Make It Mailable 13-12

Hello, stampers, and welcome to another Monday. Can you believe Christmas is ONE MONTH FROM TODAY?!  Eeeeek, I have to get my cards in the mail next week! I have about 50 done and need about 30 more.  How many do you send out each year?  Today's card is another one that I will be making in quantity. It was inspired by this card on SCS.

One of the ways to keep the weight down on your cards, if you are making multiple layers, is to cut the centers out of the mats, leaving just a frame.  I did that on this card, and used the cut out piece as the mat for the image. The Stampin' Trimmer makes it so easy!  Just determine how wide you want the 'frame' sides to be.  I made them 5/8" on this one, which left plenty of room for the adhesive holding the brushed gold panel.

I love the Endless Wishes stamp set that was used on the brushed gold, but unfortunately, it was sooo popular that it's sold out already!

Stamps: Evergreen, Endless Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Brushed Gold
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Trimmer, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Linen Thread

Huge Holiday and Doorbuster Sales!

First of all, let me mention the doorbuster items, because the deal is for TODAY ONLY!  The rest of the Holiday sale is good through Dec. 2nd.

These are the Doorbuster deals (and they are aMAZing!):
Many Marvelous Markers #131264 $109.95   $76.97

Simply Scored Diagonal Plate #125586 $11.95   $8.37

Stampin' Trimmer #126889 $29.95   $20.97

To see the rest of the sale items, you can click HERE. Or, to see the list in PDF form, click HERE. When you place your order, you will be visited by my favorite guy (other than DH, of course), the Man in Brown! I'm always happy to see him, because he brings me lots of goodies!

We are down to the last few weeks of the 12 Weeks of Christmas, so be sure to sign up for my mailing list (on the upper left) to get the last few projects in your email on Wednesdays!

It's CHRISTMAS on the Tour de Freaks!

Welcome to the Christmas 2013 edition of the Tour de Freaks! It's the most won-der-ful tiiiime of the year (you sang that in your head, didn't you?), and we're excited to show you some terrific ideas for your holiday.  If you started at the beginning and have been hopping in order, then you just landed here from Mindy Backes' blog, Bada-Bing! Paper-Crafting!  If you're starting here, just click on the links at the bottom of each blog and they will take you full circle back here, so you won't miss a single stamptastic thing!

My first project is a little gift for nectar of the gods coffee lovers.  I've been seeing these tiny hot cups with lids popping up everywhere on the 'Net, and just had to get them to make some quick gifts.  They're filled with Espresso, Coffee, and Latte candies for a quick pick-me-up. Wouldn't these be cute teacher or co-worker gifts? (ETA: These will hold 5 Starbucks Via packets, folded in half.) They're big enough for a tea bag or two, as well. (Don't know about a cocoa packet, though.) The base was covered with Winter Frost DSP, and the lid was topped with a 3D snowflake.

STAMPS: Festive Flurry, Christmas Tagables  CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Silver Glimmer, Winter Frost Specialty DSP  INK: Island Indigo  ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Festive Flurry Framelits, Simply Scored, Silver 1/8" Ribbon, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Rhinestones Basic Jewels

Here's a close-up of the snowflake topper. I was inspired by the Festive Flurry Ornament Kits, making my version small enough to fit on the lid.

For my card projects, I had a hard time choosing which stamp set to feature, but finally decided on Best of Snow.  I just love that little snowman, and the hedgehog is so sweet!  So, let's start with my little snow buddy. He was super easy to color; just a few quick swipes of the markers. And you can't really see it, but the Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter really makes the snow sparkle.

STAMPS: Best of Snow, Lovely as a Tree, More Merry Messages  CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler  INK: Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Garden Green plus Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green (In Color set), and Soft Sky Stampin' Write Markers  ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Perfect Polka-Dots folder, Designer Frames oval folder, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Extra Large Oval Punch, Two-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Rhinestones Basic Jewels

And here's my little hedgie buddy. I acidentally stumbled on this color combination when some Early Espresso and Soft Sky cardstock was laying next to each other on my *ahem* very messy desk. I was struck by how well they complemented each other. For the Deco Labels mat, I first tried Silver Glimmer Paper, but there wasn't enough contrast. The Red Glimmer sets off the red scarves better, anyway, don't you think? The hedgie was colored with a blender pen to get a lighter shade of Soft Suede. I think the marker would have been too dark.

STAMPS: Best of Snow, Snow Day  CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Shimmery White, Early Espresso, Soft Sky DSP (Subtles stack), Red Glimmer  INK: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, plus Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, and Soft Sky markers  ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Deco Labels Framelits, Circles Collection Framelits, Perfect Polka-Dots folder, Red Glimmer Brads (Brights collection), Blender Pens

Well, that's all from me today. Thank you for stopping by! Now on to the next stop, Justin Krieger's blog, JK Cards. I'm sure he has something fabulous cooked up!

Best of.....Snow(man)!

I was so excited when I saw the new "Best of" stamp set for November, because every stamp was devoted to snow! The snowflake is absolutely gorgeous, the snowman couldn't be any cuter, and the hedgehog building a snow-hedgie is adorable! Top it off with a 'Let it Snow' greeting, and the stamp set couldn't be any better, in my book.

Today's card features the snowman, obviously. You could turn it into a snow-woman just by adding a tiny punched flower to the hat! The image is easy-peasy to color, and it fits perfectly in the Extra Large Oval punch, which fits perfectly in the Designer Frames oval embossing folder. (Imagine that!)

I added some sparkle to the snow with a swipe of the 2-Way Glue Pen and a sprinkle of Dazzling Diamonds glitter*.  The buttons on the snowman became rhinestones and a rhinestone was added to the center of the white heat embossed (on vellum) snowflake. The snowflake was then cut out with a Festive Flurry Framelit.

*I've heard glittter referred to as 'the herpes of the crafting world', which is kind of sad. I love the sparkle that it adds but, I admit, it can be messy. My solution is to keep the Dazzling Diamonds in a medium stamp case like I use for my embossing powders.  I sprinkle the glitter on with a plastic spoon (kept in the case), tap the excess back into the case and let it dry for an hour or so.  Then the dried image is brushed off with a stiff brush, over a waste basket, so any loose bits are removed. This method really helps keep the mess to a bare minimum.

Stamps: Best of Snow, That's the Ticket
Cardstock: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, White Cardstock Vellum, Season of Style DSP Stack
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie, Gumball Green (2012-2014 In Color pack)
Accessories: Big Shot, Designer Frames (oval) folder, Snowburst folder (retired), Festive Flurry Framelits, Heat Tool, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Two-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Extra Large Oval Punch, Ticket Duo Builder Punch, Blender Pens, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

New Festive Flurry Ornament Kit!

Add a little festive flare to your holiday decorating with our new Festive Flurry Ornament Kit! Top presents, embellish cards, create a wintery garland, or trim the tree. How you use them is up to you!

The kit includes everything you need (minus adhesive) to create 10 snowflakes, including

• 10 feet of Soft Sky Ribbon
• Printed cardstock - die cut and scored, ready to be assembled (Soft Sky, Crumb Cake, Whisper White Cardstock and Silver Glimmer Paper)
• Large Rhinestone Basic Jewells (40)

Product name:	Item #:	Price:
Festive Flurry Ornament Kit	135813	$14.95

Supplies are limited - these are only available while supplies last!

See it on YouTube HERE!

Hang In There

One of the nice things about being a card maker is I never have to drive to the store and try to choose (from a limited selection) just the right card for whatever the occasion might be. Case in point: I want to send a card to a family member who could use some cheering up, and a "Hang in there".  The stamp set From My Heart had just exactly the greeting and sentiment that I wanted (inside it says 'Hang in there'), and I got to choose the design. How cool is that? Sooo much better than any store-bought, mass-produced, printed card!

Again, the designer paper makes the card. The Venetian Romance DSP has so many completely different designs, yet they all complement each other. Yesterday's card also used Venetian Romance, so you really can see just how versatile it is!

The color in this photo is a little off - the main background is Pistachio Pudding, such a lovely light green. Not at all yellowish, like the photo.

We are now halfway through the 12 Weeks of Christmas for my mailing list subscribers. Don't miss out on the last six weeks of projects! Sign up today (on upper left) and you will get week 7 in your email tomorrow. The projects go out every Wednesday!

Stamps: From My Heart
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Very Vanilla, Venetian Romance DSP, Champagne Glimmer Paper
Ink: Island Indigo
Accessories: Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals

Make It Mailable 13-11

Hello, peeps! It's Monday, and that means it's another mailable card today. But first I want to thank all our Veterans for serving our country and protecting our freedom. The depth of my gratitude can never be adequately expressed, so all I can offer is a humble THANK YOU!

Today's card is a variation of one we did in the Second Saturday Stampers club a couple days ago. That one had a rather large, bulky button which may have presented a problem in the postal sorting machinery. Today's card has a smaller (thinner) button, but it didn't have enough "oomph" for the card, so I added some feathers to make it more appealing. What do you think?

I just loved this image when it was current a few years ago because, honestly, I LOVE to color! Never outgrew that from when I was little. The Blender Pens are so much fun to use with the Classic Stampin' Pads. Every color is available to use, and you can make an infinite variety of shades, depending on how much color you pick up with the pen. The Watercolor Paper doesn't pill up when you color on it, either, so it's easy to lay down layers of color and deepen it where you need shadow.

Stamps: Best of Autumn, Gorgeous Grunge
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Watercolor Paper, Venetian Romance DSP
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Real Red, Early Espresso
Accessories: Designer Naturals Buttons, Linen Thread, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Sponges

Festive Flurry with a Twist

What is the twist, you ask?  Well, I don't know if you can see it unless you click on the photo, but I mixed Dazzling Diamonds into the White Stampin' Emboss powder to make the snowflakes extra glittery.  It looks really sparkly IRL!  Maybe this close-up will show it better:

I keep my embossing powders in the medium size (old style) stamp cases along with a plastic spoon for sprinkling the powder. (Hint: cut the hinged part off the case so the lid doesn't get in the way when using the powder.)  To make the sparkly white, I mixed two spoons of White EP with one spoon of Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  I liked it so much that I tried mixing some Black EP with Gold glitter, as an experiment. It looks AWESOME, too!

This card was CASEd from Donna Centamore's take on Freshly Made Sketch #104, but I made it a holiday card instead.  I think this one is going to be in the selection of cards I send this year!

Stamps: Festive Flurry, Endless Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pool Party Core'dinations (Subtles pack)
Ink: VersaMark, Island Indigo
Accessories: Big Shot, Northern Flurry folder, Stampin' Sanding Block, Heat Tool, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter, Embossing Buddy

Stepping it UP!

As promised, here are the stepped-up versions of yesterday's cards.  It was so much fun looking at each card and thinking up ways to make it a little more special, because there are so many ways that it can be done! I stuck with some of the basics; adding mats, texture, ribbon, banners, and paper-piercing. There were many more techniques I could have used, too; heat embossing, spritzing, sponging, masking, fancy folds, and so on.

For the first card, I stamped the greeting again in Crushed Curry, punched it out with the Modern Label punch and popped it up on dimensionals.  A narrow banner was added, as well as a mat behind the greeting. (Below each picture is a link to the original version, so you can compare.)

Click to see original card

For card number two, all that was added was a border of Coastal Cabana Ruffled Trim around the image, with a little Bermuda Bay banner peeking out the bottom.

Click to see original card

On the third card, a Coastal Cabana mat was added behind the DSP, so it pops a bit more. Then a some Coastal Cabana was embossed with the Square Lattice folder and used instead of the strip of DSP behind the image. The image panel was pierced all around with the Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, and a Paper-Piercing Tool and Mat.  I topped it off with a tiny Bermuda Bay bow. (You just knew I had to use a bow somewhere, right?) :D

Click to see original card

So, there you have it! It's really easy to take a simple card to the next level, with very little effort. And the best part? These are all still mailable cards - none are too thick or heavy!

More Mailable Examples (or, Letting the DSP Shine!)

I have "This DSP of mine, I'm gonna let it shine" stuck in my head. (Don't ask.)

I wanted to show some more examples of letting the Designer Series Paper carry the card, so I started pulling out some of my hoarded paper carefully organized paper supply and got to work.  Eastern Elegance DSP is so pretty, but I was really at a loss as to how to use it until I made this Make it Mailable card. Then the possibilities started flowing, and I got to work! Lookie what happened in a very short period of time!

This is such a fab way to use up some of the paper that you have hoarded stashed!  Between these simple cards and making envelopes with the Envelope Punch Board, I have no excuse for running out of paper storage room in my stamp cave!  And since I've gotten a peek at the new Designer Series Papers coming in the Occasions catalog (Jan. 3), I need to get busy making LOTS of room for the new schtuff!!!

Think these easy cards are a little too "simple" for your taste? Come back tomorrow and see how easy it is to step them up a notch!

Stamps (from top): Happy Day, Gifts of Kindness, Harvest of Thanks
Carsdtock: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Eastern Elegance DSP
Ink: Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Big Shot, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Rhinestones Basic Jewels

Joyful Christmas Wishes

You do realize there are only seven weeks until Christmas, right? That reality hit me a couple days ago and I immediately went into panic mode began calmly planning the upcoming festivities. Starting with the Christmas cards. Yes, Christmas may be seven weeks away, but the cards have to be completed, addressed and mailed in about four weeks. *Hyperventilating here*

So, today I'm sharing a pretty Christmas card made with the Joyful Christmas stamp set.  This is a card to be sent to someone special, since it takes just a tiny bit more time and effort to produce, but it will knock their Christmas stockings off when they receive it!  And yes, it is mailable!

The poinsettia was heat embossed in gold on vellum cardstock, but instead of coloring the back (stained glass technique), it was colored on the front for a deeper color. After coloring and drying, the excess ink was buffed off the gold embossing with a tissue, the flower was cut out, and petals curled by a bone folder.

Stamped/embossed/colored image again, and fussy-cut just the inner petals. Attached to flower with Mini Glue Dot. Placed a good size dollop of Crystal Effects in the center and covered with Champagne Glass Glitter. When completely dried, excess glitter was tapped off and poinsettia added to the card with a Stampin' Dimensional.

Okay, off to dream up more cards, and plan the holiday baking schedule. How are YOU doing with your holiday preps?  If you signed up for my mailing list, you'd be getting weekly ideas from the 12 Weeks of Christmas. It's easy, just subscribe using the link on the upper left!

Stamps: Joyful Christmas
Cardstock: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, White Vellum, Pear Pizzazz DSP (Subtles stack)
Ink: VersaMark, Cherry Cobbler pad, Real Red and Gumball Green (In Color pack) Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot, Snowburst folder (retired), Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Crystal Effects, Champagne Glass Glitter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Love & Sympathy

Just a quick post today - I'm designing cards to share later. This is one of "those" cards; the kind you never want to have to make.  Too depressing to share details, but I hope that knowing people care and are praying for the family helps them in some small way.

On the bright side, it is simple card to make (unless you're bow-challenged, haha), and would be great for other occasions if done in cheerier colors with a happier greeting. The mat behind the greeting was cut twice from Basic Black. One was split lengthwise and the other crosswise to form the mat.

Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Love & Sympathy
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Baked Brown Sugar DSP (In Color stack)
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Basic Black 5/8" Satin Ribbon (retired)

Make It Mailable 13-10

Today's card is a birthday card for a stamping friend, whose birthday happens to fall on Halloween. How cool is that?  Getting to dress up every year on your birthday and get a bunch of candy, in addition to birthday cake!  A child's dream come true, certainly!

Of course, I rememebered it was her birthday ON her birthday (d'oh!), so I had to sent a happy belated birthday card. (Really trying to be better about sending cards on time, and sometimes failing miserably.)

Witches Brew DSP made the card quick and easy, and still look fun and funky!  There is a rhinestone on the buckle on the hat, and that was all the bling that was needed.

The message inside says "But then I forgot! Happy Belated Birthday" and, ironically, it's from a set called Remembering Your Birthday, because apparently I can't!

This is a very easy card to convert to just about any occasion, and can be produced quickly and in quantity!  Start with some Designer Series Paper and choose your background (4" x 5¼") 

and accent stripe (this one was 1⅛ " x 5¼"- you can adjust the width). Then pick an image, preferably one that just needs one color of ink (so you can stamp it quickly), and a greeting that will fit on the image panel.  Choose a color from the DSP to use as a mat behind the image/greeting. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!  I'll have more examples this week, so stay tuned!

Stamps: Best of Halloween, Remembering Your Birthday
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Witches Brew DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Rhinestones Basic Jewels (I know, amazing, right?! No Mr. Big, no embossing folders, and no Stampin' Dimensionals!)