Northwest Stamper

Tag: thank you card

  • Birds of a Feather Thank You

    Every year there is a pack of designer paper that I completely overlook until I get the paper in for my new catalog DSP paper share.  Then, as I pull out the sheets to cut it down to 6×6 pieces, I discover some hidden gem.  This year, Birds of a Feather is that paper pack!

    So, I wanted to make some thank you cards for folks who ordered at a recent workshop, and so I pulled out this paper and started playing around.

     

    And since I was so torn on which pattern of the paper I liked more for this card, I had to make a second version with a different pattern from the same pack.

     

    I don’t know if it is the colors or the “cute” feel from these designs, but I’m totally digging this paper set!

     

    Did you know? You can see a big picture of each pattern in a pattern pack online?  It took me a while to realize that even though the information page looks like this with tiny strips of samples from the pattern, you can still get to bigger pictures.  So start out on the product page like this:

    image

    If you click the “More Images” link under the picture, you can flip through bigger pictures of each of the patterns!

    image

     I know it took me a while to figure that out so hopefully that helps someone else!

     

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  • Yet Another Betsy’s Blossom Card…now with Framelits

    Ok, apparently I’m a fan of the Betsy’s Blossom stamp set. 🙂  Here is another card that I made recently with it…. again, highlighting some of the new and cute designer series paper. 🙂  Though this time it is the Floral District paper.  I thought it could stand on it’s own pretty well don’t you think?

     

    I stamped a Rich Razzleberry bird from Betsy’s Blossom and then a sentiment from the Bitty Banners stamp set.  Then the coolest part… BANNER FRAMELITS!!!  Yay for cute banners that are no work at all to cut out!!!  See, look at how nicely they match:

    imageimage

    Itty Bitty Banners Stamp set

    Banners Framelits

    See, how stinkin easy is that?  🙂

    Any way, I also pulled out my trusty vellum for a nice way to help the stamped images stand out without distracting from the patterned background.  Sure I know this card is simple but I love it anyway!

    Have you tried the Banner framelits and if so what do you think?  Do you love them as much as I do?

     

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    Floral District Thank You Card Recipe

    Stamps: Betsy’s Blossom, Itty Bitty Banners
    Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Grey
    Paper: Floral District dsp, Whisper White cs, So Saffron cs, Rich Razzleberry cs, Vellum cs

    Accessories: Big Shot, Banner Framelits, Glue dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

  • Bordering on Romance Thank You

    The end of a catalog year always leaves me with stamps and accessories that I’m so happy are going to continue being available… and stamps that I’m sad are going away.  This card has both!

    Bordering on Romance Thank You

    I love that Bordering on Romance is carrying over but boy am I sad that Sincere Salutations is being retired. I swear, this was always my go-to set for versatile sentiments that could be dressed up or down. I’m sure I’ll find a new favorite down the road, but I’m not letting go of my set for a while I think. 🙂

    So, I made this card to send to a customer to thank her for a recent order and it was a great excuse for me to try blending and coloring using markers.  I used 3 different pinks to color in my flowers – Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, and Blushing Bride markers, and layered the colors and then did additional blending with my Blender Pen.  I started by coloring in the entire petal with the lightest pink, then did some shading with the middle tone pink (Blushing Bride), and then finished out with accent highlighting with the darkest pink (Regal Rose).  I think it turned out pretty well, huh?

    The rest is pretty straightforward loving with my Big Shot (framelits and the lattice embossing folder).  Add some Paisley Petals designer paper and some basic pearls.

    What stamp set will you miss the most when they retire in a week?

     

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    Retiring Stamps | Retiring Accessories | Retiring Décor Elements

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    Bordering on Romance Thank You Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Bordering on Romance, Sincere Salutations
    Ink: Rose Red ink pad, Pink Pirouette marker, Regal Rose marker, Blushing Bride marker, Garden Green marker, So Saffron marker
    Paper: Paisley Petals designer paper, Crumb Cake cs, Blushing Bride cs, Basic Grey cs, Whisper White cs
    Accessories: Big Shot, Labels framelits, Square Lattice embossing folder, Basic Pearls, Blender pen

  • Peek-a-boo Butterfly Card

    Today I have a quick card share for you.  I’ve been enjoying playing with this style of card design where you punch out an image and use the paper that is left behind as your main image.  I grabbed a pack of (retiring) designer paper – Berry Blossoms – and my (retiring) butterfly punch and went to work.

    Butterfly Peekaboo card

     

    You can see that for each strip of Whisper White paper, I punched out my butterfly and then glued the piece of Berry Blossom paper behind the outlined shape.  This is a perfect way to use up scraps!

    butterfly close up

     

    And then for each butterfly I used one of the (retiring) clear circle rhinestone brads.  Did you know they are even on sale right now?  Gotta love a discount!

    The one last piece that I had fun with was the Thank You pennant.  I stamped the sentiment on a strip of paper and then I slid the paper into the side of my butterfly punch so I could punch out the edge in the same shape as my butterfly wing.  Then I could just line it up with my full cut out and glue it down so that it looked like it was coming out from behind the butterfly.

    butterfly peekaboo side view

    Well, I’m off to try to get some scrapbooking done as today is National Scrapbooking Day! I hope you are able to get some crafty time in as well!

     

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    Get them before they are gone! Items are selling out so don’t miss out!

    Retiring Stamps  |  Retiring Accessories  |  Retiring Décor Elements

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  • A Bright and Bold Thank You

    One of my goals right now is to use up my scraps – whether left over pieces when cutting paper or stamped and punched images that I decided not to use on a previous project.  So, when I was working on thank you cards for customers, I grabbed some left over pieces of designer paper and I had fun layering!

    Summer smooches kind thanks pennant

     

    This card actually uses designer paper from two different packs – Summer Smooches (for the banners and the accent piece on the sentiment) and Berry Blossom (for the polka dotted background).  But don’t they work well together?

    It also uses 2 retiring items – Thank You Kindly stamp set and the silver brads.  Both of these items I can’t believe are going away because they are such staples.  But I know I will be keeping the Thank You Kindly set because it gives me 4 different thanks sentiments, and I’m expecting awesome new things in the catalog next month!

    Summer smooches kind thanks pennant close up

     

    Oh, so one last thing for today, I wanted to show you how to get those tips of the banners without having to guess with your scissors – and, if you are like me, get totally random results each time!  You just need to grab your Pennant Punch!

    making banners with the pennant punch

     

    The photo above shows how the corner of the pennant punch actually can make a really nice and consistant tip for your banners.  What you want to do is slide your paper into the punch from the side so that it lines up with a corner on the short end of the pennant.  You will have to slide your paper around a little to line it up evenly, but once you’ve done it it goes fast each time.  Ta-da!!

    making banners with the pennant punch 2

    So, I hope you got some new idea from this today.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

    Need the punch or anything else for your craft projects? I’d love to help you as your demonstrator!  Shop online or shoot me an email.  Ask my current customers, I’m always up for sending photos or creating videos to help you with your creative needs!

     

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    Get them before they are gone! Items are selling out so don’t miss out!

    Retiring Stamps  |  Retiring Accessories  |  Retiring Décor Elements

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  • So Long Summer Smooches & the Occasions Mini!

    I got a reminder email last night that told me today was the last day to place orders from the Occasions Mini catalog and I had to pull out my calendar to check…. how in the heck did we hit the end of April already?!?

    But I guess we did, which means today is your last chance to order from the Occasions Mini or anything from the Summer Smooches promotion!

    Like these awesome items are going away, and while I have my fingers crossed that they will make it into the next major catalog, I have no way of knowing if they will or not.

    Seriously, what will I do without the:

    Mixed Bunch Stamp SetBlossom PunchPleated Satin Ribbon
    imageimageimage

    And then there is Summer Smooches.  The Fabric brads have already sold out, but the paper, stamp set, fabric, and digital designs are around for today only.  Then they get stored away until the new catalog comes out.

    I thought I’d share with you a card I made recently as a thank you for an order.  I knew she liked bright colors so I thought I would play off the colors in the Summer Smooches designer paper.

    summer smooches note of thanks

     

    I used the retiring Dot, Dot, Dot stamp to make the dotted background in Real Red ink and took a Real Red strip of cardstock and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch to punch out the edges (I just punched out the scallop ribbon and then cut it in half and used each half with the scallops pointing in-wards.)

    summer smooches note of thanks close up

     

    I also played a bit with my corner rounder punch to curve the opposite corners of each piece of designer paper (and Daffodil Delight cardstock) to play into the pattern and shape of the flowers on the paper.  And then I just popped up each piece with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.

    Oh, and I just realized I used the sentiment from the Thank You Kindly set, another stamp set that is retiring this year.  Sigh… so many great stamp sets headed for retirements.  I’m so sad they are going but am hoping that means even cooler stamps are headed our way with the new catalog!

    So, if you haven’t gotten everything you wanted from the Occasions Mini or Summer Smooches, don’t delay!

    Email me or pop on by my online store and grab them before they are gone tomorrow!

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  • Simply Charming

    One of the stamp sets on the 2012 Retiring Stamps List is the set Charming.

    Charming - by Stampin' Up!

    This is a cute little set that when it came out was promoted as being the perfect size to use with the Simply Adorned charms.  I was slow to try out Simply Adorned and so my set has sadly, not seen much ink.  But when I was putting together a quick thank you card, it ended up being just perfect.

    I stamped the frame and then used my Fabulous Phrases stamp set to place my “thanks” in the middle.

    This layout is a perfect way to use up scraps of your ribbon and designer paper.  Just mix and match patterns and ribbons and you are just about done!  Now to enjoy this stamp some more before it heads to retirement!

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  • Time For the New Summer Smooches Suite

    For the first time in a long time, I didn’t preorder the sneak peek products – the Summer Smooches Suite.  I know, I know… if you get the perk as a demonstrator to get to see and order them early, why wouldn’t you?  I guess I was indecisive about what I wanted but I knew I loved the Fabric Brads (even though they will only be available in April) and the bright colors of the Summer Smooches designer paper have been calling to me since seeing them.  And finally, my shipment showed up yesterday and so this is one of the first cards I made:

     

    I’ve been wanting to try out this idea of a “peek-a-boo” designer paper and after being inspired by a card on Stampin’ Connection (the online demonstrator community) I started creating and the card kept evolving.  For this style of card, you punch a shape out of your top layer of paper and then layer a different color or print behind the holes.  I love how the fabric brad matches the print of the designer paper and the neutral-ness of the Crumb Cake cardstock lets the Tangerine Tango color really stand out.

    One fun thing I did was to punch the flower with the Fancy Flower punch and then I cut between the petals about halfway towards the center of the flower so I could curl up the petals.

     

    Now since I was working on this card for my Cards to Go kit for April as well as a local class, I wanted to make sure I had the design figured out so that as soon as my package arrived with the Smooches stuff, I could cut the right sizes of paper and be ready to go.  So, I ran my first experiment using the Sweet Shop Specialty designer paper from the Occassions mini and the retired Sweet Stitches fabric brads.

     

    I think I love fabric brads… I’m just bummed they are only here for April and won’t be returning when the new catalog arrives in June.  So if you love them too, make sure you order soon!

    Check out all of the Summer Smooches Suite here


    available as a sneak peek in April only!

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    Peek-a-boo Smooches Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Pennant Parade
    Ink: Soft Suede Classic
    Paper: Summer Smooches designer paper, Crumb Cake cardstock, Island Indigo cardstock, Whisper White cardstock
    Accessories: Summer Smooches fabric brad, Fancy Flower punch, 2 1/2” circle punch, 1” circle punch, Sponge Daubers, Island Indigo bakers twine, Scallop edge punch, Stampin’ dimensionals

  • Using Up Those Scraps!

    So, I recently reorganized my craft room yet again.  I’ve been fine tuning it for efficiency for how I find I craft in my space.  Well, after the last clean up, I realized I had a ton of useful looking scraps lying around on my table.  Now, normally I brush them into a pile and put them in a bag to “use later”.  Though really what happens is that my scrap bag gets bigger and bigger and I always forget what I have.

    Today I decided to use up those scraps now so that I didn’t have them hanging around for years to come. 🙂  So, I did not cut one single thing for this card… everything was already cut and lying around.  I just had to glue, stamp, and add a brad.  Not too bad, huh?

     

     

    The card base was a “whoopsie” that I did for a class sample.  The other pieces were all left over scraps from making other class samples as well.  Even the ribbon I just needed to trim the ends and I was good to go.

     

     

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    Everyday Enchantment Thank You Card Recipe:

    Stamps:  Thank You Kindly
    Ink:  Chocolate Chip classic
    Paper: Everyday Enchantment designer paper (SAB), Crumb Cake CS, Tempting Turquoise CS, Pool Party CS, Lucky Limeade CS, Calypso Coral CS
    Accessories: Everyday Enchantment brads and organdy ribbon (SAB), Big Shot, Framlits Labels, Blossom Triple Layer punch, Paper Piercer, SU Glue stick, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • Watercoloring with Chalks Card Sample

    One of the things I love about teaching technique classes is that I’m often reminded of how cool a technique or a product is that I haven’t used in ages.  In this case, it is using my Stampin’ Pastels (chalks).  I ran a watercoloring technique class this weekend where we used 5 different methods for watercoloring on your card and when I do this, one of the mediums I always use is chalks.  And I think this is the first time in about a year my chalks go pulled out.  Well, it won’t be another year I can tell you that!

     

     

    I kept my cards simple so that folks would have more time to focus on the actual technique.  When I was making this sample, I was struck with how vibrant of a color you can get with chalks!  I use a blender pen to apply the color and when you are using chalks(just take the pen directly to your chalk), the pen actually picks up some of the chalk itself – so it is more like you are painting on your color.  Plus, since you are depositing a thicker layer of color (a thin layer of the chalk), when you try to layer your colors, you can get rich colors on top of another color.

     

     

    It was so easy to do, I wished I had stamped a more complicated image or tried to use more colors in my sample.  So, I know I’ll be playing with this more since I love how it turns out!  If you have any quesitons about how to use your Stampin’ Pastels for watercoloring, let me know and I’ll try to answer them in an upcoming blog post!

     

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    Watercoloring with Chalk Card Recipe:

    Stamps:  Easy Events
    Ink:  Basic Black classic
    Paper: Watercolor paper, Pear Pizzazz Cardstock, Chocolate Chip CS, Concord Crush CS, River Rock CS
    Accessories:  Concord Crush 1/2” Poly Stitched ribbon, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Blender Pen, Stampin’ Pastels

  • Mixed Bunch Quick Thank You Card

    There is something about being a card maker that somehow has tweaked my brain to where I can never seem to let a package get mailed from my house without a card in it!  Even if I’m ready to walk out the door to the post office, I have to walk through my craft room to the garage and then the tugging to my craft table starts.  So, that is what today’s card is all about.

    I needed to get the Cards to Go kits in the mail and I wanted to include a card that was somewhat in theme with the cards this month.  So, I grabbed my scraps of the Flirtatious designer paper and my current favorite Mixed Bunch stamp set and Blossom punch and put this together.  I used the Rock and Roll technique to color my flower (using Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo ink pads) and then finished it off with a Twitterpated button in the middle.

    I love this stamp set and really hope it gets carried over into the main catalog in June!

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  • Berry Blossom Thank You

    Something you may not know about me… I tend to be an overthinker.  That holds true for my card making sometimes.  I sit down with an idea and then take forever tinkering with colors, embellishments, layout, etc.  Well, yesterday was different!  I needed some thank you cards and wanted to get them done before the baby woke up and the toddler got bored and started deconstructing the craft room.

    So I sat at my table and said, lets do something fast… and one look at a Lucky Limeade flower sitting on my table and the Berry Blossom designer paper in the box at my feet and I was off and running.

    So, I had a scrap of the designer paper and I often pull my color combo cues from the paper itself.  So in this case, I decided to run with the Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, and Wisteria Wonder combo.  Since I had the Limeade flower, I thought the Wisteria made a good border for the patterned paper and built from there.  I was able to get two cards done in about 10 minutes and then I put together this card from the last few scraps.

    I popped the Limeade flower up on the largest flower from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch in Calypso Coral and added a little bling to make it fun.  Then, I had already glued down the Whisper White paper before I stamped the Thank You and after stamping, decided it needed something else.  So, enter the Wisteria Wonder Stampin’ Write marker to the rescue with a bit of faux stitching.  Fast, and turns out I loved it!  I hope it makes the recipient smile too. Smile

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    Love Impressions Scrapbook Layout Recipe:
    Ink:      Chocolate Chip, Wisteria Wonder marker
    Paper: Berry Blossom designer paper, Wisteria Wonder CS, Lucky Limeade CS, Calypso Coral CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin’ Dimensionals