Thoughts and Prayers~~

It is never a happy occasion to make a sympathy card, but alas, sometimes they must be made.

This one is pretty straight forward. Chocolate Chip CS, Very Vanilla CS. Thoughts and Prayers SS. Olive and Marvelous Magenta (ret.) markers. The ribbon is from my LSS. That's about it! It is usually a good idea to have a few of these types of cards on hand. No one really likes to make them when the need arises!

Why not do something special for your family today. When was the last time you got out the good dishes? Get them out tonight and have pizza on them! Why save the best for company, impress the ones who matter most!

Vintage Vase~~

Things in my life have been so hectic lately, and my friends have been so good! I wanted to make a card, and I had about 20 minutes to do it. This card came together fast......because my inspiration was straightforward and cute! HERE is an adorable card my my friend Gretchen......yeah, I am shameless!

I started with Kraft CS by SU and pulled out some Vintage Violet, which was an in color from a few years ago. The stamps are PTI, and the vase was made with the Ornament Punch by SU. I trimmed off the pointy part to create the vase, and popped it up with Dimensionals. The ink is Always Artichoke, and the buttons are from my LSS. Lastly is the Vintage Violet ribbon, also retired from years ago. You could easily make this with any color combo.

I noticed in the photo that the ribbon is crooked......blast! I did fix it before I gave it away though!

Only 7 weeks until my grandson makes his way into the world! We are counting the days! Then the distance from AZ to San Diego will feel like 1000 miles.........but I will make the drive often! His shower is at the end of the month so I will be heading out for a quick visit. (Imagine me clapping my hands together quickly and grinning*)

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Well Wishes~~

Quickie card for a sick friend today! I used Kraft CS, Cocoa ink and marker, a Martha butterfly punch and four colors of CS: Pretty in Pink . Barely Banana, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. I first stamped the greeting, then I cut a scrap piece of CS 1 3/4 by 5 inches long. I traced around it with a Cocoa marker, not quite connecting the corners, or touching the words. I added dots in the corners and ta-da! Super simple. You will need to adjust the size of your scrap CS according to the image (like the butterflies) that you choose. Just get out a ruler and guess at it! I popped up the wings a tiny bit by only using 2 way glue on the butterflies spine. I am not sure how it will survive the mail, but it looks good now!

Take a few minutes today to send someone a mailable hug! A homemade card is a hug with a fold in the middle!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Fall Fun~~

Today's card was inspired by the cool coffee mug I saw at a friends house (hi Eileen!). We both agreed that the colors were Old Olive, More Mustard and Elegant Eggplant! So, with fall officially here in Prescott, I decided to bust out my Trendy Trees and get busy! I hope you like it!

This layout out one I fall back on often, because it is so easy to work with. I pierced holes in the scallops on the Mustard CS and used Whisper White craft ink for the greeting. Added a couple white brads and....Ta-da!

Leave me some love!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

More Perfect Pumpkins~~

I promised you another pumpkin today, and here it is! For this one I used the Large and Small Oval punches from SU. I sponged the edges and added the Little Leaves with Old Olive. I adore the Top Note die, and it was a nice frame for the pumpkins with out being square. The striped ribbon is SU Pumpkin Pie....notice the theme.....and Teeny Tiny Wishes framed with the Scallop Oval punch. There we go again, more punches! I love em'!

If you are planning to send out Thanksgiving cards, you can start now and easily have them ready to go in time! When you celebrate Thanksgiving, remember to Whom you are giving thanks!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Perfect Pumpkins~~

I know you may have seen these pumpkins done a zillion times before, but I had never done them! I used the Wide Oval punch from SU to make these. The secret to making them look really good is sponging! I used Pumpkin Pie CS and sponged with the same color ink. I sponged around the edges and sides. The part of this card that is all me (at least I had never seen it done) is the Little Leaves Sizzix die I used to make the Old Olive leaves and pumpkin top! Ever had one of those "now I can't sleep because of this card idea" moments? Yeah...maybe it's just me! Anyway, this little epiphany came to me Thursday night, so Friday morning I changed our club card to this one! Genius I know.....

This is a very basic card. Just Kraft CS, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White CS, clipped the corners with the Ticket Corner Punch by SU, and the little greeting is from the new Teeny Tiny Wishes set. Fast and easy!

Maybe you are not hopelessly addicted to punches, but I am! SU has so many great ones that can be very specific, or used to create so many fun things! I have 34 Stamping Up Punches, and 17 others! But hey, whose counting? Maybe some day I will put pictures up of my Wall of Punches! But maybe that would scare you......

Stay tuned tomorrow for another punch card!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

So one day last spring, I walked into work at school, and my boss had on the most amazing outfit. As soon as I saw it I said (as only a paper crafter would do) "I want to make a card just like your outfit!" I saw the look on her face that said "you are nutso...." But Monday morning, I handed her this and it was an instant hit! Her skirt was navy, her top white, and her blazer was the most amazing shade of lime green! Ta-da!

I used the Fifth Avenue Floral SS for this one, along with Night of Navy, white and Green Galore CS. The same color ink was used for the flowers. The ribbon is from my LSS. I paper pierced the scallop border, and added the sentiment with Dimensional's to give it some pop. It came together easily thanks to my SU punches! I am in love with my punches!

I guess that makes me a grown up stamper, finding inspiration in clothing!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Double Dipper~~

Happy Saturday to you! Have big plans for the weekend? I have a ton of work to do here at camp....sadly stamping is not on my agenda this weekend (but I will try to sneak something in......)

This card is a CASe of a swap I saw at my up lines house last week. I am sorry to not be able to give proper credit to the owner of the idea! I did not take any info off the back (bad stamper, bad!)

This was so simple and easy to put together. I started with Only Orange CS cut to a tent fold, added a layer of white CS 1/4 inch smaller on all sides, added the greeting, and then the Popsicles. For those, I used a 2x3 inch piece of Only Orange CS, folded it in half, used a corner rounder on all four sides, and added the sticks (one popsicle stick cut in half) with sticky tape (there it is again.....do you have yours?) then finished if off by accenting with my white Signo Gel Pen (SU) and voila! Super easy! I can see this card with Real Red, Gable Green, Yo Yo Yellow, Pixie Pink, Lavender Lace.......any color a popsicle would be!

Recently at a Stamp Club meeting here at my house, I was called a "Craft Nerd" for pointing out a current trend in stamping. This is a title I wear proudly now! Craft Nerd.....thanks Michele! So, I would like to point out a trend in paper crafting. Decorating the INSIDE of the card slightly! On this one, all I did was add a layer of white CS to make it easier to add a hand written note, but there are lots of ways to simply and quickly add interest to the inside. Look for more on that in future posts.

Why not eat a popsicle today before summer is gone gone gone and we are looking at Hot Cocoa! Hey....that gives me an idea.......

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Your Resident Craft Nerd

Krafty Birds~~

Today's fun-ness is a CASe from HERE. I adored the simplicity of this card and the ease with which it went together! I used Cheep Talk and Teeny Tiny Wishes for this one.
When one stamp has an image that needs to be more than one color (such as the birds beak, feet and body look better NOT all the same color) the best choice is to use your SU markers and color directly on the stamp itself! That's all I did here, and then I finished off by giving him a black eye~~~ (he he!)
I also adore tearing CS to get that somewhat rustic look you see on the bottom of the Real Red CS. Not everyone loves tearing, but I do! I also used my Mat Pack and paper piercer here to get the tiny holes you see above the birds, as well as my Scor-Pal for the fun lines. This card could be done in any color and with any sentiment you desire.....quick and easy!

Club Girls----you will all be getting your Holiday Mini in the next few days. Some even today! Club date reminder: Saturday September 19th at 9:30 AM and Friday September 25th at 6:30 PM. Many of you have not RSVP'd yet, and ya need to! I have three fun projects for you this month!

Please take a minute to click into the Breast Cancer Awareness site here on my blog, and click to give! No money needed......just a click counter! Happy Friday~~~

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Oh My Stars~~

I decided that the bear in this set, called Under The Stars by SU! gets all the attention, so I changed it up a bit. I know it is hard to see the compass on the yellow piece of CS, but it is there! This one was super fast and easy. Gotta love those! I used SU Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Summer Sun and Very Vanilla CS and inks. I just measure the size of the wood block that the stamp is mounted on to get the size for the CS~~

Hope today is a good one for ya!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Post It Pals~~

I have way to many coasters and I enjoy finding new ways to create fun things with them. Yesterday I was cruising around Angie's blog and found THESE ! As you can see I had way to much fun making them too! They just have a stack of post it notes inside and can sit on a desk or work space nicely! Once again, I utilized my SU punches for a finishing touch. How did I ever survive with out punches? I resisted for so long, but they have been one of my best investments....This one is almost all SU! I used the DSP to line the inside as well. The stamp in the front cover is from Taggers Dozen (ret.) I blinged it up a little by adding just the tiniest rhinestone to the image there! I used my Bind It All to add the o-rings and voila! fast and easy~~(with the right tools of course!)Here is the inside view. Of course I used blue post its to match! I also used my SU sanding blocks to smooth the edges after I adhered the DSP to the coaster. If you do not own a Bind It All, you can also make this with a couple of the "rings" that can be purchased in the office supply section just about anywhere, and your Crop-A-Dile. Be sure to tie on a couple ribbons to finish it off!

Here's Shelli's "wisdom" for the day.....The secret to a happy stamper is to have everything you need to complete a project! Translation, buy it, because some day you will find a use for it and therefore will not have to run to the store or wait for UPS in the middle of a project! Wise huh? Yeah, I'm deep....real deep!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Paper Pretties~~

Well aren't these little fellas so cute! This was my first attempt at the sour cream container and it was super fast and easy! If you have a crimper, some sticky tape and DSP, you can make one! Head over HERE to see a tutorial on how you can make one too! They went together so fast and easy.....perfect for a little pick me up filled with candy or some small treat!

The gorgeous DSP I used today is by Heidi Grace. It is a wonderful double sided paper, so the inside of the container is nice too, not just boring white! The button and ribbon are PTI and the tag and circle punches are SU!, as is the ink and solid CS.

I love 3-D stuff these days, and if you are attending Boxes Bags and Tags (HERE) this weekend, you will love them too! (We are not making this project this weekend.....just some wonderful others!) With fun little gift packaging, it is easy to make the simple look exceptional!

If you want an inexpensive way to dress up almost anything, check out these by Lauren_Meader sold over at PTI. She is the Queen Supreme of all things 3-D! If you purchase a template by her from PTI, you download it to your computer and print it out as many times as you like. No shipping, no tax, just $5 and you get access to it NOW! No waiting for Mr. Brown to come next week! Her stuff is all her designs and she is fantastic (and pretty darn sweet to boot!) Check them out! I have purchased them before and I am very happy with how easy they are to use.

Have you mailed a card this week to brighten someones day? If not, do it now! You will bless the receiver and you will feel good too! Don't put it off~~~

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Flower Power~~

Happy Monday! I hope you got some stampin' time in over the weekend! I enjoyed mine~~

Today's card is (almost) all SU! The SS is older. It is called Watercolor Garden. It has long been one of my favorites because of the softness in the edges of the images. I ran the Lavender Lace CS through my cuttlebug with the Stylized Flowers folder. Then I just corner stamped the white and added some ribbon. Ta-Da! Super easy!

Same thing in Buckaroo Blue (retired)! Here the ribbon is PTI Enchanted Evening, which matches Buckaroo quite nicely.

I enjoy a layout that I know I can put together quickly, and this one gets used a lot! Think about starting a sketch book or folder on your computer where you can store images of sketches you like. Then draw from it next time you need some inspiration!

Lastly, I am currently frustrated with my ribbon storage. Any ideas? Leave me a comment!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Let the paper do the work~~

Today's card showcases a little technique I like to call, cheating.

This super simple card uses SU! Designer Series Paper for the bulk of its beauty! Sometimes the DSP from SU! is not semetrical, and is made more for scrapbookers. But that does not mean you cannot use it to make interesting cards too! Simply look at the DSP, decide what part you want on the front or your card, and use your paper cutter to select just the right part! Then coordinate with matching ribbon and an accent, and voila! Done! Fast and easy.....one of the best ways to be.

I used Real Red card stock, Flamingo DSP, some black ribbon from who knows where, and the FAB punches form SU! Ta-da!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli