In Search of My Muse: Six Cards

You know how when you haven't stamped for awhile, it takes some time to get back into your groove? Well, that's what I've been working on for the last two weeks. Rather than bore you with a lot of blah blah blah, I'll just show you what I did in the order I did them...

Card 1:
Not sure why the above card is vertical, since it's supposed to be in landscape orientation (horizontal). Gotta love Blogger, sigh. Just lean your head to the left and you'll see the card correctly. :)

Oh, I forgot to mention, my idea was to work with just the 2011-2013 In Colors for this batch. I've gone now from loathing the colors to sort of liking them. Well, except for Wisteria Wonder, which has been a true love from the start. (You know me and purple!)

Card 2:

Card/Project 3:

(There's that orientation problem again! This time lean right and you'll see it correctly!)

Below is a tin of Hershey's Nuggets wrapped in DSP to match the card. I wrapped a ruffly ribbon around the tin and then added some cute little tags to jazz it up. The recipient was tickled pink!

Card 4:

The above card is stamped on Whisper White, but my lighting issues cause it to look like it's on Very Vanilla. Sorry 'bout that! Speaking of colors, I learned while making this card that the Fall Tim Holtz Distress Ink colors (Seedless Preserves, Ripe Persimmon, and Gathered Twigs) closely coordinate with Stampin' Up! colors of Perfect Plum, Only Orange (retired), and Soft Suede.

Card 5:
Life is hard enough most days, so I'm not much of a distressor in my stamping -- but I thought I'd give it a shot on this card! I ran a piece of DSP through the Big Shot with an embossing folder, then sanded the design even further so that it would stand out more. I also added some SU! Dazzling Details (like Stickles made with SU!'s Dazzling Diamonds glitter) in some sections of the embossed design, although it doesn't show up very well here.

And finally Card 6, my personal favorite:

Aww, nuts, this one's sideways, too! If you lean to the right you'll see it correctly.

So there ya have it, my first round of cards in ages! If you have questions about the colors, stamps used, or anything else, just leave a comment and I will respond. I won't be going into a lot of detail as to the "ingredients" of my cards like I have in the past anymore, since I'm pretty sure everyone just bleeps over the info anyway.

I can't wait to start on my next batch!!

Paisley Petals Sympathy Cards

Remind me to not stop stamping again for such a long time. I have to relearn how to stamp, where my stuff is, and how to blog! I also realized as I started to do this that I hadn't updated my watermarks to 2011 yet (and it's JULY!!). Now that that's done, hopefully I can get back into the groove of things.

Anyway, here are my first cards post-break. They're not stunning, I know, but I'm still proud of them just for having gotten my act together to make them! Both cards feature the Designer Series Paper called Paisley Petals on a base of Marina Mist, and the only ink used, for both stamping and sponging, is Early Espresso.

I used the Keytag punch (retired) for the sentiment on the first card, and raised it up on Stampin' Dimensionals. The ribbon is 1/8" taffeta in Marina Mist. Even with the "loud" DSP print, the card seemed a bit scarce -- until the Beautiful Wings embosslit and Basic Pearls came to my rescue.


I wanted the large sentiment from the Thanks for Caring stamp set to take center stage on the second card, and I think setting it off inside a 2 1/2" circle does just that. The decorative border was done using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. If I had to do this card all over again, I would heat emboss the sentiment to really make it stand out.



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I did invest in a few supplies while I was on sabbatical, and one of my favorite items is the new Cupcake punch. Being the goof I am, I've had fun telling friends I made cupcakes -- only to show them a papercrafted version of the treat! (Bad Joyce!) Here are the first two I made:



Now that I've got the stamping bug again, the hardest part is going to be deciding what to do next! I have so many ideas! Stick with me, and I'm sure I'll have some COOL stuff to share!

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

Three More Anniversary Cards

These three cards are the final ones in my friend Cathy's order of anniversary and sympathy cards. As much as I love stamping, I always breathe a sigh of relief when the last cards in an order are finished and delivered. As usual, Cathy was delighted with my cards, so that's a tremendous boost to my ego, lol.

Card 1

I love this card! I used my Framed Tulips embossing folder (in the upcoming Occasions Mini catalog) for the first time, my favorite ribbon of all time (now retired, sadly), and a sentiment I computer-generated using My Digital Studio.

Stamp set: Fifth Avenue Floral

Colors: Real Red, Garden Green, Whisper White

Big Shot: Little Leaves Sizzlet, Tulip Frame embossing folder

Punch: Extra Large Decorative Label

And: My Digital Studio, Real Red Polka Dotted ribbon, mini glue dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Card 2

I love this card, too! It was super simple to make, and the hardest part was deciding which colors to use. I went with my friend Fonda's favorite color combination of pink and brown, and the rest "just happened."

Stamp sets: Elements of Style, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Colors: Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette

Big Shot: Top Note die

Punches: Modern Label, Word Window, 2 sizes of Circle Punches

And: Stampin' Dimensionals

Card 3

I love this card!! (Can you tell I'm very happy with yesterday's work?) I'm not sure if my favorite part is the simplicity of it, or the fact that I finally opened up my Smooch Spritz and fell in love with the product!

Stamp sets: I {Heart} Hearts, A Word for You

Colors: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Big Shot: Non-Stampin' Up! embossing folder

And: Gold Glow Smooch Spritz

Coming up next (well, maybe, but no guarantees!): A 4x6 Monthly Calendar for 2011!

Wishing you the best of this Holiday season, including

Peace,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

Five Cards (Catching up on posting!)

I've continued to work on sympathy and anniversary cards this last week, and just realized that I haven't been posting them -- so now it's catch-up time!

Card 1
Here's a simple sympathy card that I think looks very elegant...



Stamp Sets: Because I Care, Small Sayings (inside)
Colors: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, retired mystery DSP
Punches: Extra Large Scalloped Oval, Large Oval
And: Stampin' Pastels, 5/8" satin ribbon, Basic Pearls, sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals

Card 2
I struggled with this card, but I think it turned out to be, well, "interesting"...



Stamp Sets: By Definition (taken from My Digital Studio), Word Play (inside)
Colors: Basic Grey, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, retired mystery DSP
Punches: Boho Blossoms, Decorative Label, non-SU! border punch
And: Sponge, Gelly Roll shimmer pen (non-SU!)

Cards 3 and 4
I saw this design somewhere awhile back and it stuck in my head, so I just HAD to CASE (Copy and Selectively Edit) it! Unfortunately, my CRS is acting up and I can't remember now who the original designer is. If it's you, speak up so that I can give you credit for this wonderful card design that works for any occasion!


Stamp Set: Warmest Regards
Colors: Shimmer White (card base), Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy
Big Shot: Scallop Rectangle Clearlit, Beautiful Wings Embosslit


Stamp Set: Warmest Regards, A Word for You (inside the anniversary card)
Colors: Shimmer White (card base), Real Red, Night of Navy, Crushed Curry
Big Shot: Scallop Rectangle Clearlit, Beautiful Wings Embosslit

Card 5
Look, ma! No stamps! I did this card using the My Digital Studio software! The "DSP" is from Summertime Splendor, and the sentiment is just something I typed and applied a font to. I printed the DSP twice along with the sentiment on my home printer, and then I punched the sentiment and background to it with the Wide Oval punch. The ribbon is the real deal -- 1/2" Stitched Poly Ribbon in Concord Crush. The card base is real cardstock, too, also Concord Crush, to which I applied panels of the DSP. (I have since learned how to resize and better use DSP in My Digital Studio.)



I have three more anniversary cards to do to complete this order, and I hope to have them done before Saturday so I can give them to my friend then. So, as ever, stay tuned...

Warmly,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

Thoughts and Prayers

I have an order for six anniversary cards and six sympathy cards, and I've been itching to pull out my Thoughts & Prayers wood mount stamp set from Stampin' Up! I decided that because I have so many cards to do (these in addition to other orders, plus my own holiday cards maybe), I'd keep the designs super simple. I've managed to come up with four cards in the last two days -- and the night is young! Here's what I've done so far...

Stamp set: Thoughts & Prayers

Colors: Night of Navy, Whisper White

Big Shot: Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder

And: 1/4" Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon

Stamp set: Thoughts & Prayers

Colors: Marina Mist (isn't it gorgeous? Well, my camera's giving me fits tonight, so trust me, it's gorgeous!), Whisper White

Big Shot: Oval Scallop Frame

And: Basic Pearls

Stamp sets: Thoughts & Prayers, A Word for You

Colors: Old Olive, Marina Mist, Real Red (great combination!!), Whisper White

Big Shot: Square Lattice embossing folder

Punch: Heart to Heart, retired corner punch that I don't remember the name of -- but I'll look it up if anyone really needs to know

And finally, my favorite so far...

Stamp sets: Thoughts & Prayers, A Word for You

Colors: Rose Red, Old Olive, Whisper White

And: Stampin' Write markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

For me, the best part of these cards is that they're coming together easily. My style is usually to anguish over what to do, colors to use, stamps to use, layout, embellishments, and so on until I make myself crazy. I've gone into a lower-key stamping mode somehow with these, though, and I think it's working for me!

So, I'm one-third done with this group of cards and hopeful I'll finish up within the next few days. Stay tuned for more card pictures!

Peace,

Joyce Spear, a.k.a. StamperJoyce

More Customized Birthday Cards

More birthday cards! Gotta say I'm pretty proud of these two, especially the first one. I was asked to do a card with a Smallville theme, so I started out by finding some online photos to use. Once I printed them out, the card began to evolve -- size, colors, accessories all fell into place. (Don'tcha just love when that happens?)

The card is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", a piece of Basic Black cardstock folded in half. I picked Bravo Burgundy and Perfect Plum as accent colors since they went so well with Clark's cape and the sky in the pictures. I ran the card base though my Big Shot using the Elegant Lines embossing folder, and WOW! it really made the card start to come to life! The fun sentiments are computer printed and nicely layered on both the front and inside. I used the Decorative Label punch from the Holiday Mini behind the ovals. (I love love love this punch!) As a final touch I added some Stampin' Up Basic Rhinestones for some classy bling!




The next card is for a soon-to-be 16 year old. I picked out a card I created some time ago and personalized it using die cut letters. (Man, I love my Big Shot!!)

Inside:

Envelope:

As pleased as I am with these cards, I'm looking forward to moving on to the next projects! I want to make thank you cards for someone who's been especially kind to me over the last few months; some butterfly birthday cards to go overseas to kids in the Compassion program; some more anniversary and sympathy cards; and, of course, holiday cards! Think I have enough to keep me busy? Looks like I have to give up my addiction to Facebook games!

Have you seen the fabulous Holiday mini catalog? If you don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator of your own and would like a hard copy of this publication, email me privately and I'll be sure to get one into your hands!

Wishing you delight in little things,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

A Couple Birthday Cards

My aide asked me to make cards for her two daughters celebrating their birthdays this month, so I rolled up my sleeves yesterday and had at it.

The first is a traditional birthday card, and the only suggestion I had to work with was that her favorite color is red. For some reason I was drawn to Riding Hood Red, which further led me to use some Candy Lane DSP (retired but still quite pretty!). I've been seeing this card layout around a lot lately, and thought I'd try my hand at it. The card turned out to have more layers than I've ever used: nine! I like how it turned out, though -- simple, but classy! I think the sentiment from the Well Scripted set was the perfect choice.


The second daughter's birthday is on the 31st, so she traditionally gets a Halloween themed birthday card. I started by running Basic Black cardstock through my Big Shot using Stampin' Up!'s Spider Web embossing folder. I then polished over the embossing first with some white Smooch, then used a dauber with the Frost White shimmer paint to give it a hazy, spooky effect. The rest of the card front came together using some Ghostly Greetings DSP (retired) in Only Orange, and a Kiwi Kiss scallop.


On the inside I put a panel of Kiwi Kiss, then merged sentiments from Haunted House and On Your Birthday. The skeleton is from the set Bats About You, and the grouping of three bats are eyelets from my stash. The colorful bats on the right are from SU!'s wonderful new Bat punch. I used a sponge to grunge the edges a bit:


And the envelope, complete with skeleton from the Scary Skeleton set:


*** Happy Birthday, Tiffany and Kimberly!! ***

Thank You's for the Moving Crew

At long last I have finished the thank you cards that will be going out to the people who helped me move on July 31. I started the cards several weeks ago, but then life happened -- more sick time, couldn't find supplies, etc. I'm very proud of this set of ten cards, though, especially since no two are exactly alike. Most of my experimentation was on the Melon Mambo layer underneath the main image. I used a variety of embossing folders and texture plates to vary the look, and not a single one looked bad. Here are three of my favorite cards:



Stamp Set: Watercolor Trio
Colors: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Punches: Large Oval, Scallop Oval, Scallop Trim Border
Big Shot: Square Lattice, Perfect Polka Dots, and Vintage Wallpaper embossing folders
And: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Smooch Moonlight, Stampin' Dimensionals

I still have a bit of unpacking and a lot of organizing to do before I can really roll up my sleeves and dive into stamping, but it'll all come together in due time. I'm really excited about the new products in both the Idea Book & Catalog and the Holiday Mini, and I'm hoping to show you some great projects!

ETA: A link to the Holiday Mini catalog is on the sidebar to the right. If you haven't seen it yet, go take a look -- and prepare to drool! If you're not a demo or don't have a demo yet and need a hard copy of the Holiday Mini, leave me a note with your email in the comments section and I'll get back to you right away to get your address and get a Mini into your hands!

Last Two Cards before "The Big Move"

I can't remember if I wrote here that I am moving...? I will be moving to the other side of town next Saturday -- and I can't wait!!!

Here are the last two cards I'll be making in this apartment. The first is a simple thank you card for a new customer who recently placed an order. I've been wanting to make a card using the Tropical Party stamp set and Island Oasis DSP, and this was the perfect opportunity!


Stamps: Tropical Party, Tiny Tags
DSP: Island Oasis
Colors: Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Rose Red
Punches: 2-3/8 Scallop Circle, Jewelry Tag
Big Shot: Square Lattice embossing folder
And: Sponges, Rose Red brad, Stampin' Dimensionals

My final card for the day is a last-minute sympathy card for the passing of an English Setter named Gus, requested by my friend Cathy. The flowers and front sentiment are from the (retired) Close as a Memory set, while the inside was simply printed from my computer. The little paw prints are from the set D is for Dog.




Stamps: Close as a Memory, D is for Dog
DSP: Autumn Traditions (retired)
Colors: Always Artichoke, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Basic Black
And: Always Artichoke brads

The next time I post, it will be from my new home in Hilliard, Ohio! YAY! Catch ya on the flip side!

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

Forty Bears for the Kids (at long last!)

At long last, the final forty Build-a-Bear cards destined for the Las Vegas Ronald McDonald House are ready to go! The first ten were mailed last October, and if you'd like to take a peek at those cards, they are in this post.

To save your scrolling finger a bit of work, I've posted smaller pictures of each card. If you'd like to see details in a larger picture, just click on any of the photos.

The Build-a-Bears and their clothes and accessories were cut by Cynthia Ferenz at Stampin' Dragon -- and that alone was quite a project! I'd like to give a shout out to Cynthia for the donation of time and materials for this undertaking. Thanks, Cynthia! Without you I couldn't have done any of this!!

I had to rely on Cynthia for bear parts because I don't (yet) have the Build-a-Bear dies. I still got to use my Big Shot quite a bit, though, in the making of textured backgrounds, layers using the Top Note die, and lots of butterflies using the "Beautiful Wings" embosslit. The Build-a-Bear dies are shown on pages 216-217 of the current catalog. Beautiful Wings can be found on page 215. If you'd like to see all of the wonderful Big Shot stuff, check out pages 204-217. I can't say enough good things about this fabulous tool!

To keep myself from getting bored with the bears (forty is a lot, you know, even if they are cute!), I pulled out other stamps and accessories to make things more interesting. Here's a card with a background made using a Stampin' Up! wheel:

Of course I had to do a lot of paper piercing because... well, because it looks cool! ...

I discovered that border punches can be used to make nifty corners, too!

The vast majority of supplies used were from Stampin' Up! However, I couldn't resist adding a little bling here and there from my stash. I squealed with delight when I got my new SU! catalog because we now carry self-adhesive rhinestones and pearls (page 188)!

Here' s an oddball card. Most of the bear cards were made using colors in the Pawsitively Prints DSP and some retired DSP chosen by Cynthia. In a brief moment of ennui, I grabbed a piece of Kaleidoscope DSP and threw in some turquoise on this one:

... and here's some Rich Razzleberry thrown in for good measure:

Don'tcha just love the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder?

Here's one with some more detailed paper piercing...

I just realized that I didn't take any pictures of the insides of the cards. Most of them have coordinating decorations -- such as stars or hearts or butterflies -- on the inside to help make the messages the parents write for their kids there all the more special.

Is it even possible to do a project of this magnitude without throwing in some Stickles?

I experimented a bit with both natural hemp and twine for the shoelaces.

And that's the final bear waving goodbye! I think these bears are just as excited as I am about their upcoming trip to Sherrill Graff and the kids in the Las Vegas Ronald McDonald House!

I'd like to thank my friends in the Stampin' Up! Late Night Stampers Yahoo! group for all the support and encouragement they've given me on this project. I'd also like to acknowledge my dear friend Cathy for wanting "in" on this project and covering the postage for this final shipment!

Fifty Build-a-Bear cards later, I'm being asked if I'd do a project like this again. To be honest, I think I would consider making more bear cards in smaller batches... especially if I had the Build-a-Bear dies and had more freedom in my choice of cardstock and DSP colors.

I definitely plan on making more cards for the Ronald McDonald House kids, but I will most likely be supporting Children's Hospital here in Columbus, Ohio rather than the House in Las Vegas. Once I move and get settled into my new place, I'm hoping to have friends over to make cards for kids with me -- because stamping is so much more fun with others!

Have any questions about this Build-a-Bear project or cards for kids? Leave a comment and I'll be sure to get back to you!

And now, back to packing. Ugh!

Smiles,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce