Some Pretty paper cards

Sometimes you just HAVE to let the paper do the work.

These are some of my latest Pretty Paper cards:

These cards are all 5x7 Greeting cards. My customers like that size.

The top one uses all layers of Mat Stack 6. That one is such a GREAT value. All 3 sizes are the same price, or less, than the Mega size of the others!

The next card just uses Notched Flowers die and the banner from Get a Handle.

True confessions on the green card. When I sell my cards I have a color code system. I had a stamp made several years ago with my name. I use brown ink for $1, black for $2, red is $3. As I was stamping the back of this one I dropped the edge of my oval stamp on the left side. DISASTER! I was so happy with this card. I had used Big Ticket Basics. I took a Tremendous tag and stamped the stamen stamp from Notched Flower stamp set and added a resin flower to the center. Cute, right? I was so frustrated! So, I took  my name stamp, inked up the edge and stamped it a few more times to make it look like the paper had those marks!. My husband calls weird little computer issues "features", so this is a paper "feature"! We will see if it sells ;)

The next 2 cards use the medium Scallop die and the Heart border die. 

 

The gold/teal one uses the Bottle Tag die and the large banner from Get a Handle. Also both sizes of Limitless Layers. 

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

May 2013 Blog Hop ~ Card 4

This month we are giving you an entire rainbow of "bouquet builder" color schemes to incorporate into a new floral project.  Just pick your favorite floral set at the moment, pull out the ink colors for one of the gorgeous inspiration pieces above and create!  

I had planned on just posting the 3 cards that follow this post. But yesterday I could not resist making another card with the above color scheme. I also could not resist making a card with the angled design from last months Blog Hop. The card I made for that challenge is one of my favorites. Sooooo.... Here it is!

I personally love this color scheme and I love Ruby Rose. As I said, I LOVE this card layout as well!

I used pattern packs, card stock and Bitty Box for my papers. The sentiment is Boutique Borders: Birthday.

I added a Summer Sunrise button to the Summer Sunrise flower. It needed a little something! 

Color challenges are always good for me. They stretch me. However, Mrs Dawn McVey can always do the same thing!!!

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

May 2013 Blog Hop ~ Card 3

This month we are giving you an entire rainbow of "bouquet builder" color schemes to incorporate into a new floral project.  Just pick your favorite floral set at the moment, pull out the ink colors for one of the gorgeous inspiration 

pieces above and create!  

OK, I wasn't going to order Pedal Pusher. My husband gave me a $100 gift certificate (and some other things ~ Thank You, Al) for Mothers Day. Pedal Pushers stamps and dies were almost 1/2 of that! So, my AWESOME husband said that the gift certificate was now $140! He thought it was cute and wanted me to have it... how amazing is he!!!

Well, let me tell you, I am so glad he did!

How ADORABLE is this bike!

My pictures do not do it justice. The wheels REALLY do spin! And the basket and fillers are STINKIN' cute!

On top of all of that it is EASY to line up and stamp, REALLY!

Not sure how they do it, but the gals at Papertrey are AMAZING engineers, really amazing!

This card and others I make with this set are going to be a BIG hit!

FUN stuff!

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

May 2013 Blog Hop ~ Card 2

This month we are giving you an entire rainbow of "bouquet builder" color schemes to incorporate into a new floral project.  Just pick your favorite floral set at the moment, pull out the ink colors for one of the gorgeous inspiration pieces above and create!  

This card also uses Ruby Rose. I love this color combo. I used Bitty Box patterned paper for the bottom of the card to ground it. 

Ruby Rose will join Rosie Posie and Happiness in bloom as my Faves! Don't you just LOVE those leaves??? The sentiment is pretty awesome, too!

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

May 2013 Blog Hop

This month we are giving you an entire rainbow of "bouquet builder" color schemes to incorporate into a new floral project.  Just pick your favorite floral set at the moment, pull out the ink colors for one of the gorgeous inspiration pieces above and create!  

I chose my brand new Ruby Rose stamp and die set by Dawn McVey. I LOVE it the flowers are so cute. They are a little whimsical and that is pretty edgy for me. I am usually not drawn to that style but as I said, it is a LITTLE whimsical ;)

One of the things I like best about the set is the leaves. They looks so dimensional. They will be so useful for other things. 

I used the Winterberry die and Summer Sunrise card stock because, well, that made it more literal. I like it, it adds extra interest!

But... I did HAVE to cut the dies apart *gasp*! I have never cut a die apart and have never wanted to. In fact, my Tremendous Tags and Sketched Shapes die have come apart and it ticks me off!

I have enough trouble keeping track of my stuff! But in this case you HAVE to cut them. They come nested and you cannot stamp them that way! Trust me on this ;)

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

Make It Monday #117: Paper Piecing

Create a project utilizing your take on the challenge. Your project must use at least one Papertrey product and paper piecing.

OK, could someone clear this challenge up for me??? I thought paper piecing was using several pieces of paper on a card either as a background or as an image. As I have been browsing the submissions this week and deciding if I was going to participate, I mostly saw image piecing.

I thought I had been paper piecing for years, doing it as a background. I do it all the time to stretch or not waste paper or because I think it adds LOADS of interest!!!

Here is my card. I don't love it.

 I used Ruby Rose because it is sitting on my work space from the blog hop. Not so sure it was the best choice for this challenge!

I LOVE the piecing on the bottom. I LOVE the angled placement. The flower just looks kind of messy to me. I LOVE Ruby Rose, just not this way. I do have a couple I like for the blog hop, tomorrow!

PLEASE enlighten me! Are both of these techniques paper piecing or just the flower? If the latter is the case, it is not for me. I will stick with piecing pieces of paper together and call it, hum... Paper Susan ~ing!

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

Card Hanger Die

A quick post to tell you Laurie at Soapbox Creations has a new Card Hanger Die!

I LOVE these dies so much.

Here is the new one

(for some reason I could not shrink the picture!)

Her blog is:

http://soapboxcreations.blogspot.com/

The dies are $12 + shipping.

I LOVE mine!!!

They are so useful!

Thanks for looking at my blog!

Susan

Make It Monday #115: Beyond Paper with Impression Plates

Your project must use at least one Papertrey product and embossing/impressing into something other than paper. 

Heather's card:

My youngest son Colin works at a local hardware store, Nuts and Bolts. I grew up in a hardware store. My parents owned a Western Auto when I was in High School. I LOVE hardware stores. Cool stuff! Not as cool as a card making store, but pretty darn cool.

Since Colin is an employee, we get a discount. I bought a small roll of Aluminum tape. It wasn't very expensive anyway and the extra discount just gives me more $$ for the 15th ;)

I am BUSY making Graduation cards. This is my second post of the day. I had already posted some Graduation cards. Today when I went to Curves (where I exercise AND sell my things) almost all of those cards were sold! YEAH! Since there is still a couple of weeks left in the season I needed to make more so I used this MIM to accomplish both more product and try a new technique!

FUN. FUN technique! Could not be easier. The tape embossed like a champ. VERY crisp, VERY clear!

My card:

For cards like this I still make 5x7. I know, I know! I am stuck in the past. I just like a bigger card for an occasion card. Note cards & Thank You notes are perfect as A2's but a Graduation card ~ it needs to be bigger ~ that is just me. I also like my cards to all be made on white card stock. I know, that is weird too!

                                        

I used the large dotted paper from the True Black pattern pack, Smokey Shadow and True Black card stock. I used all 3 sizes of Mat Stack 3, For the Graduate and Big Ticket Basics. Also a Mortar Board Sizzlet die.  I embossed my tape with Background Basics: Diamonds Impression Plate. I LOVE the shine and texture. I of COURSE didn't like the seam so I used the Super Star Borders Die and cut True Black card stock. More interest and texture and NO SEAM!

I will be doing this again. I LOVE it. I have some alcohol ink I have never opened so I might even try to color it! FUN!!!

You know I was telling someone the other day I never sign-up for all of the on-line classes that are always being held. We get the BEST ones at PTI, for FREE!!!

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

More Graduation card

Here are some more Graduation cards I made to sell. These are generic, color wise. I do try and make cards in school colors but everyone doesn't always know what color works. Black is always perfect, right?

The paper I used is from a Hobby Lobby Paper Studio stack I got a couple of years ago on clearance!

I used Big Ticket Favorites, For the Graduate, and the Christmas Label from PTI.  Mortar Board and Diploma Sizzlet dies, too. 

I pieced the paper on this one for interest and it was a tad narrow!

PERFECT on a gift bag!

Graduation season is upon us!

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

Brandon's Graduation Card

When I first saw Big Ticket Basics from PTI I KNEW it would be AWESOME for Graduation cards. I completely ripped-off Dawn McVeys card (I know you are so surprised!) 

She made hers for Fathers Day. Mine is for my middle son, Brandon's Graduation!

In our house, we are all BIG KU fans, except for my oldest who went to K-State ;)

I have these awesome Epoxy KU stickers so I used a couple to personalize the card. I made the same card in different colors for other High School/Colleges.

The red panel is a Cuttlebug embossing folder, Congrats. I used the Library Pocket die, Christmas Label die, For the Graduate, and  Sizzlet Diploma and Mortar Board dies.

See! How much cuter is that Jayhawk card???!!!

I am VERY happy with my card. Thank you Dawn for your never-ending inspiration!

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan

Make It Monday #114: Blown Ink

--Create a project utilizing your take on the challenge. Your project must use at least one Papertrey product and the blown ink technique.

Dawns Beautiful card:

I used Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz and Berry Sorbet Ink. I am still waiting for re-inkers to come back in stock!

I used watercolor paper ~ because I have it. In retrospect, it might not have been the best choice. It kind of absorbs the ink which is a property that makes it awesome but it is not slick so the ink didn't "blow" as well as it might have! The colors came out REALLY dark. In real life you can tell them apart better...

My version:

I liked Dawns idea of covering the puddle, and I LOVE my new Big Ticket Basics stamps so I used Fillable Frames #1 Die and cut Pure Poppy Ink. I used Big Ticket Basics and stamped the image in Berry Sorbet ink. The Thanks is stamped on the little banner from Sketched Sentiments that I double cut! The watercolor paper is adhered to a Raspberry Fizz panel.

It was a fun technique. But I am pretty sure I would use Stampers Select card stock next time.

Thank you for looking at my blog!

Susan