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Here’s my creative challenge card

Katy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:23:19 +0000

Well, that was fun! I actually forgot about the 3×4″ card part and got almost all the way through a standard card before I remembered. I just retooled for the smaller card. What a fun size! Now I have to figure out how to make an envelope.

Ok…so here were my selections for my challenge:

Stamp set: Garden Whimsy – I love this set, but haven’t used it in ages. It was fun to break out
Colors: Bravo Burgundy (ick), Only Orange (hmmm…never seem to find a way to use this one), Sage Shadow (eww)

Here is the result:

Recipe:

Stamps: Garden Whimsy
Paper: Whisper White, Sage Shadow
Ink: Only Orange, Sage Shadow, Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke

Creative Challenge – March 2010

Katy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:17:24 +0000

My good friend and up-upline, Amy, just texted me to say “Help! I want to stamp but am creatively challenged!” So I made up this crazy challenge for her:

Pick out your least used stamp set
Pick out your 3 least favorite or used colors
Make a 3″ x 4″ card

My thinking is that if we work with stamps, colors, and a size that we don’t normally use it’ll get the juices flowing. I’m joining her in trying this tonight, and you should too! When you are done, take a photo, post online (splitcoast, your blog, flicker, wherever), and leave a note in the comments on where to find it!

Can’t wait to see the results!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Katy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:43:04 +0000

Here’s a repost of a card I made last year. Hope everyone is feeling loved today!

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Hello, or should I say bon jour?

Katy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:18:48 +0000

Here is a quick card I made for the Splitcoast Stampers weekly color challenge this week. The color combination was Basic Grey, Bravo Burgundy, Crushed Curry and then White/Ivory/Kraft. Here is what I came up with:

Recipe:

Stamps: Chic Boutique
Paper: Basic Grey (textured), Crushed Curry, Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White (with My Digital Scrapbook Script DSP printed on it in Kraft)
Ink: Basic Grey (to distress the grey cardstock), Basic Black (sentiment), Chocolate Chip (image), More Mustard (to distress the Curry), Creamy Caramel (to distress the white), Close to Cocoa (to distress the white)
Accessories: gold brads, non-SU fleur-de-lis border punch, non-SU fleur-de-lis punch, mini glue dots, SNAIL

Another “guy” valentine

Katy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:09:06 +0000

I made this card for my best guy friend. He’s stationed on the USS Carl Vinson which has been aiding the Haiti relief effort. He’s terribly exhausted and really needs a pick me up so I wanted to make him an extra special card. It doesn’t scream Valentine’s Day but it says everything I want it to say about how I feel about him and how I value our friendship.

Note: all the stamp sets used on this card are retired.

The base of the card is cut from an old Stampin’ Up box. I used the existing fold in the box and cut a standard card side on either side. I then tore a bit of the top layer of paper off of one side. I then sponged Chocolate Chip ink all over the card.

The first layer is a scanned and printed copy of newspaper (I scanned it since I knew I was going to go through several copies of it!) I aged the paper with Creamy Caramel ink and tore the edges. I then scrunched it up to get it wrinkled, un-scrunched and gently rubbed Chocolate Chip in on it deepen the colors of the wrinkles.

The top layer is Very Vanilla stamped with Summer Sun ink and the striped stamp from Background Sampler. I then stamped a few sayings from So Many Sayings (Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust), and then the round stamp from Rustic Rooster (Ruby Red). It was distressed first with some Summer Sun ink rubbed in with a sponge. Then distressed around the edges with my fingernail and finally by rubbing More Mustard on the edges. The brackets were die cut using my Big Shot. Before running the Old Olive paper through I sponged Always Artichoke on them to add some depth. Finally, I put some non-SU grommets in on the ends to hold the ribbon.

Because the cardboard doesn’t lie nice and flat, I cut a long piece of ribbon and ran it behind the layer, through the grommets and it will tie in the back to keep the card closed.

Recipe:

Stamps: (All retired) So Many Sayings, Background Sampler, Rustic Rooster

Paper: Cardboard box, copy paper, Very Vanilla, Old Olive

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Summer Sun, More Mustard, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke

Accessories: 1/4″ Brown PolyTwill ribbon, Big Shot, sponges, Crop-a-Dile, grommets, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Crafty solution to conspicuous electrical cables

Katy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:05:57 +0000

This is just a quick post to share this fantastic idea from Unclutterer: Hiding cables in plain sight. This would be a perfect project for the Big Shot. I’m already picturing flowers and butterflies and birds floating all over my home…sigh. I also loved this piece of advice:

While flowers and pipe-cleaners may not be to your liking, this technique demonstrates how sometimes the best way to draw attention away from unsightly things is to draw attention directly to them.

Look around your home…what could use some creative camouflage?

Blog Update

Katy — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:30:26 +0000

You may have noticed that I’ve given the blog a whole new look. I’m still working out the kinks, so if you see something that doesn’t seem to be working right please leave a comment on this post.

Thanks for your help!

-Katy

Clean and Simple Hi

Katy — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:14:43 +0000

A while back I’d gotten the Stampin’ Up! Hi Embosslit, but I haven’t been sure what to use it for. Then this morning inspiration hit me…punch out the “hi” from the middle. I ran upstairs to check my punches, and found that the 1″ circle punch works perfectly.

What is great is that you get two fun embellishments to work with…the circle with Hi in he middle and an oval frame with cute leaves. Here’s the super cute card that I came up with using the circles:

Recipe:

Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay
Tools: Big Shot, Stampin’ Up! Hi Embosslit, 1″ Circle Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

I hear cupid coming

Katy — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:54:20 +0000

The crazy holiday season sapped my creative mojo, but I’m recharged and ready to create again. My upline has encouraged me to submit my work for Stampin’ Up!’s Artisan Award, which is given to the Demonstrators that show exceptional creativity and talent. Working on the cards, scrapbook pages, and 3D items that will make up my entry is very challenging and rewarding, but unfortunately I can’t show any of that work here.

Earlier this week I was starting to feel the need to step away from it for a bit, so today I decided to make a Valentine’s Day card for my Dad. What I came up with is a great card for a guy because it doesn’t have ribbons, and glitter, and all the fun stuff that I love to put on cards. Here is the front:

See…no frills. Very clean and simple actually. But accomplishing this wasn’t simple. To start I used Jan Tink’s Woodgrain technique to stamp then “stain” the cardstock to look more like real wood. I started with Kraft cardstock, stamped with Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel, and rubbed with More Mustard and Close to Cocoa. I skipped the last step, where she stamps in very vanilla, because I was doing it from memory and totally forgot that part. I then punched the front with the Heart to Heart punch, and then used the paper piercing templates to add some detail to the lower corners.

Now, the outside may be clean and simple, but the inside has Valentine’s Day bursting all over:

I cut a piece of Autumn Traditions DSP just shy of 4 1/4″ x 11″. The reddish side is what was going to peek through the front, and the opposite side, with the pine cones didn’t really scream valentines day. So I took a slightly used transparent report cover that I’d rescued from the trash bin at work, cut a small piece and punched it with the Heart to Heart punch. I then used that as a stencil, and using a sponge dauber I stenciled the hearts onto the pine cone side of the paper. (Note: If you don’t have a collection of slightly used report covers like I do, you can use the Stampin’ Up Window Sheets to accomplish the same effect.)

To make room to write a message I cut a piece of Very Vanilla and used a stamp from the Love You Much stamp set, masking the scallop-y part so that the card stayed “guy-like”.

When I glued the DSP layer into the card, I popped up the front of the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals to add a little “pop”, but used SNAIL on the inside so it is flat enough to write on.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Woodgrain, Love You Much
Paper: Autumn Traditions DSP, Kraft, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Really Rust
Tools: Heart to Heart Punch, Stamping Sponges, Sponge Daubers

Quick Holiday Cards Class

Katy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:44:02 +0000

Here are sample for my upcoming Quick Holiday Cards Class. You can learn more in the Events section. 20 cards & envelopes, 4 styles, $15.