Friday, May 27, 2011

Extremely Quick Guitar Dude

100_3135      This is card three of my “quick” cards.  I don’t know what I was thinking?  I wanted to give the Bouncing Brayer technique a try…but I had no time (or patience) to do it properly.  I ended up just jumping the brayer in a circle around the Whisper White card stock with Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie ink.  Looks a bit messy but not too bad.  Keep in mind, I was in a hurry.  Stamp the Extreme Guitar dude in the center in Basic Black Craft and call it finished!  Of course, I couldn’t just leave the dude floating in air so I added the Basic Black strip of card stock as a “stage”.  The sentiment is from the Bring On The Cake set.

     I know…it’s not the bouncing brayer look I was going for but it looks kinda “cool”!  I’ll try this again…when I have more time (and patience) to do it correctly.  Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you’ve been inspired to try something new today :)

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Extreme Baseball Elements

 100_3147

      This is the second of three cards that I quickly made this past weekend.  For a young man’s birthday, this mix of Extreme Elements, the retired Just Baseball and retired Sporting is a perfect combination!  The100_3144 Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White color combo works nicely as well.  I chose Cherry Cobbler only because this young man plays on a team whose jerseys are red in color.  I think that any other color would have worked nicely too.  Got to love versatility!  A quick distressing of the edge with the Cutter Kit and done!

     Not much to say about this card.  Only that it is extremely fun and makes me smile :)  I hope you’ve been inspired…extremely!

Hugs,

Leslee

All current Stampin’ Up! supplies may be purchased here.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Extreme Birthday

100_3142

 

     This month seems to be the month of never ending birthdays.  Along with that comes the never ending line up of birthday parties.  Yesterday was no exception…I took Adam to one party while Don took Jesse to a combined party for two of the cousins.  Of course, with as busy as I’ve been all week, I waited until the morning of to make three cards.  I quickly reached for my go-to set, Extreme Elements.  I LOVE this set.  It’s so quick and easy and can be used in a variety of ways.  For this card, I used some scraps that were tossed about on my desk.  The sentiment is from the Hostess Level 1 set, Afterthoughts.  These colors, Pacific Point and Cherry Cobbler, are so bold together.  A really nice looking combination for a young man. 

     This card came together very quickly.  Thank heavens for that!  And thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you’ve been extremely inspired :)

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Scalloped Circle Card w/ Envelope

100_3084 I don’t make odd sized cards too often.  Simply because I don’t have envelopes to fit or they won’t mail or require additional postage.  In this case, we weren’t going to mail the card so I decided to try my hand at creating my own envelope to fit the smaller size of the Scalloped Circle die.   

100_3059     I began with a standard medium sized envelope that Stampin’ Up! carries.  I adhered the flap to the back and cut off the end just so it covers the scalloped circle card.  Then, I used a piece of DSP (the retired SAB Ice Cream Parlor was used for this envelope) to create a new flap.  I punched a Scallop Edge and secured the paper to the inside of the envelope.  I punched a 2-3/8” Scallop Circle in the envelope so that you can get the card in and out easily.  100_3077

     I decorated my envelope to coordinate with my card using the Hostess Level 1 Birthday Bakery set.  I used several markers and a Blender Pen to color in the image on the card and left the image on the 100_3078envelope with no color.  There is plenty of color on the DSP.

     The inside of the card is simply a strip of cardstock designed as a pocket to tuck a gift card into.  The sentiment is from Bring On The Cake.   

     I love how this card and envelope turned out!  The bright colors just make me happy!  I hope you’ve been inspired to do something that makes you happy today.  Thanks for stopping by.

100_3091

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here…except for the retired SAB DSP :)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Surf’s Up!

     I’ve had this awesome stamp, Extreme Surfboard, for several months now.  I finally got to ink it up!  I had a young man’s birthday card to make.  Perfect set to use!  And talk about quick…less than 10 minutes!

100_3017

     I began with a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  Brayered Bashful Blue onto the top, on a diagonal, to create the beautiful blue sky.  It took a few times to achieve the color I wanted.  Someone once told me that if you think it is dark enough, brayer it two more times.  She said that Classic ink will dry two shades lighter.  That’s what I heard, so that’s what I do.  How true?  I don’t know but I’m not going to waste my time to find out :)  The bottom corner, opposite the sky, uses Baja Breeze done in the same way.  Just keep adding until you like it and add two more.  Yes, I re-ink the brayer as often as I need to. 

100_3019     I stamped the surfer in Marina Mist.  That’s right…I wanted the blue of the water to show.  I then used a Basic Black marker to color in the silhouette of the surfer.  I used my White Gel Pen to add some white to the “sea spray” on the wave.

     The rest of the card is easy-peasy.  The Extreme Elements set makes the perfect back drop for this extreme surfer.  I created a piece of patterned paper with the one element on the Not Quite Navy cardstock.  The main image was layered onto a Baja Breeze mat.  Some Linen Thread was wound around the image panel and I adhered it to the base with Dimensionals

     I had so much fun with this card.  I really love the technique and will certainly be doing more of it.  I see other cards with this 'dude’ on it! :)  Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope that you’ve been inspired to get EXTREME

     By the way, do you brayer?  Or is it bray?  What is the proper term? 

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Thanks…

for our fabulous teachers and staff!

100_3023

     It was a very last minute idea but, as co-room mother for my youngest son’s classroom, we felt that a little something from all the children would be a nice gesture to give to the teacher during Teacher Appreciation Week.  While the other mom picked up a small potted plant, I made a quick card and had all the kids sign it during lunch.  BIG MISTAKE!!  Having them sign during lunch, that is.  The first girl to sign the card knocked over her cherry sno-cone which spilled straight across the entire inside of the card.  LOL!  You just have to laugh out loud sometimes :D  We blotted it dry and continued on.  By the time it was all signed, there were greasy chicken nugget finger prints, ketchup stains and some blob of I-don’t-want-to-know-what-THAT-is all over it!  LOL!  You just HAVE to laugh out loud!  But the kids are great!  And they were thrilled to watch their teacher receive her card and gift. 

     This card is a little bigger than a normal A2 sized card.  I had a larger, pretty green envelope that I wanted to100_3027 use, so the card was designed to fit the envelope.  The flowers are from a favorite set, Inspired By Nature.  I colored directly on the stamp using Melon Mambo, Early Espresso and Old Olive markers.  The bees are from the Every Little Bit set.  Cute set!  I just colored them in with So Saffron marker.  The sentiment is from the Level 1 Hostess set, Afterthoughts.  After I stamped the image on the front, I stamped the inside corner without reinking.  This is called generation stamping or stamping off.  I placed the quote, found in Plant Hope, on top of that.  The quote just seemed to fit in with teacher appreciation.

     The teacher loved her card and gift.  I’m sure she could tell the card was signed during lunch.  One of the other moms said that the pink sno-cone stains looked as if I could have put them there on purpose.  But that big blob of I-don’t-want-to-know-what-THAT-is…well…sometimes you just have to laugh out loud!  LOL!

     Thanks for laughing with me today!  I love that I can share these moments with you.  As I’m sure we all have them :)

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Flower Garden Boxes

               Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week.  I definitely wanted to do a little something for the boys’ teachers.  This was what they received.

100_3055

100_3036      It is a simple 2-4-6-8 box.  Start with a sheet of 8.5” x 11” cardstock.  Score lengthwise at 2”, 4”, 6” and 8”.  That leaves 1/2” for the flap.  Score across the bottom at 2”, cut up to this line along the original 2, 4, 6, 8” score marks.  You have now created the bottom flaps.  Cut your box down to the length you desire.  Mine was cut to be a 5” tall box.  I scalloped the top edge with various edge punches (Scallop Edge, Eyelet Border & Scallop Trim Border).  I ran my box through the Big Shot using the new Flower Garden Textured Impressions Folder 100_3038found in the Summer Mini Catalog.  I then inked the raised embossing with Whisper White Craft ink and the flat rubber stamp in the Distressing Essentials Kit.  Finally, I built and adhered my box together.  I finished them off with some simple thank you tags and stuffed them with a tube of hand cream and some tissue paper.  Done!  Ready to send to school with the boys.  Of course, I had to do one in just about every Bold Bright color available…including a retired Bold Bright – Green Galore (a personal fav). 

100_3058

100_3050

     I wanted to play with my new Tangerine Tango Embossing Powder too.  So, I made a white box and used VersaMark on the raised embossing.  Then I applied the Tango powder and heat it with the Heat Tool.  Very Cool!  Because it was so different from the other boxes I made, I gave this one to the school principal.  She’s awesome and deserves something nice too :)

     Thanks for stopping in today.  I hope you’ve been inspired to let someone you know how much you appreciate all they do.

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here.

 

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Beautiful Wings Bookmark




As you can see, this lovely little bookmark is so easy to put together. I literally used leftover pieces to make this. I may just go through my ribbon scraps and do a bunch of these.


100_3003 The butterflies are die cuts from the Beautiful Wings Embosslits die cranked through the Big Shot. There is a total of four butterflies on the ribbon…each with a white brad body. The first side, I put the brads through the ribbon and fastened them down. The flip side, I adhered the butterflies to the backside with a Mini Glue Dot (or two). The Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon is long enough that the butterflies hang outside our Stampin’ Up! Idea Book & Catalog perfectly! Of course, you can make them any length :)


Let me just tell you, I made this super quick and gave it to a customer with her catalog. She absolutely LOVED it! Something so easy, so simple…it just made her day. See…it IS the little things that mean the most :) Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping in.


Hugs,


Leslee


All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Mother’s Day with Cherry Cobbler

…YUMMY!  Sure wish I had some.  Working with this yummy color sure has put me in the mood for some… I digress!

100_3009

100_3007       This is a super quick and easy card.  I’ve used this layout many, many times before.  The image from Just Believe is offset to allow for ANY sentiment, for ANY occasion.  You could stamp out a bunch of these in no time and leave the sentiment off until you need something specific.  For these, I’ve used the “Happy Mother’s Day” sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set and the All Holidays set.  I stamped the image in Pear Pizzazz and used the Melon Mambo marker to color in just the flowers.  As you can see, the flowers 100_3005are not true Melon Mambo in color.  This will happen to any color marker you use and apply over top another color.  It closely resembles the yummy Cherry Cobbler, so that is the color I used to layer the image panel onto.  A Whisper White layer that I had run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder was adhered to the Whisper White card base.  This makes a nice ‘frame’ for your image panel.  Cute card and I’m really loving this set!  Can you tell?

     I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day celebration!  Mine was super!  Thanks for stopping by today. 

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here

Friday, May 6, 2011

More Baby Things

100_2944

     I’m just using up more scraps and pieces that I have on my desk.  These are leftovers from the Baby Shower project I did earlier in the year.  The elements from the Baby Bundle set are stamped in Pretty In Pink along the edge of a Whisper White card base.  A piece of Pretty In Pink card stock was added to the left side.  The ribbon is Certainly Celery from 2010 Sale-A-Bration Ribbon bundle.  No, we can’t get that anymore.  The sentiment is punched using the Large Oval and Scalloped Oval punches.  It’s a simple yet very cute card!

     That’s it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Leslee

Supplies can be purchased here.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Just for You

100_2931

     Here is a super simple card to throw together in a pinch.  I used up some of the scraps I have had in my scrap box.  I so love when I can do that.  I wanted to use the floral stamp from the Just Believe stamp set in a very masculine way.  I stamped the floral in Pear Pizzazz and then colored the flowers over with Baja Breeze marker.  Because it is directly on top the Pear Pizzazz, it isn’t a true Baja Breeze color.  Same goes for any color you may happen to use.  It is kind of fun to see just what it will turn out to look like.  The sentiment is from the Hostess Level 1 set – Afterthoughts.  The image panel is layered onto Night of Navy and then Crumb Cake.  I ran a piece of Whisper White through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Embossing Folder and adhered it to a Whisper White card base.  The three Navy brads anchor the upper corner very nicely. 

     The month of May and into June, I will be featuring masculine cards during my workshops.  Check back on my blog often as I will post these cards up for you to see.  If you would like to book your own workshop, contact me and we will find a date that works for you. :) 

     Isn’t it amazing how colors can effect the over-all feel of a card?  I hope you’ve been inspired to create a masculine card for a special male in your life.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Baja Breeze Bundle of Love

    I recently attended a baby shower for my husband’s cousin’s son, Tyler.  This handsome young man made his appearance much earlier than expected and spent several months in the hospital.  He is home now and doing very well. 

     Here is a look at the card and mini photo album that I made for the shower. 

100_2880  

100_2872     The colors I used were Baja Breeze and Whisper White.  The stamp set is Baby Bundle.  Such a lovely color combo for a baby boy!  I brayered on some Baja Breeze to the Square100_2873 Lattice Textured Embossing Folder and ran it through the Big Shot with a piece of Whisper White card stock.  It leaves the Baja ink smooshed into the crevices of the embossing.  Neat effect (thanks Paula)!  The Whisper White grosgrain ribbon is simply wrapped and tied and a Vintage Trinket safety pin added for fun! 

     The mini album was pretty easy to make.  I used the Top Note die and the Big Shot using the OnBoard sheets.  I then ran it through using some 100_2878old retired Baja Breeze DSP from the Patterns package.  I adhered it to the OnBoard die cut using an Anywhere Glue Stick.  It works beautifully.  Adhesive Tip:  Apply the glue stick to the OnBoard piece.  If you apply it to the DSP, you run the risk of the paper tearing when you are smoothing it onto the OnBoard piece.  Don’t ask me how I know…just trust me on this one :)  It is held closed with a length of retired Baja Breeze Satin ribbon.  The sentiment is punched with the Decorative Label Punch.  The inside is simply a piece of Basic Black that I punched the long edges using the Spiral Punch.  It is scored accordion style.  You could add more spaces to yours but I wanted to keep it small and simple as I didn’t have too many photos to choose from.

 

100_2874

     Isn’t he a doll?  Such a cutie!!  And so very tiny!!  Only 1 lb. 15 oz. at birth.  He is growing quickly and up to around 7 pounds or so now.  Babies are such a blessing!  Congratulations to Gary and Mandy!  Enjoy your little bundle of love!

     Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you’ve been inspired by something you’ve seen today!

Hugs,

Leslee

All supplies are Stampin’ Up! and can be purchased here unless noted as retired.

Forgive me for the photos.  I just can’t seem to get some colors to photograph nicely.  Baja Breeze is one of those colors :(