Bags for the Beach and for Baby

I had a very productive weekend in my stamp room.  I am trying to figure out what to do in Stamp Club this week but I have too many choices!  So, I keep playing around with different sets and techniques.  I need to make a decision!!

We got some good news this weekend that our family will be growing next year.  My nephew and his wife, Katrina, are expecting their second child in February.  They already have a precious little boy.  I'm hoping for a little girl but we'll have to wait a few weeks before they know the sex.  I made this little baby bag card to send to them to congratulate them.  I found the pattern on-line (Pinterest probably).  I think we will be making a similar bag in club this week too!

I also think I was in a pastel mood this weekend.  Seems most of the cards I made were with pastel colors which is unusual for me.  I usually go for the Brights and Regals.  But I love the new in colors and the way they seem to go together. 

This little bag opens on the side.  The little closure is punched with the Ticket Punch and has a bit of Velcro to keep it closed.  The mosaic background piece is from the DSP packet, Quadrefancy Specialty.  It is a clear window sheet with the quadrefoil design in white.  The sentiment is from That's the Ticket.  I used a few pearls and my white gel pen to dress it up.

On the inside, I punched 4 little hearts to cover up where the straps were glued down.








Here is another bag I made.  This time I used the DSP from a Christmas pack!  This DSP is in the Holiday catalog - Winter Frost (pg 29).  So, you can use winter DSP for a summer bag, can't you!?!  I really like this paper.  This time for the bag closure I used the Oval Punch.  The sentiment is from Oval All that I just realized is retired!  Oops - I had it on the wrong shelf.  The little flower is from Secret Garden - hard to tell but it is stamped in Pool Party and I used the dauber and Island Indigo for the edges.  Instead of a pearl on the closure, I used one of the Candy Dots (I love these things!)

 And how about a beach bag tote?  Again, this DSP is from a Christmas stack.  This time the DSP is Season of Style (pg 22 of Holiday mini).  I am a polka dot gal and love this Soft Suede polka dot bag with the pretty Blushing Bride card stock.  I stamped and heat embossed the anchor from Open Sea and added a little bit of twine to it.  The flowers are punched using the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch (but you could also use the Boho Blossom flower.)  Again I used the Candy Dots for the closure and for the center of the flowers. 

So what did you do this weekend?  Productive or just lazing around?  Both are fine with me!!  Oops gotta run - Sammie wants to play straws.  (I throw her straw down the stairs and she runs down and fetches it just like a dog!)

Masculine Birthday Card

My nephew had a birthday last week - wow! where did 24 years go??  I think most people struggle with making masculine cards.  We like to add all the glitz, glitter and flowers to our cards and I don't know many guys who would care for that!  So I set about working on a manly card for Derek.  Here's what I came up with.  (This card uses mostly retired Stampin' Up product but I don't think the recipient cares!)

I used the Woodgrain embossing folder on the retired Not Quite Navy card stock and layered it onto a River Rock (retired) card base.  I found a piece of River Rock ribbon in my stash and a Ribbon Slide (all retired).  I found a piece of DSP in River Rock that has a subtle swirl on one side and punched it out with my 2 1/2" circle punch.  The button is secured with a couple of glue dots and I tucked two tickets under it from That's the Ticket (NOT retired!). 

What do you think?  Does this card meet the masculine criteria?  I'm sure all he cared about was the check that was tucked inside!

Coming home this week, I spotted this momma and two babies next door to our house.  One of the babies ran in the woods before I could get stopped and click their picture.  So cute!

March Stamp Club Cards

I am waiting for my Tuesday Stamp Club gals.  They should be arriving in about an hour.  So, I thought I would share the cards we will be making.  I am concentrating on Easter and will let them choose which ones they want to make this month.

Using the Single Stamp - Ears to You and Melon Mambo ink - easy one.

Easel Card

 The Easel Card will be the most difficult for them to make but it is really easy when you figure it all out.  I used Blush Bossom card stock (retired).  The Cross is made from the Lattice Die (Elegant Eggplant).  The leaves are punched with the Bird Punch.  I used Nestabilities for the oval and ran it through the Dotted Embossing Folder.  The flower in the center is from the Flower Trim in the mini catalog (pg. 5).  I love these flowers!  They come in Vanilla but it is so easy to die them.  You can color them with markers or reinkers or just smush them into your ink pad.  For the ones we are using today, I just cut about 12 flowers from the card and sprayed them with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and 5-6 drops of reinker.  I mixed it up in my Stampin' Spritzers (big catalog, pg 179).  They are a good deal - you get 2 bottles for $2.95.  I have several that I have mixed different colors into. 

Easter Blessings is also a Single Stamp in the mini catalog (pg 24) as are the doilies (pg  5).  Another deal!  24 doilies for $2.95!  I used a background from A Good Egg stamp (retired) on the Eggplant card.

This card makes me smile and think of SPRING!

 I am trying to make the best of the Sale-a-bration stamps - only a few more days!!  This one uses Bloomin' Marvelous.  I stamped the flowers in some retiring in-colors - Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and non retiring, Summer Starfruit.  I cut 1" of the Sale-a-bration DSP for the bottom and wrapped a small piece of ribbon around it.  My club ladies will be able to choose from the ribbon from Sale-a-bration - Pool Party, Is. Indigo or Calypso Coral.

Another Sale-a-bration - my favorite!  This one is Feeling Sentimental and I thought the That's the Ticket stamp went with it perfectly!

For this card I used the Natural Composition DSP.  Wow!  I just got this DSP - don't know what took me so long.  It's great - it is a heavy weight paper and the patterns are already embossed on the paper and glossy.  I sponged Soft Suede around the edges and sponged Vanilla on the center of the paper and made that embossing POP! 

Feeling Sentimental!

When I first saw this set in the Sale-a-bration catalog, I wasn't sold on it.  But as time as gone on, I have seen so many great cards using it.  So, since it was free ..... I decided to give it a try.  Most of these cards are CASE'd and I've added my own little touches.

This first one with the bicycle is made with the Naturals Ivory and Early Espresso card stock.  I used the retired Weathered background stamp for the background and stamped it in Soft Suede - stamping it off first.  The stamped tickets are from the set, That's the Ticket held in place with a Glimmer Brad and Baker's Twine. 

The next image is of the English postal box.  I remember seeing those on our trip across the ocean.   I tried to make this card real vintage'y.  I stamped all the images in Early Espresso and sponged all the edges.  The bottom of the card stock is torn with a piece of Espresso card stock torn and sandwiched in.  I stamped some images from French Foilage (the script and the droplets)  all over the card stock.  The twill tape is frayed on one end and sponged with brown ink and anchored with a Designer Brad.

The final card uses all the stamps in the set!  I stamped them on panels of Naturals card stock and adhered the panels to Early Espresso card stock and then to the Crumb Cake card.  Easy!!

Yesterday was Download Digital Tuesday!!  And SU gave us another FREEBIE!!  So make sure you hurry over and download your free Label This template.
There is also a Planner Template for sale also that looks pretty neat.  Check out all the downloads for this week.