Classic Grandpa

The Clean and Simple challenge today on SCS was to make a card with a bow in honor of National Bow Tie Day. I loved this challenge because it gave me a chance to use my bow tie die cut and embossing folder. I'm never quite sure of what does and does not fall within the parameters of clean and simple, and I worry that I may have gone a layer or brad too far for this card to fall within those parameters, but to me this is still pretty clean and simple.

I started with a basic gray card base and added a very vanilla mat that I embossed with the Darice Ties and Bow Ties embossing folder. I die cut a bow from a scrap of patterned paper and used basic gray ink to stencil the bow tie folds through the die that also serves as a stencil.  I used the same scrap as a mat for a strip of very vanilla card stock on which I stamped my sentiment from the Guy Greetings set in basic gray ink. A stamp-a-ma-jig was instrumental in helping me line up the different parts of the sentiment leaving space for the bowtie. I added three small circle brads at the bottom of this strip and sponged the edges with basic gray ink before attaching it to the patterned paper mat. I added another very vanilla layer and a basic gray layer before attaching the stack to the embossed very vanilla layer. As a final step I attached the bowtie die cut to the card front using dimensionals.

I think this will make a very snappy birthday card for a classic - and likely classy - grandpa.

Recipe:

Paper: very vanilla, basic gray, Patchwork Plaid by Colorbox
Ink: Basic Gray
Stamps: Guy Greetings
Accessories: Ties and Bow Ties Embossing Folder by Darice, Dear Old Dad Shapeabilities by Spellbinders. metallic basics mini circle brads by Making Memories, SMAJ, stampin' sponge

Time to Hit the Books

The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Blog Challenge this week is "Back to School". I don't have kids, so I don't normally make back to school stuff but recently, while rummaging through some really old scrapbooking supplies, I found some school related stickers, so I decided to play. And because one challenge is good but two are even better, I also decided to use this the awesome colors from this week's SCS color combination challenge - Basic Gray, Bermuda Bay and Lemon Lime Twist - or as close as I could get with my supplies.

I don't have anything in Lemon Lime Twist, but I found a piece of very vibrant green patterned paper in my scrap pile that Worked well with the other two colors. I embossed a 4x5.25" piece of the paper with the School Days embossing folder and used my sanding block to make the embossed areas more prominent. I then attached the mat to a bermuda bay card base.

For the tag, I cut a piece of basic gray card stock and a slightly smaller piece of whisper white card stock. I stamped the white card stock with the Off the Grid stamp in Bermuda bay ink, using the image a couple of times to cover most of the tag. I added the vellum sticker with the books and "hit the books" sentiment. I added the words "time to" by using the Stampin' Up! Alphabet Rotary stamp. I also colored the books and book ends with the gable green and basic gray markers.

I adhered the white card stock to the basic gay may and punched both with the tag topper punch. I added the basic gray hole protector which I created with the tag topper punch and the 1/2" circle punch. I cut several lengths of Parakeet verigated fancy floss and looped them thought the tag hole. I die cut a couple of arrows from the patterned paper and added them to the tag along with some gray arrow thin paper tape before attaching the tag to the card with dimensionals.

For the final element, I die cut a pocket watch shape using the Dear Old Dad Shapeabilities and Chalk Talk Framelits (I used the little oval for the hole in the top of the pocket watch). I embossed a piece of Bermuda bay card stock with the Clocks embossing folder and punched out a clock face with the 1 1/4" circle punch. I used whisper white craft ink to highlight the embossed areas on the face and attached the face to the pocket watch die cut. I attached the pocket watch to the tag with a dimensional.

I really like the way this non-traditional back to school card came out. Not bad for a stamp room that's really mostly devoid of any scholastic themed supplies :).

Recipe:

Paper: bermuda bay, basic gray, whisper white, green patterned paper of unknown origin
Ink: bermuda bay, whisper white craft, basic gray, gable green
Stamps: Off The Grid, Alphabet Rotary Stamp
Accessories: sanding block, Chalk Talk Framelits, 1/2" and 1 1/4" circle punches, tag topper punch, Neutral arrow thin paper tape by K&Company, School Days and Clocks Textured Impressions Embossing Folders by Sizzix, velum sentiment sticker of unknown origin, Dear Old Dad Shapeabilities by Spellbinders, Every Dray Framelits by Echo Park from Sizzix, Parakeet verigated fancy floss by We R Memory Keepers

Tile Works Welcome

Friday's QKR Stampede Challenge was Shaped Cards or Anything Goes. I don't usually make shaped cards, but as it happened I attended the Stamp & Scrap expo Friday and picked up the Tile Works Spellbinders Nestabilities that were perfect for this challenge so I decided to play. I used the 2nd largest size die to make a card that would work well as a welcome to the neighborhood gift tag.

I had some pieces of plain office manila file folders left over from another project, so I used one to for the card. Before I removed the cut tag, I used the die as a stencil to sponge gumball green ink over the embossed portions around the card edges.

Originally I was going to make this a typical multi-layered card, but once I took it out of the die I realized that the combination of die cutting, stenciling and embossing was pretty interesting and the card didn't need layers. I stamped the main image from the Up In The Air set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink in the center. I colored the leaves and flowers using an aquapainter and gumball green and purely pomegranate inks (in retrospect, the aquapaintr might have added too much water and a blender pen may have been a better tool for this.) I didn't like the way the branch just floated in the center of the card, so I extended it to the edge using my basic black marker and then stamped  and colored the image again on another piece of the same manila folder scrap. I fussy cut two bunches of flowers from the scrap piece and attached them to the card with dimensionals. I used the larger bunch to cover most of the branch extension, so that it wouldn't be so obvious that it was hand drawn, and added the smaller bunch over the large bunch on the original image for balance.

The tag was fine, but I thought it still needed something. I remembered that Jeanne's Friday's Free For All challenge on SCS was to "put a bow on it" and that seemed like the perfect embellishment, so I grabbed a fork and made a small bow using a piece of long retired narrow green Stampin' Up! grosgrain ribbon. I attached the bow with a mini glue dot at the bottom of the bird house to finish off the card. I liked that he raised elements formed a triangle that drew the eye to the birdhouse and sentiment in the center of the card. It's a simple card, but it's still cute and would go very well with a gift to welcome a new neighbor.

Recipe:

Paper: manila file folder
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Gumball Green, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black marker
Stamps: Up In The Air
Accessories: Aquapainter, Green Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, Spellbinders Nestabilities Tile Works Assortment