Geneva's Stamping Designs

Stamping 411 Challenge 254

This card is almost all retiring products!  It makes me wonder why I didn't use them together earlier!  This card also meets the Stamping 411 sketch challenge this week.  Here's the sketch:

This card looks so elegant, I may do another one "just because" I like the layout!  However, I'm trying to show you the products that you won't be able to get after the end of this month!

The card base is Tempting Turquoise card stock.  I also used Real Red card stock to back some of the elements.  I really like these pinwheels from the Big Top Designer Series Paper.  The strip of diamond shapes to the left is from the same set.  I ran a strip of the 1/8" Real Red ribbon down the center to break them up a little!   I'll be sad to see this paper go.  It's bright and makes me smile!

The boy and girl are from the Little Lambs stamp set; another one I'll be sad to see go and I feel I under-used!  It has such sweet images and messages!  I punched it with the 1 3/4" circle punch and backed it with a piece of Real Red card stock punched with the 2 3/8" Scallop punch.  Before I put the image in, I bent the edges of the scallop a little to make them "cup" the image.  I added a small bow made with the 1/8" Read Red ribbon.to finish

For the sentiment, I used the flow-y image from the Precious Butterflies stamp set with the Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink.  I first stamped the image on a piece of scrap and then stamped it on here to achieve to lighter look.   The Precious Butterflies stamp set is one of this year's hostess sets and will retire the end of the month.  The sentiment comes from the Word Play stamp set.  Luckily, this set will NOT retire, so you'll see images from it for awhile longer!

Don't you think this card would brighten someone's day?  Would it brighten yours?  Leave me a comment and let me know!  I love hearing from you!

Sunday is Mother's Day.  Are you ready?  I'll show you some Mother's Day cards later in the week.  However, remember that almost any card can be "changed" into a Mother's Day card by simply changing the sentiment --- even this one!  If you have young children saying "happy Mother's Day", simply take out the sentiment and stamp M-O-M with any alphabet set, or leave the sentiment and stamp above it - I think I like that idea even better!  What do you think?

Happy Stamping!

Sketch Friday Frenzy Birthday card

Today is my middle child's birthday.  I wanted to make a special card and some ideas were swirling around in my mind when I saw this week's Sketch Frenzy Friday's sketch.  I knew I wanted to use the retiring set, Crazy for Cupcakes and it seemed that to add Just add Cake as the Designer Series Paper made perfect sense for a birthday!  When I saw this sketch, with the little banners coming down, it all started to flow together.

I added a card base of Marina Mist card stock, embossed the balloons with Wild Wasabi Embossing Powder and then colored inside the balloon with a Daffodil Delight Stamp 'n Write Marker and outside the balloon with a Bashful Blue Stamp 'n Write marker to help them appear to be more "in the sky" than on White Whisper card stock!  I mounted them on the Real Red card stock "banners" to which I added Whisper White Organza ribbon tied with the 1/8" Real Red ribbon.  I felt all that extra ribbon and tying made the balloons stand out more!

I stamped the cake stand with Versa Mark and used Basic Black Embossing Powder.  Then colored them in with Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight Stamp 'n Write Markers.  This child likes plain vanilla icing, so that's butter-cream on the top!

The sentiment was stamped on a scrap of Wild Wasabi card stock with Versa Mark and embossed with Whisper White Embossing Powder.  I then punched it out with the Oval Scallop Punch and added some marks with the White Gel Pen to highlight the scallops.

After all was said and done, I added a piece of the 1/8 Real Red ribbon across the line where the two DSP's come together.  I like the way that sets it off.

For the purposes of this site, I rarely show you the inside of a card.  That's because I usually don't know who or when or for what occasion I'll send the actual card.  I do usually finish off the insides and the envelopes before I mail them!  However, this one has a specific purpose, so when she opens it up, this is what she'll see:

I added the Whisper White card stock and sponged the edges with the WIld Wasabi Classic Ink.  Then I used the Cupcake Punch and punched a cherry with the scraps of the Real Red and the cupcake  with scraps of the Just Add Cake DSP.  I then used Wild Wasabi Classic Ink to stamp the sentiment over the cupcake.

This whole card is just perfect for this particular child.  She much prefers cupcakes to cake!  So if she reads this post:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I LOVE YOU!

I really enjoy stamping cards for you readers to see and learn from, but I LOVE stamping them for my family and trying to imagine the love and happy feelings escaping into them as they open the card.  We're approaching "birthday season" for my family, in May and June there are NINE birthdays.  Then from July 28- October 28 we have birthdays for 6 of my 7 grandchildren (and one sister-in-law!)  That's a lot of birthday cards!  BUT--- at up to $5.00 or more for a pretty card, that's also a lot a savings when I do each one for less than $1.00 usually!

Who do you like to stamp for?  Are you good about sending your creations to loved ones?  I know when I get one I can feel the love!  Leave a comment and tell me who you like to stamp for and why!

Happy Stamping!

National Scrapbooking Day!

I can't believe I forgot to do a scrapbook page for this!  I've been busy working on a birthday card for my middle child for next week and taking care of the 3 boys for my oldest child!  At ages 2, 3 and 10, that's probably enough said!  Oh, and did I say they brought the 3 dogs?  Between dogs in the bathtub, my garden (the 10year fixed the electric fence - maybe that'll prohibit any more damage!) no naps and general crankiness, it's been a day!

I hope your day has given you more time to SCRAPBOOK!  Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio is so great for digital scrapbooking!  You can try a scaled down version FREE for 30 days!  The full version has great scrapbook kits, Stampin' Up!'s images and more can be added each week to keep current with the products in the regular catalog!  My header for this site was created on MDS, and I changed it recently to this fabulous flower paper!  (I love purple, and lilies, what can I say?) 

If you order either version from my Stampin' Up! web-store, you'll be given the chance to sign up for some FREE training videos that I"m producing!  It's a great program, and easy to learn, but any training helps!

Have a great scrapbooking Day!

Happy Stamping!

Farewell Funky Four & More

Today's card uses THREE retiring stamp sets!  The mushrooms are from the Funky Four stamp set.  I stamped them in VersaMark and then sprinkled some Melon Mambo Embossing Powder on some of them, and after I'd cleaned that up, sprinkled the rest with Tango Tangerine Embossing Powder.  I then used the Wild Wasabi and Baja Breeze Classic Ink pads to add some interest to the background using the Direct-to-Paper Technique.  I hope the new foam pads will do this technique! 

The frog is from the Turtle and Co. stamp set.  This is this year's Ronald McDonald stamp set, $2.00 from the sale of each set goes directly to Ronald McDonald Houses!  For several years now, Stampin' Up! has designated one set each year to help this endeavor.  I stamped this cute frog in Versa-Mark and then embossed him (her?) with Wild Wasabi Embossing Powder.  I then used Pear Pizzaz Stamp 'n Write Marker (I'm going to miss this retiring In-Color!) to color in his feet and legs and the Certainly Celery Stamp 'n Write Marker to color in his body.  I used the Bashful Blue Stamp 'n Write Marker for his eyes and the Melon Mambo Stamp 'n Write Marker for his (her?) checks and lips.  WIth lipstick, maybe it is a "her!"

The sentiment is from the Blessings from Heaven stamp set.  This is a neglected stamp set, I fear.  I love the sentiments, but forget to use them.  At least I forget to show them to you.  I sometimes use them on the inside of the card!

The card itself is Rich Razzleberry card stock cut at 10 X 4.25 and scored at 5 inches.  The paper is from the Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper.  This paper is retiring, but it is available THIS MONTH for a reduced price of $8.21 while supplies last.  It's a great time to stock up on this wonderful paper collection!

Wow!  That's a lot of retiring products - many of which are my current favorites!  I will look forward to the new ones coming though!

Happy Stamping!

Vintage Vogue

For this card, I wanted to "return to the basics" and NOT use the Big Shot for the texture.  One of the first things I learned in Stamping was to stamp the background sheet.  With the use of the Big Shot and being able to easily create texture, that has kind of slipped into the background of my mind (pun only a little bit intended!)

The stamp set is the soon-to-be-retired set called Vintage Vogue.  I used it for all the stamped images, including the sentiment!  I love it when one set does it all!  I used Tango Tangerine Embossing Powder on the flowers and cut them out with the Paper Snips.  The other images are all stamped using Not Quite Navy Classic Ink.  The card base is Peach Parfait card stock.  Peach Parfait is a 2010-2012 In-Color that will be retiring the end of this month!

Many of the items on this card are on the Retiring Accessory List. In addition to the above mentioned, all of the current ink pads will retire, but they are being replaced with a better product.  The pads themselves will be foam instead of felt.  To the user, this means no more "straggly stings" getting loose once in a while!

Are you sad about some of the retiring products?  Let me know what you'd like to see more of before it goes away! Don't know what's retiring yet?  Check out the link in the sidebar!

Happy Stamping!

 I almost forgot!  I created this card for the Stampin' Queens' Sketch Challenge this week!  It started out that way, and then got switched up a litte, but I think it still retains enough of the original idea!  Here's the sketch, go check them out and play along.  Let me know what you create!

Last of the Spring Mini!

Today is the last day to order from the Spring Mini Occasions Catalog!  I'm hoping some of these items make it into the new catalog in June, but until, then, it's time to say Good-bye to all of them!

The card base is Riding Hood Red card stock.  The paper is Twitterpated and the image and sentiment are from the Tea Shoppe stamp set.  I used Island Indigo Classic Ink to stamp the sentiment and edge the image.  The image itself was stamped with Versa-Mark (on the retiring list!) and embossed with Wild Wasabi embossing powder.  Such an elegant method for such an elegant teacup!

This card is my entry this week in Stamping 411's sketch challenge.  You should go on over and play with them this week.  It's a fast and fun layout!  Although, the sketches themselves are getting pretty enough to be a card by themselves!

Hope you have a wonderful week!  Next month we'll work on saying "goodbye" to many of my favorite sets!

Happy Stamping!

Sharing Saturdays

This is another card from Judi Beran, using a previously retired set.  I love how she cut the flowers out and had them go up the side of the paper.  Even when stamps and paper "retire," from the catalog, they can still be used to bring joy to many people. Demonstrators just can't sell them to other people! lol!

Enjoy your weekend.  Take a little time to stamp for YOU!  Your family and friends will enjoy the product and you get a little therapy!  Win-win!

Happy Stamping!

Simply Sent - Create and Keep

This is the Simply Sent Create and Keep set found in the Spring Mini Occasions Catalog.  It all comes flat in the package you see in the background.  What you see in the package is what's left over to make EVEN more cards!  The box is in two pieces and your need Sticky Strip to put it together, but it's very easy to see what goes where!

I decorated the cards that came with it, with my 2 year old grandsons help.  He mostly told me where to put things, but a few times, insisted on "doing it himself!"  FIrst, it comes with dividers:

Then 10 cards (2 of each color) for you to put the images on.  These images are peel off and stick on and removable if you need to change it up a little!

 and the rest:

AND it comes with 10 pretty envelops that Stampin' Up! has already "dressed" for you!

This whole set costs only $14.95 (USD)!  That's a GREAT price for any card these days!  These come with a cute "reusable" box!  They'd make great gifts for teachers, secret sisters, etc.  However, these particular ones will be gone after April 30, 2012!  So get them while you can, as they say!

I haven't done these before because I felt they weren't "creative" enough.  I was wrong,  There are lots of options here and they are still really cute cards, without all the effort and thought that goes into creating from "scratch."  I may do more of these types -- and they're perfect for when the grandchildren want to "help!"

What do you think?  Do you like the "quick and easy" or do you like the more "hands on" of traditional stamping cards?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Happy Stamping!

Sketch Friday Frenzy

This is for this week's Sketch Friday Frenzy challenge.  I used the Fabulous Florets stamp set that is NOT retiring!  Thank you, Judi, for pointing out my error on Monday.  I stamped this image with Versa-Mark ink and sprinkled Wild Wasabi and Melon Mambo embossing powder on it, then heat set with the Heat Tool.  I then spritzed it with a little Silver Smooch Spray to give it added depth.  Then wrapped a 1/8" Daffodil Delight ribbon around the base and attached with Stampin' Dimensionals.

The paper is from the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper that will be in the new catalog in June.  You can get it in a "Sneak Peek" through April!  The card base is Pretty in Pink, with another stamp from the Fabulous Florets set stamped directly on it with Versa-Mark, but NOT embossed.  This gives is a color-on-color look.

The sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, another set that is NOT retiring!  Hope you enjoyed this.  Let me know what you think.

Happy Stamping!

Stamping 411 Challenge 252 - part 2

This is actually the first card I made for Stamping 411's challenge yesterday.  It uses a different sheet of the Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper and I punched the balls out of the opposite side of this sheet.  Then I put a little Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds on top to give it a little depth and "pop."  The sentiment is from the Word Play stamp set.  The card base and backing is Basic Black card stock.

What do you think?  What would you use this card for?  A graduation?  A new job?  A congratulation?  What?  Leave a message and let me know what you'd do with this card.

Happy Stamping!