For the Newlyweds

Wedding card for Amanda and Matt. I cased myself and used this card as inspiration. 😉

Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Floral District DSP

Ink: Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Framed Tulips Folder, Big Shot, Sponge, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pearls, Very Vanilla 3/8″ Taffeta Ribbon

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Completely Non-Stamping Related!

So this post is completely non-stamping related, but it’s been a HUGE part of my life for the past several months and I just had to share it! So many of you have prayed for me and encouraged me as I’ve worked towards my Epic Cardiant certification. The certification process included three separate trips to Verona, WI for training; hours and hours and hours of studying; two different (and very scary) tests to take; and a project (equally scary) to build. And now I have proof! 🙂

My heartfelt thanks goes out to my family, friends, coworkers, and especially my boss, who offered unwavering support for me through this process! ❤

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Wedding Photo Frame

This altered photo frame was a wedding gift for a very dear friend. It’s very much inspired by a card I made for my daughter a few months ago found here. The frame’s opening measures 5″ x 7″ (frame found at Hobby Lobby). Congratulations Amanda and Matt! 🙂

And here’s a close up:

Stamps: Papaya Collage, Everything Eleanor, Artistic Etchings, Papillon Potpourri, Four Frames, Morning Post Alphabet

Paper: Silver Glimmer Paper, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, First Edition Specialty DSP

Ink: Baja Breeze, Going Gray, VersaMark, Black StazOn, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Sponge, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds, Clear Embossing Powder, Rhinestones, Pearls, Aqua Painter and Reinker Inks, 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Vintage Brad, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon

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Makin’ it Masculine with the Control Freaks!

Hey there! Welcome to the Control Freaks October blog tour! This month’s theme centers around masculine projects. If you’re following the tour, you’ve just come from the wonderfully talented Wendy Weixler’s blog. I love everything that girl does! 🙂

I must admit I was a little stumped at what kind of masculine 3-D project I could create that wouldn’t still come across as slightly feminine (I have a tendency to do that sometimes). I ended up creating a card and a matching set of four coasters made out of electrical outlet box covers. See my posts below!

PROJECT #1 – Miss You Card

I’ve had the stamp set Lovely As a Tree for probably eight of the ten years I’ve been a demonstrator — it’s one of the most VERSATILE sets I’ve ever owned! Yet despite having had this set for eight plus years, I’m a little embarrassed to admit I did not realize you could stamp the tree in black ink and then go back and color it in! 🙂 I’ve always stamped this tree in one color (usually brown or green), but I really loved the effect of stamping it in black and then going back and coloring the boughs in Lucky Limeade and the trunk in Early Espresso.

Stamps: Lovely As a Tree, Lacy & Lovely, Woodgrain

Paper: Very Vanilla, Festival of Prints DSP, Early Espresso, First Edition Specialty DSP

Ink: Black StazOn, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, VersaMark

Accessories: Aqua Painter and Reinker Inks, Sponge, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Very Vanilla Embossing Powder, Brushed Bronze Designer Button, Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon

PROJECT #2 – Lovely As a Tree Set of Four Coasters

These coasters are made out of outlet box covers! I found the covers at Lowe’s for $1.97 each so it ended up being a very economical craft to make. I stamped the images first in Black StazOn ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and then watercolored the images with an Aqua Painter and reinker ink. I used the 2-1/2″ Circle Punch to punch the images out and then sponged Early Espresso ink around the edges. The next step is VERY IMPORTANT! In order to prevent the water-based inks from running when applying the Mod Podge, I covered each image with VersaMark ink and embossed them with Clear Embossing Powder. The Early Espresso circle was cut out using the 3″ Circle Originals Bigz Die and then I pierced the edges with the Paper Piercing Tool and Mat (freehand). I attached the watercolored images to the Early Espresso circles with regular adhesive. I used the paper insert (found in the outlet box cover pack) as a template to cut the circles out of the Festival of Prints DSP. I applied Mod Podge to one side of the metal cover and attached the Festival of Prints circle to that, attached the stamped images with regular adhesive and then covered everything with Mod Podge. The outlet pack comes with a thin, foam ring that I attached to the base of each coaster. Here are a couple of photos of the outlet box cover and the contents:

Stamps: Lovely As a Tree

Paper: Festival of Prints DSP, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Ink: Black StazOn, VersaMark, Lucky Limeade, Always Artichoke, Early Espresso

Accessories: Big Shot, 3″ Circle Originals Bigz Die, 2-1/2″ Circle Punch, Aqua Painter and Reinker Inks, Clear Embossing Powder, Paper Piercing Tool and Mat, Sponge, Mod Podge, Outlet Box Covers

To see the next blog, please click the link below. Jason Casper is next and the projects he’s created will definitely inspire you! Thanks so much for taking the tour!

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Meghan and Adam’s Wedding Invitation

Last December, my good friend asked me to design some wedding invitation samples for her daughter who was planning a wedding for this October. I put together three samples and she ended up choosing this one:

And here’s the inside (the lettering on the inside panel looks a little off because I removed any personal information to protect the family’s privacy):

It’s a tri-fold with a pocket on the inside that holds three inserts for Directions, the Dinner Reception and the RSVP card. The invitation measures a standard 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″.

I ended up cutting and scoring 350 of these but we ended up assembling only 300 ;). This was a long process — we met three different Saturdays over the course of several months to put these together. The bride loved how they turned out, but they were a lot of work! 🙂 From embossing the front panel and the pocket, to cutting out the medallions on the belly band, these were a lot of work. 🙂 Oh, and did I mention these were a lot of work? 🙂 All kidding aside, I was so honored that they asked me to design something so important for them and was thrilled to be a part of the process! Congratulations Meghan and Adam!

Stamps: French Filigree (retired), Elementary Elegance (retired 2012 SAB set)

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink: VersaMark, Black StazOn

Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Curly Label Punch, 5/8″ Basic Black Satin Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Computer and Printer

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Cruise Memories Altered Notebook

My family and I just returned from a week-long cruise on the Allure of the Seas — what an absolutely FABULOUS ship! One of the things I brought with me on the trip, aside from a boat-load of clothes (pun intended ;)), was a cruise journal for my family and I to write down the highlights of our vacation. I covered a standard composition notebook with Fan Fair DSP (love, love, love that paper!) and embellished it with several stamps sets and accessories. Because we sailed on Royal Caribbean, I was able to incorporate a “crown” and “anchor” on the book. 😉

Stamps: Morning Post Alphabet, Postage Due, En Francais, Loving Thoughts, Tiny Tags, The Open Sea

Paper: Fan Fair DSP, Island Indigo, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso

Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, More Mustard, Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die, 1-inch Square Punch, Sponge, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Brushed Bronze Designer Button, Gold Brads, Early Espresso 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Piercing Tool, Template and Mat

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