Valentine Defined

Today I decided on Flamingos...I sometimes wish there were more of them, and these two are just so sweet!  I bought the Stampin' Up! Valentine Defined set a month or so ago, and there it sat waiting.  To tell the truth, I bought it for the cute string of hearts - you can use puffy tape and pop some out (see above, the black parts, those are shadows, FYI...).  But I just love those flamingos, especially when you stamp them in Poppy and then use your pink Souffle pen to make them 3D, well, sort of....

For the rest of the card, I used only the stamps from the set, along with the wallpaper die to emboss the plain white card - it sure makes a difference with all that texture.  The ribbon is the current In Color ribbon in Poppy - and when you use it, if you just run a strip on the front of the card, don't forget to singe the ends carefully with a match so they don't unravel every time you pick it up!

The love stamp was used with the Curly Label Extra-Large punch - I colored the stamp then stamped on the smaller end of a white punched label, then used a Poppy punched label and turned it around to the long side, then matched them up.  I think it looks good with the embossed background, rather than just a plain label. 

Don't forget to decorate the inside and the envelope.  I'm sending it to a friend, rather than my love, so the envelope helps in this case :)  And you have to love the hand-held punches - I found this little heart one at JoAnn's for a few bucks (yea! 40% off!).  I used it for both the raised hearts on the front of the card, and to punch out the white cardstock on the inside. 

Envelope Front!

Envelope Flap



I hope you like it - I get a Valentine set every year, with all these ideas running around in my head...then never use it.  Well...I got one done...

Bliss

I'll admit it's been awhile...I believe I skipped the whole Christmas card post this year.  Oddly enough, I did make Christmas cards, about 20 of them...all sparkly and Christmasy...and they were cute (I used a design from another stamper and put my own touches on it.  I'm sorry y'all missed it, if I had any left, I'd certainly post some...who knows :)

On to today - Using scraps, I've made a card.  Everyone has scraps - pieces of textured paper left over from the day you played with your Sizzix, bits of ribbon lying about calling out to you, a small piece of patterned paper sitting in to corner of the drawer....see how lovely they can be all layered together?

I couldn't really see stamping on the textured partial-circle, so I used my Stampin' Up! Butterflies Sizzix die cut - the one with that embosses and cuts - love it!  I added a bit of very thin silver wire which I wrapped around a needle a few times to give it a soft curl, folded it in a 'V' shape and slipped it up the butterfly middle.  At the top, I twisted it carefully so it wouldn't fall off the butterfly, then spread it out a bit to make antennae.  Using an ink pen lying nearby, I curled the wing tips just a bit to give it some motion, then used fluffy double sided tape to give some dimension. 

This was a card for my mom, who had surgery yesterday and now has a bionic knee!  OK, maybe not bionic, but that's how I'll think of her now...the bionic mom (sort of like Lindsey Wagner in the 80's, but with kids).  So this 'Bliss' card is for her - to cheer her up while she's recuperating and remind her that her new bionic knee will be 'blissful' to walk on...in a few weeks, when it's healed...and if she does her exercises! 

FYI - the stamp set used for the design on the envelope and the 'Bliss' stamp inside is the brand-spanking new 'BLISS' set from Stampin' Up! - part of the current 'Sale-A-Bration' celebration.  If you order $50 worth of items from Stampin' Up!,  you can get the set free!  Yes, FREE!  And it's really a great set...I can't wait to do more with it...