Work Birthday

My co-worker Meredith turned 22 yesterday, so I made this card. Birthdays are fun at work, we always get cake. I can't help but think about that scene in Office Space where Melvin(?) doesn't get to have a piece.

I've totally gotten my money's worth out of the Animal Crackers set. Who could hate it -- it's cute animals and puns! I used a few of these stick on pearls which I think are adorable... to the point that I sometimes hoard it, but I have been getting better about using things up. As long as I take a picture, I think I can part with some of these things now. I hope kraft colored paper doesn't go out of style anytime soon, it's so great to use!

For this card I used:

Card stock - Kraft (base), So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Tea Time DSP and white

Stamp - Animal Crackers (SU!)

Halloween Treats

Happy Halloween!

While I'm not super nutty about this holiday, I do love any reason to celebrate and make fun things. For work I made these cute little treat boxes. I learned it at Stamp Club last week with and you can see the instructions here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/trianglebox/

At Stamp Club we made a Christmas one, so I adapted it and made my Halloween ones. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. First I cut and scored my paper. Then I ran it through the Cuttlebug and tied it off with orange ribbon.

Next I stamped this small spider image and mounted it on a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock (how appropriate!) I even put a bit of Crystal Effects on the spider part, for added cuteness.

Scored and folded it to make it a mini card on the outside of the box.

Then I stamped the outside with "Eek! You're Sweet"

It was fun making them (I made 16 in all). It's been awhile since I've made something that wasn't mostly pre-designed so I'm happy with the final product.

For this box I used:

Card stock - Black, Pumpkin Pie and White

Stamps - Random Spider (I'm guessing just a Hobby Lobby one, I got it as a bonus with an eBay auction I won) and Sweet Centers (SU!)

Sympathy Card

I made a sympathy card for a dear friend of mine. Unfortunately his grandfather passed away. But I told him that it sounded like his grandfather lived a long, full life and that he should be happy that he got to see him recently. I know that doesn't always make it easier to deal with, but I hope it brings even just a little comfort that his granddad was happy in life.

I always find sympathy cards difficult for many reasons. I never know if it's appropriate to even make anything that serves as a reminder, but at the same time I feel if properly expressed I would hope that there is a larger message to be understood... that even during a difficult time people want to be there to listen and to help with healing.

Death is a difficult thing though. I have known people who have died, but no one who has been extremely close to me. I am sure it would be absolutely devastating though if it were to happen. And I guess the sadder part is not so much the if it happens... but the when it happens. My father has always been preoccupied with death, I think it was largely in part due to him fighting in the Vietnam war. He's been saying for the last 20 years that he doesn't think he'll live much longer, but as I get older the words become scarier and scarier.

Making the card for my friend really forced me to be a bit more reflective about what is going on around me. Things like would I know what to do if something happened to the people I care about most, or even if I were to go, did I feel that I did my best? I find that the more you count your blessings, the more blessed you'll realize you are. So with this uber comtemplative mood I've been in, I have been choosing to make more thank you cards. I urge you today or any ol' day, to let people know they mean alot to you.


For this card I used:
Card stock - Kraft (base), Bermuda Bay, White
Stamps - Thoughts & Prayers (SU!)

Gothy Goodness Swap

It's been awhile since I did one, but I joined a swap many months ago with a gothic theme. It was due on my birthday (09-09-09! And by the way I turned 27 and 2+7=9... crazy o_O)

So anyway the theme revolved around goth girls. It's basis requires a little bit of the pop subculture of Japan, but there is a style called "Goth-Lolli" (a combination of Gothic Lolita) where girls dress up in these really decadent porcelain doll kind of outfits (I guess Victorian?) and it adds other gothic elements to it (dark colors, dramatic eye makeup, etc.)

Well I decided that based on alot of the imagery I've found of this Lolita

fashion, that I had to do a card with butterflies and lace.

So I started with a piece of photo paper and used Melon Mambo with my brayer.

Then I stamped this image onto it using Jet Black StazOn. The stamp was from a set called Friendship, but I don't know what company it's from. Isn't she pretty?


I then used a white paint pen to color in the whites of her eyes and adhered it to a piece of black cardstock.


Then I put it on the gray base cardstock and silver embossed a butterfly (from the same stamp set) on top of the ribbon.

I kind of like how it turned out, though I don't really know what it could be used for. Thinking of you? Or maybe some kind of dark valentine sentiment?

Speaking of sentiments -- I found a great book in the bargain section at Borders. It's called Finding the Right Words by J. Beverly Daniel. It's got phrases to personalize your greeting cards. While I am a big proponent of say what you want however you want to, it's certainly not bad to have a little help sometimes when you're just stumped.

Graduation Card

I made this card for one of my best friends. She is graduating from her Physical Therapist Assistant program, so we are all super happy for her. (Congratulations Nicole!) I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but there is a cute little stamped image of a graduation hat. I can't get over kraft paper, I have trouble picturing cards on any other base! But I especially love the color combination here. I also used a new embossing powder, it's supposed to have a distressed look. I kind of like it, but I don't know that I will use it very often. Anyway, the ceremony is tomorrow so hopefully she likes it. :)

For this card I used:

Card stock - Kraft (base), Baha Breeze, Walk in the Park DSP and White

Stamp - Say it With Scallops (SU!)

More Belated Birthday Fun

So it just seems like I'm always behind with birthday wishes, but that's not quite the case! A little thing called 'Life' gets in the way and sometimes all parties involved just get so busy. So our friend asked for a delayed celebration of his birthday, so we celebrated yesterday. I'm really liking the Animal Crackers set, I've used it plenty of times since I've had it. So with that, happy belated birthday, Ahmed!

For this card I used:

Card stock - Kraft (base), Walk in the Park DSP (SU!), Sweets Print Pack (from JoAnn's Fabrics) and white

Stamp - Animal Crackers (SU!), Bitty Birthday (SU!)

Birthday Fun

My friend turned 30 in May, but we've both been so busy that I didn't get to give my card to him until recently. I think it came out pretty cute. This entire stamp set was so cute, so I am glad I got to play with it finally. So -- happy belated birthday, Cody!

For this card I used:

Card Stock - Basic Grey (base), Going Grey, Pacific Point and White

Stamps - Bitty Birthday (SU!) and Animal Crackers (SU!)

It's been super busy at work (in a good way!) so I haven't had as much time to stamp, but I plan on cracking down pretty soon and getting more blog posts up. I mean, it's not like my Christmas cards are going to make themselves!

Niece's Orchestra Performance

I just got back from my 13 year old niece's performance today. She got to participate in an intensive orchestra camp this week and today we got to see the results of all her hard work - all the kids did great! :)

I don't have kids of my own, but I'm quite happy being a fun aunt, and I am definitely very proud of her -- so I made her a card.

Another reason to get a new camera (the colors actually look way more washed out than they actually were.)

For this card I used:

Card stock - Kraft (base), Not Quite Navy, random paper from Hobby Lobby and White

Stamp - SU! Animal Crackers
Inks - Basic Black, Tango Tangerine, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip

Gift box and card combo

Today is my best friend's birthday (Happy Birthday Nicole!)
I got her a really cute, sparkly headband and I needed a box for it, so I decided to make a mini-pizza box for it. I based it off of a template I found on SplitcoastStampers, but I had to adapt it in order to fit the headband.


For this box I used:
Card stock - Kraft (base), Real Red, Black and White
Stamps - SU! Yummy, SU! Pocket Silhouettes and SU! Flowers in Silhouette

Anniversary Commission

One of my bosses is celebrating his one year anniversary with his wife this weekend, so he asked me for a card.

These were the two I came up with for him to choose from:


I'm surprised at how much Cameo Coral struck me. At first it reminded me of Groovy Guava which I hated, but paired with River Rock it is kind of nice. I also embossed the sentiment to give it extra oomph.

For this card I used:
Card stock - Kraft (base), River Rock, Cameo Coral, Ginger Blossoms DSP and White
Stamps - SU! Flowers in Silhouette, SU! Pocket Silhouettes and random sentiment from Hobby Lobby
Other - River Rock ribbon

This is the one he decided on:

For this card I used:
Cardstock - Pretty in Pink (base) and white
Stamp - SU! Short and Sweet
Other - $1 bin ribbon, Hodge Podge hardware

This is probably my favorite folder for the Cuttlebug. I'm glad I got it - it's so pretty! I can't wait, I am saving up for the Sizzix Big Shot with all the money I make from my cards. (That's the deal, since we are socking away money for our house. So I've been really good and haven't splurged on alot.)

So congratulations to David and Becky for their one year wedding anniversary!

Mother's Day Cards

I hope everyone was able to thank that special mother, mother-in-law, stepmother, godmother and/or person who is like a mother to you. :)
My mother came here from Vietnam in the 60's as a refugee during the war. She and my father worked anywhere that would take them, and at night they would take classes to learn English. They worked very hard, and were able to eventually get great jobs working for AMD (not sure if everyone is familiar, but AMD makes computer chips and processors and other technological things like that). They were able to put a nice roof over our heads, as well as get 3 kids through college and trade schools. This is the absolute American Dream, and I know it was still a difficult road full of many sacrifices. So for that I am so grateful to such an amazing woman. (And my father, too - we'll revisit that closer to Father's Day hehe)

I made a few Mother's Day cards, mainly just 2 styles and then slight variations to them to give away and to sell (different colors, etc)

For this card I used:
Cardstock - Kraft (base), Certainly Celery and White
Stamps - Pocket Silhouettes (SU!) and a random sentiment one I got at Hobby Lobby
Inks - So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink

For this card I used:
Cardstock - Kraft (base), Almost Amethyst, Tea Time DSP and Very Vanilla
Stamps - Flowers in Silhouette (SU!) and a random sentiment one I got at Hobby Lobby
Inks - Almost Amethyst

More Survey Panel Goodies

Hello everyone ~

It's been busy, busy, busy -- but there's no better way to reconnect with my favorite hobby than getting free stuff! So I have continually done my surveys for the Stampin' Up! Survey Panel and they sent me another goodie box. I really wasn't expecting it at all, so it was very nice.


Here's what all they sent:
Stamps - Pretty Petals
Paper - Tea Time (it coordinates with the stamps!)
Ribbon - So Saffron Grosgrain
Markers - Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Almost Amethyst

Do you wonder why this is my favorite crafty company? Haha :D

Will be posting some of my creations, just in time for Mother's Day.

More Birthday Commissions

My supervisor needed a birthday card for her mom, so I made a couple of different styles.
Her mom likes the color blue, flowers and is a quilter so here I made these two:


For this card I used:
Card Stock - Chocolate Chip (base), [I will fill this name in later, I can't remember!] DSP, Baja Breeze and White
Stamps - SU! Botanical Blooms

This one is the one she ended up deciding on, which I like, too. I chose the saying because she got her mom a gift card, so I thought she could slide it in there.


For this card I used:
Card Stock - Kraft (base), tons of DSP [will input names later]
Stamps - SU! Yummy

SU! Survey Results

So...
I had mentioned in a previous post that I joined the SU! Survey Panel and that after three months of answering surveys they give you a gift - well lookie what came in the mail!


I received a Certainly Celery ink pad, Eastern Elegance rub-ons, and Eastern Blooms stamp set. Even though I already had the ink and the stamp set, I thought it was really cool that they sent it. (Don't tell them, but I probably would've done the survey panel without any promise of compensation anyway, hehe!) But it's nice when a company cares about giving the best possible product to consumers as they can, and for that I appreciate SU! even more so. While I still buy products from plenty of other companies, I personally like the quality of the products I've received so far. I've even been at the point of considering being a Demonstrator myself (if even for the discount alone!) and certainly wouldn't rule it out for sometime in the future. For now though, I just want to learn more and get better and better before I decide on something like that. I'd definitely want to give it my all. :)

Mini Valentine Cards

I made a couple of mini cards to help Nicole out with her fundraiser. They came out pretty cute and as a result, one of my coworkers wants to buy 10 of them, so yay! The craft paper has been pretty popular lately, so I wanted to play around with it. I really like it!


For these cards I used:
Card Stock - Kraft (base), Pirouette Pink, Candy Lane DSP and White
Stamps - Priceless (left) and Happy Heart Day (Right)

For the right card I used:
Card Stock - Kraft (base), Pirouette Pink, Candy Lane DSP and White
Stamps - SU! Love You Much, SU! Together Forever

Crafty commissions

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of my bosses needs a birthday card and Valentine's card for his wife, so here are a couple of little things I cooked up. I think they are cute, and hopefully they aren't too "simple". Although in some cases "simple" is a much better way to go, I still haven't determined when to say when - I imagine it will come to me as I make more cards and get better. It was fun making these cards, and I will probably make a few more to see if anyone else wants to get in the Valentine's spirit.

For this card I used:
Card Stock - Kraft, Candy Lane DSP, Red Riding Hood and White
Stamps - SU! Love You Much, SU! Short & Sweet

For this card I used:
Card Stock - Baja Breeze (base), Prints Pack DSP (retired, SU!), Indulgent DSP (retired, Sassafras) and White
Stamp - SU! For a Friend

More Bounty

Here are more pictures from my first visit to Felicia's Scrapbooks. I walked away with a ton of papers that I will be using very soon. One of my bosses asked for a Valentine's Day card and a birthday card for his wife, so yay! I like making cards for fun, but I also like the commissioning aspect for it as well. It's kind of like a game - I try and learn everything about the person the card is being made for, and try to create something that they would really like. I like seeing people's faces when they answer my questions, because they usually laugh quietly to themselves about something quirky and endearing about the person they love and seem happy. Well, that's been the theme so far, at least! heehee

It's been such a motivator to have a real workspace for crafting, I have to say. Everything is organized and accessible, but it's ok if I leave things out if I haven't quite finished. Maybe I will see about posting pics of that room soon, too. But first --! These papers are so cute and from a company called Imaginisce. I think they are from a series called Twitterpated.

This one is Hey Foxy, and the animals and trees are actually glossy.

This one is called Critter Chatter
And here is another one from Sassafras Lass called Indulgent (I think this is retired (or retiring)

Treasure Hunter

So today, I made out like a bandit! For Christmas I had received a gift certificate to Felicia's Scrapbooks and I finally had some time today after my errands to stop by, and I am so glad I did! I found some awesome, awesome, AWESOME papers today. These are just some of the ones I got, and they are from a company called Sassafras Lass. I absolutely cannot wait to use these, but a part of me really wants to hoard them as well, since they are so neat looking.

This first one is called 'Say Timber'.

This one is Fawnd of You

This one is called So In Love

There were even coordinating stamps, which I debated on getting but I bought tons more paper and embellishments, so I thought I would play around with these first before I got too carried away. (I'll probably be back really soon anyway! hehe) And a really nice part of the trip is that I was accompanied by my husband and he actually thought these papers were really cool, too. Usually he sighs heavily when we go anywhere crafty, but he liked helping me pick between all the Sassafras prints. More pics to come!

Back in the swing of things

I've been absent from my stampin' fun for entirely too long! I lost my mojo for just a bit, due to a series of life changing events, but I am happy to say I am in a really great place right now, thanks to the support of my family and friends. I'm super grateful.

I have a new job, and even though I work later than I am used to, I've been in a much happier mood. So with that, I have a card I worked very hard on for a swap. It was a Twilight themed swap. I finished the first book, am on the second and still have not seen the movie - ACK!

With that, I have pictures, although...not to pat myself on the back too hard, but the pictures don't really do the card justice I think. I was very happy with the way they turned out!

Here is the front of the card


I tried a different fold this time, still a standard sized card though. The front seal I made took 4 layers of UTEE and one of red glitter embossing powder. I really wish my camera could really capture the color and texture, it was really pretty. I tried to get a close-up but you still can't tell too much.


Here is the inside of the card - lots of work, but so worth it. I used a brayer technique I learned from Kim from Stamp-a-rama who learned it from Michelle Zindorf. I took a piece of glossy photopaper, punched out a circle and temporarily affixed it to the paper, then using a brayer I rolled Baja Breeze ink all over the paper, then I used Pacific Point around the edges with the brayer. Then with a sponge, I used Basic Gray. Then when you take off the circle piece of paper, you have a bright white moon. Then using StazOn ink in Jet Black I used the tree stamp for a cool silhouette effect. I wanted to give this a really dark and romantic feel, so I used the cursive background stamp.

Here is a close-up so you can see the quote I chose for the card. I think it's very fitting.


I am super excited to see what kinds of swaps I will receive, and I hope that whoever gets mine really enjoys it.

On a side note, I should also mention that my stamping room that I complained about earlier, is fully functional and AWESOME!  I couldn't be more ecstatic that I have my own working space now.

More to come, I'm working on some Valentine's Day cards. I got some great gifts over the holidays that I've been itching to use, among them the SU! Valentine's Bundle. (You've seen the heart punch in action already!)

I used:
Card Stock - Black (base), Riding Hood Red, White and Glossy paper
Stamps - SU! En Francais, SU! Nature Silhouettes

Sad Swapper - EDIT Grateful Swapper

So it is sad news...I sent off my Thank You Swap a long time ago and then I received an empty envelope back. :(
I guess the swaps that were going to be sent to me fell out of the envelope, but now there's nothing that can be done. Wish that there was though. ..::sigh::..

EDIT
I would like to share some news on this matter. My swap hostess felt bad that I didn't get my swap and she decided to send me some of her own. I was really touched that she chose to, since essentially it wasn't either one of our faults that things didn't get to the final destination. But I am super appreciative and it really says so much about why I care so much about stamping - the community shows me that even if life doesn't go as you expect, there are people out there that care and are willing to go above and beyond to remind us of that. That is why I like making cards and giftables, and am proud to be a part of the stamping community. Thank you to ChicagoGirl on SCS - for being a sweet hostess.