103 Days

You have 103 days left until Christmas! If you were to make one card per week that would only be 15! Eeek! Better get started! ;)
The card I'm sharing today is one we made in our last Stamper's Night Out at the Scrappin Pad. We used two different sets of stamps for this card and some pretty striped Basic Grey paper.
Since this is a pretty simple card, I'm just going to give you a supply list and I'm going to tell you how I stamped the background!
Supplies:
- 5x6.5 inch Card Base in Kraft
- (2) .5x5 inch striped pieces of patterned paper
- 5x3 inch piece of Watercolor paper
- Tree and Banner Stamps by My Mind's Eye
- Happy Holidays Stamp by Technique Tuesday
- Stampin Up markers and inks in Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Early Espresso
- Stampin Up Blender Pen

Happy Holidays Background:
1. Take your clear acrylic Happy Holidays stamp and ink with Early Espresso. Stamp where you want your colored phrase to go. (I stamped mine with enough room to put the two trees to the left.)
2. Clean and ink your stamp. Stamp with different ink colors around the main phrase as in the photo above. (It's easy to line up the clear stamp, but if you are using a wood mount stamp you can simply use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to line it up.)
3. Once you are finished stamping your Happy Holidays phrases, use your markers and blender pen to color in the letters.

This card is simple and fun! The background technique can be used with just about any sentiment stamp! If the sentiment stamp you want to use has solid letters you can change it up! I would stamp the main phrase in different colors and the surrounding phrases in the same color! So fun!
Well I hope you like today's card!

Simple Holiday Greetings

Well we made it to Friday! Yeah!
Today I am sharing a super simple holiday card. The best thing about this card is it can be for any occasion. Simply change the sentiment and colors!
My Stamper's Night Out girls made this at the last class! They all enjoyed it and everyone's turned out differently! We used the Circle Circus set and Sincere Salutations for the sentiments! This would be a great Christmas card because it takes no time to put together!
I have shared the supply list and instructions for this card below!

Supplies:
- 5x6.5 inch Kraft card base
- 4.5x6 inch piece of Whisper White cardstock
- Scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock
- Circle Circus stamp set
- Sincere Salutations stamp set
- Ink in Old Olive, Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Baja Breeze
- 1 3/4 inch Scallop Circle Punch (119854)
- 1 3/4 inch Circle Punch (119850)
- 1 inch Circle Punch (119868)
- Itty Bitty Circle Punch (118309)

Instructions:
1. Ink your circle stamps and stamp the piece of Whisper White cardstock as shown in the photo above leaving room for the punched circles. Adhere to the front of the card.
2. Take your scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock and stamp the circles that are punched out in the above photo. (The large scallop circle, large flower circle, tiny circle, and medium flower circle)
3. Use the coordinating punches to punch the circles out. Adhere them with foam adhesive squares.
4. Ink your sentiment and stamp onto the card as shown in the photo above.

Super easy but so pretty!
I hope you like today's card! If you have any questions you can email me at aprilmassad@yahoo.com or comment here!
To purchase the Stampin Up products from today's post simply contact your Stampin Up demonstrator or click HERE!
Have a wonderful weekend!!

Happy Birthday with Glossy Cardstock

Happy Friday to you!
Today I'm sharing a card I made using Glossy Cardstock! I shared a little bit about Glossy Cardstock in yesterday's post.
Glossy Carstock is basically white cardstock with a glossy layer on one side. It looks like photo paper that you print photos on, but it is NOT the same. (Trust me I've tried lol)
One of my favorite things to do is use sandpaper to give it texture! It might be difficult for you to scratch up that pretty glossy shine, but it's so much fun! It's kind of like being the first one out in a yard of freshly fallen snow! ;)
Here is a close up pic of the glossy cardstock.

I'm going to give you the directions for making the patterned glossy cardstock. If you have any questions about anything else on the card just send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com or comment below.

Supplies:
- Glossy Cardstock
- Sandpaper (I used fine grit)
- Fine Flourish Stamp (Or any background stamp)
- Array of Sunshine Stamp Set
- Ink in River Rock, Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive
- Scrap Paper to stamp off on
- Stamp-a-ma-Jig
- Sponge

Directions:
1. Take your Fine Flourish stamp (or any background stamp) and stamp all over your glossy cardstock using the Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line it up perfectly.
2. Take your sandpaper and sand in straight motions from top to bottom, and flip the cardstock and sand again from top to bottom. Sanding vertically and then horizontally will give the cardstock a fine linen texture.
3. Take your sponge and sponge the River Rock ink lightly around the edges of the cardstock and into the middle. The sanded areas will take the ink differently than the non-sanded areas and the cardstock will look like burlap.
4. Take the largest flower stamp and ink it with the Baja Breeze ink. Take your sponge and pick up some of the Certainly Celery ink. Ink into the middle of the flower and around the sides. Huff on the stamp the remoisten the ink and stamp onto the glossy carstock. Repeat and stamp again.
5. Ink the largest flower again with the Perfect Plum ink and sponge the stamp as you did with the Certainly Celery in step 4. Stamp onto the glossy cardstock.
6. Ink the large leaf stamp with the Old Olive ink, stamp off on a scrap piece of paper to mute the green, and stamp the leaf onto the glossy cardstock. Repeat and stamp two more times.
7. Ink the rose with the Calypso Coral ink, stamp 0off on a piece of scrap paper to mute the color, and stamp onto the glossy cardstock. Repeat and stamp two more times.
8. Take the smaller leaf stamp and ink with the Perfect Plum ink. Stamp onto the glossy cardstock.
9. Use your sponge inked with the River Rock ink and ink around the edges again and into the middle.

I just LOVE the look of distressed glossy cardstock! It's so pretty and vintage!
Like I said if you have any questions about measurements or anything else on this card please let me know! You can comment below or send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!
To order any of the supplies mentioned above you can contact your Stampin Up demonstrator or go HERE to shop online.
My next card share will be another glossy cardstock card! Fun fun!
Enjoy your Friday!

Go Green!

Howdy folks!
I just love the color green! I think it might be my favorite color! I especially love it when the grass starts to turn green! Springtime is my favorite season and St Patrick's Day is right around the corner!
At my Stamper's Night Out Tuesday we made these adorable little St Patrick's Day baskets! They are the perfect size to hold some of the fun little chocolate coins! I brought my sewing machine and let the girls sew their baskets and I think they enjoyed it! Sewing on paper projects is easier than you think! I think it's actually easier than sewing on fabric!

To make this sweet basket you will need:
Big Shot Machine
Baskets and Blooms Die
Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder
Lucky Shamrock Stamp
Circle Punch
Markers (Daffodil Delight and Old Olive)
Shimmery White Cardstock
Kraft or Soft Suede Cardstock
Old Olive Cardstock
Decorative Label Punch
Crop-a-Dile
Satin Ribbon
Sewing Machine (Optional)

Directions:
1. Take a piece of your Kraft cardstock and position it so that you only cut out the two basket pieces.
2. Take your two die cut basket pieces and emboss them with the Vintage Wallpaper folder.
3. Adhere the two baskets pieces together OR sew around the three sides with your sewing machine. I used a zig zag stitch.
4. Take your Lucky Shamrock stamp and color it with the markers. Huff on the stamp to remoisten the image and stamp onto shimmery white cardstock. Punch the image out with the circle punch.
5. Use your Decorative Label punch to punch a label out of the Old Olive cardstock. Use your Crop-a-Dile to punch a hole in the top. Adhere the stamped circle onto the Old Olive label with a foam adhesive square.
6. Tie your label onto your basket with the satin ribbon.
7. Fill the basket with chocolate coins or other green goodies!

This is a fun, quick project that is so cute! The Big Shot die cut machine that I used to make this card is by far my favorite die cut machine! I have four different machines from four different companies and the Big Shot is by far the best, in my opinion! It will cut any dies that you might already have from other machines! I have several SNO ladies getting the machine and I will be doing Big Shot classes with them!
If you are interested in purchasing the Big Shot or have ANY questions about it or this card please don't be shy! Send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com and I would be happy to answer your questions!
I have also set the date for our April Stamper's Night Out! It will be on April 12th at 6:30pm at the Scrappin Pad! More details to come!
With spring upon us SUMMER is right around the corner! That means Stampin Up's new Summer Mini Catalog will be popping up in mailboxes everywhere! If you would like to be one of the firsts to receive it simply send me an email with your mailing address ASAP! I would love to send you one!

Keep it Simple Day 2

The boys are still here! While I LOVE them being home I get way more accomplished when I'm alone! ;) So today I am sharing another super simple card.
I was uploading a photo to the gallery at Split Coast Stampers and this card by Emily Keaton caught my eye.

As soon as I saw it my light bulb came on. I LOVED the scored stripes at the bottom of the card, but what if I scored it on the opposite side and then used the skinny side of my marker to draw in the line? And that's where the inspiration for today's card came from!
It's very quick to make and you can personalize it with the All in the Family stamp set! The scored lines are difficult to see in the photos, but look so cute in person!

The color combo for my card is Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, and Tangerine Tango. LOVE this color combo! It makes me think of summer!

Supplies:
All in the Family Stamp Set
Family Accessories Stamp Set
Sentiment from the Fun and Fast Notes Set
4x5.5 Inch White Card
Three Orange Brads
Score Pal or Bone Folder
Scallop Square Punches or Dies
Black Stazon
Markers in Blush Blossom(for skin), Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, and Tempting Turquoise
Watercolor Paper
Cardstock in Tempting Turquoise
Stamp-a-ma-Jig

Directions:
1. Stamp your little person onto a piece of watercolor paper using the Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line the stamps up. Color in with your markers.
2. Punch or die cut the person out with your square scallop punch or die.
3. Punch or die cut a larger scallop square from the Tempting Turquoise cardstock. Adhere the smaller square to the larger square with foam adhesive squares.
4. Take your card and score (outside up)at 0.5 inches from the bottom and two more lines at .25 inches apart. Use the skinny end of your markers to draw a line in the scored lines of the card. (This is best done while your card is still on the Score Pal.)
5. Ink the sentiment only from the birthday stamp in the Fun and Fast notes set. Stamp on the card right above the highest scored line. Outline with the skinny end of the Old Olive marker.
6. Add three orange brads just below the sentiment between two of the scored lines.
7. Adhere your scalloped squares to the card.

This card was a ton of fun to make and the kids LOVE having a card with a cartoon look alike! ;) You don't even have to make it a birthday card! That stamp set has a ton of different accessories with it! The possibilities are endless!
Well I'm headed back into the scrapbook room to try and finish a layout! We will see how that goes!
If you have any questions about this card send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!

Keep it Simple

Keeping it simple isn't always easy, but it sure is a good thing to keep in mind when you are running out the door to a wedding shower!
I always want to add more and more to a card, but there have been plenty of times I waited until the last second to make a card for a wedding shower, baby shower, or birthday party. This card can be made in no time!
I combined two stamp sets for this card. I used the happiness stamp from the Heard from the Heart set and the flower stamp from the Thanks for Caring set. Both of these are beautiful and versatile sets that are good to have on hand.

Supplies:
Watercolor Paper
Cardstock (Blushing Bride and Certainly Celery)
First Edition Designer Series Paper
Markers (Soft Suede, Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, Old Olive)
Blender Pen
Heard from the Heart Stamp Set
Thanks for Caring Stamp Set
Scallop Border Punch
Basic Rhinestones
Stamp-a-ma-Jig

Directions:
1. Trim your watercolor paper to 5.75 x 5.5 inches. Score the shorter side at 2.75 inches.
2. Take the happiness stamp from the Heard from the Heart set and ink the small words with the Soft Suede marker. Ink the happiness word with the Certainly Celery marker. Go back and ink only the happiness letters with Old Olive to make them stand out. Huff on the stamp and stamp onto the card.
3. Use your Stamp-a-ma-Jig to position the flower stamp from the Thanks for Caring Stamp set. (You can line this up at the end of the line from the happiness word.)
4. Take the stamp and ink the leaf and stems with your Certainly Celery marker. Ink the flowers with the Blushing Bride marker. Huff on the stamp to remoisten the ink and stamp with the Stamp-a-ma-Jig.
5. (optional) Take your blender pen and lightly go over the stamped sentiment. Use your blender pen to blend the leaf and stems. Take your Pink Pirouette marker and color in the centers of the flowers. Use your blender pen to blend out the color.
6. Top the flower centers with the rhinestones.
7. Trim a piece of the First Edition DSP to 0.75 x 5.75 inches. Adhere to the bottom of the card.
8. Punch your Blushing Bride cardstock with the Scallop Border punch. Trim (2) pieces to 5.75 x 0.5 inches. Adhere one piece to the top of the card and the other piece to the top of the First Edition strip.
9. Trim a piece of the Certainly Celery cardstock to 0.25 x 5.75 and adhere to the top of the pink scallop piece.

That's it! Pretty simple, right? You can make changes to simplify the card.
- You could just use paper strips instead of the Scallop Border punch.
- You can skip the blender pen steps.
You will still have a beautiful card just minus the little details! ;)
I hope this post finds you warm and well! We still have a ton of snow here in Oklahoma with the wind chill at 3 degrees. I'm ready for summer!
If you have any questions about this card please don't hesitate to email me at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!

Shadow Stamping

Hi all!! I hope your week has been fab!
Today I'm sharing a card that is a variation of a card we will be creating in my February Stamper's Night Out class!
My students will get to learn this FUN shadow technique in person, but I'm going to give you the quick How To today. I will be sharing my class card and a more detailed How To after my classes.
For this card I used the Thanks for Caring and Nature Walk stamp sets. I also used the Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper.

The ink pad colors I used are:
Floral Stamp (Old Olive)
Birdcage (So Saffron for background and Early Espresso for the outline)
Butterfly (Pumpkin Pie)
Sentiment (Marina Mist)

Now the technique is the same for all of the stamped images on the card, but to make it short I'm only going to tell you how to do the birdcage image.

Birdcage Image:
1. Ink your stamp with So Saffron and stamp onto watercolor paper
2. Use your blender pen and go over the image with it so that it blurs the lines. You are just creating a shadow and this does NOT have to be perfect. The messier it is the better!
3. Ink the same stamp with the Early Espresso ink and use your Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line up the image and stamp right over the blurred image.

That's it! That's how I created these beautiful images!
For the images that are one color, I simply stamped off on a scrap piece of paper before stamping the first image. Then I just blurred it with my blender pen as in the steps above and stamped the second time with the same color!
I hope you have fun with this technique! If you have ANY questions please don't hesitate to send me an email at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!

Apple Blossoms

Happy Monday stampers! Today is a snow day for us so I took advantage and made a couple of cards!
I love this set! It's called Apple Blossoms. It's a hostess set that you can actually get for free with a qualifying Stampin Up workshop OR order.
I LOVE the colors on these cards. I used the Color Coach to come up with the color combo. I knew I wanted to use Basic Gray and when I looked it up in the Color Coach it suggested Basic Gray, Melon Mambo, and Old Olive. Beautiful!
My next Stamper's Night Out will be Tuesday February 8 at 6:30! The spots fill up pretty quickly so if you would like to reserve a spot email me at aprilmassad@yahoo.com!
Well I'm off to make a pot of stew! It's the perfect day for it! Yum!