Holiday Cards 2011... errr... Make that 2012!

Remember me?  I did do some stamping awhile back, maybe January and early February.  I finished up the cards that were supposed to go to my neighbors for Christmas 2011 (before life so rudely got in the way!), so I guess I'm all ready for Christmas 2012!  Anyway, it occurred to me that maybe I should post pictures of them sometime before Labor Day, so here goes...

Card 1:

 Card 2:

Card 3:

Card 4:

Card 5:

If you have any questions about the cards (which DSP, what colors, etc.), leave a comment and I'll go look up the information.

Thanks for looking!

Peace,

Joyce

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!!

Pretty Glue Holder

My Tombow Multi glue was driving me crazy. Every time I set it back down on the worktable, the glue would go to the opposite end of the bottle and then the next time I wanted glue I'd have to wait or shake or both. No more! (Big grin!)

I ate some yogurt and used the container as my glue holder. Within two days, I was despising the yogurt container on my table -- what an eyesore! So, I dressed it up!

It's not an original idea, and I even got the template for the designer paper wrap online. Still, I'm proud of my quick fix as it's the only thing remotely stamping-related I got done for several months while my heel and legs were healing.

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.



+ + + + + + + + + + + +

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

My First *My Digital Studio* Card!

I am SO VERY excited!! I decided to take the plunge and purchase Stampin' Up!'s digital scrapbooking software called My Digital Studio. I'm not a scrapper, but I know it can be used for cards as well as online graphics such as blog headers and signatures, plus a whole slew of stuff I just haven't thought of yet!

Anyway, I expected a painful learning curve, but was pleasantly surprised (well, shocked) when I was able to make my first project, the card below, in less than 90 minutes after cracking open the software. Installation went smoothly, and the program is really easy to work with. I started out using a pre-designed 5 x 7 card template, but then altered it to suit the card recipient -- changed colors, moved some elements, added stuff, and so on. WAY COOL!

The top two pictures are how the card looked in My Digital Studio, and how the two card sides would have looked if I had had them professionally printed:


Time didn't allow for professional printing, though, so I used my ho-hum Dell 924 All-in-One printer and a piece of Whisper White cardstock. The colors are not true to Stampin' Up!'s palette, but they work for this particular project.


Notice something different between the pictures from My Digital Studio and the photos of the card off my printer? (Well, besides print quality?) I added BLING! Yup, I added black gemstones from the Holiday Mini to the front and inside of the card to jazz it up! The photos really don't do it justice.

Also, instead of printing double-sided to make a regular card, I printed the two panels separately and trimmed them down to size, then mounted them on a piece of Basic Black cardstock. For good measure, I distressed the edges of the black card base to give it a bit more of a grunge look to match the grungy spots I had designed into the card.

I am so eager to learn more about what My Digital Studio can do! So far it seems to me that Stampin' Up! has thought of everything! Tentatively, my next project will be a new header for this blog. Stay tuned... !

Walk in Peace,
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

Day of Gratitude

I had great ambitions to send out Thanksgiving cards this year, but life got in the way. I still managed to put together a set of four cards using the most gorgeous stamp set in Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini, Day of Gratitude. These stamps work wonderfully with the Autumn Spice specialty Designer Series Paper, which is actually textured heavy-weight cardstock.

I decided I wanted to work my cards around the largest stamp in the set, the medallion. I used the "rock and roll" technique on some of them, which means I inked up the rubber in a lighter color, then rocked and rolled the edges of the stamp in a darker color ink before huffing and stamping. I love how the medallion layers on itself, too. On one of the medallions I used a large white grommet to frame a specialty circle brad. On others, just a brad sets off the medallion design wonderfully. Oh heck, enough talk -- let's just look at the cards!






Stamp set: Day of Gratitude
DSP: Autumn Spice
Colors: More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Whisper White
And: Punches, 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, large white grommet, specialty brads (some retired), paper snips for fussy cutting

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

ETA: My apologies for the photos being a bit blurry! I'll have my photographer (me) do a better job next time!