Masculine birthday card and some packing.

Looking through my stamps, for inspiration, my eyes fell upon this stamp from Club Scrap.

What would I ever think of to use this stamp?  Looking through my notebook of birthday sentiments I found this one.

So this is what I came up with for a birthday card for a boy.

I have some Club Scrap card stock that has been embossed.  This is an old, very old, set of paper that I’ve had for years.  The card stock is in both dark blue and brown.  I’ll show you the embossed brown card stock.

I’ve covered the front of the card with a piece of card stock, not sure who it is from.  See the photo above.

For this project, I’ve used….

• Paper:  Club Scrap and Stampin’ Up!
• Stamp:  Club Scrap Sun/Moon; Stampin’ Up! Fundamental Phrases (birthday), and All Night Media’s Jive Alphabet (A).
• Ribbon:  My stash.
• Ink:  Ranger Archival Ink (black on tag); Stampin’ Up! Summer Sun (Sun/Moon); Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the paper edges.
• Punches:  Stampin’ Up! Word Window and Curly Label; EK Success 1-3/4″ Circle; Coluzzle Circle template (blue card stock behind the Sun/Moon image)
• Pen:  Gold Kodak gel pen to enhance some of the sun’s rays.
• Foam Squares:  Recollections dimensional foam squares behind the Sun/Moon and the tag.

These super dark card stock papers are difficult to apply my little “signature”.

I have some 1″ x 3/4″ labels.   I just keep finding really old stuff in my craft room and getting to use it.  I stamped my little “bee” on a sheet of labels and left the ink to dry.

Once the ink was dry I colored the image with Stampin’ Up! markers and a silver gel pen.  I’ve cut the bee out using a 1/2″ circle punch from Stampin’ Up!

The packing has been an on and off thing since yesterday.  I spent 12 hours of my day being totally indecisive.  Take this?  No.  Wait, YES!  No, maybe not.  I’ve got it down to this for now.  There is still time for me to change my mind :-}

The Martha Stewart Portable Work Station gets packed first 😀  Bling, rulers, and stickers will go here….

In the outside pocket.

Tools from my craft tote will go here.  I have the new tool kit from Maureen in the big tote.

Perfect Pearls and glitter glue in this little pocket.

Adhesives in this pocket.

Glitter and Mica water colors to take along with go……

In this pocket.

 

My big tote has been packed and repacked.

 

 

 

Punches in the top pockets.  I’d cram more in there if I could….and I have tried.

The fantastic gift from Jann Gray of What You Make It holds multiple colors of Cat’s Eye ink pads, brads, and all manner of goodies.  That is in the brown cigar box.

 

Stampin’ Up! markers in another cigar box I had stashed away.  Then it is tucked in a Tyvek envelope to keep the lid closed.

My little embossing machine, acrylic stamp blocks, embossing folders, and the awesome tool kit from Maureen.

The embossing folders.  I wonder if I can get more in here?  Hmmmm.

I’m working on getting packets made to work on while away.  I’ve got some “girly” birthday cards to make.  I will be using an old Stampin’ Up! Hostess set – Birthday Bakery – for these cards.  I’ve selected the colors of card stock and ribbon to use.

I can’t decide on which sentiment to use so I stamped both of them three times.  I also stamped three of the multi cake images from the stamp set.

I did a “trial run” with coloring.  The paper I’m using for the birthday cakes is some LetterPress stuff that was in the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby.  I’ve used Copic markers, Stampin’ Up! markers, and Mica water colors to test which I like.  The Mica water colors are getting my vote.

Okay, now that I’ve tied you up for most of the day I’ll let you get about your business.  Hope you have a wonderful day.  Enjoy the festivities of the New Year tonight and be careful out there if you will be driving.  Weather and inebriated people will try to mess with you.

Leslie

I miss your smile.

Using my IBM Selectric typewriter I made several card inserts.  Some of them I knew exactly what I would do with the outside of the card, while others have been a challenge.  These two cards were the challenge for me.  The first card is using the Operation Write Home sketch challenge #1.

• Paper:  Stampin’ Up! and Club Scrap
• Stamped image:  Hero Arts “Variety & Quality”
• Ribbon:  Stampin’ Up! Apricot Appeal 1/4″ grossgrain
• Half back pearls:  My stash
• Twinkling H2O in yellow over stamped image

I have it on good authority – Joe – that purple is a masculine color. The second card is from Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge #3.

• Paper:  Stampin’ Up! and Club Scrap
• Stamped images:  Hero Arts “Travel Journal” and Studio G dollar stamp set
• VersaMark and black embossing powder:  My stash
• Gold brads:  My stash
• Vellum heart:  My stash
• Words on tags:  IBM Selectric typewiter

Vellum is the most trickiest of papers to attach to a card or scrapbook layout.  The adhesive always shows through and you have to figure out how to attach the vellum and hide the evidence.  I have some Vellum Glue Dots…..I’ve had them for many years.  I don’t know if they are still sold in this kind of a package or if there is a different variety now available.

The glue dots are very small, almost microscopic, over a sheet of acetate.  Press the vellum back onto the glue dots then adhere to your project.  They do stick very well and you can also add a bit of extra adhesive to an area that will be covered if you are not fully confident of the vellum dots.

I am, now, in the process of putting together several card kits to take along with me.  My good friend, Maureen, left a comment on my post of yesterday with some fantastic suggestions that will help in my traveling card making.

I think I’d put together 8 or 10 “kits” with patterned papers, matching cardstock, a yard each of a couple of coordinating ribbons, a few stickers and embellishments. Take half now, and have the others ready for your next “dump and run” when you come home for a day in between jobs. I’d also prepare a set of sentiments for adhering to the outside and inside of the cards, stamped on both white and ivory cardstock. For each kit, since you know the colors of the PP and cardstock, you can go ahead and stamp (in coordinating ink colors) onto a full sheet of paper, some images and sentiments for cutting later. For your tool kit, make sure to bring Distress inks to possibly change the color of the sentiment cards to match your project, and bring a corner rounder, one feminine edge punch, one “non feminine” edge punch, a few label punches. It’s a lot of prep work, I know, but if you do the stamping beforehand, you won’t have to drag stamps and inks all over the country, and it will cut down on your supplies to pack.

I think this is an awesome suggestion and I appreciate it very much.  Maureen teaches all kinds of paper crafting at a Michaels near her in Austin, Texas.  If you live near Austin and are looking for someone to teach you how to make cards, scrapbook layouts, and the cutest boxes or bags to give as gifts feel free to reply to her comment on my blog post of yesterday by clicking on the link here —>  Maureen’s Comment.

I will not give out Maureen’s email address since I don’t have her permission to do so.  That is why I am leaving you the link.  She will get notification of  your interest in learning from her.

Okay, no more cards to share.  I’m back off to spend the day cramming my tote over full of stuff and digging it all back out again.  Probably several times.

Leslie