Saturday, October 30, 2010

A Peaceful Card



I made this card for my little sister, Sarah. I've been missing her a lot lately and feel like the time we spent together this summer was not as relaxing as we had hoped it would be. We are going to make sure that next time we do better. I also had my step-mom in mind when I did this card, she loved the beach and light blue was her favorite color.

All supplies used are Stampin' Up!

Stamp Set: Sketches (retired)
Papers: Crumb Cake (kraft) Cardstock, Baja Breeze Cardstock, Watercolor Paper and Parisian Breeze DSP (retired)
Ink:
Black StazOn and Chocolate Chip (for flecking)
Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter, Dimensionals

Have a great day!

-Christel

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Legos, anyone?



My son has been obsessed with Legos recently. It's not really surprising, when you consider that his father would probably still play with Legos if he had more time. This card was inspired by a few examples of Lego cards that I've seen recently, but the Legos themselves were most inspired by Cindy Shuster's card. I made this card for the birthday of one of Ian's friends. As you have probably already guessed, this friend was turning 6. Ian was so excited about how the card turned out! Instead of digging out each of the three colors I used to make the Legos, I used VersaMark to sponge the edges of the circles, square, rectangle and the number 6. I rounded the edges of the square and rectangle by hand with my Paper Snips, the corner rounder took more off than I wanted. I used the white gel pen to create a highlight on each of the circles and then popped the circles up with a dimensional each. I plan on making a few of these for my "stash".

All supplies used are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:

Stamp Set: Occasional Quotes (current hostess set)
Papers: Whisper White Cardstock, Pacific Point Cardstock, Summer Sun Cardstock and Real Red Cardstock
Ink:
Pacific Point and VersaMark
Accessories: 3/4" Circle Pinch, Dimensionals, Big Shot, White Gel Pen, Round-a-bout die (Sizzix)

Have a great evening!

Christel

Friday, October 8, 2010

Another baby card...



I know you're probably tired of seeing this little guy, but I had a card commissioned this week using this stamp. I don't know when the cuteness of this image will get old to me, maybe never! I colored this little guy in using Stampin' Up!'s Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aqua Painter. I can't believe it took me so long to buy the Watercolor Wonder Crayons, they make coloring an image super easy. Everything on this card is Stampin' Up! except for the little baby bunny...

Stamp Sets: Well Scripted (retired) and House Mouse Happy Hoppers "Sleepy Head"
Papers: Kraft Cardstock, Pink Pirouette Cardstock, Watercolor Paper and Shimmery White Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Black StazOn
Accessories:
Watercolor Crayons (Earth Elements), Aqua Painter, White Fun Flock (for the tail), Crystal Effects, Dimensionals, and Pink Pirouette Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (retired)

Have a great day!

-Christel

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Clearance Rack updated!

Stampin' Up! has updated their Clearance Rack with some amazing deals, up to 80% off! Contact me right away if you want to order anything. You can view the Clearance Rack here.

Have a great day!

Christel

Thursday, September 23, 2010

More cards from last Friday

I already showed you one of the designs for the cards that we did at my class last Friday, here are the other three. I ended up using embossing folders on three of the four cards, I just love the way they can step up a card so easily. All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted. I am not sure which one is my favorite, probably the Eiffel Tower one. Which one's your favorite?

Stamp Sets: Elements of Style and Watercolor Trio (love the sentiments in this set!)
Papers: Whisper White Cardstock
Inks: Early Espresso and Marina Mist
Accessories: Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon


Stamp Set: Artistic Etchings and French Script background (retired)
Papers: Love Letter DSP (love this!), Very Vanilla Cardstock, Riding Hood Red Cardstock, Basic Black Cardstock
Inks: Basic Black and Crumb Cake
Accessories: Linen Embossing Folder
, Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon (retired), Dimensionals, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Sponges

Stamp Set: Watercolor Trio (again, love the sentiments in this set!)
Papers: Whisper White Cardstock, Greenhouse Gala DSP and Pear Pizzaz Cardstock
Ink: Baja Breeze
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder
, unknown brand jewels, 1 & 3/4" Circle Punch, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Satin Ribbon (retired), Dimensionals, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

I hope you're having a fantastic week.

Christel

Sunday, September 19, 2010

A little Halloween




I don't really do a lot for Halloween, I'm more of a Fall/Harvest girl. Having said that, I have some friends/customers who do like Halloween themed items. One of them said that she wanted to make one the mummy cans, as shown on page 154 of Stampin' Up!'s 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog. I told her it wouldn't be hard to do, but I wanted to show her. I did put google eyes on it even though the one in the catalog had cardstock eyes.

The other treat is the new Candy Wrapper Die from Stampin' Up!. Another one of my friends/customers expressed her interest in this die, so I had to get it. Right? It is really easy to put together and I plan on making these little guys for all types of different occasions.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Mummy Can: Twill Tape, Sticky Strip,Large Cellophane Bag, google eyes (brand unknown), ribbon from May Arts and of course candy!

"EEK YOU'RE SWEET" Candy Wrapper treat: Basic Black Cardstock, Ghostly Greetings DSP (retired), Sweet Centers Stamp Set, Basic Blank Classic Ink, Old Olive 1/4 Grosgrain Ribbon, Bigz L Candy Wrapper Die, Sticky Strip and of course candy (inside)!

I hope you're having a great weekend!

Christel

Monday, September 13, 2010

Simple Elegance



It's amazing how much you can dress up a card with the right tools. Take this card, for instance. The embossing folder and pearls transform it from a plain card to an elegant card. This is the third card I've designed for my stamp-a-stack this Friday night. It was totally inspired by a card that my upline, Jamie, did at a recent class of hers. I made this one specifically for friends who got married last month, oh the shame! We were gone this summer for 6 weeks and I feel like I've been going 100 mph since we got back. My blog posts are evidence of the fact that I'm behind with things. I'm hoping to turn that around soon.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Stamp Set: Occasional Quotes (current hostess set)
Papers: Crumb Cake (aka kraft) Cardstock, Baja Breeze Cardstock and Chocolate Chip Textured Cardstock
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze (inside)
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder
, Basic Pearls jewels, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

Have a great day!

-Christel

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Clean and Simple Thank You Cards




There was a need posted on SCS the other night for Thank You cards. The poster has a similar situation to what my family went through earlier this year. A loved one was going in to hospice with the knowledge that they would be leaving their earthly body soon. When my (step) mom passed away on Easter Sunday of this year, my family and I had a lot of people to send thank you cards to. It's hard to send cards to people that aren't handmade now that I make cards. I had a wonderful giver on SCS send me a pack of thank you cards and will never forget the loving generosity of that one act. So, when I saw this post the other night I knew that this was a way for me to "pay it forward". Losing a loved one is unbelievably painful, and it's amazing how small things, like sending people who made a difference a handmade thank you card, can help make you feel a little better. I don't mean for this to be a heavy post, but it's a good reminder to try to do things for others and cherish the ones you love.

These are both One Layer Cards (OLC) that would definitely qualify as Clean and simple (CAS). I wanted them to be cards that expressed peace and calm. Sorry the pictures aren't the best, my cameras was about to die, so I was hurrying. I also had a drop of water fall on the text on the floral card right before I was photographing it... ugh.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Beachy Thank You
Stamp Set: Seaside (retired) and Simply Said
Paper: Crumb Cake (aka Kraft)
Ink: Craft Whisper White, Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip
Accessories: uni-ball Signo White Gel Pen

Floral Thank You
Stamp Set: Elements of Style and Simply Said
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Martha Stewart Ribbon

Have a great day.

Christel

Friday, August 20, 2010

Here we go again with the Craft Fair stuff!





I have already started to plan for this years SnowFest Arts and Crafts Fair in Simi Valley. Beth (kaitysmom on SCS) has made these really cute sleeves with M&M's in them for a while and I have admired them. I finally ordered some of the bags (they are 1x8) and put a few together yesterday with the M&M's that I had on hand. I plan on selling these at the craft fair for $1.50 each. What do you think?

Christel

Thursday, August 12, 2010

I'm back...


Wow, I have been so remiss in posting. Sorry about that, for those of you who actually "follow" me. I was able to do some crafting while I was in Mississippi, I simply didn't have to time to post stuff to my blog.

This is a card that I made for no particular occasion in mind. It came in handy when I needed a card for friends who graciously hosted us in Albuquerque on our way back to California. I am happy I photographed it just after making it, I plan on making more like it. I will add the supplies I used shortly.

Have a great day!

-Christel

Monday, July 19, 2010

A few of my favorite things...









So, I have decided to post a project made with some of my recent favorites. An altered composition book using a tag and a paper flower. This was made as a birthday gift for my sister-in-law, Virginie. Walmart had composition books on sale for 25¢ for back-to-school. This was a very cost effective gift, but the recipient would never know that with how dressed up it looks.

Have a great day!
Christel
All supplies used to alter are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamp Set: Artistic Etchings
Paper: Shimmer White Cardstock, Spring Silhouettes DSP (retired) and an old book (for the paper flower)
Ink: Wild Wasabi and Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Baja Breeze Corduroy Button (retired), @ the office reinforcement label (on hole in tag), Pentel RSVP Pen and Composition Book






















Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Busy in Mississippi...


Well, it's been a while since I posted on my blog. We left CA on June 24th and life has been crazy since then. I have had the chance to make a couple of things in the past few days and will post photos as soon as I can, hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime, here is a photo of me with my brothers and one of my sisters (plus Ian). My sister Angela was not able to make the canoe trip this year. I'm the one in the middle... NOT!

Have a great day.

-Christel

Thursday, June 17, 2010

My new obsession...




I have been having so much fun making these accordion flowers/fans this past week. This one was a little large to put on a tag, and since I have 4 weddings coming up in the next few months, I thought I'd put together a super fast wedding card. I can't tell you how much I love this new Level 3 Hostess Set, Occasional Quotes. I love how simple the card is, yet it has a presence.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! except the yarn on the button and the flat glue dots.

Stamp Set: Occasional Quotes
Papers: Kraft Cardstock, Spring Silhouettes Designer Series Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Whisper White (used a dauber to apply to the fan)
Accessories: Large Clear Rhinestone, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, 1 1/2" Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Button - on the Last Chance List right now for 1/2 OFF!, White Chunky (Essentials) Glitter, flat glue dots and yarn


Have a great day!

Christel

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tags with flair




n

I was looking through the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog the other night with a friend and she pointed out that there were these cool accordion flowers/fans that were displayed on one of the pages. She asked me how I thought they were put together and I just started playing with a scallop circle until I got it.

The next day I looked online to see if I could find out how others do it. I found a great tutorial by Kelly Lunceford, here. Now, I have tried it her way and my way, it gives a slightly different look, depending on which way you do it. In the samples above I did it Kelly's way on all but the tag that has the Eiffel Tower. On that one I punched out 3 scallop circles with Stampin' Up!'s 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch out of my old book that I have used for some of my paper flowers in the past. I folded it in half, opened it up, rotated it and folded it in half again at the next scallop. I kept doing this until I had folds in all of the scallops. Be sure to fold between the scallops. I then cut on one of the lines to the center of the scallop and then folded the scallop back and forth like an accordion. I did this to all three of the scallop circles that I had punched and then I glued them together with Crystal Effects. I like using Crystal Effects because it's a strong glue and it doesn't leave a "tacky" residue if you go outside the lines. I used flat glue dots that I have, placed in the center of the "flower" on the front and back to hold it together. It takes a little practice to be able to do it easily. One thing about going the route of the scallop circle/circle punch is that you can get smaller flowers out of it. I might try to do a picture tutorial to show step-by-step what I did, if anyone's interested.

I would use these as either a replacement for a card when being placed on a gift (just write on the back) or I would just throw it onto a card base for an instant card. I really love how they turned out. I think that the Eiffel Tower one is my favorite, what's yours?

All of the supplies that I used were Stampin' Up!, except for the flat glue dots. I used Artistic Etchings Stamp Set, Shimmery White Cardstock, Sahara Sand Cardstock, Spring Silhouettes DSP, various corduroy bottons, Linen Thread, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Twill Tape (colored with my Baja Breeze ink pad), Champagne Shimmer Paint, Chocolate Chip Ink, Baja Breeze Ink, Soft Sky Ink, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 3/4 Circle Punch, Table Setting Bigz XL Die and Sponge Daubers.

Have a great day!

-Christel

Monday, June 14, 2010

Introducing Stampin' Up!'s NEW In-Colors


I wanted to make a little 3x3 card showcasing the new in-colors and this is what I came up with. The colors are (clockwise from top left) Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Blushing Bride, Poppy Parade with Concord Crush in the middle. I used one of the stamps from the new Level 2 Hostess Set, Cute by the Inch. I simply stamped on the Concord Crush Cardstock with Whisper White Craft Ink and punched out all of the squares with the 1 1/4" Square Punch. These colors will be available for purchase starting July 1, 2010.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!.

Stamp Sets: Cute by the Inch (new, upcoming hostess set)
Papers: Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Blushing Bride, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush and Whisper White Textured Cardstock
Ink: Whisper White Craft Ink Pad
Accessories: Dimensionals, 1 1/4" Square Punch


Have a great day!

-Christel

Friday, June 11, 2010

Another Sneak Peek card


I made another card today using the Artistic Etchings set. This card actually happened by accident. I was going to duplicate the card I made yesterday for my upline, but I scored the Baja Breeze base at the wrong spot. I ended up using my Scallop Border Punch on the Early Espresso paper to correct the "mistake". From there I just filled in the remainder of the card. Not too bad for a "mistake".

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Stamp Sets: Artistic Etchings and Occasional Quotes (new, upcoming hostess set)
Papers: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso and Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip and VersaMark
Accessories: Dimensionals, Scallop Boarder Punch and Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon

Have a great day!

-Christel

Thursday, June 10, 2010

A little old, mostly new


I received my box of new goodies today and had to make a card right away. I feel like I could have done better, but I was trying to hurry up and get it done while the girls were napping. I used Baja Breeze for my card base. I cannot tell you how excited I am that this color is returning as a core color! I ran the Early Espresso cardstock through the new Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder after I had rubbed my Whisper White Craft Ink Pad over the inside of the folder. I stamped the medallion image from the new Artistic Etchings Stamp Set on the Daffodil Delight with VersaMark and then stamped the Eiffel Tower image from the same set in Chocolate Chip Ink. The sentiment comes from a new level 3 hostess set, Occasional Quotes. I used my sponge dauber to sponge the edges of the Daffodil Delight with Whisper White Craft Ink. I then used dimensionals to "pop" up the Daffodil Delight layer. The kraft taffeta ribbon that I used is retiring, so if you want to get some you better hurry up!

Have a great day!

-Christel

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Clean and Simple One Layer Cards




I made this set of one layer, clean and simple, Stampin' Up! only cards the other morning. I am addicted to this look, at least for today. They were really easy to make, I colored directly onto the stamp with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons after I had dipped it (the crayon) in water. I used my aqua painter to blend it more if it needed it. I wanted the bumpy look of the color, kind of like tempura paint. I didn't try to spray it and then stamp, I was afraid it would be too wet for the one layer. I am going to make a set of 9 of these and then a box to house them in. I was thinking of offering a class to make these but don't know if people will think they are too simple. What do you think?

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamp Set: Watercolor Trio
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons and MS Scoring Board

Have a great day!

-Christel

Thursday, June 3, 2010

One Layer Card


I wanted to play with my new scoring tool today, so I made this card. I am really pleased with how it turned out, it is simple and easy. I scored two boxes around the card to create a frame. I will definitely be playing with the use of scoring on my cards more! I cut the sentiment off of the owl image to make it more versatile. I can always line it up on the block with the owl image if I want to stamp them together. This is one of my favorite things about the new clear mount option for the stamp sets!

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Stamp Sets: It's the Thought (hostess set) and Happy Moments (SAB set)
Papers: Kraft
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red

Have a great day!

-Christel

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Cards from last weeks class

Stamp Sets: Medallion Background Stamp and Watercolor Trio
Papers: Sahara Sand (base), Melon Mambo and Shimmery White
Ink: Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa and Melon Mambo
Accessories: Dimensionals, Hodgepodge Hardware (Vanilla) Ribbon Slide and Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Glassy Glaze Enamel, Heat Tool


Stamp Sets: NONE!
Papers: Whisper White (base), Old Olive, Real Red, Chocolate Chip and Summer Picnic DSP (retired). I used an index card to put the words "Thank You" on.
Ink: Chocolate Chip (for sponging)
Accessories: Dimensionals, Real Red 5/8 Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Spiral Punch, Star Punch and Large Star Punch

Stamp Sets: Birthday Whimsy (retired SAB), Itty Bitty Backgrounds and Sweet Scoops (for inside sentiment)
Papers: Kraft (base), Chocolate Chip, Sweet Pea DSP (retired), Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, Mint Melody (retired) and Whisper White.
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa
Accessories:
Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip 5/8 Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Scallop Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter


Here are more of the cards that we made at my class last Friday night. We also made the Elements of Style toile card that is in my previous post and a few people made the Father's Day card from last month's class. The Thank You card was inspired by Carrie Gaskin's card, seen here. The Ice Cream Cone card was inspired by an old card of Angie Juda's, seen here. We had a great time and everyone loved the cards. All of the supplies are Stampin' Up! unless noted otherwise.

I will be taking a break from classes for the months of June and July but will still be creating for myself. I can't believe Summer's here already!

Have a great day!

-Christel


Have a great evening!

Christel

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Elements of Style Toile




I have seen various cards lately that were made with a toile looking pattern by combining the floral image from the Elements of Style stamp set and the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. This is my take on the idea. I loved the idea of black and white, classic toile, but I wanted a little color so I used my Watercolor Wonder Crayons to color in the image on the top layer. I also layered it on a card base of Pink Pirouette Cardstock. This will be one f the cards that we do at my class this Friday. Sorry it's not the best picture. I try to take my photos outside since I get the best light, but it's super windy here today. And that's the best I can do with my 5 year old holding the card "still".

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Stamp Set: Elements of Style and All Natural (retired)
Papers:Pink Pirouette Cardstock, Very Vanilla Cardstock, and Basic Black Cardstock
Ink: StazOn Jet Black
Accessories:
Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter, Dimensionals, Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware (Vanilla), Designer Label Punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

Have a great day!

-Christel

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Birthday Card for SSC151



I have been wanting to start to play along with a challenge here and there. I love the challenges and creations on the Stamping 411 Blog so I started there. This is for the SSC151 Challenge. I pretty much stuck to the template they provided. I don't know what I'm going to do without Close to Cocoa, I love that color. I'm thinking I might use this card for my class next Friday.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Stamp Set: Sweet Little Sentiments (retired hostess set)
Papers:Kraft Cardstock, Sweet Pea DSP (retired), Shimmer White Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock, Pink Pirouette Cardstock and Close to Cocoa Cardstock
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa
Accessories: 2 Way
Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Crimper, Dimensionals, Pretty in Pink 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Sticky Strip, Big Bold Cupcake Dies, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

Have a great day!

Christel

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Goodwill Frame - Altered





I went to a local Goodwill yesterday morning because I have been told that they receive overstock from a bunch of major brand stores (Target, Old Navy, Banana Republic). I got a ton of deals. Probably the best one were these off white picture frames from Target. They were originally priced $7.99 at Target and they were $1.99 at Goodwill. It gets better, yesterday morning there was a 1/2 of sale at this Goodwill. So, I got 7 of these frames for $1 each! I know I can get frames at the Dollar Tree for $1, but they are not nearly this nice. The glass is colored, orange on 3 of them and gray/silver on 4 of them. I just had to alter one last night. I've never altered a picture frames before, so I'm not sure if I did them "right". I just put the frame on a piece of paper and traced and then cut it out by hand. To color the sides of the frame, I used my Timber Brown StazOn applied with a sponge. I thought the green and orange gave a Thanksgiving feel, so I went with the sentiment "Blessings". I have been trying to count my blessing a lot lately. I am truly blessed in so many ways. I plan on altering all of them and putting them in my craft fair stash for the Fall. All items are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamp Set: Graceful Words (retired)
Papers: Fall Flowers DSP (currently on the Clearance Rack), Very Vanilla Cardstock and Chocolate Chip Cardstock
Ink: Chocolate Chip and StazOn in Timber Brown
Accessories: Eyelets from Makin' Memories,
Crystal Effects, Dimensionals, Linen Thread

Have a great day!

-Christel