How do you make simple look beautiful?

I love my upline. She's a great friend and a great mentor. She posted a challenge on her blog on Sunday to create a card using no layers. No layers means you can't use any other card stock than the piece you use for the base of your card. To most of us, this is simply unheard of. Here's her original challenge: Kimberly's Challenge I didn't do anything till Monday because i really had to think about this concept.

How do you make something pretty with just stamps and a piece of card stock? I gave myself an extra day to really think about it and here is what I came up with.

Now I really had to think about this one for awhile and the entire design of this card came together in my head. Originally i didn't know what kind of greeting I wanted to use but since my dad and stepmom's anniversary is coming up here pretty soon i thought i would make this card to give to them.

I think for someone just starting out in stamping, this is the perfect inspiration for them. There's so much you can do with very little. Maybe it helps that the stamp set I used is very versatile and you can come up with some really nice backgrounds using it. The circle stamps on the top all come from the Circle Circus stamp set. I versamark and white embossing powder on the larger circles. The medium circle was stamped in basic black craft (pigment) ink and for the smaller circle i used versamark for the tone on tone gray color. Basic gray was used for the base of the card and I tied it off using a ribbon slide from the silver hodge podge hardware and basic black satin ribbon. The greeting comes from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

Here's another one I came up with today.

The challenge didn't end there. I wanted to do something else. I don't know if I like this one as much as my first one but it's not bad.

I used Naturals Ivory card stock as the base of the card. I stamped the first flowers in Old Olive craft ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I then masked off each of the flowers and stamped over them with the roses in Melon Mambo ink. I went back over the roses with Passion Pink watercolor wonder crayon and pulled color from the edges into the center of each petal to add color to them. Once I was done with that I shimmer misted over the top half of the card and kept all the masks on until it was dry. I went back over the green flowers and filled them in with Old Olive watercolor wonder crayons as well and lightly filled in the color. i finished it off a bow and stamped happy birthday, also from Teeny Tiny wishes, in Melon Mambo.

I think this is a great challenge for anyone to do and I challenge everyone to try it out and see what they can do.

Super easy easel cards

Okay so they look complicated at first but once you get the hang of them you’ll be amazed at how quick and easy it is to put an easel card together. I found photo tutorial first that showed me how to make a 4x4 easel card using 1/3 of a piece of 12x12 card stock. I tried that one out and it’s cute but a little smaller than I’d like. For some reason an extra quarter of an inch makes a difference.

I’m always looking for new ideas and things to try. This was something that caught my eye and I wondered if I could do it. Besides the shoebox swap that I just completed I thought I’d make some cards to send to my grandparents and aunt as a way to let them know I was thinking of them and I hope it will brighten their day while they read it and afterwards when it’s set up for them to see it.

This first card I made for my aunt. She was always like a second mom to me and I love her dearly. I used the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set. It’s a double mounted stamp set so it works out perfectly for another card I’ll show you shortly. I love melon mambo It’s a very pretty and bright pink color and I thought I would use it on this wonderful little card. The base is close to cocoa card stock. I made the vase on the card using the ornament punch. I just trim off the bottom edge a little bit and voila it’s now a vase. To make the vase even fancier I emboss it in the finial press embossing folder first and then I sponged the embossed areas to bring attention to it more.

This next card is for my tutu (grandma).

Tutu loves the color purple. I do like the way the perfect plum and pale plum work so well together. I really hope she enjoys her card. I don’t send cards out very often, however I have just made a promise to myself that I will t

ry to send out least 3-5 cards a month. I hope to send out more. Even if it’s just a card to say hello.

This last card I had to make a little more manly looking. It’s for my grandpa.

I also used the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set. This time instead of using the floral branch I flipped to the other side of this double mounted block and there was this beauty of a tree. I thought I would keep it simple and not so frilly. I didn’t like it at first but the more I looked at it the more I fell in love with it.

This last easel card was made for a friend. I’d made another card for her for when she has her baby but I wanted to make one to give to her with the gift I was unable to give since her baby shower was the same day as our last demo meeting and I found out about it long after I’d made a commitment do demonstrate products at our meeting in February. I felt bad that I wasn't able to go so I made up for it by getting some really cute outfits and a few other necessities along with making this cute little guy to go with the whole package.

Don’t you just love this little turtle? He comes from the Fox and Friends stamp set in our occasions mini catalog. He might not be in our next idea and catalog book that comes out in July so if you like him you might want to get him now. The greeting comes from the Fundamental phrases stamp set. Hello is by itself on a stamp and baby actually come from the stamp that says New Baby. Of course I just colored only the baby part of the stamp and omitted the word New. The large scallop circle comes from the Scallops circle #2 die. The larger green circle was cut using my circle scissor and the small circle was from the circles die and is the largest sized circle. I also used a couple of stamps from the Circle Circus stamp set to tie it all in together.

I hope I was able to inspire you with these little creations.

Thanks again for stopping by. Till next time.

And the winner is. . .

Every other month we have a demonstrator shoebox swap. We get together with each other and we make each other’s card that we’ve brought to share and swap. It started out with about a dozen of us and we’d all make a sample of the card or 3-D item to make and then we’d bring enough supplies cut and ready to put together to recreate that same project. Then we’d all sit down and just start swapping boxes around till we had one of everything there. Since then our swaps have grown. Last night was the biggest one so far. We had 25 fabulous projects to make. We are all very talented so you could imagine my surprise when my card was picked by my peers as the best sample of the night.

Here it is:

I decided to make an easel card. They’re fairly simple to do once you’ve got the basics down. I struggled with color combinations for a few days but ultimately Kathy helped me to decide which color craft ink to use and with that I knew which color satin ribbon I’d be using. For the part that the card catches, or helps to keep it standing up, I wanted to keep it simple enough but yet still elegant. I remembered I’d picked up bulk orders of our very vanilla hodge podge ribbon slides. Since I tend to hoard a lot of accessories I decided I'd better use them. I settled with a greeting from the new Messages for Mom stamp set to tie the entire card together.

I almost gave up on trying to complete this card. Not because I didn’t want to do it and couldn’t figure out what to do. Earlier that afternoon I’d received a phone call from my aunt letting me know that both of my grandparents and another aunt had been a car accident. I really couldn’t focus and Kathy was going to come over. I knew I needed a friend who’d be able to help me make my final decisions and to help keep me motivated to get these done. By the time Kathy left I’d cut everything already and I just needed to sit down and stamp everything. When I finally knew everyone was out of the ER then I was able to really get some work done. I got 10 of them stamped before bed that night and I finished the rest of them Sunday morning when I woke up. I also completed a slew of other cards and projects throughout the day and then yesterday I woke with a mission to stamp even more, and so I did.

After Kimberly had counted all the votes she declares “It’s a landslide!” I wasn’t paying attention to who’s card she’d grabbed when she was asking who’s card she was holding up. Kathy looks at me and says “Hey Kimberly has your card.” I was very shocked and also very honored at the same time, I still am.

I hope my card inspires you to create something today.

Tune in next time. I promise, I’ll upload the easel cards I made on Sunday. I mailed those off today. I’ll also upload a few other things I came up with as well.

Uses for the "Eggcellent eggs kit" that don't require me to boil eggs Part II

As promised here is part 2 of the Uses for the Eggcellent Eggs kit.

For this one I was thinking more along the lines of a baby shower

I’ve seen someone else come up with a baby buggy. I tend not to CASE (Copy and Steal/Share Everything) so I came up with my own version of an old fashioned baby buggy.

This baby buggy was made using our Scallop Circle Big Shot die. I used a full egg holder along the top of the bottom section of the buggy. There is rub on that was used in the upper right corner of the top part of the buggy but you can't really see it. I used the rhinestone stick-ons to add a little bling to the scallops of the buggy and to show versatility for someone who won't be purchasing the kit I made my own frilly lace using the eyelet border punch.

For the centers of the wheels, or hubcaps if you will, I used a flower rub on from the kit and because I wanted the wheels to turn, I attached brads through the centers of each one.

These next photo shows you a bag cut using the Two Tags die cut.

For the front of my bag I used the spiral piece that came from the kit and leaves to create the stem and leaves for the flowr in the pot. For the center of the flower I also used a rub on and rhinestone stick on for the center.

This last project is a scrapbook page I made using designer series paper (DSP) from the Sweet Pea collection. If you don’t already have this paper I promise you it’s beautiful. Our catalogs, as fabulous as they are, don’t give you enough to go by with the photos. It is definitely worth every penny. I’ve been bad lately about not scrapbooking family events. Lexi turned 5 in December and as you can see I’ve only just done a page to remember her first birthday.

Isn’t this paper gorgeous? I used the rub ons from the kit on the corners of the lettering blocks I also used a strip of it in the middle of the tag and along the top of the small journaling strip. I just had to use the new pink satin ribbon from our current Occasions mini catalog. Pretty isn’t it? I also strategically placed a few rhinestones on the flowers to appear as if there are dew drops on them.

Stay tuned for my next blog. I’ll share my samples from our Colorado Springs demonstrator shoebox swap.

Till next time.

Uses for the "Eggcellent eggs kit" that don't require me to boil eggs Part I

So it's been a little while since I last posted. Saturday the 27th of February we had our demonstrator meeting, in which I demonstrated. Here are the things I shared with our group. My challenge was to use the Eggcellent Eggs kit without using eggs to use them on. If you don't already know me by now when I'm challenged to do something I really do challenge myself and for reasons unknown I always have to do more than I'm asked to do. Not only do I show everyone how to use the kit itself but I also managed to show them how to create these projects as well. Everything I made was sort of working double duty.

For instance take a look at this gem of a project:

I utilized several parts of the kit itself including the scalloped egg holders, flowers and rhinestone stick ons.

So I was thinking wouldn't this make a cute little gift for a teacher, your mail carrier, a neighbor. It doesn't have to be for Easter if they don't celebrate it. It could be just as a little "Thank You" or a spring gift.

This is another one I came up with using the rub-ons and the little rhinestone stick ons.

So think anniversary, wedding, black tie affair.

This is what it looks like filled with nuggets. See I even have my little Mr & Mrs tiny tag stamped and punched to hang from the ribbon.

This last one I had in mind for another friend who's hoping she has a little girl. I wanted to come up with something really cute for a thank you favor.

Stay tuned for part 2. Where I'll show you the rest of the projects that I shared.