Simply Said--#tgifc352

Sometimes, a very simple card can make a big impact on its recipient.  My inspiration for this card is my husband Herb, who will be its recipient on our 47th wedding anniversary February 1.  When he looks at my cards, he says, "and there are those little 'dot thingies' you have to put on your cards."  So for him, I made a simple card that says all that needs to be said: 

Products Used:

Basic White note card

Soft Succulent ink

Poppy Parade card stock

Forever Blossoms stamp set (#151457

Floral Heart dies (#154306)

This card will be submitted for this week's TGIF Challenges inspiration challenge.  See more love cards over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a great week!

--Sara Nell

Friendly Thank You--#tgifc351

Our challenge from TGIF Challenges this week is a sketch challenge. I've pretty much followed it with my card, just adding some embellishments on top of the basic sketch.  I've used the Friendly Hello stamp set and designer series paper bundle (#159990) for this project.  This bundle is a FREE Sale-a-Bration product choice with a $100.00 purchase. 

Four different patterns from the paper pack were used on this card.   The large floral image from the stamp set was stamped in Shaded Spruce onto the Fresh Freesia pattern.  The greeting was also stamped in Shaded Spruce using an image from the Nature's Harvest stamp set (#156495),  a hold over from the 2021 July to December Mini Catalog.  Both of these stamped images were fussy cut, then adhered to the patterned strips background.  

The Basic White layered background piece was embossed using the Hive 3D embossing folder (#157955).  It was splattered with the Shaded Spruce Stampin' Write Marker (from the Regals Assortment, #147155).  The Granny Apple Green leaves were die cut using a Forever Flourishing die (#152714).  Additional embellishments include a bow of Fresh Freesia open weave ribbon (#155615) cut in half along its length, and three 2021-2023 In Color Jewels (#155571) in Evening Evergreen. 

This sketch lends itself to a lot of interpretations, so check the projects using it over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a great Weekend!

--Sara Nell

 

Love Note--#tgifc350

Welcome to my blog today!  I wasn't sure I was going to get this post up for the TGIF Challenges color challenge and I hope I can just get it posted in time!  The colors today are so pretty together, I decided to make a little love note for a wedding or shower gift card.  The colors:  Night of Navy, Blushing Bride and Gold.

My idea was to take a Blushing Bride wildflower die cut stem (from Meadows dies #155852) and kind of "shabby chic" cover it with a bit of Gilded Leafing (#154560).  I was afraid to put too much of the leafing on because it can be overpowering to me. I like how this one turned out, although the leafing didn't stick as well to the center of the stem--but less is more, right!

I used the Quiet Meadow stamp set (#155082, bundled with the Meadows dies, #155847) for my stamped images.  This is where it got hard.  I originally wanted just a dotted background in Night of Navy and a few little Blushing Bride flowers--but that was too busy for the one flower stem to stand out.  So I pivoted to a Tasteful Labels die (#152886), embossed with the Ornate Floral 3D embossing folder (#152725).  I stamped some Blushing Bride dots behind the label and a added a "Love" tag stamped in Night of Navy and die cut with the small tag in the Meadows die.  Instead of tying on a bow, I used a Brushed Brass Butterfly (#158136) to cover the tag hole and added a couple more around the stem (they look golden to me!!!).  

Finally, I tied on a bow of Gold Simply Elegant Trim (#155766).  TIP:  Knots and bows tied in this trim can loosen easily.  I just slip a glue dot under the bow knot to hold the bow together and to keep it in place on the card.

The card base is a Basic White note card (#159232).

All of the entries in this week's challenge are absolutely beautiful!  Go check them out at the TGIF Challenges blog here:

DID YOU LOVE MY CARD TODAY?  If so, I would love it if you would head over to the TGIF challenges blog using the link above and "Like" my card, #23--my name is under the photo.  Whoever gets the most likes, will be a Guest Designer for an upcoming TGIF challenge.  

Have a wonderful weekend!

--Sara Nell

       

Double Fold Card with Ribbon Closure--#tgifc349

Our weekly challenge from TGIF Challenges is to create a project with a closure feature--buttons, flaps, belly bands or ribbon.  I created a double fold card with a ribbon closure. It is kind of a card on top of another card, held together with a small flap on the right hand side folded over from the back of the larger card base:

The smaller top card is attached to the flap with Tear & Tape so the card is opened from its left-hand side.  The ribbon is attached to the top of the smaller card with Tear & Tape adhesive and then covered with a piece of designer series paper.  The ribbon is wrapped around the card and tied in a bow on the left-hand side of the top card to keep the smaller card closed.  

The above photo shows the smaller top card open.

This photo shows the small flap in the right-hand side open revealing the top of the larger card and showing where the top card is attached to the flap.

This final card shows the bottom card fully open.  The bottom card base is 4-1/4" x 12", scored at 5-1/2" and 11".  The top card base is 2-1/2" x 8", scored at 4".

The stamp set is Free As A Bird, with all images stamped in Basic Gray.  Some were stamped directly on the card some were stamped and fussy cut.  The images were colored with the following Stampin' Blends combos: Smokey Slate, Pale Papaya, Mint Macaron, and Misty Moonlight.  These colors were picked from the Hand-Penned designer series paper (#155499) used on the project.  The ribbon is Pale Papaya & White 1/2" woven ribbon (#155816).  Pale Papaya Genial Gems (#155500) were also used to decorate the card.

For more fun closure ideas head over to the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a great week!

--Sara Nell

January 2022 Creation Station Blog Hop--Happy New to You

 

Happy New Year!  Welcome to the January Creation Station Blog Hop.  So glad you've joined me and the rest of the Creation Station design team today.  We are sharing something new to our stash of Stampin' Up! products with you. Some products will be new items from the January to June 2022 Mini Catalog, some will be new acquisitions from our own Wish Lists.  Be sure you click on the "Next" link to hop with us and see what we are each loving now!

My favorite new "stuff" is from the Heart & Home Suite (#157959 for entire suite) in the new mini catalog that goes live on January 4.   The Heart & Home suite has two different stamp set and die bundles.  I only have the Blessings of Home bundle (#157939) right now, but after playing with it for a while, I know I will be ordering the Honeybee Home bundle very soon, as well as the Heart & Home Memories & More card pack and cards & envelopes pack.  Today I am featuring the Blessings of Home Bundle (Blessings of Home stamp set and coordinating Flowers of Home die set, #157939); the beautiful Heart & Home designer series paper (#157928),which has beautiful floral designs on one side and various shiplap board patterns in Basic Gray and white on the other side; the Heart & Home doilies (#157956) and the Classic Matte Dots (#158146).  I have three easy card projects today using some classic techniques:

The designer series paper on the Thank You card has a lightly dotted Misty Mountain background for the floral pattern, so I used Misty Moonlight for my card stock, doily and stamped image and let the colors in the paper shine.  I masked off part of the Thank You greeting image and stamped it on a piece of one of the shiplap paper patterns.

This wildflower and bee pattern had me falling in love with the In Color Cinnamon Cider!  It also put the Honeybee Home stamp set at the top of my Wish List!  The greeting was stamped in VersaMark and embossed with black Stampin' emboss Powder onto a board pattern.  The floral branch die cut was die cut twice, once in Basic Gray and the other in Pale Papaya. The flowers on the Pale Papaya die cut were clipped off and then layered over the Basic Gray die cut.

The large floral bouquet on this Fresh Freesia card was stamped in VersaMark and embossed with white Stampin' Emboss Powder.  The flower petals were all colored with the White Watercolor Pencil to give them a softer, kind of transparent feel. Black embellishments and an black heat embossed greeting pop off the card.

Let's hop on over to Elizabeth Price's blog to see what she has created for us today--it is sure to be "Wow!" worthy.  I am so inspired by her talent!

To Elizabeth's Blog . . . 

Hope you find joy and happiness in 2022!

--Sara Nell

  

 

A Tropical Thank You--#tgifc348

The TGIF Challenges team gave us a technique challenge this week:  Masking.  I haven't used masking in a while, so it was fun to get back to this simple but fun technique.  I am using a lot of thank you notes lately, so that is what I made using the Timeless Tropical stamp set (#151497).  Haven't used this stamp set in a while, either.

The large blossom was stamped in Saddle Brown StazOn ink onto a piece of Shimmery White card stock and again on a post-it note to create the mask.  The mask was fussy cut close to the edge of the image and laid over the big blossom.  Then the two smaller blossoms were stamped in Saddle Brown over a small portion of the mask.  The images were watercolored with Poppy Parade, Flirty Flamingo and Daffodil Delight inks.  After those images were dry, the background was watercolored with Pool Party ink.  The greeting was also stamped in Saddle Brown on a scrap of shimmery White card stock and die cut using the small label die from the Harvest Dies set (#156504).  

The watercolor piece was layered over a Basic White Thick card stock base which was covered with a piece of Cork specialty paper (#156393).   Pool Party sheer ribbon (#152462) and Coastal Cabana rhinestones from the Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels pack (#150457) complete the card.

Find some variations on this simple masking technique over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Wishing you joy in the New Year!

--Sara Nell

 

 

Gift Card Envelope--#tgifc347

This Christmas week TGIF Challenge is for all of us last minute shoppers:  Gift Card Holders.  My last minute shopping includes some printable gift cards--the kind you have to fold up and put in an envelope.  So, my Gift Card holder is actually a Gift Certificate envelope:

I looked at my stash and discovered these cute Gold Holly Leaves (#156311) that I'd totally forgotten about.  So decided to incorporate them in my last holiday project of this season.  I made them into a holly swag on a "decorative wooden plaque" which was die cut using a Tasteful Labels die (#152886) and a wood patterned paper from the In Good Taste designer series paper (#152494) that I rubbed with a bit of white craft ink (#147277) to make the gold leaves pop a bit. The holly berries are Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels (#146924) that I colored with my Cherry Cobbler Dark Stampin' Blends to darken.  The swag is topped with a bow of Cherry Cobbler & Gold 1/2" ribbon (#156312).

The "plaque" is layered over a piece of  Tidings of Christmas  designer series paper (#155718), die cut using a Stitched Rectangles Die #151820).  Three Wonderful Snowflakes (#156340) were attached to the left-hand side of the rectangle.  

The decorated piece was adhered to an Evening Evergreen Ombre Gift Bag (#155479).  The bag was scored 1" from the top  and folded to the back.  A retired gold clip was used to hold a bow of Gold Simply Elegant Trim (#155766) at the top of the bag and as a closure for the bag.

Inside the bag is a card for writing a note to the recipient.  A piece of the same designer series paper pattern as on the front of the bag was adhered to the bottom of a piece of Basic White card stock and then it was die cut with the largest rectangle in the die set. The "for you" is from the Peaceful Cabin stamp set (#156395).  It was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and die cut using a Tailor Made Tag die (#155563). A piece of the ribbon was pulled through to the front of the tag before it was adhered to the card.

Now all I have to do is write my note, print and fold my gift card and slip it and the note in the the gift bag.  There is space on the folded edge on the back to write "to and from" names if you are not handing or mailing this directly to the recipient.

More ideas for last minute gift card holders are over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Happy Christmas!  My grandson is arriving any minute now--so my holiday will be busy with painting, making cookies for Santa, reading stories and reassuring Roxie that she is still #1 (well, she is when Easton goes back home).

--Sara Nell