Kinda Manly?

I am awful with man cards... anyone else feel the same way? Every time I sit down and try to make a masculine card, I end up wanting to add flowers, ribbon, or something girly to it until it's just too girly to work for a man. This time I sat down with the Pendant Park set and a simple idea in mind and went with it- and accidentally made a manish card... hee! There are a few little flowers but I don't think a guy would notice!



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Pendant Park set
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Soft Suede classic inks
Paper: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue cardstock; Maine Blueberry DSP
Accessories: paper piercer, Dimensionals

Notice my Accessories list isn't long on this one! Ha Ha!

I wasn't setting out to make a masculine card and maybe that why it came so easy this time. At least I'll have one now when I need it!

Hope you are enjoying your day! Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

Fawn Card

I think my favorite set out of this season's Stampin' Up! mini is the one I used today... Forest Friends! The little animals just make me smile! I really wanted to post a SUO (Stampin' Up! Only) card today so I didn't add any flocking to this little guy but boy did I want to! He only gets cuter with fuzz! Hee! Anyways, here is the card I did:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Forest Friends set, Upsy Daisy set
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue, Basic Gray classic inks
Paper: Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue cardstock; Maine Blueberry DSP (retired)
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Paper Piercer, White Signo Gel pen, Stampin' Sponge, Aqua Painter, Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals


Although I love the little critters in this set, using them has been somewhat of a challenge because they are pretty small. I had to build a little home for the little deer so he wouldn't get lost on my card! I started by stamping the tree on white cardstock using my markers. Next, Painted in some grass blades around the tree and the bottom of the cardstock piece. After that, I inked up a corner of a piece of a Stampin' Sponge with Kiwi Kiss ink and sponged around the grass to give it some soft color. I added the blue sky the same way, only with Bashful Blue ink instead! I added the cut out deer with dimensionals so it looks like he's standing off to the side a little.

I've been busy working on a couple of projects that have deadlines coming up. One is my friend Mya's wedding invites which should be in the mail tomorrow! I can't wait to share them with you but I may wait until she sends them out as to not ruin the surprise for anyone... I am also working on class projects for Scrapdoodles this week! I'll share them for sure!

Hope you are all having a great Monday!!

-tessa

Another Mother's Day Gift

Today I'm sharing the gift I made for my mom. I did a set of monogram cards in a gift box and made her a card, too! Here it is:

The whole set:


The card:




The box:


The card set:


Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Petal Pizazz set, Together Forever set, Upsy Daisy set, Lovely Letters alphabet
Ink: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel classic inks
Paper: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, Really Rust cardstock; Maine Blueberry DSP (retired)
Accessories: Ice Rhinestone circle brads, Whisper White organza ribbon, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, Dimensionals

I really love these colors together and I think my mom will, too. She is a gardener so I think she'll get a kick out of the terra cotta pot card! It was fun to make, too!

I'm going to have to cut this short tonight... Zoey isn't feeling her best and seems to need her mommy... Thanks for stopping by though!

-tessa

A Little Something Different...

I'm not sure if I entirely like this card but I'll share anyways... After a long weekend doing inventory at my LSS, this is all I have! Here is the card:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Petal Pizazz set, En Francais background, Simple Messages by Hero Arts
Ink: Rose Red, Pink Pirouette Classic Inks; Versamark, Jet Black Staz On
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive card stock, Maine Blueberry DSP, Fresh Cuts note cards
Accessories: Kraft taffeta ribbon, Scallop Edge punch, Filigree Brads, Rhinestone Jewel Brads, Dimensionals, Clear embossing powder

I used the emboss resist technique on the note card, stamping with my En Francais background stamp, heat embossing, and then rubbing over it with Pink Pirouette ink. I knew what color scheme I wanted to use but the end result isn't at all what I thought it would be!

Hope your day is going well! Thanks for stopping by today!

-tessa

A Little Blueberry Flower Card

Today I am posting a little card I made this morning. I have almost a whole pack of the Maine Blueberry DSP left and since it is retiring, I thought I should try to use it rather then save it! Here is the little 4x4 card I made with it:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Petal Pizazz set, Dreams du Jour set
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue, Old Olive classic inks
Paper: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue card stock; Maine Blueberry DSP
Accessories: Paper Piercer, Signo White Gel pen, Rhinestone brads, Filigree brads, Dimensionals

I am planning to make a little set of these this week for a Hostess gift to give at my next workshop.

Oh! I almost forgot! I am excited to say that a card I made was selected as a winner in January's "Flower Fest" contest in Stampin' Up!'s Demo magazine Stampin' Success. My card and picture will be in March's issue!! I also get to pick out three new stamp sets as a prize! Pretty great if you ask me!!

Anyways, thanks for stopping by and taking a peek today!

-tessa

A Birthday Resolution!

January starts a new year and one of my resolutions is to send a handmade birthday card to everyone on my list! I decided to start a little early this year... January is pretty busy with birthdays- I've got seven! This is the first I've made, going out to Grandma R on the 23rd. I used my new Petal Pizazz set which will be in the new SU!Spring and Summer Catalog! Here is the card:



Goodies:
All products by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Petal Pizazz set, Best Wishes and More set
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive Classic inks; Versamark
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Bashful Blue card stock; Maine Blueberry DSP
Accessories: White embossing powder, Rhinestone Brad, Dimensionals

We went in to DC yesterday and had a fun day picnicking on the mall and hitting the National History Museum. We didn't get to see much of it... too many people!! I guess I should have waited until after the holidays but with Jeremy home, I couldn't resist! We didn't even get off the main level or into any exhibits. The interior is really pretty though! It has a great modern feel to it.

Today we are planning to try out a new restaurant for brunch. New to us anyways! A while back, the Travel Channel did one of those "best places for breakfast" shows and on it they had the Original Pancake House and their amazing looking Dutch Babies! I've been drooling over them ever since. I researched a bit and found one of their restaurants close by! Today is Dutch Babies day!! Hee!

I hope you guys are having as much fun as I am! Thanks for stopping by!

-tessa

Snowy Trees Card

After being away for a few days for my cousin Sara's baby shower, I am back and playing along with Kristina Werner's latest color challenge! Her inspiration this week is very pretty but I had no idea where to start with this card! Here is what she had for us:



And here is what I ended up with!



Goodies:
All items used are by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Christmas Classics set, Best Wishes and More set, Season of Friendship set
Ink: Old Olive Classic Ink; Whisper White Craft Ink
Paper: Sahara Sand textured card stock; Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Sahara Sand card stock; Maine Blueberry DSP
Other: 1/2" circle punch, Floral Frenzy embossing plate, dimensionals, Liquid Applique by Marvy; Matte finish brad by Lasting Impressions; ribbon by Offray

I ended up starting with the layout. I used a sketch I tried a while back for one of SplitCoast's WICKED challenges. This one really stuck with me and I've been doing my best not to use it too much! There are lots of little details on this card so let me tell you about some of them you may have questions about. The little flowers at the bottom are dry embossed using the Floral Frenzy embossing plate and a light box. The circle is made by tracing one of the little plastic containers that the SU! brads come in and cutting it out. The scallops are just 1/2 inch circles I cut using my 1/2" circle punch and glued to the back of the larger circle. The snow is also a little tricky looking... it is actually Liquid Applique that I let dry and heated up with my embossing gun. I love the way it looks and it gives the card some great texture and dimension in real life! If you have any questions about all this, just ask!

Hope you are all having a great week!

-tessa