4.  Shade to liking; wipe excess color off of the image with a piece of Kleenex; finish up the card to your liking.

   Wouldn't you love to receive a set of note cards make like this one where each card focused on a different color?

Supplies needed

Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla card stock

Certainly Celery Taffeta ribbon

Ovals Framelit

Crystal clear embossing powder

VersaMark, Wild Wasabi ink pads

Fabulous Florets stamp set

Pearls

Itty Bitty shapes punch pack

 

     It's not too late to sign up for the Everything Embossed stamp camp.  Check out my events page on my website and RSVP with the link for the class.

Dress Up Fabric card

     What part of this card jumps out at you? For me the dress is one of the first things that I notice. This reminds of the dress form that my mom used when she made clothes for me when growing up.  Now, to make the dress you can use all kinds of things like card stock, designer paper, and what I used which is fabric. Can't you see this card in many different colors?  I think I'll be making several of these to send to the members of my quilt guild.  Wouldn't you just love to get this card for your birthday?

Supplies needed

Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse ink

Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla, Crumb cake, Early Espresso card stock

Flowering Flourishes stamp set

Dress Up Framelits

Flower Trim

Midnight Muse satin stitched ribbon

How to make a hybrid MDS card

   Have you wondered what a hybrid card is all about?  This card for today's class is a My Digital Studio hybrid card.  This was so easy to make. I just followed these simple steps

1. Create a background and have it printed with the service StaminUp contracts with to preserve the StampinUp colors.

2. Stamp the bird and leaf image on scrap whisper white card stock, cut them out, and attach them to the background.

3.  Stamp Happy Birthday using VersaMark, sprinkle white embossing powder on the versa mark and heat the powder till it melts.

4. Make a similar design on the matching envelope.

   Do you think you could design a simple background using My Digital Studio?  You can test the product out for free for 30 days.  Contact me for more information if you are interested.  sue.scheets@gmail.com

Fill Your Card box with Female birthday cards

   Do you run out of Birthday cards as fast as I do?  Well, tomorrow February 18th is my Fill Your card box Again with Female birthday cards class.  This great looking card is one of the featured cards.  I received it as a swap at the Leadership conference.  Notice the matching envelope.  You can count on every card you make this year having a matching envelop.  Can you identify the items used that are from the Spring catalog (SC) and the Sale a Bration(SAB) brochure?

1. Vine street folder (SAB)
2. Sycamore Street Designer paper (SAB)
3. Secret Garden stamp set (SC)
4. Secret Garden Framelit dies (SC)

   There are two class choices for you...12:30 or 6:30 and it is really easy to RSVP if you go to my website.  I will have a free card for you to make if you RSVP in any manner, and a treat if you do that on my website.

Handmade Cards...A perfect thank you gift

    
     Have you ever wanted a simple thank you gift to give someone that helped you out?  Recently a friend named Jennifer gave my name to one of her co-workers who was interested in learning about StampinUp.  I was excited to talk to Sherri and tell her what I do as a demonstrator and what I love about StampinUp up.  Sherri has booked a private party and I can't wait to meet her and her friends.
  So, I decided I needed to make a small gift for Jennifer as a thank you.  And this is what I came up with.  A bag of 4 cards with envelopes and a small thank you tag.  Wouldn't you love to receive a gift like this? 

Simple cards for Knollwood Retirement center

     Yesterday was my day to go to Knollwood and stamp with the ladies that live there.  They wanted Valentine cards when we talked last month, but I thought they might like cards that could be used for multiple reasons.  Here is what I look for in a card I take to Knollwood.

1.  Multiple layers that can be glued together.

2. Simple stamping that is done on a separate piece of paper.(That way if there is a mistake made in the stamping it does not ruin the card.

3.  A WOW design that they will love making.

     You can see how this card meets all my requirements.  All the punching except for the heart was done ahead of time.  I chose the second card they made because of the shimmer paper.  Check it out here.  Can you see why I chose this card?

Happy .Valentine's Day

     I wanted to create something different and special for Sam for Valentine's Day.  So, I used the cards and envelopes that I had leftover from what I sent to the grandkids.
They were remnants from a recent special and also were featured in the Holiday Catalog.  I thought of all the things Sam, my husband does that are special to me and wrote one in each envelope.  So far he has only found 4 of the envelopes I hid all over the house. He seems to be enjoying reading what I have written and finding all the places in the house I have hidden them.  Little does he know but the last one is on his pillow.
    Just something simple like this can make someone's day and not take very much time to put together.  We have lots of kits that help us give a gift to someone that lets them know how much they mean to us.
    What would you write in the envelope to someone you care about?

A Surprise from the mailman

     Do you love getting things in the mail as much as I do?  Well, I hit the jackpot today.  I got a package from Sue one of my roommates from Leadership.  We decided that we take so many pictures when we go to StampinUp events that kind of sit in the camera.  So, we challenged ourselves to make something for each other every month that was taken from a picture we took at Leadership.  This was the first item Sue sent and it is a great picture of the 3 of us.  We obviously were laughing about something, but I love the picture.

     The other item in the package was this gorgeous pin.  Don't you just love the sparkle  that has been punched and cut out with a framelit. And I love the brad in the center, one of my favorite embellishments in the Spring catalog.
     So, thanks to Sue's package my day brightened up.  I plan to wear the pin all day tomorrow, and have placed the picture in my studio where I can remember a great time with 2 great women whenever I look at it. 
   

My Paper Pumpkin is Almost Here

 

     Do you love getting things in the mail as much as I do?  Well My Paper Pumpkin is the next thing I am looking forward to getting in the mail.  What on earth is that you might wonder?  Well, it is a monthly card making kit from StampinUp.  I have seen it and can't wait to see what the monthly kits will be like.

     This is the March kit which is the very first kit everyone will receive whenever they join My Paper Pumpkin.  The reason for that is you will receive along with all the supplies to make 4 cards an acrylic block.  This block will fit all the stamps you receive each month. Here are some questions you might be asking yourself.

1.  What do I need on hand in order to put the cards together?  All you will need is the adhesive of your choice. The card stock, embellishments, ink, and envelopes are all included in the kit.

2. Will all the kits be cards?  I hear  there will be great variety in the kits.

3. Do I need to be a stampin guru to make the cards? You should have great success with your kit because it comes with illustrated directions. And each kit can be put together in under an hour.

   4.  Will I be able to sample the kits to see if I like the idea?  There will be a Try Me kit available in March so you can see if you like the idea.  In fact I will be able to have a few on hand at my classes.

     Check out this link to get even more information. If you are like me and think this sounds like so much fun, then you can sign up now.  Your first kit will arrive in the middle of March. The important thing to remember is to list me Sue Scheets as your demonstrator.

A Simple Gift Card Holder

Supplies

     I recently got together with a couple of friends for a fun day of stamping.  We looked in a recent issue of Cardmaker Magazine to get some ideas of a project we could work on together.  This is what we came up with, an easy peasy gift card holder.  We each used a different sheet of Sycamore Designer paper which gave each card a different look.  Linda and Darcy did not finish up their gift card holders so I do not have pictures of theirs but this is what mine looked like closed and opened.  I decided there were a couple of good reasons to make mine a business card holder.

1.  Most importantly anyone I gave one to would have all my information at their finger tips.

2.  But, in addition they would have a sample of the kind of projects they might be able to make at one of my classes. 

3.  Looking right on the card they could call me up and schedule a private party where everyone attending could make the holder.

     Can't you see this same holder made from lots of different colors, and designs that would make it great for kids, men, and women alike?

Supplies needed

Sycamore Street designer paper

Whisper White card stock

Blossoms punch

Brights buttons

White baker's twine 



Color Makes a Difference

  
    
    Don't you just love the cute little presents in the Best of Birthdays stamp set?  I thought it might be cute to have the stamp in different colors on a card.  So, I grabbed a leftover piece of Pink Pirouette card stock that was the right size and started designing the card (Yes, another Sushi Original).  Something did not look right to me when I finished and my consultant (husband Sam) agreed.  I decided to let it be for the rest of the day and see what I thought the next day.

    
     I decided that the card needed a darker background for the following reasons.

1.  The designer paper and the presents seemed to show up better with the darker background.

2.  The Happy Birthday was too much of a contrast in the first card, but with the darker background seemed to blend.

3.  Did you notice I switched the presents so the the color matched the color of the Designer paper.  That decision was made with some help from  my friend and fellow demonstrator, Julie.  Check out her awesome blog.

     So, do you think I made a good choice by switching the background color?  Sometimes a simple thing like changing a color in one part of your card can be all it needs to make it look better.  Try this on a card of your own you might not be crazy about and see what happens.

 

Supplies needed 

Very Vanilla, Early Espresso card stock

Tea for Two Designer paper

Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Early Espresso ink

Best of Birthday stamp set

Decorative Label, Extra Large Oval, 1 inch square punches 

1/4 inch stitched grosgrain ribbon 

Celebrating 25 years

     Did you know that StampinUp has been a company for 25 years!!!!!
This will be an exciting year full of all kinds of celebrations.  The Best of Stamp Sets are one of the new items that I love.  Here is what I think is great about these stamp sets.

1.  Each set has a theme to the stamps.

2.  The stamps in each set are from various stamp sets that have been issued in the 25 years of SU.

3.  One stamp in each set is brand new.

4.  You will receive a 25 sticker with each set that you order this year.

5. When you have collected 6 stickers you will be able to order a $14.95 stamp set of your choice for FREE.

6. The sets are offered until March of 2014 so you have plenty of time to order your favorites.

     This card features another stamp from the Best of Birthdays stamp set.  I wonder what the theme for the next Best of stamp set will be?  What do you think...Best of Thank Yous.....Best of Easter.....Best of Animals...

Supplies needed

Early Espresso, Very Vanilla card stock

Early Espresso ink

Best of Birthdays stamp set

Tea for Two designer paper

Glimmer Basic Brads

   

Best of Birthdays card sample

     Wouldn't you love to get a card like this for your birthday? I know I would. I made this card using one of the stamps from the Best of Birthdays stamp set. Check out the link for another card made using this same stamp set.
     I send out a lot of birthday cards each month, but since I am a great procrastinator I often am a little late in getting the cards into the mail. So, this year I have a new schedule for myself. At the end of December I wrote out envelopes and selected cards for all the birthdays in January and February.  In place of a stamp I put the date I need to send the card in the top right hand corner.  I try to check the stack of cards each day and send them out on time.  So far so good.  Do you want to know my plan and how it seems to be working out  so well?

1. Now at the end of each month I get the cards ready for two months ahead.  Example:  Since I had all the February cards ready, at the end of January I addressed and selected all the March cards.

2. I noticed I did not have very many cards appropriate for little girls and needed two of them for March.

3. I now have time to make several little girl cards and not be scrambling around at the last minute.

4. At the end of February I plan to get the April cards ready to go.

How long do you think I can keep this up?

Supplies needed

Early Espresso, Island Indigo, Very Vanilla card stock

Best of Birthdays stamp set

Scallop circle punches 

Stampin write markers

Tea for Two designer paper

Artisan Embellishment Kit class details

     Isn't this box cute, feminine and vintage looking?  Well, I made it from the items in the Artisan Embellishment kit found in the Spring Catalog on page 10.  When I first saw the kit I wondered what on earth I could do with all the items included.  But, after I went to Leadership I found some great ideas.  First off is this box made using the Fancy Favor Bigz die for the big shot.

     Secondly, are these 4 cute cards, found inside the box, that are made using even more of the embellishments and some of the Tea for Two designer paper.

     Best of all is what is leftover from making the box and cards.  All the items in this bag are leftover ready to use in more creations.

     Does this look like a project you might like to create?  I will be offering a class to make the box and cards on Thursday, February 28th at 12:30 or 6:30.  Cost of the class includes the embellishment kit and all other supplies. If you are interested in more information, then check out the events page of my StampinUp website. You can RSVP (needed by February 18th at the latest)  right on the page and receive a specially made thank you from me.

Chalkboard Technique

    Doesn't this card remind you of the chalkboards we had in school?  Well, this seems to be a very popular technique these days. This was one of the make n takes at the Jubilant Butterflies meeting held last night at Godfather's Pizza in Springfield.  

     Each month we create a new technique card.  We place a small sample of the technique on the card and often make a full-sized card to match. So how hard is it to make a card with the chalkboard technique?

1. Brush an embossing buddy across a piece of black card stock to create the look of an erased chalk board.

2. Stamp your desired image using White craft ink. (If you wish you can emboss this image using White embossing powder.  The image will be sharper, but not really look as though it was on a chalkboard.)

3. Create some kind of a border using a white watercolor crayon.

     Now, how simple is that!  The stamp that I used on the technique card is from a new special called the Best of Birthdays. If you decide to order this stamp set be sure and log in under my name Sue Scheets in order to save yourself some money. Look for some new cards in the next couple of days created with other images from the stamp set. 
    

Using a template to create a card

   Have you ever looked at a template in a magazine and wondered if you could make a card like it?  Well, that is what Linda and I decided to do on Saturday for our second card.  We found this template in Paper Crafts magazine and decided to have a go at creating a card like it on our own.

    This is the card I came up with and......

   This is the card that Linda came up with.  They are basically the same but Linda did not have some of the supplies that I did so she changed up her embellishment.

   Do you think you could create a card using this template?  Give it a try and show me your example.

Supplies we both used

Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade, So Saffron, card stock

Scalloped circle punches, Me 1 1/4 Linda 7/8

Scalloped Edge Border punch

Me Flower trim and Large pearl, Linda In color brads

 

     I decided this year I am going to coordinate the envelopes with the cards in some cute manner.  I think it make the cards even more appealing. What do you think?



How to change a card to make it simpler.

     Linda and I got together to do some stamping on Saturday and I decided to recreate a card that was featured in Stampin Success, a magazine that we as demonstrators get every two months.  It had a lot of steps, some embossing and was fun to make.  However, when I thought about using this card in a class, it seemed too complicated so I decided to make a simpler version using the same ideas.

     Can you see the changes I made?
1.  It was hard to get the Vine Street embossing folder to line up straight to emboss just one strip of the vine, so I embossed the entire card.

2.  For a group of people to use the stamp a majig to place the stamp in a line 8 times it would take too long, so,I found that the Sycamore Designer paper had a similar design which I cut to size.

3. Instead of stamping and embossing a design on the colored card stock before punching it out, I just punched out plain card stock using the a punch from the Itty Bitty Punch pack.

The  card has the same design feel with the simple changes I made, but will help all of my customers have a successful experience. Which card do you like best?

     A matching envelope makes for a great looking project.

Does this card look a bit familiar to you?  Well, I used the basic design to create one of my Leadership swaps.  See if you can see the similarities.
 

Ornament Punch revisited

     Can you see the ornament punch in this card?  I love to find multiple ways to use the same punch.  If you cut off the bottom of the punch as an ornament it can easily become a vase.  Do you see any other uses for this punch?  If you do please let me know.

Supplies needed

Occasions Alphabet, Circle Circus stamp sets

Ornament, Small scalloped circle, 1/2 inch circle, 1/4 inch circle, small heart, Scalloped Trim , scallop oval, large oval punches

Pink Pirouette, Real Red, Whisper White, Basic Black card stock

Real Red ink

Red Shimmer card stock

Pink 1/4 inch stitched Grosgrain ribbon

 

    Look at all the punches used to make this card...Love it, Love it, Love it!!!



Tuxedo Punched card

 

     Wouldn't this be a great card to send someone?  When we were making this card at my Winter Cards Fill Your Card Box Again class we thought of several different occasions this card could be used. 

1. Wedding or Engagement party
2. Prom
3. Black Tie event as an invitation

   Can you tell that the bow is made out of card stock?  By softening the paper with a bone folder you can easily curve it into the shape of a bow.  What occasion can you think of to use this cute card?

Simple Punched Valentine card

     What do you like best about this card?  I like the simplicity and the fact there are just two colors.  Have you ever just walked by something and have it jump right out at you?  Well, that is how I noticed this card at Leadership.  There are boards and boards of card samples and looking at them all can make your head spin.  So, I just stand still and look and see what jumps out at me as interesting. This one did.

1. Cut two strips of Red Glimmer card stock in two different lengths. 

2. Make sure the width of the card stock matches the width of the top of the heart punch (The hardest part of this card)

3.Stamp image and punch out with the small oval punch. 

4.  Punch one more oval in the red card stock and cut in half to provide the accent to the saying.
     Who would you send this card to?