It's Wedding Season...Time to Make Bridal Shower Cards!

There are 7...that's right -- 7, "Save the Date" cards on my 'fridge.  It's Wedding Season again, and I've been invited to a few bridal showers this Spring.  After shopping for the gifts (and wrapping them), it is time to make a card!

I saw something I liked in a store for about $8.00, but thought I could mimic it with materials I had in my studio.  So, I snapped a quick pic on my cell phone and gathered up supplies.

Distress Ink in dusty concord, with a JudiKins duster to apply the ink, is the right color palette for this card.

I selected a 5" x 7" card in light purple, with a matching envelope, and a few favorite wedding/shower- themed rubber stamps.

A spool of ribbon and a little flat-backed 'bling' would help finish things. I couldn't decide which gem to use -- the oval pearl or the large crystal, so I waited until I had everything put together before making up my mind.

I started by tracing out the pattern for a flip flop on thin cardboard.  While it wasn't to scale (unless you're about five years old), you can tell what it is, right?  Then I found sparkly white paper in my stash and opted to use it.  I traced carefully around my flip flop on the back side of the paper, then cut it out.

The paper alone was a bit boring, so I decided to emboss it with an overall design, using a Darice folder and my Cuttlebug.

I dusted the edges of the card with ink, stamped my greetings inside and out, and then assembled the flip flop with a little tacky glue, attaching it to the front of the card with a tape runner.  As you can see, the pearl beat out the crystal, in part because I used glitter paper.  The pearl makes it look more sophisticated.

Of course, artwork isn't finished until it is signed!  I put my personal signature stamp on the back, and I'm ready to go to the shower!

Such an easy card!  And easy to make multiples for all of the showers I'll be attending this year!

Happy Stamping!!

The Wedding Season is Fast Approaching

Yes, even with all of the snow, the wedding season is fast approaching.  For 2014 alone, we've received five 'save the date' cards.  And my oldest nephew proposed to his girlfriend just a week ago, but I think that wedding won't be until 2015.  Whew!

So, I've been invited to a bridal shower in mid-March, with a 'high tea' theme.  I wanted to create a card with a Victorian feel, and found the perfect image among my Valentine's stamps.

The two cherubs with the heart is an older stamp by Personal Stamp Exchange (PSX).  But I think what makes this card beautiful is the coloring, and I wanted to explain how this was done.

Prismacolor pencils are among my favorites coloring tools.  I started with a basic kit of 24 pencils, then added about a dozen more colors to allow for depth and shading.

For instance, the cherubs are colored with two pencils, Light Peach (PC927) and Peach (PC939). But I want you to focus on the small rose, below.  I started with Orange (PC918) in the center.

Then I added Poppy Red (PC922) to the petals closest to the center.

The outer petals are colored with Crimson Red (PC924).

Although I use a small, circular motion to color in the design, you can see the pencil lines.  To smooth this away, blend and brighten the colors, I use a product called Gamsol and paper stubs. Gamsol is odorless mineral spirits.  It drys quickly and doesn't mar the cardstock.  It blends the waxy color of the pencils and blurs the lines.  Gamsol generally is available at art supply stores, but the little bottle, below, is packaged by Inky Antics (www.inkyantics.com).  Paper stubs are also available from their website or at art supply stores.

Can you see the difference between the roses before and after using Gamsol to blend the colors? It softens the pencil edges, but makes the colors brighter at the same time.

I finished coloring the entire image and added a little sparkle to the cherubs' wings with a Gelly Roll clear star pen.  Onto a pink 5" x 7" card, I mounted a piece of fuchsia paper, then cut an oval from a pattern paper.  I mounted the image behind the oval frame and adhered it to the card.  Vellum was the perfect paper for the 'Love' stamp, so the design could be seen through it.  I added a self-adhesive metallic heart to the greeting for a bit of dimension.

The couple lives in California, but the shower is in Pennsylvania, so it was recommended that we give gift cards for their registry stores instead of a package that will have to be shipped.

At the last rubber stamp show I went to, Endless Creations (www.shopec.com) had a set of 'gift card' stamps.  These little coin envelopes were in my stash, and they are the perfect size for a gift card (2 1/4" x 3 1/2").  I used Stampin' Up Baroque Burgundy ink and a little cherub to customize the envelope.  I'll enclose it in my card for the shower.  

Now I need to set aside some time to make the wedding cards for the upcoming nuptials!
At least I'm think about spring!

Valentine Greetings

Well, Christmas came and went before I had an opportunity to address and sign holiday greetings for our friends and family, so I decided to make up some Valentines to send out instead.

I had about 50 cards to make, so they needed to be quick and easy.  I haven't done any rubber stamping in a while, so it was fun to pull out all of my supplies.

First, the paper, including printed Valentine's paper I bought last month, vellum, and mulberry paper, which looks great behind a mounted image.

Inks are next...and I didn't just stick to pinks and reds.  Violet plays a role in Valentine cardmaking, too. And of course, a good black ink (Archival Jet Black by Ranger) and Versamark for embossing.

I have a box of stamped images that are left over from other projects and I searched through those for any images I could use.  And I dug through my boxes of embellishments to add some dimension to the cards, and I found a couple of stencils (lifted from store-bought cards) that I could use.

Can't do much without scissors and adhesives!
In addition to straight and decorative scissors, most of my cutting is done with a paper cutter.  The water-filled paint brush is great for coloring in designs using ink from the pads -- an added bonus is that is matches perfectly!  Judi-Kins duster brushes and a round sponge also come in handy for adding color to an image or the edges of cardstock.



My favorite adhesives are Tombow tape runner, Scrapbook Adhesives' vellum E-Z Runner and foam tape.

A long time ago, I needed an easy, space saving way to store my rubber stamps, and my local pizza place came through for me.  They gave me several new, clean boxes, which allowed me to sort the stamps by type -- specific holidays, background, greetings, etc.  It sure makes things easy to pull just one box of stamps out to work on my cards!

All of my Hearts and Valentines stamps in one box -- easy-peasy!

I made several of this first card, using a series of 'conversation' hearts stamps. After stamping them in a row (both vertically and horizontally) on white cardstock, they looked a little flat.  So I used Inkssentials Glossy Accents, applied directly over the image, to add some shine and dimension to one heart in the row.  After drying for a couple of hours, I layered the panel with some scalloped die-cut paper onto a card.

The 'rule of thirds' takes a role in this card.

Dividing the card in thirds makes it visually appealing.  In this case, the patterned paper takes up two-thirds of the card and the greeting takes up the top third.  A few stick-on crystals and pearls add a little bling.

The heart background paper in this next card looked very much like a stamp I had.

I stamped and embossed the image with red embossing powder on white cardstock, then trimmed it carefully following the outline of the heart.  The greeting was stamped on vellum.

This next card used the same stamp, but I trimmed around the center heart.  I really wanted the Valentine's paper to take center stage.

I managed to create a few more designs, but they were in envelopes and sealed when I started taking pictures.  My goal was to get them in the mail on Tuesday, February 11, but then a big snowstorm hit! Hopefully, even if they are late, these little greetings will be a welcome break from the weather!

A Walk in the Fall Leaves, Made Possible with Rubber Stamps

It's a beautiful time of the year for a walk in the woods, and the changing leaves make the perfect backdrop for a glorious fall wedding!

My nephew and his bride were married in upstate New York in late September, and their reception was held in a picnic pavilion near a lake.  This card was inspired by that unique venue.  It's been a while since I did any rubber stamping, but a stamp set I picked up a year ago was perfect for the theme.

Designed by Kittie Caraccido, "Kittie Kits - Cause a Scene" are manufactured and sold by Rubbernecker Stamps (www.rubbernecker.com).   This kit was Scene 9, and contains 43 stamps.

Some of them are what I call a "micro-stamp," a single image that is very tiny, like one falling leaf or an ear of corn.  The kits are designed for scenic stamping -- creating a 'picture' using the various bits and pieces.

Obviously, for a wedding card, I needed a bride and groom, and found the happy couple in my binder of cling mounted rubber stamps.  The stamp is by Another Stamp Company, and came in two sizes (www.anotherstampcompany.com).  I used the small size for this card.  (By the way, most of the stamps I buy now are cling mounted...they store in binders and take up less space in my studio.  I have acrylic blocks in a variety of shapes to use with them.)  I also found a couple more stamps to incorporate into the scene in my stash.

To begin, I stamped out the scene on scrap paper to determine what would be in the foreground and what elements would be in the background.  Then each image was stamped onto a post-it note or masking paper (a thin, white paper that is covered with the same low-tack adhesive as post-it notes) and trimmed out carefully.  These 'masks' will allow me to stamp over an image, without having the lines of the second stamp show up on the first image.  The image in the foreground is stamped first, then masked, and the images in the background are stamped next. (For more on masking go to http://simplydevinecrafts.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-tutorial-on-rubber-stamp-masking-i.html )  Using black ink, I stamped the bridal couple and the farm stand first, layered the masks over those two images, then overstamped the walking path, trees and pumpkins.  The grass, leaf piles and sand were added next, and to finish the scene, I stamped a cluster of leaves over the trees several times, using an 'Autumn Leaves' Kaleidacolor ink pad.

The scene was stamped on a half-sheet of 8.5" x 11" cardstock.

Now comes the fun part -- coloring!  I worked a rubber stamp show for a company last year, and asked them to 'pay' me with Copic markers.  I have 56 colors, and I'm still playing with them, trying to improve my technique.  I decided to use them (instead of Prismacolor pencils, my other favorite coloring tool), and started with the leaves on the trees.

Ultimately I used six different colors for the leaves.  The farm stand and pumpkins were colored next. The grass created a challenge, because most of my green markers are pretty vibrant, but I discovered that lime and light olive, together with grass green, looked pretty good.

Copic markers blend well with each other. You can go over the same place with a different color
to achieve a realistic look.  

Without a sand colored marker, I opted to use the Prismacolor pencils to color the walking path.  Here's a technique I learned just last year -- Gamsol, an odorless mineral spirit, is great for blending pencil coloring.

'Before' using Gamsol

In the first picture, you can see the 'scribble' lines of the three pencils I used.


Using a rolled paper stub, I applied Gamsol to the coloring, rubbing it in a circular motion.

It blends the colors and brightens them somewhat.  I was happy with the way the path looked when I was finished.

'After' using Gamsol.

 

The final thing to color was the sky.  For some reason, coloring skies always trips me up.  It's hard to come up with the right shade of blue, and I debate whether to put in some clouds for good measure.  Coloring a sunset a bit easier, but that's not the look I was going for here.

Thankfully, Copic has a color called 'Cool Shadow.'  It falls on the blue-green spectrum, but it was just perfect for the sky on this fall scene.  

To finish the card, the panel was trimmed to 4.25 x 6.25 inches, mounted on a patterned paper, and then affixed onto a 5 x 7 inch card.  I added the sentiment "...and they lived happily ever after...' to the inside of the card (stamp by Another Stamp Company).

Doesn't it look like a nice day for a walk in the falling leaves?

The Invitations Are Out!

My number one son is getting married this summer, and the mother of the bride and I are planning a little shower -- well, not so little!  About 90 people are invited!

Of course, I offered months ago to make the invitations.  Perhaps if I had known I needed to make 90, I would have given it a second thought, but once committed, I was ready for the challenge.

The bridesmaids wanted to feature all things Spain at the shower, since my future daughter-in-law studied there.  This created a design dilemma -- how could I get the theme across in the invitation?  I began flipping through "Card Ideas for Paper Crafters" by Papercrafts Magazine (volume one, summer 2011), and found a card template that used scalloped circle die by Spellbinders.  It triggered an idea:  make the invitations in the shape of a Spanish flamenco dancer's fan.


I found the dies on ebay, and purchased both the Nestabilities Big Scalloped Circle Large, and the Grand Big Scalloped Circles. The second set is designed for the "Grand Calibur" die cutting machine, which I don't have, but I figured one of the smaller dies would work with my little Cuttlebug.

If you're not familiar with Spellbinders dies, this particular style came in a pack of 6 dies of the same design, but each one is a little larger, with the smallest being 4 3/4" in diameter, and the largest being 7 1/2" in diameter.  This allows you to cut nesting shapes.  It also coordinates with three other die sets, progressively smaller.  My hunch was right -- I was able to use the third die, which was 5 3/4" in diameter. 

Here's a step-by-step for assembling the cards:

I measured the die and determined that the red cardstock needed to be 6" by 8". (Note to self:  don't go looking for red cardstock the week after Valentine's Day -- two craft stores were totally sold out of red!) After cutting the paper to that size, I used my Scor-It tool to crease the cards down the middle.  This was an extra step, but it gave me a nice, sharp crease, which made it easier to add the insert.   

I printed the party details on regular copy paper using the computer.  I trimmed each piece down to the 6" x 8" size, and adhered them to the inside of each card.  I did have the test them with the die cut machine first, to be sure I didn't cut off any of the information!

The next step was to die cut the cards.  Yes, I did this 90 times!

Notice I made a mark with a Sharpie on the die...this allowed me to line up the fold of the card in the correct spot every time. 

With the fold next to my marks, the card is ready to roll through the Cuttlebug.  Do you see the piece of tape on the left?  It's holding the card so it doesn't shift.  

Here we go!  I cranked through 90 cards the same way!

Here's the final card, cut exactly to the shape I wanted!  After I finished the red cards, I had to do the same with black card stock, patterned paper, and gold sticker paper, making each one a different size.  The gold circles later were cut in half with scissors.   

Here are stacks of paper, ready to be asssembled.

I put the embellishment papers together assembly-line style...adhering the patterned paper to the black cardstock, and then added the gold half-circle.  After that was finished, I added a black or gold eyelet to the embellishment.  I used a hole punch and setting tool to affix the eyelets.  

Punching the holes...

Adding the eyelet.

Why did I use an eyelet?  Well, the last step for the embellishment was adding a tiny tassel.  I found these at Home Sew, a notions company located in Bethlehem, Pa.  (http://homesew.com/).  I phoned in my order and they arrived just five days later!  

So here's the final product!  This is as close as I could get to a Spanish fan.  Although it did not involve rubber stamping at all, it was a lot of fun the take on the challenge, and I know my future daughter-in-law will be delighted when she sees it.  

Let's Make Christmas Cards, FAST!!

 

I knew this would happen...Christmas is sneaking up on me, and I have so many little things yet to finish.  I realized last night that I should have mailed Christmas cards a week ago.  Even if I get them into the mail today, I'm not sure they will arrive by Monday.  Oh, well...I won't let that stop me!  With the advent of email and text messaging, people don't get much 'real' mail anymore, and I want to be a person that doesn't stop sending cards (and letters) just because. 

 

So, I need to make some cards, FAST!  Lucky for me, my sister sent me a box of mostly Christmas stamps about a month ago.  Great -- something new in my stamp collection to use!!  She found them for a dollar each at a thrift store...some still with price tags and never used!  After looking through my idea book, this is what I came up with. 

 

 I started by cutting 8.5" by 11" blue cardstock in half lengthwise, to  make the card a 'top fold' style.  After folding the cards in half, I used Versamark ink to stamp the large snowflake (Hampton Arts, studio 6) in the upper third of the card.  I tried out several different colors of embossing powder, and decided to mix my own custom blend.  I used two parts Silver Pearl by Personal Stamp Exchange, and one part each white by Jo-Ann CraftEssentials, and Pearl by Judi-Kins.  The blend of finer powder (the silver) and coarse grains (white) created a happy accident...my snowflakes look 'distressed.' 

I worked assembly-line fashion...after cutting and folding all of the paper, I stamped all of the snowflakes, and sprinkled them with embossing powder.  When I was finished stamping, I went back and tapped off the excess embossing powder, and heat-embossed each card, one after another.  I made a template from a scrap of cardstock (green in the photo) and traced the shape on the inside of each card front.  Using scissors, I cut each card, to give it a shorter, rounded front. 

It's hard to stamp a greeting on dark paper, so I wanted to add a white liner inside the card.  To dress it up, I decided to run it through a dry embossing folder.  I just wanted the bottom 2 inches of cardstock embossed, so I inserted the cardstock only that far into the folder.  I trimmed the liner to 5 1/4 " by 4", so it was a smidge smaller than the card.  The result was exactly what I had in mind.

 

I added a greeting (Stamp City, 1999) and the cards were finished!  It took me less than two hours to create 24 cards! 

 

Well, they were almost finished.  Someone once said 'Artwork isn't finished until it is signed.'  A long time ago, I found a stamp with my name on it.  Now, everyone who gets one of my cards knows that I took the time to make it myself. 

 

Need to make about 30 more cards to finish up my mailing list...you can bet the next design will be a simple as this one! 

Even if you aren't on my mailing list, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!