Have A Superstar Birthday

Here I am using stars again....I recently bought these stitched stars dies from Lil' Inker Designs and just adore them!

I used Ripe Avocado for the card base and added a layer of Spring Moss striped pattern paper.  For the stars, I wanted to use colors I don't normally use and selected Summer Sunrise, Pure Poppy and Orange Zest in addition to the Ripe Avocado.  

For the largest star, I scored and folded it to create a dimensional look!  Very easy to do and adds a little something extra to the card.  I stamped the sentiment in green and tied the jute around the top of the card.  I'm really happy with the way this turned out!  And you can actually see the stitching in the photo!

Card Details:

• Stamps:  Lil' Inker Bunny Star
• Paper:  PTI Ripe Avocado, Summer Sunrise, Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Spring Moss Striped
• Ink:  Memento Olive Green
• Tools:  Lil' Inker Stitched Stars; Scor-Pal
• Other:  Jute
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday (CAS #36)

This is a technique I saw on Pinterest - where you take masking tape or Washi tape, place it on top of a stamp pad, rub it lightly to get ink on it and then transfer the ink to your cardstock, again by rubbing the tape.  Each time you do it you get a different look - paint-like stripes where no two stripes are the same.

I used white cardstock for the card base and rounded the bottom corners.  I selected pink and green inks, using different sizes of Washi tape - 3/4" and 1/2".  After I had all the ink stripes on the card, I stamped the sentiment in black.

I remembered I had these pink adhesive stars and thought they made a great addition to the card!  (The colors on this card are much prettier in person - I have trouble taking photos of white cards.)

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Birthday Bash Sentiments
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Memento Rose Bud, Pear Tart, Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  Corner Rounder
• Other:  Adhesive Gems; Washi Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Birthday Wishes

It's Autumn and I'm enjoying using all leaf stamps!  This is another male card - leaves are always good for a male card!

I used Kraft cardstock for the card base.  I stamped the leaves in Olive Grove ink (a new favorite of mine) on Rustic White cardstock; some of the leaves are fully inked and some have the ink stamped off to make it look like two different colors. 

I die-cut a Mat Stack 3 die and stamped it with Olive Grove ink, adding the two "different" color green leaves in the circle.  The sentiment is stamped in a dark brown ink and placed on foam tape.

To add a little "male bling", I tied jute, threaded with a wood button around the bottom.  I really like the way this card turned out!

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Leaf Prints, Mat Stack 3 Collection, Wishes Come True
• Paper:  PTI Kraft, Rustic White
• Ink:  Memento Olive Grove; Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate
• Tools:  PTI Mat Stack 3 Die
• Other:  PTI Wood Button; Jute; Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Your Birthday Is A Special Day...

Okay, maybe I'm cheating putting two of the same type cards back to back - but I wanted you to see how easy it is to use the same idea for a male inspired card for a female card.

I used white cardstock for the card base and added a layer of Raspberry Fizz cardstock.  On a piece of white cardstock, embossed with stitching, I stamped one balloon in a dark pink ink.  I die-cut a second balloon, stamped it with a lighter pink and placed it on foam tape.  I stamped the balloon strings, bow and sentiment.

Notice the balloon and sentiment have flowers?  This entire card coordinates...that's why I used a flower stamp to randomly stamp the background.  I placed a small gem in the flower centers for a bit of bling.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Balloon Bash
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select, Raspberry Fizz
• Ink:  Memento Rose Bud, Angel Pink
• Tools:  PTI Balloon Bash Die; Lil' Inker Stitched Mats: Rectangles
• Other:  Foam Tape; Gems
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Hoping All Of Your Birthday Wishes...

I'm all about balloons and stars - I like making anything with them.  For this card, I wanted to make a masculine card.  I'm getting better at it, and to me, that's an accomplishment since most people I talk to think it's much harder to make cards for the guys than the girls.  I agree.

I used Kraft cardstock for the card base and added a layer of Enchanted Evening cardstock.  On white cardstock, I stamped one balloon in dark blue.  I die-cut a balloon and stamped it with a lighter blue and placed it on foam tape.  I stamped the balloon strings and tie in opposite colors for each balloon.

I stamped the sentiment at the bottom and randomly stamped the stars in light blue and brown inks.  The entire image was stamped on a stitched rectangle.  This card is completely coordinated by using the star stamps!

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Balloon Bash, Masculine Motifs
• Paper:  PTI Kraft, Enchanted Evening, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Memento Blue Danube, Summer Sky, Toffee Crunch
• Tools:  PTI Balloon Bash Die; Lil' Inker Stitched Mats: Rectangles
• Other:  Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday

I think this pattern paper is so pretty so I didn't want to cover up too much of it.

I used Raspberry Fizz cardstock for the card base, cutting the bottom with Card Edgers and did the same to the pattern paper.  Using the Boutique Borders Sympathy die, I cut one in Vintage Cream cardstock another one in Raspberry Fizz.

The sentiment is stamped on the cream in grey ink with a pink ink background.  I cut the Raspberry Fizz cardstock in half and placed it behind the cream to give it a layered look.  This is such an easy thing to do and produces a nice effect.

I placed the sentiment on foam tape for dimension.  I tied a pink ribbon around the bottom and added a couple of gems above and below the sentiment.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Boutique Borders: Birthday, Boutique Borders: Sympathy
• Paper:  PTI Raspberry Fizz, Vintage Cream; Tracey Porter Colorbok
• Ink:  Memento Rose Bud; Amuse Seattle
• Tools:  PTI Card Edgers #1, Boutique Borders: Sympathy Die
• Other:  Ribbon; Gems
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

We're Just Better, Together

I wanted to make a different type of anniversary card and pulled out my Milk & Cookies stamp set.

I used Hawaiian Shores cardstock for the card base and stamped the images onto white cardstock that I embossed with a stitched rectangle die.  The cookies, flag and sentiment are in chocolate brown.....I think this brown looks just like the Oreo cookie color!  I stamped the straws in turquoise to match the card base.  The flag is stamped, cut out and placed on foam tape for dimension.   

After the card was completed, it seemed like it was too hard to see the bottle image so I colored it with a light grey Copic marker. 

Card Details:

• Stamps:  WPlus9 Cookies & Milk
• Paper:  PTI Hawaiian Shores, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Soft Stone; Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate; VersaMagic Turquoise Gem
• Copics:  C00
• Tools:  Lil' Inker Stitched Mats: Rectangles
• Other:  Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday

I bought these K&Company dimension stickers in the Joann's clearance section, probably last summer.  It's time to use them!  I picked a flower in pink and one in purple and made two cards.

I used Sweet Blush/Winter Wisteria cardstock for the card base, rounding the right hand corners.  On a piece of white cardstock, I stamped the crackled image in VersaMark ink and sprinkled it with Blush/Lavender Zing embossing powder and heat embossed it.

I stamped the sentiment on the bottom in black ink.  I adhered the 3D flowers to the center and tied the ribbon around the spine.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Gracious Vases, Crackled
• Paper:  PTI Sweet Blush, Winter Wisteria, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; VersaMagic
• Tools:  Corner Rounder
• Other:  K & Company Cottage Green 3D Stickers; Zing Embossing Powder; Heat Gun; Ribbon
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Thank You (CAS #35)

Yes, back to back thank you cards, but this big thank you is because today is the first day of Autumn and Summer is officially over!  Yippee!  I can't wait for the cool, crisp weather to begin!!

This was a quick and simple card to make.  I used Orange Zest cardstock for the card base and rounded the bottom corners.  The leaves are stamped in various "fall" colors onto Rustic Cream cardstock.  Some of the leaves are stamped fully inked and some with the ink stamped off first.

I stamped the thank you in black and added a little bit of glitter on the leaves.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Masculine Motifs, Think Big Favorites #4
• Paper:  PTI Orange Zest, Rustic Cream
• Ink:  Memento Tangelo, Dandelion, Love Letter, Bamboo Leaves, Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  Corner Rounder
• Other:  Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Thank You

I really haven't used masking that much on cards, but when I saw this on Amber's blog, Damask Love, I knew I wanted to try it.  She has a tutorial how to do it here, which explains it better than I can!

I used Pinefeather cardstock for the card base, rounding the bottom corners.  I die-cut the flowers with white copy paper and adhered them with a little bit of adhesive to a piece of white cardstock.  Next, I stamped the leaves all around the flowers, making sure I covered all of the edges so the flowers would turn out in full.  The leaves are stamped in three colors of green ink:  two lighter greens for the leaves and a darker green for the veins.

Once the stamping was done, I took off the flowers and it left the images of the white flowers!  I stamped the sentiment and the flower centers in the same dark green I used for the leave veins.  Last step was adding pearls to the flower centers.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Happiness In Bloom, Lovely Layers, Botanical Silhouettes
• Paper:  PTI Pinefeather, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Memento Bamboo Leaves, Pear Tart, Northern Pine
• Tools:  PTI Beautiful Blooms II; Corner Rounder
• Other:  Pearls
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday Banners (Scraps)

I already cleaned out some of my solid cardstock scraps so it was time to look through my patterned paper.

I used Aqua Mist cardstock for the card base and added a layer of Ocean Tides and white cardstock on top of it, leaving a little space in the middle  Going through my scraps, I picked out some coordinating papers and die-cut them into banners.

I die-cut the larger banner at the bottom, stamped it with a diagonal image in light blue and stamped happy birthday.  The sentiment is on foam tape.

To complete the card I added the 3 silver metal dots to the horizontal banner.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Sketched Shapes
• Paper:  PTI Aqua Mist, Ocean Tides, White Stampers Select, 2008 Bitty Boxes Basics, Everyday Blessings, Polka Dot Parade
• Ink:  VersaMagic Aquatic Splash, Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  PTI Sketched Shapes
• Other:  Metal Dots; Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Anniversary

I wanted to use a different color for a card and pulled out Simply Chartreuse cardstock and used it for the card base. 

I stamped the flowers and leaves on white cardstock, using blue, green and purple inks.  The sentiment is stamped on an oval die-cut, layered onto a scalloped oval of Simply Chartreuse and placed foam tape.

To finish the card, I tied a light blue ribbon around the spine.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Happiness in Bloom, Harvest Berries, Embroidered Blooms
• Paper:  PTI Simply Chartreuse, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Memento Summer Sky, Pear Tart, Lulu Lavender; VersaMagic Hydrangea
• Tools:  PTI Limitless Layers: Ovals
• Other:  Foam Tape; Ribbon
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"