Butterfly Basics Birthday Card

We are featuring birthday cards today on the SSINKspiration blog. You can never have too many birthday cards on hand! Today I have a feminine birthday card to share.

I recently ordered the Butterfly Basics Bundle including the stamp set and framelit dies and am wondering why I did not order it sooner. I mainly wanted the dies, and I really love using this stamp set. Here is a birthday card that I made with this beautiful and versatile stamp set:

Supplies Used:
Butterfly Basics stamp set
Whisper White card stock
Blushing Bride, Watermelon Wonder & Cucumber Crush ink pads
Watermelon Wonder & Cucumber Crush markers
Blushing Bride ink refill & Stampin' Spritzer
Watermelon Wonder dotted lace trim
Stamping Sponge
Big Shot & Oval Framelits

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You Rock

My husband and son recently started learning guitar, so I love the little guitar and the "You Rock" sentiment from the Skating By stamp set. I wanted to create a masculine card for our recent card swap in the Fun 'n Crafty Stampers group. The Brick Wall embossing folder is also quickly becoming one of my favorites.

I made eight of these cards for our group swap:

Tip: The Paper Snips are great for fussy cutting images such as this guitar. After I cut out an image stamped in black ink, I run the brush tip of a black marker along the edges for a more finished look.

Supplies Used:
Skating By & Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets
Tip top Taupe & Cajun Craze card stock
Memento Tuxedo Black & Crumb Cake ink
Tip Top Taupe & Basic Black markers
Stamping Sponge
Paper Snips scissors
Big Shot
Banners Framelits
Brick Wall embossing folder
Linen Thread


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Craft Updates

In June, I started a separate paper crafting blog at www.craftbreak.com to post my cards, projects, and updates from Stampin' Up!.

In July, I joined the design team for the Stampin' Stylin' Inspiration blog. I am honored and excited to join my first paper crafting design team. I am contributing about 4-5 projects per month to this blog. The team is very talented and the blog includes new inspiration 5 days at week.

I will still post general family and personal updates and ideas to this blog. I also post to Instagram and Pinterest.

I am really enjoying my time with Alex this summer, and I hope that you are having a good summer!

Skating By

I couldn't resist the new Skating By stamp set since since it includes fun images to color of a boy, guitar, and more. (At least my son does not have a skateboard yet!) Here is the first card that I made with this set:

Tip: If you still have the Blush Blossom marker that Stampin' Up! retired, it is a good option for some skin tones. I watercolored with Blushing Bride on this one, but it is a bit too pink. If I can come up with some good options for skin tones, then I will write about it in a future blog post.

Supplies Used:
Skating By stamp set
Aqua Painters
Black Staz On ink
Real Red, Hello Honey, Basic Gray (retired), & Island Indigo Classic inks
Black, Blushing Bride & So Saffron markers
Big Shot
Lucky Stars embossing folder
Crystal Effects
Water Color paper
Whisper White & Hello Honey card stock

Next week I will have another card featuring the guitar from this fun stamp set.

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Watercolor Backgrounds

We are featuring cards with watercoloring today on the SSInkspiration Blog. I love how easy it is to use my Stampin' Up! ink pads to watercolor backgrounds for cards. First you squeeze the center of your closed ink pad, flip the lid, and then you have a nice little palette.

I watercolored the background for today's card with Pear Pizzazz, Crushed Curry, and Lost Lagoon since I love these 3 colors. I liked the background, but I wanted to stamp some dots on the bottom. I stamped them and then thought that I ruined my card. They were crooked and did not look right. I started by adding a little water to soften them. When you make a mistake on a card do you try to fix it or scrap the card?

Tip: You can usually fix a mistake on a card with some creative layering. I pushed through with this card by layering the greeting and butterfly to cover some of the dots.

Supplies Used:
Big Shot
Crazy About You Bundle
Perfect Pennants Stamp Set
Elegant Butterfly Punch
Rhinestones
Watercolor Paper
Lost Lagoon & Whisper White Card Stock
Lost Lagoon, Crushed Curry, & Pear Pizzazz Inks
Aqua Painters

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Stars & Stripes

One of my uplines, Jennifer, posed a challenge to our demonstrator group to make a card with Stars and Stripes. Even as we pass the 4th of July holiday, this is a fun pattern to use on cards, including birthday cards.

Tip: The Scalloped Tag Topper Punch works with 2 inch strips of card stock and paper. You can decide the length of the paper, so this punch is really versatile. You can make tags for cards like the one I made, and you can make longer bookmarks.

Supplies Used:
Big Shot
Lucky Stars Embossing Folder
Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, and Whisper White Card Stock
Crushed Curry and Crumb Cake Ink Pads
Gorgeous Grunge and Perfect Pennants Stamp sets
Scalloped Tag Topper Punch
Natural Chevron 5/8" Ribbon


How was your holiday? Many of the Bay Area fireworks were cancelled due to the drought, including the ones closest to us. We joined some friends for smaller fireworks and had a fun evening with sparklers, glow sticks, and "legal" fireworks.



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Single Layer Thank You Card

Even though I make cards, I find it difficult to get them in the mail. This week I am making and mailing some Thank You cards, so I have a quick and easy, single layer card to share with you. You can visit the SSINKspiration blog for more fabulous, one layer cards.


Since it is July, I went with the red, white, and blue color scheme. I used an Aqua Painter to make a red, watercolor background for my card.

Tip: It is easy to make your own color sprays with the ink refills, water, and some rubbing alcohol. (The alcohol helps them dry faster when sprayed.) You are able to control the intensity of the color. For my Island Indigo spray, I added about 12 drops of the reinker, a little rubbing alcohol, and some water. I did a few test sprays outside before filling my Stampin' Spritzer with water.

Supplies Used:
Whisper White Notecards
Stampin' Spritzer
Aqua Painter
Real Red & Island Indigo Ink Pads
Island Indigo Ink Refill
Sequins
Watercolor Thank You stamp

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Meatless Monday Recipes

It is barbecue season, and we attended 2 recent events with grilled hamburgers. It was so easy to bring along some veggie burgers for the grill! Everything else being served was already vegetarian, and I enjoyed these get-togethers with friends.

I tried 2 new recipes recently. This quinoa salad from Mind Body Green was delicious for dinner, and the leftovers were great for lunches. This vegan chocolate pudding from Minimalist Baker is really rich and easy to make.

Have a great week!

Product Focus: Embossing Folders

Happy Friday! Welcome to my first card for Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration. Embossing folders are one of my favorite products from Stampin' Up! since they can add great texture to your cards and projects. For today's card I used three embossing folders: Brick Wall, Decorative Dots, and Lucky Stars.

Tip: Keep a scrap basket. I knew that I wanted to use the Brick Wall folder to emboss Whisper White card stock, but I did know which other colors to use for the card. I went to my scrap basket where I found Real Red, Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, and Soft Sky card stock. I find it helpful to keep my scraps, but I do clear out extras every couple of months.

Supplies Used:
Big Shot
Brick Wall, Decorative Dots, and Lucky Stars Embossing Folders
Banners Framelits Dies
Amazing Birthday and Crazy About You Stamp Sets
Hello Honey and Lost Lagoon Inks
Whisper White, Real Red, Lost Lagoon, Soft Sky, and Hello Honey Card Stock
Whisper White Baker's Twine
1 Inch Circle and Banner Punches

What is your favorite embossing filer from Stampin' Up!? Leave me a commit below and check out the Textured Boutique Machine on the Clearance Rack (only $14.99 while supplies last) to add quick and easy embossing to your cards.

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Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration

I am thrilled to be joining my first design team! The ladies at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration share a ton of gorgeous cards and creative ideas. For example, did you know that you can make earrings with some of the Stampin' Up! embellishments? You should check out our blog, Pinterest, and Facebook page for daily inspiration.