Getting a Card Ready

Anticipation can be as much fun as the event itself, or at the very least, it prolongs the fun. There are two things I'm really looking forward to next week. Kathy Racoosin at The Daily Marker is hosting her fourth 30 Day Coloring Challenge beginning on February 1. I have participated in this challenge twice, and I learn so much from her blog posts as well as from all the artists who share their work on Instagram with #thedailymarker30day. Find out more information about it here. 

On the weekend of February 6-7 I will be at the Heirloom Productions stamp and craft show working with Local King Rubber Stamps. I discovered their unique and versatile stamps last year. When I saw their Facebook call for helpers at the show near me, I sent them an email right away. Now I have an excellent reason to spend two days at the stamp show learning new techniques and gathering new ideas.

Cherry Blossoms by Local King Rubber Stamps; hello die by Simon Says Stamps;
colored with Prismacolor pencils and Wink of Stella

Über Simple Card

Sometimes I just want to make something so very simple. Sometimes I wish I were a clever graphic designer. Sometimes I think my cards are on the verge of trending with hip stationery. Today is one of those days.

I've been stamping and coloring a lot recently and laboring over card designs (all with very satisfying results), but today I finally opened the Hot Cocoa Cups die set from My Favorite Things stamps, and I played all afternoon with paper and foam. I made a handful of cards using layers and sentiments and all the design elements my cards usually have. As I was cleaning up, I discovered one more mug and one more puffy bit of whip cream. The stamps were cleaned and the inks put away, but I didn't want to lose the extra pieces in a pile of scraps, so I pulled out possibly my favorite background color of cardstock and set that mug big and bold on the front of the card. There. Done. 

Sometimes I decide to leave well enough alone and choose to write 

all the sweet stuff on the inside. 

A Happy Stamper Card

What to do with this cute little bird from Create a Smile Stamps after I colored it? That was the question of the day. A simple card can easily misrepresent the time spent on it, because coming up with the idea usually takes (a lot) longer than making the card. But when I finally have that "aha!" moment and the card is complete, I think, "Oh, that's fun! I have to make another one." And, I am a happy stamper!

Digi Bird by Create a Smile, colored with chalks; egg shell stamp by Stampin' Up;
hello die by Simon Says Stamps; embossing folder by Darice

A Monster Card

I have had a lot of fun making cards this week for Create a Smile stamp company. They are having an open call for a guest designer in February, so I used one of their 'freebie" images to make this super fun birthday card. I only recently discovered Create a Smile on Instagram, and I am thankful they offered the free digi images for entering their guest designer contest. And, yes, I do see some new stamps in my future!

I printed the images three times - twice on printed paper and the third on white card stock and colored it with Prismacolor pencils. I covered the hand colored monster, as well as parts of the printed paper monsters, with dimensional glaze for a shiny finish. The background paper is by Echo Park Paper. 

A Card to Create a Smile

Hopefully these cards will create a smile on your face, but my title is also to identify the stamp company Create a Smile whose images I used on these cards. They are having an open call for a guest designer in February. I only discovered Create a Smile stamps recently, thanks to Instagram. What makes this possible opportunity even cooler for me (card maker/former high school German teacher) is the company is in Germany. I may have to buy some stamps with German phrases, just because! Wünsch mir viel Glück!

Digi image by Create a Smile; paper by Echo Park Paper

Digi image by Create a Smile; egg by Stampin' Up; hello by Simon Says Stamps; embossing folder by Darice

Digi image by Create a Smile; sentiment by Simon Says Stamps; wave by Coronado Island Stamps

An Epiphany Card

Having the Twelve Days of Christmas means we card makers can create more cards after Christmas and still send them on time to our friends, because the twelfth day is celebrated on January 6. I like writing holiday cards after Christmas when there is a little more down time, and this year I had a special reason to make cards for Epiphany or Three Kings Day. 

A sweet friend of mine brought me the three kings stamp from the Blade Rubber Stamps store in London, England. I couldn't believe that she took the time during her trip to shop in a stamp store when she doesn't even do rubberstamping herself. She is incredibly thoughtful, and I am thoroughly grateful. 

Friendship is a treasured gift, indeed. 

Card Details: Three kings image by The English Stamp Company; sentiment by Stampin' Up.