Fast Friday - Bunny and Chicks

So, I had hoped to post a few times this week but I've been extra busy.  I've also been stamping to get ready for the Regional Stampin' Up convention.  I am very excited to be attending and have been making swap cards.  Today I finally finished them, so here's a blog posting!

My Fast Friday post this week is one of the convention swap cards I made.  It is quick and easy because stamping is done with only one inkpad, Early Espresso Classic ink.  The cutting is easy because all that is cut are strips of card stock and designer series paper.  Speaking of dsp, the dsp on today's card is from the Sale-a-Bration Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper.  You can get the 12 x 12 packer package FOR FREE when you place a $50 Stampin' Up order thru March 31, 2012!  Let me know if you'd like this beautiful paper!


The 1 3/4" circle punch is used for the three stamped images and the 1" circle punch creates the Tempting Turquoise circle under the bow.


Have a great weekend!


Linda

Fast Friday - Shabby Birthday Gift Box

This has been quite a busy week, so today will be my only post until next week.  The quick card this week is an unstamped card.  That's right.  No stamping.  A happy birthday message might be an appropriate message to stamp inside the card.  I adhered a Whisper White background, and then only a designer series paper square and rectangle and coordinating ribbon to create a gift box.

The gorgeous 1 1/4" double striped ribbon becomes the bow for a gift-wrapped box!   I simply cut the ribbon to make it narrower and tied a bow.  A few glue dots secure the ribbon to the card front.  You can give the ribbon a shabby chic look or remove the frayed strands for a neater appearance.  This gorgeous ribbon is available currently in a variety of Stampin' Up's colors. 

Linda

Fast Friday - Crumbcake Heart

Happy Friday!

Valentine's Day cards are so much fun to create!  I've been quite heart happy.  Today's quick card of the week is a stew of several types of hearts.

I punched the full heart punch into a Crumb Cake square of card stock and backed it with designer series paper.  Any of Stampin' Up's dsp in a shade of pink will do.  Consider using up a scrap!  You can make an entire set of these cards using dsp scraps!  I also inked the edges of this Crumb Cake square element with a Crumb Cake Classic inkpad.

Other hearts in my heart stew are the tiniest heart from the 3 heart punch and two die cut hearts.  The new Fashionable Hearts Embosslit Die from the current 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog makes it so easy to make these little hearts!

Happy Weekend!

Linda

Fast Friday - Twitter Elements

Happy Friday!

I bring you a breath of Spring again today.

NOTES:

card:  Very Vanilla

dsp:  Blushing Bride Patterns dsp, Twitterpated dsp
stamps:  Elements of Style
ink:  Riding Hood Red Classic Inkpad
other:  Twitterpated designer fabric, Stampin' Dimensionals

The card is straight forward and simple to create.  Tie a strip of designer fabric in one knot & adhere it with a few Stampin' Dimensionals.  Fun!

Have a great weekend!

Linda

Fast Friday - Alternative Easy Apothecary Art

So, have you seen the new Stampin' Up Occasions Mini Catalog?  Click on the link on this blog's sidebar to check it out!  It is absolutely gorgeous and I want many products in it!  One of the things I ordered first is the Apothecary Art stamp set.  The stamp set has new Big Shot dies that coordinate with it!  Awesome!

Today, I am posting a card we stamped at last night's Siimple, Yet Stunning stamp class.  The card offers an easy peasy card front alternative for using this stamp set.  I have simply repeat stamped the beautiful label stamp on a card front in first and second generation stamping.  How easy is that?!

I tried to capture the bling in the photo & perhaps was denied, but I have applied dabs of 2-way glue pen to the flower centers and then sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds glitter on it.  The glitter gives the card a romantic, chic look.

The tag is made with the curly label punch and the large oval punch.  Defined by Life is the stamp set.

Lovin' the snow today!

Linda

Fast Friday - Elegant Striped Thank You

Today's Fast Friday post is a thank you note card that I made recently.  The professional, sleek styling is just right to use as a business thank you note.  It also would be a fine style for both masculine and feminine personal notes.

The Whisper White card is dry embossed in the Big Shot machine using the Stampin' Up Stripes embossing folder.  Only the bottom portion of the card front is embossed.  A simple "Elegant Thank You" stamp image is stamped with Black Stazon ink centered on the front of the card.  Some nice alternatives to the stamp I used here might be the "Just Thank You" A La Carte stamp, one of the stamps in the "Thank You Kindly" stamp set, or even one of the messages in the timeless  "Sincere Salutations" stamp set.  A monogram would be an attractive design, as well.


Linda

Fast Friday - Kind Days

Recently I had a fun day stamping with friends at my friend Ellie's home.  We used some non Stampin' Up scrapbook papers that she has had floating around in her paper collection and attempted to match them up with Stampin' Up colors.  It is not easy to get a color match, so that challenge made me thankful for Stampin' Up's color collections!  Have I told you recently how awesome it is that Stampin' Up's inks match the card stock, which matches the designer series papers, which matches the ribbons, which matches the brads, which matches embellishments, which match embossing powders, which matches Stampin' Write markers, which matches....................need I say more?

So, this is one of the cards I created on that happy day - using the Autumn Days stamp set, Baroque Motifs stamp set, and Crumb Cake card stock.  If you like this card style, make your own!  Stamping with one ink color and only one or two stamps keeps the card moving quickly.  Simply cut and layer a few strips/pieces of cs and dsp, then diecut or punch 2 layers of a shape of your choice and add Stampin' Dimensionals.  That's fast!

Have a great weekend!

Linda

Fast Friday - "Hi" on Stampin' Up Card Stock

Love the card, Hate the cheap non Stampin' Up card stock

Happy Fast Friday and Happy Black Friday!  I must be in a time warp because I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is upon us!  Time sure flies!

This week's Fast Friday post serves two purposes:  (1) to offer you another quick card idea, and (2) to display the benefit of Stampin' Up quality card stock.

First, the card stock........  I accidentally stamped this card onto white card stock that was not Stampin' Up cs.  Do you see how the Lucky Limeade "hi" scallop square image is mottled and blotchy?  That is the result of poor quality card stock.  There is a definite difference between the quality of an image stamped onto Stampin' Up's Whisper White cs and that of an image stamped on other cs.  Isn't it astounding to see?  I wish I had stamped another image on Stampin' Up cs to show you its visual distinctive quality, but I'm sure you can imagine a perfect looking Lucky Limeade stamped image just the same.

I also want to point out that using Stampin' Up cs is of even more importance when using a solid image stamp {line image stamped image quality is important too, but you can notice the quality difference much more in a solid stamped image}.  The difference is remarkable.  So, make sure you always have Whisper White Stampin' Up card stock {and Very Vanilla} on hand for your most beautiful, professional-looking stamping!

Stampin' Up card stock high-quality benefits:

Super smooth

Cuts cleanly

Creases well
dyed with pure color all the way through

No white core

80-lb. Weight

acid free, lignin free, and buffered

Now, on to the card design.  What could be quicker?  Punch a bright strip of cs with a border or edge punch, and stamp one image on the card!  This card will take two minutes!

Linda

Fast Friday - Turquoise and Trellis

Today my inspiration comes from a turquoise cushioned white wicker chair on the Honey We're Home blog.  Does it qualify for a "Fast Friday" post?  This card was finished in less than 5 minutes.


Don't you think the Bigz Lattice die and Tempting Turquoise patterns dsp mimic the chair nicely?  The stamp is called "Elegant Thank you" AND can be found on page 20 of the current IB&C.

Have a great weekend!

Linda

Fast Friday - Happy Yellow Ottoman

Happy Fast Friday!

I generally think of heat embossing as a technique that requires a few extra minutes and certainly not an alternative for a Fast Friday post.  However, today is an exception.  After a couple of blah colored cards this week, I decided to bring you some sunshine, in the form of this card!

I heat embossed with a Versamark inkpad and white embossing powder on bright yellow card stock.  If you have Daffodil Delight cs, it is the perfect color!  A retired hostess stamp set from last year's IB&C is my stamp choice, however, here are some great alternatives of a solid image stamp ideal for today's card design that you may currently own in your stamp collection or that you might want to email me to order for you.


Array of Sunhine Hostess Stamp Set in the current 2011-2012 IB&C (only $11)
Tags Til Christmas or Delightful Decorations (current IB&C - for a unique, untraditional holiday card)
I Heart Hearts (current IB&C - Valentine's Day alternative)
Button Buddies
Funky Four
Fox & Friends, Look Who's Turning, or Barnyard Buddies (for a baby card or young child's birthday)
Friends Never Fade
Baroque Motifs

And, those are just a few ideas......there are numerous other bold solid images that would work well.

This cheerful yellow upholstered Ottoman inspired today's card post.  Inspiration from the Lather. Write. Repeat blog. 

 

Have a great weekend!

Linda

Fast Friday - A Quick Tour of a Party

Have you noticed that my blog has been stagnant for a little over a week?  I spent weeks preparing for an 80th birthday brunch for my dear mother and this week I've been catching up on some other tasks that had been procrastinated.   So, today I'm back!


Instead of the traditional "Fast Friday" post {a quick & easy project}, I'm showing you some of the decorations I made for the party!  Ready?  Here they come at a "fast" pace......

Dipped Pretzel Favors (fresh, not 80 year old pretzels)

Desserts !  Notice the cute diecut butterflies on the cupcakes?!?!  Thank you, Big Shot Machine!

Little tabletop signs were everywhere showing what life was like 80 years ago !

Pretty banner to welcome guests and congratulate the birthday girl !  Ooooh, notice the pom-poms hanging from the light fixture?  They were adorable !!!

 

 

Well, I hope you liked seeing just a few of my decorations.  It was so much fun creating party decorations using Stampin' Up card stock and the Big Shot dies and Big Shot Diecutting Machine !

Hope you have a happy weekend.

Linda

Fast Friday - Chalkboardie Birdie

Just a quick post today for Fast Friday!  A Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad  and some Basic Black cs are all you need for this "Chalkboard" technique card.  Try the Chalkboard Technique with just about any stamp set & see what an elegant card you can come up with!


Linda

Fast Friday - Scallop Trim Monogram

The most time consuming aspect of today's Fast Friday card is all of the punching.  The Scallop Trim Border Punch and its partner, the Scallop Trim Corner Punch, do the task quite quickly and neatly.

The steps for this card couldn't be easier.......punch squares in varying sizes, layer them, stamp a background and a monogram, and then stamp a little message in the corner of the card front.  The background can be stamped with whatever background stamp or repeated stamp desired, and also can be stamped in one color or twin colors.  Background ink should be either in a lighter color than the monogram, or you can stamp off once on scrap paper and then stamp a second time on the cs to achieve a lighter, softer color.  I call this "2nd generation" stamping.  The lighter stamped background will force the monogram letter to really POP!

If you want to make a similar card in an even quicker amount of time, why not simply omit the punching?  Just cut squares and layer them!

I hope you have a relaxing weekend and that you can make some time for stamping!

Linda

Fast Friday - Petal Candy

Here's a quick little candy treat pocket that I made with the Petal Card Big Shot Die.  There are two different quick styles today.  If you do not own the Petal Card Die (it is now retired - gotta get them while we can I guess!), there are other die alternatives for little candy pockets.  You can also make a similar candy pocket using Stampin' Up's Big Shot Bitty Box & Envelope Bigz XL Die, Candy Wrapper Bigz Die, Petal Cone Die Bigz L Die, Pillow Box Die, or even the Scallop Envelope Bigz Die!     
The pink cs is run through the Big Shot machine with the die, then cranked through the Big Shot a second time inside an Embossing Folder.  This gives the cs texture and pattern!


The stamped message image is from the new stamp set in the 2011/2012 IB&C called It's a Wrap!  The images are intended to be easily stamped and then wrapped around chocolate foil wrapped nugget candies, but as you can see, there are other uses too!  The images create nice labels!


The Button, Button stamp set is a nice little embellishment to stamp and attach to just about anything - simply punch it with a circle punch & adhere with a Stampin' Dimensional!  It would be a great addition to a greeting card when the card seems to need a little something extra to pull it together!


The jewelry tag punch creates a tiny frame for the mini thank you message!  Just tuck it under the button!

The designer series paper is a retired design - what a great project to use those saved scraps on!


Happy weekend!


Linda

Fast Friday - Tagtastically Homegrown

You may remember the "Tagtastic" card that I posted on my blog recently.....Well, I like the style of that card so well that I created a set of coordinating cards!

Each card was simple and quick - perfect for a Fast Friday post!  I really like the boldness of the colors and the Tagtastic and Homegrown stamp sets!

Have a great weekend!

Linda

Fast Friday - Mixing of Old and New

This week's Fast Friday card is simply Designer Series Paper (retired Sweet Pea stack) tiles adhered to the card, with a diecut flower and simple stamped round image in the center.  The rounded corners of dsp located at the four corners of the card have been rounded with a corner punch to soften it a bit and work with the round polka dots.


The Pumpkin Pie diecut flower is a retired Stampin' Up product, not a punched flower.  

Do you have bits and pieces of Stampin' Up products hanging around the stamping room?  The beauty of Stampin' Up's color collections and prior color families is that you can still use products that have been around for years!  Pair up whatever products/papers/inks that you have left over after their retirement with current stampin' Up colors!  In this case, Pumpkin Pie is a current color, though the diecut flower shapes are retired.  The Concord Crush card is a current In Color that compliments Pumpkin Pie so well!


Linda

Fast Friday - Tagtastic Olive Card

It's hard to believe how many Fast Fridays there have been during this fast summer!  It doesn't seem possible that August is here already and school will once again be in session.


Have you seen the "Tagtastic" Hostess stamp set on page 13 of the current Idea Book & Catalog?  It sure is a bargain at $10 hostess dollars!  Today's card features the "congrats" stamp from this set.


The vibrant colors bring this simple card to life and several Stampin' Up paper punches make creating this card easy and quick!


Linda

Fast Friday - Circular Details

 
Wow - look at this inspiration from the Minor Details blog!  So, I guess I am in a crazy mood today and feel like making something out of the ordinary!  All I did for this Fast Friday quick card was just punch a bunch of circles, both 1 3/4" and 1 3/8", and adhere them with adhesive and Stampin' Dimensionals to a Whisper White card. 


The "wish big" message comes from the bold Pennant Parade stamp set from the new 2011/2012 IB&C! 


Happy weekend!


Linda

Fast Friday - Bold Blossom and Circles

Fast Friday is here again!

This week's quick card is created from punched circles that are embossed in the Big Shot and adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.  The Bold Blossom Stamp Set from the current 2011 Summer Mini Catalog has this sweet little flower and thank you message.

Couldn't be quicker!

Linda

Fast Friday - Brilliant Bench

The inspiration for this week's "Fast Friday" card comes from an architectural design blog.  A pretty little bench by Nola has such a pretty array of colors and just smiles at me.  Off the top of my head, I think the "hello" stamp is retired, but any stamp will look great on this colorful canvas card!  

inspiration from dezeen magazine blog

Happy Weekend!

Linda