A Passion for Stamps

SYMPATHY card....

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I know I haven't posted in over a week...I had no choice but to take time-out to work on tax preparation!

I decided to make a different sympathy card for a swap I had joined, than the one I had originally posted about (a smaller version of the recent inspirational card I made using the Light Unto My Path stamp set).

Sympathy cards are the one type of card that is best to have on-hand, so when you need one, you don't have to worry about being creative on short notice....creativity doesn't come easy at such times, for me, so I decided I need to spend some time making more of them.

I wanted to keep the stamping simple, and I just got a new Stampin' Up! set called BEST KIND OF FRIEND. This 7 piece stamp set is just adorable! I used the larger grouping of flowers to make this sympathy card:

                                                   

The color of this photo isn't coming up quite accurate-it's more teal than blue, but if you are familiar with Stampin' Up!'s IN COLORS Soft Sky and Blue Bayou, you will know the difference.

This card is not difficult to make, but it if you have to make a bunch at one time, it rates as moderate on the time scale. (the bow-making can slow you down if this is something you  struggle with).

I chose the striped Soft Sky Designer Series Paper and the Blue Bayou Double-stitched Ribbon complements the striped pattern nicely.

First I used a bit of SNAIL adhesive to attach
a straight piece of ribbon vertically along the left side of the D.S. paper. I cut it longer than the paper and wrapped the ends behind the paper. Then I made a bow with another piece of ribbon and attached this to the center of the ribbon with a mini glue dot.

Next, I used the Crop-o-Dile to attach the white eyelets. This tool makes eyelet setting a breeze to do, plus it's QUIET! The Crop-o-Dile also works great on ribbon, as well as paper!

The reason I attached the ribbon first, was to have a better idea of the placement of the stamped flowers and image. I stamped the flowers once, then stamped again BEFORE re-inking to give the impression of more depth. Since this is basically a monochromatic card
(variations of one color for entire card), I used Blue Bayou ink and paper, and Soft Sky papers, which coordinate. The saying stands out more when stamped with black ink. Part of the saying is stamped on the front of the card, the rest of the saying is stamped on the inside! This is one way of using a saying stamp in a different way if you don't have an appropriate saying such as "With Sympathy".

The words come from a 4-line stamp in the God's Blessing set. I used the "omitting technique". To do this technique, select the words you want from a larger saying. Color only these words with the brush tip of a black Stampin' Write marker held sideways. Stamp. Using the Stampin' Mist cleaner & Stampin' Scrub pad, thoroughly clean the ink from the stamp, then color the next set of words with the marker. If you get interrupted during this process, you don't have to color words all over again-simply breathe on the stamp to moisten the ink, then you'll be able to get a nice inked image. For a full strength inked image, you will have to repeat the coloring process each time you want to stamp the image.

Here are the Stampin' Up! supplies I used to make this card:

Stamps: Best Kind of Friend, God's Blessings

Cardstock: Soft Sky and Blue Bayou IN COLORS, Soft Sky D.S. paper

Ink Pads: Blue Bayou

Accessories: Crop-O-Dile, White Eyelets, Blue Bayou Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Mini Glue Dots, SNAIL Adhesive

HOST A WORKSHOP-UNTIL April 30, earn an EXTRA $25 in product!
If you have never stamped before and would like to learn more about it, consider hosting a workshop-where you will earn hostess benefits which include free stamps and products and hostess-only sets, while I teach you and your friends the decorative art of rubber stamping! It's a fun night for you and your friends! To learn more about being a hostess, visit my Stampin' Up! website.
 

To learn various stamping techniques, I sometimes host Technique Classes at my in-home stamp studio in Sussex County, NJ. To learn more about classes and events I offer, sign-up and join my mailing list (see link on upper left sidebar under my photo), or visit my calendar on my Stampin' Up! website.

To view the products used in this card, check out the on-line Stampin' Up! Spring-Summer Collection 2008 or the Occasions Mini Collection catalogs.

Baroq Motifs and our 34th Anniversary...

Today, April 7th is our 34th wedding anniversary! I created this card months ago, with this anniversary in mind...I love the Baroq Motifs stamp set and will really miss Soft Sky and Blue Bayou IN COLORS used in this card, after the Spring/Summer 2008 Collection ends.

My husband Tom, loves to eat out, and being part Irish, he has been anxious to try the new restaurant that opened right down the street recently, called The Irish Cottage, in Franklin NJ so I thought we just might end up at this place to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary (Wow! seeing it in writing really makes it come to life-can't believe it has been that long already!)

We don't go out to eat often...so before I tell you about what we did tonight, I have a funny story this reminds me of. Maybe about a month ago, my daughter (15), husband and I decided on a nice Sunday afternoon we wanted to go out to dinner. Our son was "on duty" as he is a volunteer for the local Hardyston Township EMS Squad, so he was not included in the "vote". We were trying to decide where we wanted to go, and my daughter and I were naming places like Red Lobster, Outback, Applebee's etc. and my husband wanted to go to the newest restaurant that recently opened in Franklin, since he hasn't been there yet...The Irish Cottage.  However, that was "old hat" to us-we had already been there several times...so to settle the dispute, I suggested we put all the names in a basket and Tom could pick one-we all agreed we would go with the restaurant chosen.

My daughter (15) started writing the names of restaurants mentioned on pieces of paper...Applebee's, Red Lobster, Outback, then kept going...Outback, Outback, Outback and looking at me for approval, she started crumbling up anything but Outback! Normally, I would have said oh no-that's not fair...but I got in the spirit of my daughter's harmless joke and gave in. Sometimes, families just gotta have fun... my husband usually picks the restaurant (and he always expects us to agree with him) so my daughter thought of this fun idea to get him back!  We let him "pick" the restaurant and bet you can't guess what he picked? OUTBACK...what a surprise! ha ha!  I agreed not to say anything until AFTER we ate, so after our meal, my daughter innocently said to her father-"so Dad, did you enjoy your meal?" To which he responded "yes, it was very good". Then she looked at me for that "is it ok to tell him now, Mom?" signal, and I nodded yes, with a smile.

Well-I wish I had my camera so I could have taken a picture of the look on my husband's face when my daughter told him how he had been "swindled"! Thank goodness he has a good sense of humor- he just laughed and shook his head while saying "I can't believe it-outwitted by the women!"

Ok...on to the card- (sorry for the poor picture quality-had to increase the color so it would show up better) You really can't see the glitter, which is what makes this card so pretty:

Supplies:

Stamp sets: Baroque Motifs, Hugs and Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, IN Colors: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou
Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Versamark
Accessories: ice Circle Brad, 1/8" Circle Punch, Lt Blue Narrow Organdy Ribbon, Dimensionals, Two-Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Crafters Tool Kit, Heat & Stick Powder, Heat Gun, Iridescent Ice EP, 1/4" Circle Punch, Mini glue dots

My husband came home with flowers today and a "hand bought" card which was really lovely (after 18 years of getting hand-stamped cards from me, I still can't get him to make his own!) He announced "We are were going out for dinner!" WOOHOO! I've been cooped up for days, working on dull income tax preparation...so this was MUSIC to my ears!

He said we were going to "The Irish Cottage" down the street... :)
and I didn't dare dispute this choice... :)

So off we went...and we had a lovely meal and a great time. Wouldn't you know, that we met a family we knew...seated at the table next to us-and after they left, our waitress came over and said that nice couple had bought us drinks in honor of our anniversary! by buying us drinks! THANK YOU Jimmy & Laurie...

But the surprises didn't end there...upon arriving home, we caught  our daughter Kelley in the kitchen lighting candles on our "surprise" Anniversary Cake she had made AND DECORATED while we were out! What a sweet kid...we are so proud of her! She is an artist, and it has overflowed into cake decorating-it's not the best picture, but you can still see the fine details of the intricate flowers she made:




















and here is the artist:not smiling-ok..we did come home earlier than she expected us and she wasn't quite ready:

And here we are-her proud, but tired parents:

DEFINITELY NOT the best pictures of any of us...but it's late and everyone needs to get some sleep!  All in all it was a really nice evening...

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES-ON A CARD?

One thing I love about getting together with stamping friends, is we always share our thoughts and ideas...and sometimes someone comes up with a great spin-off of an idea already expressed! This is what happened when I attended myStampin' Up!  upline Tina's meeting in March.

We agreed ahead of time on a theme for a "swap". The March swap theme was anything from the Occasions Mini Collection..so I selected the Tart and Tangy set! I decided to use Crystal Effects over the strawberry, and this is the card I came up with:












It's hard to tell from this photo that I brushed Crystal Effects over the strawberry...but, nevertheless, Kathryn Roberts, one of my stamping friends said it would be cool to make it chocolate-dipped! Well, we got excited at that and then I added,-or white chocolate!  She liked that idea, too!  I couldn't wait to get home and try it!

I had some technical difficulties with my card getting "stuck" in my camera...so  until I  solved that problem, I couldn't post this idea here...

But-I ended up trying both techniques! I have to say I love them both! Here, is a photo of the same card I originally made, but this time I made Milk-Chocolate Dipped strawberries:



How did I do this? It's really quite simple; I mixed several drops of Stampin' Up's Crystal Effects with one drop of Chocolate Chip Ink Refill...then painted it onto the bottom of the stamped strawberry!  Then let it dry...and voila! Cool, isn't it?

Well, after mastering this, I had to try the White-chocolate dipped Strawberries...so here is what this technique looks like:

So-what do you think?

I LOVE it! It's so much fun to play around with products and make such simple little changes, but get a totally new look!

This was done again, by mixing Crystal Effects, White Craft Ink refill, and just a touch of Creamy Caramel ink refill. I simply painted it on  the bottom of the strawberry, over the Crystal Effects, after it dried.

So- there you have it-3 different looks, from one card idea! What do you think? Do you like these ideas? Please let me know by taking a moment to make a comment...

To receive more specific information about products used to make these cards, plus more stamping tips and ideas like this each month, consider subscribing to my Newsletter, via RSS feed each day or sign up to receive updates in your inbox via Feedblitz, if you prefer. (see sidebar for these options)

I'd LOVE to see your creations using this idea! Please leave me your comments or e-mail me  them to me-or if you post them to your site, I'd love to see them! Please track-back to this site if you post your creations using this idea!

A Light Unto My Path Inspirational Card

Here is the second card that our Lenten Prayer Groups sent out. This one went to a close friend of mine in Vernon, NJ who has been dealing with complications for several months, from medications she takes for Rheumatoid Arthritis. She hasn't been able to come to church or sing in the choir since November, so we wanted her to know we are thinking of her. I'm not sure who the recipient was from the other prayer group...

I LOVE anything Nautical and beachy or tropical-so much so, that it's also the theme I chose for my Stampin' Up! group of demonstrators in my downline called the S.O.S. Team (S.aving O.verwhelmed S.tampers). 

To me, the lighthouse is a symbol of watchfulness, protectiveness, looking after, a guiding light...a reminder that I am here, to my stamping friends, when they need me, so I use symbols like this with my team. I wanted the recipient of this card to feel that he/she is being watched over and looked after by God, and remembered by those of us who are thinking of him/her during this time of affliction-whenever he/she looks at the card.

ABOUT THE CARD...
The set I used is new to the Stampin' Up! Spring/Summer 2008 Collection and is called
A Light Unto My Path.

There are only 2 stamps in the set: a lighthouse, and a sentiment which reads "Thy WORD is a LAMP unto my FEET, and a LIGHT unto my PATH. -NB. I embossed this saying.

I also used the "Thinking of You" saying from the set Sincere Salutations and stamped it in Blue Bayou for this card, but this card can easily be converted into many other themes: birthday, Sympathy, etc.

Unfortunately, I am in need of a sympathy card right now so I will be using this card again for that purpose. I also have a Sympathy Swap I've signed up for and this card will be perfect! I will scale it down in size for the swap, to a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4, so I will have to change it a bit, but this card works as either a masculine or feminine card.

I really like the new Afternoon Tea Designer Series Papers which is available in our new Occasions Mini Collection 2008... have you seen all the cool STAMPS, PAPERS, and ACCESSORIES in this mini catalog yet? Check it out, because this mini catalog is only good thru May 2008! To order from our main catalog or the mini catalog, please e-mail me. 

created by Debbie Van Gieson

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: A Light Unto My Path, Sincere Salutations
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Kraft
Ink: Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip CRAFT, Basic Brown
Accessories: Sponge, Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware, Choc. Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, 1/16" Circle Punch, Clear EP, Heat Tool

I want to do more with this set...after my taxes are done, I'll be able to "play" with this set and do some more stamping and creating again! I have another card to share that I made for a swap this month for two meetings-one I attended at my upline's, and our own team meeting. I'll be back soon with that one-you will love it! Here's a hint: it has to do with strawberries.....yum! Can you guess which set I will be using?

Passionstamper