BIRTHDAY PARTY - CAT STYLE

Hope everyone is having a great December. As someone with a December birthday, I never want my birthday cards to be "Christmas-y". So I always make sure I have a little stash of non-holiday birthday cards for those December birth-babies. Here is a cute card celebrating a birthday - Cat-Style!

I just love the smug pussycat grin and all the happy little mice! Such a fun card! I used two Technique Junkies stamp sets:  MOUSE BIRTHDAY PARTY (SS062) and BIRTHDAY CAT (SD860).

I started by stamping the cat on CS and creating a mask. I then stamped the most forefront mouse and masked him. I stamped the the second mouse and masked him as well. 

I stamped the birthday cake, and added a mask to that. With all four masks in place, I stamped the little mouse peeking out from the cake and the other two mice. One would never guess there are only two mice stamps used on this card. 

The images were all colored with Spectrum Noir Markers. I used a a marker with an air bulb (blows the marker ink in spatters) to add the "confetti".

For the sentiment, I stamped and embossed the "Happy Birthday" on a piece of CS and trimmed it down. I added some foam tape to the back and added it to the image panel. 

The panel was then mounted with black CS and attached to a white A2 card base.  The two stamp sets go so well together and make such a cute card!

In case you didn't know, there are some great sales going on over at Technique Junkies! And be sure to enter my special code at checkout to receive an additional 10% on your purchase!

Hope you found some inspiration and helpful ideas in this post. Happy stamping!

Til next time,
Keepin' it inky!

A LITTLE CHRISTMAS WHIMSY

I have a fun spotlight card up on the Technique Junkies Blog featuring A Little Christmas Whimsy (there is even a discount code!).  For full details, click H E R E.  Here's a little sneak peak!

Til next time,
Keepin' it inky!

SNOWFLAKE JOY

NOTE:  TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO SAVE 30% ON CHRISTMAS STAMPS OVER AT TECHNIQUE JUNKIES! All Christmas stamps are 20% off, plus save an additional 10% using my special code (See bade to the right).

I just can't seem to get enough of these versatile snowflake stamps from Technique Junkies. There are two sets that I have been using over and over (and over!):  Snowflakes (Set of 9) and Snowflakes.  

I have made a LOT of cards with these sets in just the past couple of weeks. This one, though, oh! I've been trying to stay away from the traditional colors in my cards this year so I have frequently been using the color teal, and the snowflakes fit perfectly with that color! See if you agree...

I created the background using my MISTI and several of the stamps from the two sets shown above (with a little filler snowflake from the set Let It Snow), all stamped with a teal stamp pad. Then, using the Brother Scan-N-Cut, I cut out a "J" and a "Y" in the center of the panel, leaving enough space for a snowflake "O". I trimmed the panel down and attached it to a layer of teal CS, then to the A2 card base.  I then stamped one of the snowflakes on the same teal CS and trimmed it down. I added some shimmer using a Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua Pen. A little acrylic embellishment for the center of the snowflake, and some foam tape to pop the snowflake out a little, and this card is done!

Here is a closer glimpse...oh that shimmer!

Now, tell me, do you love those snowflakes or what! I also created a set of eight cards as part of a fund-raiser for my granddaughter's upcoming school trip. Just like snowflakes, no two backgrounds are ever the same!

I hope you enjoyed this post and found some creative inspiration. (Don't forget, you can save 10% on any of these stamp sets by using the code "TJ10Ro" -- see the badge on the upper right corner of my blog page).

Enjoy your holidays!

Til next time,
Keepin' it inky!

OH! THOSE SNOWFLAKES!

I am absolutely LOVING the snowflake sets available through Technique Junkies. One is brand new and one has been around a bit...and they both blend beautifully with each other! Bonus!  The sets are Snowflakes, Set of 9 (SS098) and Snowflakes (S235). Here are the sets:

Snowflakes, Set of 9 (SS098) - NEW

Snowflakes (S235)

Notice that no 2 snowflakes are the same in either set! All the stamps are individual (even the set on the right!) so you can mix and match however you desire. And the snow sentiments in the new set are great for all winter long! 

Hey! If you like them, I will let you in on a little deal! The ones on the left are on special for 15% off until tomorrow (11/8) - no code needed, discount taken at checkout. Plus, you can save an additional 10% off these stamps by using the code "TJ10Ro". With the discount and very reasonable shipping, you can get 25 stamps for less than $40. So each stamp is only $1.48. Now that's a deal!

I wanted to make a special card for a special friend, and I wanted it to be a little different than the typical blue and white you generally see with a snowflake theme. I had some really pretty olive green and cream polka dot paper and I thought it would make a fantastic backdrop for these snowflakes. So I created a 5.5" x 5.5" card using a cream CS with an olive green matting panel and added the elegant snowflake panel and sentiment I created with these sets.

I randomly stamped several different snowflakes from both sets and embossed them with a cream embossing powder that had a touch of light blue glitter in it. I filled in with a tiny snowflake from the set, Let It Snow (SD815). I then embossed the sentiment in black on a piece of olive CS, matted it with a piece of cream CS, then added both panels to the card base.  Here is a closer look at those gorgeous snowflakes:

I love stamps that give you your money's worth. I am making some friend cards using the sentiments included. I am also using these snowflakes to make some fun Christmas cards to send out. They would make a great background for the snowman in the Let It Snow set, too. 

Hope you got some inspiration today! I'm happy to share what I love!

Til next time,

Keepin' it inky!

NEW STAMPS FROM TECHNIQUE JUNKIES

Happy November, everybody! Christmas is fast approaching...are you ready?  I have a start on my holiday cards and, with the brand new stamps being released from Technique Junkies today, I just added a few more! And I am happy to share them with you!  We are not doing a typical hop this month. So you will definitely want to check out the TJ Blog for links to all the wonderful projects being shared by the Design Team!

THIS MONTH'S SPECIAL:

All the newly released stamps are 15% OFF until November 8th. You don't need a code, the discount will automatically be applied at checkout.

PLUS...you can receive an ADDITIONAL 10% OFF (even the new releases, for a 25% SAVINGS) by entering the code "TJ10Ro" when you check out. 

Now that's some awesome savings!!  So let's jump into the cards I have for you today!

This first card features a very non-traditional color for Christmas/Winter...PINK! 

SUPPLIES AND DIRECTIONS

Stamps:  Snowflakes, Set of 9 (SS098), Delicate Snowflakes (S816)

Shimmering Bliss:  Festive Flamingo, Dazzle (Topper)

Ink:  Altenew Crisp Inks (Frosty Pink, Coral Berry, Ruby Red, Grapevine), Versamark

Everything Else* plus Little Things from Lucy's Cards (embellishment).

I stamped and embossed the Delicate Snowflakes background, then sprayed with Festive Flamingo. The panel was trimmed down and mounted to an A2 card base. For the snowflake, I stamped each layer with a different snowflake and ink color, starting the with largest flake and lightest ink, and worked my way smaller and darker. A pearl was added to the center, then it was mounted with foam adhesive. The banner was stamped and trimmed down, then mounted with foam adhesive.

This next card was not nearly as difficult as it looks. 

SUPPLIES AND DIRECTIONS

Stamps:  Fir Forest (S806), Gifts of Christmas (SS081)**

Ink:  Memento (Northern Pine, London Fog, Rhubarb Stalk)

Other Supplies:  Nuvo Crystal Drops (Autumn Red), Wink of Stella (Glitter White), Little Things from Lucy's Cards

I began with a piece of gray CS and stamped the background trees with London Fog (twice, overlapping edge of CS). the front row of tress was stamped with Norther Pine. I added Nuvo Crystal Drops and Little Things to embellish the center tree, and highlighted it with Wink of Stella. The sentiment was stamped in Rhubarb Stalk. The panel was then trimmed down. I inked the top and bottom portion of the card base with Rhubarb Stalk so I would have a perfect match, then added the decorated panel.

** Not from the new release

The third card has some really fun colors and would be perfect for many different occasions, such as New Year's, Anniversary, Birthday, Congratulations, Retirement, etc.

SUPPLIES AND DIRECTIONS

Stamps: Raise Your Glass (SDX118), Champagne Toast (S787)

Ink: Versamark

Watercolor: Kuretake Gansai Tambi

Other Supplies: Watercolor paper, Silver Black Velvet Brush (#10 Round), Aqua Shimmer Glitter Gloss, Vellum

This card was so easy to do! After stamping and embossing the glasses, I did a water wash on a piece of watercolor paper, then dropped in some bright colors and let them naturally mingle together. I added a little shimmer to the glasses with the Glitter Gloss pen. I then stamped the sentiment on a strip of Vellum and wrapped it around the watercolor panel, and taped it on the back (thus no visible glue on the vellum!). The panel was mounted to an A2 card base.

The final card I have to share with you today features a very uplifting sentiment and a stunning background.

SUPPLIES AND DIRECTIONS

Stamps:  Scribble Circles (S823), Faith in Your Dreams (SDX121)

Ink: Versamark

On a gold piece of CS, I stamped the background and embossed it with gold EP. Using the same CS, I stamped and embossed the sentiment with black EP. The piece was then trimmed and matted with black CS. I added some decorative thread behind the sentiment panel and attached it to the gold panel, then attached that to the black A2 card base.

*Most projects also include standard supplies such as: MISTI, Adhesive Tape, Foam Tape, Embossing Powder, Gina K Designs Connect Glue, Paper Trimmer, Tim Holtz Glass Mat, Various Cardstock (110 lb for card bases, 80 lb for layers)

I had so much fun doing these cards, and can't wait to get busy on some more. There are a lot of great new stamps being released this month. I hope you found some inspiration and are as excited about this release as I am. 

And don't forget....you can save up to 25% OFF the new released stamps (and 10% off everything else). Enter the code TJ10Ro at checkout and enjoy playing with some great new stamps! Easy ordering, fast shipping, great stamps....what more could you ask for!

Til next time,

Keepin' it inky!