Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Time for some Ippity!

This last Saturday I had my first card clubs of the new year, and we celebrated by trying out some of the new Ippity sets. It was lots of fun watching everyone discover these great stamps and as always, they came up with some great designs on their own too! Here are a few of the cards I had as samples:
This card is made with stamps from the Devoted kit. I love this whimsical butterfly! I used SU designer paper and Bashful Blue cardstock. The butterfly is stamped in Night of Navy ink and the leaves in Artichoke. I added some bling with stickles on the butterfly and attached it to the card in it's center using a glue dot. The sentiment is punched using SU's modern label punch and flanked by some self adhesive jewels for a bit more of that "bling" factor (of course!) This is one of those cards that can be so versatile, and you can change the feel of it just by changing the colors you use.
This card is s sweet valentine's using Straight from the Heart and My Mind's Eye patterned paper. The cardstock is Barely Banana, Sage Shadow and Riding Hood Red from SU. I colored this image using a blender pen and reinkers for a softer watercolor effect that I think fits this card very well.... I just love those cute little blue birds!

Masculine cards are always a challenge for me, but I like to provide at least one for the group each month. This card uses stamps from Just Wanted to Say and patterned paper from SU. The cardstock is River Rock and Not quite Navy - 2 colors I rarely use, but work well for a more masculine look. I finished it off with some chord instead of ribbon - very manly!
All the stamps used on these cards are available in the Ippity kits I have in stock and ready for purchase... just click on the Ippity link in the upper right of this blog and check them out! And keep an eye out... there are new releases coming in February!
Happy stamping everyone!
Joan

Friday, January 1, 2010

Calendars to ring in the new year!

Happy 2010! It's amazing how fast the years go by.... it doesn't seem all that long ago that we were celebrating the new Millenium. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

For my first post of the new year, I thought I'd share a Christmas gift I made this year. I decided it was time to use some of my stash of Amuse stamps (I must admit that many had never seen ink...) and make some calendars. The size and style of Amuse is perfect for calendars, and I had so much fun finding the stamps to go with each month. Because I wanted to display the calendar using a Creative Memories magnetic display frame, I ended up creating a monthly banner that hangs below the calendar, giving me lots of room to stamp! I used seasonal trees as an ongoing theme, and pulled it all together with Amuse colored gingham cardstock as a mat.... so here is the final product!
I also had lots of fun finding the "doodads" (my Mom's word, otherwise known as brads) to go with the months too. I wanted to show you each month, but didn't want to post 12 pics, so in the interest of saving space, I've taken pics of just the banners for the rest of the year, but each banner also has a matching calendar:








I sure hope my family enjoys these calendars as much as I enjoyed making them. But even if they don't, the great thing about this gift is they still have a nice magnetic display frame to put pictures in - with our without the monthly banners. The only problem is now I still need to make one for myself!
Happy Crafting in 2010 everyone!
Joan