I Have Been Truly Honored

By a fellow blogger friend, Barb at Albums + Cards = Blessings, with this wonderful token of blog friendship. Thank you so much Barb. I can't however, give the award to just 8, it has to be for all who stop by and read this, even you Barb.

The text that goes with the award has been changed to reflect that:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These bloggers aim is to find and be
friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when
this award is given, even more friendships are propagated. Deliver this award to all bloggers who read this and they must include this text into the body of their award, " I have so many blogger friends who encourage me and are an inspiration to me so if I don’t list you it doesn’t mean I didn’t want to. There just isn't room." And in random order the awards go to:

All of you who stop by and comment, leave me wonderful words of inspiration that are like hugs will have this award. What's a person to do. It is only fair I give it to all of you. When you leave your comment, take this award as my big hug to you and thank you for accepting it.

Thank you again Barb, for your wonderful compliment, and thank you all for your visits and hugs!

Thanks for stopping by the blog to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

Flourishes Sweet Pea

I fell in love with this stamp when I first saw it and I still do! The stamp set is Sweet Peas by Flourishes. Every single stamp is really very usable. The little curly vines are perfect for trim on an envelope and for inside the card too. I did the following to create my card. Now for the sad temporary news~ They have sold out of the Sweet Peas Stamp Set for the 2nd time since its release. I am hyperlinking the name of the set back to the Flourishes Blog so you can save their link and check to see when it's back in stock. Take a look at all of their sets at the store too! I get a good impression with all of their stamps and that is not always true of clear stamps.

IMAGE:

1. Stamped the image on Neenah Classic Crest Natural Super Smooth cardstock with Brilliance Cosmic Copper.
2. Heat set it and painted the image with Twinkling H2O's Olive Vine, Siam White, Icicles, and Cherry Sorbet. Their 40% off sale is still on on-line for everything on their website!!!
3. Penciled a frame inside the image so it would be 'Outside The Box'.
4. Trimmed around the image with detail scissors.

5. Ran a piece of Neenah Classic Crest Laid Solar White cardstock through the Cuttlebug with a die from Spellbinders Large Deckled Rectangles.
6. Ran it through again to emboss it for the depressed edge.
7. Mounted the image on it.

BACKGROUND:

8. Ran the Cuttlebug die from Floral Borders through the Cuttlebug 3 times using Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Laid cardstock.
9. Placed them on Neenah Classic Crest Natural 4"x5.25" cardstock.
10. Mounted that on an Olive paper. I don't know who makes it. It looks like Japanese rice paper and has a little cross thatched symbol repeated throughout in the same color. Feels soft to the touch.

10. Mounted the image with 3D Pop Dots onto the cardfront.
11. Tied the bow using 5/8" Pink Organza Ribbon with Satin and Gold Trim.
12. Removed the shank and the faux diamond from a La Petite 1/2" Gold Filigree button. Removed the faux diamond from the center with Undu and some picking with a paper piercer. Replaced with a 3mm pearl.
13. Added 3 5mm Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Pearls.

Supplies:

STAMP: Flourishes Sweet Peas
PAPER: Neenah Classic Crest Natural Super Smooth and Solar White Laid cardstock
INK: Brilliance Cosmic Copper; Twinkling H2O's Siam White, Icicles, Cherry Sorbet, and Olive Vine
ACCESSORIES: Niji Waterbrush, 5/8" Pink Organza Ribbon; La Petite Gold Antiqued Filigree button, Mark Richards Crystal Stickers 3 and 5mm pearls.

A really fun card and I love how it turned out. Hope you are having a fun weekend. Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share!

 

 Shirley

 

New Stamps At The Impression-Obsession Online Store

A quick note to say Mitra, at Impression-Obsession, has just posted New Stamps from the New Summer Catalog Supplement. They can be seen starting on pages 14 through 17 of the NEW Stamps area, HERE to look and buy on-line. To see the new Summer Supplement go HERE and you can view it and download it too if you like. If you aren't familiar with the Impression-Obsession Online Store, you should know you have every choice available to purchase stamps as you like them. If you prefer red rubber, when you click on the stamp to check size, etc., you are offered the following on most stamps:

How would you like your stamp?:

• Unmounted with NO cushion (40% off)?
• Mounted?
• Unmounted with permanent cushion (30% off)?
• Unmounted with repositionable cling cushion (30% off)

You can also buy sets of some stamps in red rubber 'Cling Stamp Sets' and Clear Stamp sets too. You really should check it out.

Thanks for stopping by to look and share. I should be back soon with a card and a technique too, I hope, to go with it.

 

 Shirley

 

Time For The I/O Blog And 2 New Cards

I am hoping with the weather getting better that I might get better photos too. I had two cards to post to the I/O blog and they were horrible to get a decent photo! Here are some sneak peaks in case you want to look:

On the first one I found a really unique way to do the background and be 'GREEN' in the process. On the second one below I helped out a Dreamweaver stencil that really made the image better I think. Let me know what you think too!

I think I will be getting cards done quicker with my new process. Thank you for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

It's All About the 'BOW'

I have had several questions over time about my bows and bows in general. I am going to post some sites that have great information on how to tie different bows. I could do a tutorial or a video, but I am sure I couldn't do it any better than these ladies:

• Martha's Bows - Actually Martha Stewart
• Tying A Simple Knot or Bow - This is Becca Feeken at Amazing Paper Grace. I am not sure, but I think she has a little something else going on with the bow over the knot, but I can't be sure. I think she might be just fooling with it until she likes it. I do know I think I may like her way even better than Martha's. One thing I like about her bows is you can pull on the back part of each loop when tying a wrap around ribbon and it doesn't end of loose behind your bow, if you know what I mean. You do need to check out her blog. She is very creative with paper and ribbons, etc.
• You Tube - Type in 'Tying A Bow' and you will get 135 choices. One of them may make more sense than others and be your light of inspiration. You can try narrowing it by typing 'Tying a Knot', Tying a Flat Knot, Tying a Gift Bow, etc.
• Google - You will get even more choices and you can narrow it down from there.

I use Google for almost everything I want to know, but I am also finding You Tube is sometimes even better. An example would be finding out how to clean out the inside of your computer tower safely, without frying the whole thing with static electricity. Type in 'Border Punch Corners' and see what you get, if you haven't tried it already.

Hope I helped some of you on bows. Another thing I do on the side is keep a folder on any cards I see that have unique ways of using ribbon, etc. I try to save them with the creator's name or blog so I can give credit when I use it.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share. Back soon.

 

 Shirley

 

A Mother's Day Challenge at Impression-Obsession

Hi there! I really hadn't remembered about this I/O challenge until I got the email yesterday! Yikes! The card I had ready had nothing to do with Mother's Day. LOL So.............

I had this new background I had created with a new Spellbinders Embossing plate and of course some other things too. I was surprised. It took me about an hour and a half. Please stop by HERE to see it and I hope you like it! I didn't use any Twinkling H2O's either!!!

Don't forget to check out the blogs of the Design Team members below. I just did and they are are awesome and beautiful too:

• Laura Fulcher
• Dina Kowal
• Julie Koerber
• Jeanne Streiff

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share everyone!

 

 Shirley

 

So Glad To Be Back

Every since I saw this card by Linda Duke on Linda's Works Of The Heart blog, I have wanted to do something similar for months. Well, I ordered the Poppy Patch set from Flourishes and there it sat too. Last week I visited Phree at Ink Stain Survivor (she hadn't been around in a while) , saw her 'Shirley Poppies' card and the came on! So now you know where my ideas come from and probably why I only get one or two cards done in a week. Ha! I think I even have some of these flowers in my yard. I never knew there were Shirley Poppies! I built this card from the background up to allow for the punched border first and then all of the materials inside of it.

Card Fold:
1. I cut a bigger card than I would have because punching the border causes a loss of about 1/4" on length and a little less on the width after punching the border. I cut a 5.5"x11" piece of paper. I have 5.5 square envelopes, and needed a little bit smaller card.

2. Using Fiskars Apron Lace Border Punch, I punched the right end, or center piece, of the border first. I knew by looking at my pre-punched sample that I needed to have one complete half-circle on the right and the left ends for the "going around the corner" to work. *After the center part is done I work totally from the back side of the punch (It's turned upside down so you can see the bottom edge of the cardstock to make sure you punch in a straight line. You will know once you try it what I mean.)

3. It was folded so the one punched edge is even with the back right side of the card.

4. I turned the punch to do the sides, starting to create the rounded corner first. I've tried to show that below. If you click on the image below you can see that I've made the second side transparent so you can see what you will be looking at from the back of the punch when you do the left side. Of course you have to imagine the card is everything to your right. If this is confusing for you try either of these two Border Punch Video 1 or this Border Punch Video 2 that might help.

4. Then I measured the inside of the card height and width. I used Neenah Classic Laid Millstone cardstock.

5. For the bottom half I used a piece of double sided sticky sheet half the size of the Millstone, and with tan colored mesh on top.

6. I applied a light blue ribbon from Michael's $1 bin as a seam between the top and the bottom.

7. I applied USArt Quest Mica D'Lites Gold over that for the sticky areas not covered by the mesh.

Ocean View Image:
1. The largest Spellbinders Labels One die was used with Neenah Classic Laid Solar White cardstock in my Cuttlebug.

2. I didn't have any scape stamps for the images and could never make up my mind on which ones to get, so I used Linda's card as a guide and did the rest with Twinkling H2O's and a Niji waterbrush. I also used a little bit of the Gold mica and some Baby Pink Flower Soft.

3. Anna Griffin Cream Designer Paper was used for the outside frame. I put it through the Cuttlebug to emboss only and then trimmed around the double embossed edge.

Flower Images:
1. Stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on Neenah Solar White cardstock and heat set to dry ink.

2. Painted with Twinkling H2O's.

3. Ivory Flower Soft applied to the centers and then a little Twinkling H2O Yellow Drop and a tad of Rangers Stickles Yellow.

4. When dry the images were cut out.

5. The flowers and leaves were mounted with glue and 3D Glue Dots.

6. A light blue ribbon was tied around the flowers.

7. The Sand Dollar is from Fanciful Inc. online.

The colors are really much softer in real life, but this is how the camera saw it to day! Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share. Hope to be back soon!

 

 Shirley

 

Punxsutawney Phil Was Wrong?

Only because he didn't have enough choices. Six more weeks would have been the middle of March and we are still cold, cold, cold here in NC. I mowed my lawn yesterday all most froze. It was 38 last night.

On with better news. I just posted a new card for Spring on the I/O Blog using their new stamp, Garden Heart. I also explain a little more about how to flatten bead caps with jewelry pliers and it doesn't take long either. Hope you will stop by to see me there. I should have another post for here either late today or tomorrow! If you click on the I/O above you can be there and back quickly.


Thanks for stopping by the blog to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

Wordsworth Roses

I wasn't thinking when I bought this stamp. You definitely can't use it on a standard card. It is big. So I paainted it and set it aside until I wanted to do a larger card. That was 3 years ago. LOLOL Finally I said it deserved a home and this is what happened.


Image:

1. The image, Rose Card by Wordsworth, was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink on Neenah Solar White Super Smooth cardstock.
2. It was painted with Twinkling H2O's Pink Grapefruit and Olive Vine.
3. I cut the top part of the stamped area, inside the Gold frame, out with an X-acto knife.
Card Folded (4"x8") and Eyelet Edge and Corners:
1. The next part is a little tricky. I had already folded a card that measured 4"x8" for this image when I first stamped it. Why, I can't tell you, but I decided I wanted to have an eyelet punched edge........ Pretend the picture above is the part of the punch you can see to the left of the actual punching mechanism as you would see it without the cardstock in it.
2. I used the Fiskars Eyelet Lace Embossing Punch and found if I laid my cardstock (CS) in the punch with the left edge lined up with the pattern on the left side of the punch where the black line is.
3. Put your CS in the punch, punching the longest side first. Line the left end just past the single eyelet where the black line is. Finish punching clear to the other end.


4. Now your are going to start your ends. Open the folded card and place the CS in with the same side up as before but on the top part of the card.
5. Turn the punch and the CS over so you can see the punching area.
6. Look at the eyelet shape coming up the left side and then look at where I have marked the next one. There are four eyelets because after you line up the two I have marked and when you punch again, there will be the fourth eyelet on the bottom left.
7. After that continue to line up and punch until you have the single eyelet next to the left folded edge of the card.
8. Repeat steps 4. through 7. for the bottom of the card. You might think, why not just punch through both layers. I would almost bet your punch can't do that many layers.

Backgrounds:
1. I used Neenah Solar White Super Smooth CS with the Cuttlebug embossing folder from Love Language and then trimmed to 2.75"x3 1/8".
2. I used an Olive Green paper for the bottom with the Cuttlebug embossing folder Textile Textures and then trimmed to 3 1/8"x3 1/8".
3. I mounted them and then mounted the image. I left the image area without adhesive where the two background papers met so I could bring the ribbon through.

Embellishments:
1. I taped the back of the May Arts ribbon and passed it underneath the roses on the left and over the top on the right. I trimmed the ribbon next to the borders
2. Tied the bow, Martha style, and then mounted it and the button on top with glue dots.
3. Mounted the Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Elements 3mm pearls on the upper left.

Thanks for stopping by the blog to look and share!

 

 Shirley

 

Who Would Have Guessed?

Now Michaels has limited the number of times your computer can go to get the coupon. LOL! I am sorry gals and guys. I am also glad I didn't want to shop there this week. Ha! Thanks to the ladies who let me know. Don't forget to stop by the I/O blog to see my card until I get another one up here soon. Thanks for stopping by to look and not share this time. :-(

 

 Shirley

 

Michaels Is Giving 3 Coupons for Easter

I had to post this. I just got it in my email. Michaels is giving 3 coupons for Easter. One for 50%, one for 40%, and one for 30%. Woweee ladies!!! Click on Michaels above for the site with the coupons. Have a great rest of the week and weekend too! Happy Easter too. I should have a card up before then I hope to shout!

......And don't forget to check out my card at the I/O blog. It's I/O Challenge week. Click on the link and then use your back button to get back here. Let me know what you think! Thanks for stopping by to look and share!

 

 Shirley

 

A Very Late Thank You

I have been really late with thanking each of these wonderful TJ friends for their beautiful cards! I am so sorry. First, I would like to thank Ret Cudmore, who lives in Canada, for her beautiful birthday card! She said she was late. She couldn't be. I celebrate every day. :-) Her card is so creative. It's a pocket card. You slide it to the left or the right and that is where the message is. The saying across the top is perfect for me! It says "Each day provides it's own gifts". Thank you so much Ret for this beautiful card with such beautiful colors too!

The second beautiful card I received is from my TJ friend, Denise Taylor, in New Zealand. Not only are the colors beautiful, but she has scored the card with a wonderful design. She has also sponged it with wonderful colors that really compliment her stamped image. That button in the upper left is the perfect accent to make the whole card pop! Thank you so much Denise and I am so sorry for the lateness.

Well, everybody, I hope you enjoy these as much as I have. Don't forget to check out my latest post on the Impression-Obsession Blog, if you haven't already seen it. Off to finish a couple of cards hopefully! Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

It's An Easter Challenge

It's an Easter Challenge over at the Impression-Obsession Blog and at the Design Team Blogs too. You might even get to see some stamps that will be coming out within the next month too! Above is a little bit of the card I posted there earlier. Stop on over and say hello. Below are the links for the Design Team and their great cards:

• Daniela Dobson
• Laura Fulcher
• Dina Kowal
• Julie Koerber
• Jeanne Streiff
• Tina Werner
  

If you click on the I-O link in the first sentence, you can use your back button to come back and see the other designers links I listed above. Thanks for stopping by the blog to look and share. I should be back here sometime today with another post.

 

 Shirley