Black-Eyed Susan

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   #ManicMonday   #simplestamping Black-Eyed Susans are Maryland's state flower and I've always loved them! Around this time of year--late summer to early fall--they start popping up all over the place. They grow wild around here, but you can also cultivate them. Since I have what's called a "black thumb," I thought I'd cultivate a paper Black-Eyed Susan that would last a bit longer.

This card was quick and easy to make with the "Daisy Lane" stamp set, the Daisy Punch, and strip of Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper. It's the perfect card for Manic Monday--or any time you need a card in a hurry.

I adhered a 1-1/2" by 3-7/8" strip of striped Mossy Meadow Magnolia Lane DSP to a 3-7/8" by 5-1/8" Whisper White Card Stock Panel I stamped the stem for the flower and the sentiment in Mossy Meadow Ink directly onto the card stock. I adhered the panel to a 4" by 5-1/4" Mossy Meadow Card Stock mat. I wrapped some Whisper White Baker's Twine around this and then adhered it to a Thick Whisper White Card Stock card base.

Next, I stamped the large daisy from the "Daisy Lane" stamp set in Crushed Curry Ink onto Whisper White Card Stock, twice. I punched the flowers out with the Daisy Punch. I used my Bone Folder to curl the petals a bit and adhered the two flower pieces together with a Mini Glue Dot. I adhered the assembled flower to the card with one Stampin' Dimensional.

To make the center of the card, I colored a Clear Faceted Gem with a Light Basic Black Stampin' Blend and adhered this to the center of the card.

See? Very quick and super easy!!

tams# 37584

Product List

Daisy Lane Cling Stamp Set [149325] $23.00	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [147111] $7.50	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [147087] $7.50	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $8.25
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133676] $8.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper [149484] $11.50	Daisy Punch [143713] $18.00
Whisper White Solid Baker's Twine [124262] $3.50	Clear Faceted Gems [144142] $5.00	Basic Black Light Stampin' Blends [147940] $4.50	Mini Glue Dots [103683] $5.25
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Bone Folder [102300] $7.00

Just Because Monday

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   #ManicMonday   #simplestamping   It's just another Manic Monday and what do you do when you need a card in a hurry? Well, one option is to use a small stamp and lots of designer series paper! Today's card is super easy and super adorable!

First, I cut a 3-3/4" by 5" piece of striped Petal Pink Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper. Then, I stamped the image from the "A Good Day" stamp set in Calypso Coral Ink in the center of a 3-7/8" by 5-1/8" White Card Stock panel. I cut out the image with one of the Layering Circles Dies. Then I adhered the DSP to the Whisper White Card Stock.

Next, I wrapped a length of Whisper White Flax Ribbon around the DSP piece and adhered everything to a Petal Pink Card Stock Card Base. I cut an additional piece of Flax Ribbon and tied on a knotty little bow.

I used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the stamped card stock piece to a Vellum Card Stock circle that I cut with a larger Layering Circles Die. I used some more Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the sentiment piece to the card.

For a finishing touch, I added three flower-shaped Grapefruit Grove Gingham Gala Self-Adhesive Sequins. So cute! And so quick and easy to make!

Did you notice that I used a variety of "pinks" on the card--and that they coordinate nicely? All the elements on your card don't have to "match"--they just have to coordinate.  

 

tams# 37112

Product List

A Good Day Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145873] $19.00	Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad [147101] $7.50	Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146985] $8.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75
Magnolia Lane Designer Series Paper [149484] $11.50	Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101856] $10.00	Layering Circles Dies [141705] $35.00	Whisper White 5/8" (1.6 Cm) Flax Ribbon [148764] $7.00
Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins [148561] $7.50	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00

A Merry Season

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   #simplestamping   #ManicMonday   My life lately seems to be a string of manic days--not just Mondays. I started a new job at work and although it doesn't seem like that much more work than my previous job, it must be more work because I'm exhausted at the end of the day. I can barely get through dinner. I've been sitting in bed knitting most evenings--which means the stampin' room has been neglected. Sorry about that. I'll make up for it this week, starting with today's card.

Stampin' Up's September #simplestamping challenge is to make a Christmas/holiday/new year's card using only stamps, ink, paper, and designer series paper. Yay, DSP! I need a little something more than just the basics. I used the gorgeous Noble Peacock Specialty Designer Series Paper from the Annual Catalog and the "Memories of Home" stamp set from the just-released Holiday Catalog. (NOTE: The Noble Peacock Specialty DSP is thick--at least as thick as cardstock, probably thicker.) Here's my #simplestamping Christmas card. What do you think?

I have a confession: I cheated a little bit on the challenge. I used Clear Wink of Stella (that's ink, right?) to add some glimmer to the ornaments--and to pull some of the ink into the blank space. You can do some faux "watercoloring" with Wink of Stella. I also couldn't resist adding a small Pretty Peacock colored Noble Peacock Rhinestone to the center of two of the ornaments. Here's a close up so you can see the pretty DSP and the shimmer from the Wink of Stella.

I challenge you to create cards using only stamps, ink, paper, and DSP! If you do, post them on line using the hashtag #simplestamping.

I have a fun Protip for you tomorrow, so come on back and see what I've got!

tams# 36834

Product List

Memories Of Home Cling Stamp Set [150474] $22.00	Pretty Peacock Classic Stampin’ Pad [150083] $7.50	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $8.25	Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [150880] $8.75
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Noble Peacock Specialty Designer Series Paper [149493] $14.50	Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $8.00	Noble Peacock Rhinestones [149494] $5.50

Simply Sweet Birthday

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   #ManicMonday   #simplestamping   Every month, Stampin' Up challenges demonstrators to design cards for the beginning stamper. Those of us who have been stamping for a while are what we call "avid stampers" and that means we pull out all the stops and use all.the.stampin.things.  It's hard for us to step back and create a simply stamped card. It's honestly a challenge. 

Today, in honor of Manic Monday, I'm challenging myself to create a birthday card with the August parameters of just stamps, ink, and paper. I think a two-step stamp set like "Vibrant Vases" works well for this challenge. And I chose a fun color combination!

I started by stamping the scalloped shelf from the "Vibrant Vases" stamp set in Gray Granite Ink onto a 3-3/4" by 5" Whisper White Card Stock panel. Next, I lined up the vase outline stamps on the shelf on the card stock and picked them up with a long acrylic block. I inked them with Gray Granite and stamped all three at once on the shelf. I did the same think with the fill-in design stamps: I lined them up in the outlines of the vases and then picked them up with the long acrylic block. I inked these in So Saffron and stamped all three at once. I stamped the sentiment at the bottom of the panel in Gray Granite Ink, too.

Next, I added the flower stems in Gray Granite Ink. I wiped off the ink from the ends of the stems so they wouldn't stamp into the So Saffron. I then added the So Saffron filler flowers. Are these stamped perfectly? Nope. And that's fine and dandy. I like the off-set stamped images.

I adhered the stamped panel to a 4" by 5-1/4" Gray Granite Card Stock mat and then onto a So Saffron Card Stock card base.

Simple and elegant--a perfect card to make in a hurry on  Manic Monday, or any time you need a quick card.

tams# 36423

Product List

Vibrant Vases Photopolymer Stamp Set [148656] $17.00	Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [147118] $7.50	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [147109] $7.50	So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [105118] $8.75
Gray Granite 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146983] $8.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Stampin' Pierce Mat [126199] $5.00

Talk About a Manic Monday

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   #simplestamping   #ManicMonday   Wow! I've had a hectic couple of days. Last week I missed creating projects for Thursday and Friday because I was getting my twins ready to go back to college. And by getting them ready, I mean yelling at them gently explaining to them that as they are 20 years old and nearly fully formed adults, they should be able to get themselves ready. Am I right?

Apparently, I'm not right. My son decided to do ALL his laundry from the summer in one load. The washing went OK I guess, but when he stuffed (and I mean stuffed) ALL his wet clothes (not sure they were actually clean) into the dryer, it couldn't tumble. So, um, it burned out the heating element and nothing got dry. We parents discovered this after we got home from work. And, um yeah, his twin sister hadn't done her laundry either. So we spent their 20th birthday at the local laundromat.

After we got home around 9:30 PM, they started packing. Started. We had to leave the house at 5:15 AM on Friday for the 7:20 AM flight. I had to pack my overnight case, too. (I'm a "pro" at that since I travel so much, but....) I ended up going to bed around midnight. I'm pretty sure they were both up all night.

So, we flew to Little Rock, drove to Searcy, and got them into their dorms in the afternoon (after two trips to and from the storage locker). After dinner and a couple of trips to Walmart--barely surviving the surface of the sun heat and humidity that is Arkansas in August--I got to my hotel room and had a lovely sleep until noon the next day.

The trip home was uneventful--if you call just making your flight because you stayed too long with your kids before for you left and a 3 hour delay for your connecting flight and crawling into bed at 3:30 AM uneventful. Ugh. I'm exhausted. I slept until noon today, too.

I spent a little bit of time in the stamping studio today and pulled off a Manic Monday card for you. It's one that I pretty much copied from the "Experience Creativity" new stampers' catalog. It's pretty darned cute--and you can make it in a jiffy on a Manic Monday when you're exhausted. Take a look!

I started with a 3-3/4" by 5" Whisper White Card Stock panel and stamped the sentiment from the "Celebrate with Cake" stamp set in Granny Apple Green Ink. I stamped the adorable little bird in Granny Apple Green Ink, too. I cleaned my stamp and stamped the bird again in Flirty Flamingo Ink and again--without reinking. I added a Granny Apple Green birthday hat to the birdie on the right. 

I adhered this to a 4" by 5-1/4" Granny Apple Green Card Stock mat and then adhered everything to a Thick Whisper White Card Stock Card base.

So, super quick and easy to make on a Manic Monday--or after a manic weekend getting rid of sending your kids back to college.

Come on back tomorrow for another really cute card and two--yes, two!--Protips.

Heading to unpack now (yes, I know it's 10 PM). G'night.

tams# 36233

Product List

Celebrate With Cake Photopolymer Stamp Set [149501] $16.00	Celebrate With Cake Cards Bundle [152861] $46.50	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [147052] $7.50	Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad [147095] $7.50
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $8.25	Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146990] $8.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Stampin' Pierce Mat [126199] $5.00