A Bit of Beach

Yes, this is really me...I'm not incognito, nor have I stolen this picture from someone else. This picture was snapped in my craft room one night, so it doesn't have the normal background image you're used to seeing.

I needed a birthday card for someone who loves the beach. I soon realized that I do not have one stamp set that is beach themed. I think I have everything but.

So, I started brainstorming. What reminds me of the beach? I immediately thought of color --- blues! I chose three different shades to represent the different colors of water: Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist and Bashful Blue. They are gorgeous together.

I then began to peruse all of my mom's die cuts (which happen to be on vacation in my craft room.) I came across a sand dollar. This just happens to be one of my favorite things about the ocean. I thought it would be a perfect addition to the card.

I think there is something very peaceful about this card...and reminiscent of the beach. It makes me want to be there right now ;)

Stamps: Happy Harmony
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla Cardstock
Ink: Chocolate Chip & Crumb Cake Classic Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Sand Dollar Die, Scalloped Edge Border Punch, Brown Buttons, Linen Thread, Brown Sheer Ribbon, Sponge and Glue Dots

Strength & Hope

Happy Weekend Everyone! I, for one, am glad it's here. Next weekend is my brother's wedding, so I am using this weekend to primp and check off those last minute items before we head to CA. Of course, there's always time for card making and a quick little post.

My card today is a CASE of Teneale Williams' beautiful creation seen here. Her card is pure gorgeousness in purples. I switched it up and used pinks.

This stamp set is great. Not only will it help you create some super pretty cards, but for every purchase of this set, Stampin' Up is donating $2 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Those are two great reasons to add this to your collection. It is available till August 31st in the Summer Mini. But don't wait....get it now and put that cute butterfly to use.

Stamps: Strength & Hope
Paper: Melon Mambo, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla Cardstock
Ink: Melon Mambo & Crumb Cake Classic Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Half Back Pearls, Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Glue Dots and Dimensionals/Pop Dots

Sweet 16

Ohhh...to be 16 again! I so couldn't wait to be 16, and then it was 18, and then everyone's favorite 21. I've had just a couple more since then...*wink* *wink*

I needed a card for a larger-than-life 16-year-old. My first thought was rhinestones...and lots of them! She also likes pink and purples.

My super cute pink polka dot panel came from the Shades of Spring DSP. I paired it up with Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz. As if this card wasn't girly enough already, I added a bit of stitching to the side of the panel.

I don't have a sewing machine, so I had to improvise. I used my mat pack to pierce alternating holes and then I took a needle with some embroidery floss and stitched away.

I usually don't tie big bows on cards, but this time it seemed fitting. I think it all works together perfectly. Hopefully she likes it!

Stamps: So Very
Paper: Concord Crush, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz and Whisper White Cardstock; Shades of Spring & Lap of Luxury DSP
Ink: Concord Crush Classic Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Circle & Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer, Rhinestones, Embroidery Floss, Green Ribbon, Designer Buttons-Subtles, Hole Punch and Glue Dots

Pumpkin Spice & Something Nice

Orange is not one of my favorite colors...it's often just a bit too bright for me. It was definitely not so in this case.

I saw a card similar to this one, where the designer trimmed down a sheet from the Sweet Pea DSP Pack. (Unfortunately I didn't save the link.)

This button is a Designer Big Button. They are quite larger than a standard button, but as a focal point on a card, they work. I pulled my ribbon through the holes and tied a knot. Love the look! Hope you like it too ;) Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Afterthoughts
Paper: Chocolate Chip & Sweet Pea DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Designer Big Buttons-Sweet Stitches, Brown Button, Sheer Brown Ribbon, Orange Ribbon, Linen Thread, Hole Punch and a Glue Dot

Simple Beauty

Well, I think I saved the best for last. This set was my favorite of them all.

It was inspired by this card that Jen Sannes made over at SCS. I kept the same simple design, but gave it a couple Julie touches.

What drew me to this card was her subtle use of color. She had used Dusty Durango for her pop of color, but I chose to use Rose Red. I adore this color and as you can see, it works perfectly with the Soft Suede and Very Vanilla. They are a match made in heaven *swoon*.

A button finishes off the card. I have never had much luck securing buttons over the ribbon, so luckily, this button lended itself to being tied with my ribbon. I ran the ribbon up through the holes and tied a knot. Love it!

This card would be great for any occasion, but for me, it's definitely the perfect wedding card. I just happen to have one coming up, so I see myself making another.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Warmest Regards
Paper: Soft Suede, Rose Red & Very Vanilla Cardstock; Thoroughly Modern DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Paper Piercer & Mat Pack, Brown Buttons, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Linen Thread, Hole Punch and Glue Dots

Packed with Polka Dots

What girl doesn't love some polka dots? I sure do and when I saw this cute little ensemble, I knew I had to recreate it.

I was talking to a girlfriend last night and she's considering buying some basic supplies to get started with card making. It got me thinking, what are the necessities?

I made a few teacher thank you cards last year with a friend who had grabbed what she had and headed over: cardstock, ribbon and flowers. She had gotten all of these for free at a Bazzill warehouse clearance and didn't know what to do with them. We put together a simple design similar to this one and they were a hit. All she really needed from me was a little guidance and a stamp.

If you are considering card making, look around your crafty space and you may already have some of these basic supplies. You may just need that go-to stamp set. SU! has plenty of those and I'd love to help you pick one out. Feel free to email me if you need a creative director. I'm your girl! Thanks for stopping by.

Stamps: Afterthoughts
Paper: Basic Black & Very Vanilla Cardstock; Love Letter DSP
Ink: Basic Black Classic Ink & Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Scallop Border Punch, Black Satin Ribbon, Linen Thread, Fabric Flowers, Clear Rhinestone Brad, Red Button, Sponge and Glue Dots

So Saffron Savvy

My card was inspired by this beautiful creation by Mercedes Weber. The simple design and color scheme define sophistication.

This print is from a sheet in the Sweet Pea DSP pack from a while back. Many of us have it, but how many of us use it? It is full of fabulous prints, both masculine and feminine. Many of the sheets, like this one, can be trimmed up and used as the base for your card.

I would have never thought to pair up So Saffron, Basic Black and Crumb Cake. Thank you Mercedes for inspiring me to try something new. I hope you all like my take on it. Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Clearly for You
Paper: Crumb Cake & Basic Black Cardstock; Sweet Pea DSP
Ink: Basic Black Classic Pad
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Corner Punch, Hole Punch, Paper Daisy, Designer Buttons-Subtles, Black Satin Ribbon, Linen Thread and Glue Dots

No 147: Bashful Bird

I got the inspiration for this card from the fabulous Jackie Wright. You can see her card here. She made her card in about 64 seconds, mine took a little longer.

First, I switched up the base color and went with Bashful Blue. It needed a vintage-y look, so I inked it up. For this technique, I opened up my stamp pad and just started dropping it on the cardstock in different directions. I did the same for the petal cone before I assembled it. This gives it a different look that what a sponge does. I think that worked better for coordinating with this piece of DSP.

Next, I stamped the bird from the Nature Walk set and cut it out. It was then popped up with pop dots to give it some dimension. Finally, I added a layer of Early Espresso, some Rik Rak and it was done.

Once again, this print is from a whole sheet of the Botanical Gazette DSP that was just trimmed down to a portion that would fit a card. It doesn't get much easier than that ;)

Hope you like it!

Stamps: Nature Walk & Because I Care
Paper: Bashful Blue, Early Espresso & Very Vanilla DSP; Botanical Gazette DSP
Ink: Early Espresso Classic Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Large Oval Punch, Hole Punch, Brown Button, Linen Thread, Shear Brown Ribbon, Brown Rik Rak, Dimensionals/Pop Dots and Glue Dots

The Cherry Cobbler Gazette

This card is a CASE of Ilina Crouse's card seen here. The design was simple and the colors were gorgeous! See those yummy red raspberries, that print is trimmed down from a full sheet in the Botanical Gazette DSP.

To go along with the card, I created a coordinating petal cone. The vanilla was a little plain, so I spruced it up by stamping a butterfly on the cardstock before putting it together. It's adds a nice little touch.

On a final note, did you notice anything different about the flower on the petal cone? There's a brad in the center and it's one I've never used before. It's taken a year, but I finally ordered the Antique Brads. This brad added the prefect vintage-y feel to the design.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Nature Walk & Because I Care
Paper: Cherry Cobbler & Very Vanilla Cardstock; Botanical Gazette DSP
Ink: Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Antique Brads, Cherry Cobble Seam Binding, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer and Glue Dots

SC336: Shades of Spring

I got a request for (6) teacher thank you sets: one coordinating card and petal cone. So, I sat down and went through all my papers to find patterns that would work for both.

This first set uses the Shades of Spring DSP.
The colors are fun and fresh and work
perfectly for my customer's request for something Spring-y.

My inspiration for the card was this sketch challenge over at SCS. This was an easy one. I just needed a pattern that would work on its own.

If you follow my blog, you know I LOVE to make these petal cones, so I am enjoying making them with different colors and DSPs. I hope you like them...thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Swirls & Curls Verses
Paper: Orchid Opulence & Very Vanilla Cardstock; Shades of Spring DSP
Ink: Orchid Opulence Classic Ink
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer, Purple Buttons, Linen Thread, Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Hole Punch and Mini Glue Dots

SC333: A Greenhouse Thanks

Well, the creative juices seem to once again be flowing. I actually sat down yesterday to create. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am totally hooked on the Greenhouse Gala DSP. The colors and print are fabulous.


Using that as inspiration, I went in search of a sketch. I stumbled upon this one over at SCS. It was perfect for what I had to work with.

I had saved all the scraps from the Fun Flowers I cut out for the Petal Cone dies I had done. There's not enough for a full card, but when trimmed up, I had enough scraps for the small portions of this design. It just goes to show...never throw away those scraps, especially of paper you love ;)

Hope you like it & thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Swirls & Curls Verses (Hostess)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze and Whisper White Cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Accessories: Fun Flowers Die, Mat Pack & Paper Piercer, Brown Button, Linen Thread and Glue Dots

Wedding Favors II: Greenhouse Gala

If you saw my previous post, you know that I've been busy making these Petal Cones. I needed to make 90 of them for a wedding.

This is the second set that I made. I chose to use the Greenhouse Gala DSP for these. The colors in this pack are gorgeous and just perfect for summer.

I decided early on, that since I had to make 90, I would keep it simple. All the Petal Cones are Chocolate Chip. Each flower is made with a half sheet of the DSP. I used one side of the sheet for one layer and the other side for a layer. It's amazing how these are designed to coordinate. It made my job super easy.

These die cuts are both a must have. They have become my favorites. Hope you like them!

Stamps: None
Paper: Chocolate Chip and Pear Pizzazz Cardstock; Greenhouse Gala DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: Petal Cone Die, Fun Flowers Die, Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, Buttons, Glue Dots and a Hole Punch

Wedding Favors I: Woodland Walk

Hi Everyone! Remember me....Julie Marshall. Yes, I'm still here. It has just been a busy quarter at school and I've had very little free time. Of course, that can't happen for long, right????

About 2 1/2 weeks ago, I got an email inquiring about these Petal Cone Dies. They were interested in about 90 for a
wedding. My first thought: can I make 90 of these? My second thought: do I have time to make 90 of these?

Well...I made 90 of these and it actually wasn't that bad. After being given the color scheme, I decided on the Woodland Walk and Greenhouse Gala DSPs. They had the majority of the colors we needed. Then it was off to decide on cardstock, ribbon and buttons. I loved playing with all these goodies and pairing them together.

The Woodland Walk DSP didn't jump out at me in the catalog, but the colors are gorgeous. This pack produced some of my favorite cones in the project. The greens and browns are fabulous together. Which is your favorite? Be sure to leave me a comment...I'd love to hear.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: None
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi & Garden Green Cardstock; Woodland Walk DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: Petal Cone Die Cut, Fun Flowers Die Cut, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread, Buttons, Glue Dots and a Hole Punch

Baja Bliss

This color combination is one of my absolute favorites. I love Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze and Very Vanilla together...and, these prints from the Springtime Vintage DSP are just perfection.

The Fun Flowers Die Cut is the newest addition to my collection. I LOVE the (3) different flower designs and how they layer together. In addition to these three flowers, the die cuts two different size circles that could also be layered and used instead of/in addition to a button.

I've also seen this die used with fabric. I just happen to have some and can't wait to play. Hopefully I'll have a card or project soon to show you that. In the meantime, I'd love to see how you've used these two dies if you have them. Be sure to leave me a link and share!

Stamps: None
Paper: Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla Cardstock; Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: Petal Cone Bigz Die, Fun Flowers Bigz Die, Big Designer Buttons-Springtime Vintage, Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Linen Thread, Glue Dots-Medium and a Hole Punch

Springtime Flowers

This is the second Petal Cone Die that I put together for the Fabulous girls that run the front office of our school.

When run through the Big Shot with two sheets of cardstock, this die will cut all the supplies needed to put this together. You get (2) Main Body pieces, (2) Scalloped Half Circles and (2) Banners. Everything is then glued together in less that 2 minutes. It's that easy.

There have been plenty of times that I've hand cut these banners for other projects, but this die does the perfect cut for you. You could probably even use the Scalloped Half Circles as well...I just haven't given those much thought yet ;)

These Petal Cones are very versatile and could be used for Baby Shower or Wedding Favors, Teacher's Gifts and can even be hung on hooks as a decoration. They are so fun and can be done in so many different ways. Hope you enjoy them!

Stamps: None
Paper: Pear Pizzazz & Rose Red Cardstock; Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: Petal Cone Bigz Die, Fun Flowers Bigz Die, Big Designer Buttons-Springtime Vintage, Rose Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Glue Dots-Medium and a Hole Punch

Petal Cone Perfection

A while back, I offered to swap some die cuts with my sweet friend Jamie over at Shabby Horse. I had the super cute Mini Milk Cartons and she had the gorgeous Petal Cone Dies. How nice to share with fellow crafters ;)

I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy this die cut, so I was glad to try it out. I am now quite certain, that this is a must buy. They go together so easily and you can decorate them up in so many ways. I had just gotten my Fun Flowers Die and decided to finally sit down and put these together.

It is Administrative Professionals Week, so I made these for the Fabulous girls that work in the front office of our school. They truly do keep everything running smoothly, so I wanted to make them feel special. I filled these with some Hershey Kisses and they were a hit!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: None
Paper: Rose Red & Baja Breeze Cardstock; Springtime Vintage DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: Petal Cone Bigz Die, Fun Flowers Bigz Die, Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Designer Buttons-Subtles, Linen Thread, Glue Dots-Medium and a Hole Punch