We're The Perfect Pear...

It's no secret that my favorite color is green. I love all shades of green--but honestly, I tend to really love the odd end of the scale--olive, chartreuse and lime. Last night while keeping tabs on the all-absorbing Winter Olympics from Vancouver, I worked on this card. I was ready for something Spring-y and Kermit-y.

The base cardstock is Papertrey Ink cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4" with the Scor-Pal. I used my Stampin' Up! ticket corner punch to shape the card. All along, I knew I wanted to make this wonderful Unity Stamp Co. pear stamp the focal point of my card. But, I also knew I was going to need "something" more to keep the card from swallowing up the stamped image.

I stamped the image with a Versamark pad onto Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock and then heat embossed it with a fine black embossing powder. I used my Stampin' Write markers to color the embossed image and then trimmed around it. (TIP: I found through trial and error that sometimes using Copic markers to color a heat embossed image is a bit tricky. The alcohol based ink can tend to smear some embossing powders, putting unsightly black streaks into your coloring. However, the Stampin' Up! Stampin' Write markers do not smear any embossing powders that I have tried thus far.)

To set-off my pear image, I decided to use a Cricut cut from the 'Picturesque' cartridge. I chose a swirled tag image cut at 4" from some dark green textured Bazzill cardstock. I used another piece of Papertrey Ink pear colored cardstock to create a backing shadow cut for the open swirl tag. For the hole in the top of the tag, I chose a polka dotted Making Memories brad, cut off the backing prongs, and used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere it to the tag. Finally, I found a piece of scrap Stampin' Up! designer series paper in a green houndstooth pattern and cut it down to creat a horizontal mat to break up the tag and add another layer of visual interest. Now, it was time to put everything together using my ATG714 adhesive gun.






After I finished the card, I was getting ready to pull and envelope and a poly storage bag to file it away. But, I decided to try something a bit different--and I have to say I really like this idea for presentation purposes. Instead of using an envelope, I chose a glassine envelope/pouch to put my card in. It fits perfectly and I love the fact that you can see some of the card detail through the glassine paper. I picture this stuck in a wicker basket of fresh Bartlett pears as a wonderful neighbor/housewarming gift.





As always, thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to stop by and see what's crafting on my blog. Wherever the day takes you, I hope you have a pear-fect one....

Keep Crafting!

Give'm That Ol' Razzle Dazzle...

If you are anything like me, you're submersed in the wonderful world of gift wrapping, last-minute gifts, and decorating every nook and cranny of your home...and loving every second of it. Somehow, in all the madness, I've still found a few minutes here and there to work on a few projects (and of course, buy more supplies). We even had a surprise light dusting of snow on the grounds as December rolled in. It's been years since we've had an honest-to-goodness White Christmas in my neck of the woods, but a boy never stops dreaming.

For today's quick card project, I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed that I didn't have more time to fidget with the camera to try and get some better shots of this card. It was my first time experimenting with the Stampin' Up! Heat & Stick Powder and the Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Let me just assure you that these pictures do a poor job of getting the glitz across. If you are a bling junkie, you really need to play with some of these wonderful powders and potions.

The base of this A2-sized card is a piece of decorative cardstock from SEI's 'Glitzmas' collection. I used a 4 1/2" x 4" piece of Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock to create the mat for the card. Both the card base and mat had the corners removed with the SU! Ticket Corner punch.

I ran my white cardstock through my Sizzix Big Shot using the "Christmas Ornaments" Cuttlebug embossing folder. I then used a sponge dauber to apply Tsukineko Memento ink in "Lady Bug" to the embossed front. After the ink was set, I used a VersaMark pad to coat the raised portions of the embossing. Then it was time to sprinkle with Heat & Stick powder and get out the heat gun. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but the powder applies wonderfully and melts with minimum heat. As soon as my adhesive powder was melted, I scooped some Dazzling Diamonds glitter across the top, shook off the excess and reheated a bit for a final set.

For the greeting, I used my SU! scalloped circle and circle punches, pieces of Riding Hood Red and Whisper White cardstock, some Tsukineko ink in "Cottage Ivy" and a stamp from the Stampin' Up! set 'Holiday Best'. (If you'll notice, I sort of missed the mark on my stamping job--but I convinced myself that it gave the piece the illusion of being a round ornament, lol). Sometimes mistakes do add a bit of charm to the finished project--or so I tell myself.






Before I leave you for a pile of bows and tape dispensers, I thought I'd share a sneak peak of a home decor project that I'm working on. I think it's coming along nicely...and I'll share the completed project soon.



Wherever the day finds you, keep warm and more importantly, keep your heart warm...and keep crafting!

Card Gallery

Here's a look at some of the card projects I've been working on of late:


Bazzill corduroy cardstock, Versamark, stamp by Basic Grey (Offbeat), Stampendous red tinsel embossing powder, K&C0. grand adhesions sentiment


Bazzill cardstock, Fiskars edge punch, Cuttlebug butterfly die/emboss combo, Perfect Pearls, Stampin' Up sentiment stamp (Dreams du Jour), Stampin' Up Stampin' Pad (Kiwi Kiss), Dew Drops Ink (Pearlescent Orchid)



DCWV glittered cardstock, Autumn Leaves ornament stamp, Stampendous red dragon embossing powder, Martha Stewart lace edge border punch, Versamark, All Night Media pop dots, Dew Drops Ink (Aquatic Splash)