A {Thinking of You} Card...

TGIF!  So happy Friday is finally here!  My husband has been out of town for business all week and we get to pick him up from the airport late tonight.  The kids are so excited to stay up extra late and pick him up wearing their pajamas.

I had so much fun making this card!  It's filled with those warm autumn colors that are my favorite.  I stamped the jar outline and the jar filling first.  I just love that shadow stamp, it really pulls the card together.

I die cut and stamped the jar topper.  Tied some twine and attached some charms.  I used Pressed Greige Linen for my neutral color, I just love the warmth of that color.

Have a great weekend, I know I will!

{Thinking of You}

Stamps: Well Preserved Jars: Large, Well Preserved Jars: Extras, Leaflets, All Occasions 2 (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Pressed Greige Linen (CSS)

Ink: Glamazon Green, Orange You Fabulous, Dish All the Brown, Rouge Ruffles, Brown Leather Satchel (CSS)

Dies: Well Preserved Jars: Large, Leaflets (CSS) 

Accessories: Brown/White Twine (CSS), Foam Dots

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CSS Group Project!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just a few days away?  Crazy, huh?  Appropriately, today's Clear & Simple Stamps design team group post is all about giving thanks.  Each of us has created a THANK YOU card to share on our blogs today.  

My card uses traditional fall colors and is pretty clean and simple.  I created a sort of collage using different elements, colors and textures.  

Be sure to hop around and see what each designer created!  

• Lori Tecler
• Jaclyn Miller
• Kim Duran
• Tracy Schultz
• Laurie Willison
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Elena Roussakis
• Clear & Simple Stamps

I have many, many things to be thankful for.  One of them is that I have a creative outlet in this blog and that I have the nicest people stop in and see what I created and share my enthusiasm for this craft.  From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Have a great day!

{Thank You}

Stamps: Leaflets, Designer Lines, Label Frames 1, Well Preserved (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, Cre'me de la Cream, Brown Leather Satchel (CSS)

Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Dare to Be a Diva Red, Orange You Fabulous (CSS)

Dies: Leaflets (CSS) 

Accessories: Edge Distresser, Brown/White Twine (CSS), Foam Dots, Corner Rounder Punch

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CSS Group Project! New Colors!!!

Good Morning!  I've been waiting for this day for quite some time, I'm finally able to share the NEW COLORS that  Clear & Simple Stamps is releasing today.  The design team is hosting a gift exchange and we are each focusing a NEW COLOR.  The color that I chose to work with is ROUGE RUFFLES.  It's red with a little brown mixed in, like an earthy red.  I love it!  

Here's a message from Clear & Simple Stamps regarding these exciting changes: 

Clear and Simple Stamps has made the choice to "go green" and revitalize the CSS current color line. You will see a few new colors and some vintage colors no longer being offered, in an effort to provide product made from renewable contents. All of the color coordinated products are made in the USA. The paper comes from mills that practice responsible, sustainable forestry while manufacturing the highest quality paper products on the market. These mills are powered by renewable energy sources, and our paper products are made of 100% recycled content with 30% PCW (post-consumer waste). We are very pleased to announce our commitment to incorporate environmental practices into our daily crafting.

These new colors don't just include card stock and ink, they also have coordinating envelopes (two sizes) and some have gift wrap.  Rouge Ruffles does not have a coordinating Gift Wrap, so I used the new Kraft Like a Rock Star gift wrap.  I love it!  The perfect weight for wrapping gifts and it accepts ink beautifully.  

(click here to download PDF)

Onto the details about my project:

For my card, I created two panels with a space in the center for some falling leaves using the stamp set Leaflets and coordinating dies.  I used Rouge Ruffles card stock to line the two panels, and Rouge Ruffles ink for some of the leaves and the sentiment.  The card is sitting on top of a coordinating Rouge Ruffles envelope.  I replicated some of the leaves along one of the edges so it would coordinate with my card.

Here's a close-up of the card.  You can see the subtle Distressed Linen background that I stamped using From an Anonymous Source watermark ink.  

I am the most excited about my present!  I replicated the background from the card on my gift wrap, just using Rouge Ruffles ink this time.   The bow that sits atop the gift was made using Rouge Ruffles card stock!  It's the first time I've ever made a gift bow!  It was pretty easy.  The trick to using card stock is to run each strip through your fingers to get it to curve on its own before you start manipulating it.

My tag looks like a sugar cookie!  This is a recipe I discovered last year when my kids and I made Christmas Ornaments.  Here's the recipe:  
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1/2 C. Salt
1/2 C. Warm Water
1 C. All Purpose Flour

Mix all ingredients, roll out dough.  Use cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes and use a straw to create a small hole to thread string through, transfer to a cookie sheet.  I like to roll my dough out directly on the cookie sheet so I don't have to worry about the dough getting out of shape when I move them.  If you want to stamp on your tag/ornament do this now.  You can also paint on them afterwards.  Bake at 250* for about two hours until they are hardened.
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You'll have to check out the following designers to see all the colors being released today!  Have fun blog hopping!

• Lori Tecler
• Jaclyn Miller
• Kim Duran
• Tracy Schultz
• Laura Bassen
• Laurie Willison
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Elena Roussakis
• Stephany Zerbe
• Denise January
• Amber Kemp-Gerstel
• Debby Hughes (guest)

• Clear & Simple Stamps

Have a great day!

{Thank You Gift Ensemble}

Stamps: Leaflets, Distressed Linen, All Occasions 1, Well Preserved Jars Extras (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Rouge Ruffles, Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream (CSS)

Ink: Rouge Ruffles, Dish All the Dirt Brown, From an Anonymous Source (CSS)

Dies: Leaflets (CSS) 

Accessories: Kraft Like a Rockstar Gift Wrap, Rouge Ruffles Envelope, Twine/Rafia, Foam Dots, Glue Dots, Salt Dough Tag

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CSS Group Project! It's Seasonal!!!

Hello!  The CSS Design Team and I have another group project to share.  This time it's an inspiration challenge.  Check out the photos below, they are all seasonal.  What is your favorite season?

My favorite season is Fall.  I love the cooler weather, wearing tee shirts and jeans, sipping apple cider, making chili, what's not to love?!  

I created a Fall card to share today.  As soon as I saw the new Leaflets stamps and dies, I couldn't picture stamping them in any other colors than fall ones.  As you can see here, I stamped each leaf with three colors: Dare to Be a Diva Red, Orange You Fabulous, and Say Yellow to All Your Fans.

The sentiment "thank you" comes from the newly release set Well Preserved.  I am in love with that font!!!

Those woodgrain squares are from a previously set that I just adore called Mini Squares.   One of these days I am going to photograph my cards before I erase all the pencil lines.  Every card I make pretty much has pencil lines made using a ruler to make sure sentiments are straight and items are centered if needed.  

Please join me in checking out all of my fellow designers creations:

• Jaclyn Miller
• Kim Duran
• Tracy Schultz
• Laurie Willison
• Lori Tecler
• Jennifer Rzasa
• Elena Roussakis
• Laura Bassen
• Audrey Tokach (guest designer)

• Clear & Simple Stamps Blog

Please stay safe if you are in the path of hurricane Sandy, you are all in my thoughts.  Have a great day!

{Thank You}

Stamps: Leaflets, Well Preserved, Mini Squares (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, On the Catwalk Cream (CSS)

Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Dare to Be a Diva Red, Orange You Fabulous, Say Yellow to All Your Fans (CSS)

Dies:  Leaflets (CSS)

Accessories: Foam Dots

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A {Pick of the Patch} Card...

Happy Friday!!!  So glad for the weekend to get here.  I had such a busy week (more than usual) because my husband was on a business trip.  I'm so thankful I was able to pick him up from the airport this morning.

I have a happy and cheery card to share with you today.  The base of the card has a woodgrain impression.  It's hard to see in the above photo, but you can really so it well in the photo below.  I used the new Rounded Squares Quad Die to create the "window" for my pumpkins.  I stamped the pumpkins using the solid pumpkin image from Perfect Harvest Too.  I used a brown watercolor pencil to color in the stem.  

As you can see, the woodgrain panel is popped up on foam dots.  The sentiment "pick of the patch" comes from an older set, Icons Sentiments.  As a finishing touch, I adhered a leaf that I die cut and stamped and tied it with an orange bow.

I hope you have a lovely autumn weekend!!!

{Pick of the Patch}

Stamps: Perfect Harvest Too, Leaflets, Icons Sentiments (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, Brown Leather Satchel, On the Catwalk Cream (CSS)

Ink: Orange You Fabulous, Glamazon Green, Dish All the Dirt Brown (CSS)

Dies: Rounded Squares Quad, Leaflets, Woodgrain/Fall Frenzy Impression Plate (CSS) 

Accessories: Foam Dots, Orange Floss, Watercolor Pencils

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A {With Sympathy} Card...

Hey guys!  Happy Friday!!!  Another busy week here, but that seems to be the norm these days.  I have a simple looking card share today.  The over all look is simple, but the design took a lot of pencil marks, a ruler and a good eraser.  

The rectangle image comes from the new set Well Preserved Jars: Extra.  It's designed to be stamped as a jar label, but I loved the simplicity of it and used it to build a background.  I stamped the rectangles in a light color so I could stamp the leaves and sentiment over top.  One more thing worth noting, the sentiment is two words that originally are next to each other on one stamp, I cut the words apart so I could stamp the sentiment with the words stacked.  I just love how versatile clear stamps are!

Well, that's all for me!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

{With Sympathy}

Stamps: All Occasions 1, Leaflets, Well Preserved Jars: Extra (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Card Stock: A Blanc Check (CSS)

Ink: Brown Leather Satchel, Orange You Fabulous, Dish All the Dirt Brown (CSS)

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