Cards by Gina

Pals March Hop 2010--Spring into Spring Birthday Explosion Card

 

Welcome! If you've hopped over from Barbara Furlong's The Love of Stamping blog, I'm stop number 12 on the Pals Hop and I'm glad you hopped in!  I'll help you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find inspirational ideas for papercrafted creations from Mary Fish's Stampin' Pretty Pals!  We'll be showcasing all that Stampin' Up! has to offer!  Should you hop off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP below and you'll be back on track!  We're thrilled to have you visit and excited to hear what you think about our Spring and/or Easter themed hop!  Please feel free to leave as many comments as you'd like along the way!

We have 18 Pals participating in this month's hop and the finalized line-up is posted below! 

Here's what I created--a Spring Into Spring Birthday Explosion Card. This is the front view.

 

And this is the interior view.

 

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Birthday Bliss, Eastern Blooms, Happy Moments

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose

Cardstock: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink

Designer Series Paper: Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper

Embellishments: Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon

Tools: Curly Label Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Modern Label Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Pixie Pink Stampin' Write Marker, SNAIL Adhesive

I hope you enjoyed your visit here. I had a great time making my Explosion Card--just for you.
 

More inspiring ideas await you at Kim Lampone's Stamp, Scrap, Get Kreative blog, stop number 13 on the Pals Hop.   Hop on over! I know you'll love what you see there.  Thanks for "hopping" by! 

PALS HOP LINE-UP

Click on any of the sites listed below to begin the Pals Hop. 

Regina Mangum -- The Stampin' Bean
Mike Funke -- Stampin-Style
Martha Stewart -- Seasons of Stamping
Anne Beale Yancey -- Mukibug
Liz Hughes -- DIY Paper Creations
Mary Fish -- Stampin' Pretty
Jason Casper -- Jason's Stampin' Pad
Melanie Collins -- Oops a Daisy
Kris Kilcoyne -- Kween Bee Kreations
Tricia Gillam -- Soul Stamper
Barbara Furlong -- The Love of Stamping
Gina Shaw -- Cards by Gina
Kim Lampone -- Stamp, Scrap, Get Kreative

Debbie Pierce -- Stampin' Sunshine
Ann Schach -- The Stampin' Schach
Kalshelia Lloyd -- Stampin' Fabulousity
Lourdes Torres -- Cozy Crafty Corner
Carla Bazhenow -- Carla's Scraps

Welcome!

Wow! It's three months into 2010! My New Year's Resolution back in January was to post my calendar pages for this year so, as promised, here's March. Please feel free to say hi or leave a comment or a question. I love hearing from you. I'm so glad you stopped by. And, of course, here's to March going out like a lamb!

 
 
 

   
 

PPA #32--Spring Ahead, I Hope! Theme Challenge

Whoosh! Where does the week go? Each week, I think I will blog more than once and then it's Thursday again and time for the Pals Paper Arts Challenge! But this one is a true breath of fresh air--spring air, I hope! The theme this week is to create a spring card. And, I think all of us just couldn't wait to participate in this one. We all want the winter to be o-vah!

So, of course, what better designer series paper (DSP) to choose than Shades of Spring with those beautiful Pretty in Pink and So Saffron colors? 

My card was actually very simple to create since I chose the Pretty in Pink cardstock as my base and layered the Pretty in Pink Floral DSP from the Occasions Mini Catalog on top of it. But before I did that, I tucked the Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon around the DSP and adhered it at the top.

Then, I stamped my sentiment from the Whimsical Words Stamp Set (from the Sale-a-bration) catalog in Chocolate Chip onto Pretty in Pink and punched it out with my Curly Label Punch. While I was at it, I punched out another Whisper White piece from the DSP, cut it in half horizontally, and adhered it behind my sentiment. Using a Pop-up Glue Dot, I placed it on the ribbon.

Since I loved the colors so much, I chose to cut out several flowers from the DSP using my Paper Snips and I popped them onto my card as shown. Voila, my card is finished!

I'm going to drop it in the mail for a special Pal who hasn't been feeling too well. (My thoughts are with you for a speedy recovery, MM!)

Here's to spring coming very soon and the days getting longer! I need more than 24 hours in my day! Is time flying by as quickly for you as it is for me? If so, I would so appreciate hearing from you and letting me know this--you know, "misery loves company"! :) And if you do have the time, please join us at PPA!

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Whimsical Words

Ink: Chocoloate Chip

DSP: Shades of Spring

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink

Embellishments: 5/8" Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon

Tools: Curly Label Punch; Pop-up Glue Dots; Paper Snips

PPA #31--A Little Birdie Told Me Inspiration Card

Wow! It's Thursday again which means it's time to Play at PPA! Please join us. We love to see what you create. This week we have an Inspiration Photo to inspire us. 

I thought this challenge was going to be difficult for me since I am the author of these words in my children's book, Oh, My! Ginny Fry!: First Grade Trouble (which is semi-autobiographical!)--"I don't like birds. I don't like their beaks. I don't like their beady eyes. I don't like their feathers. And, I don't like the sound their wings make when they fly. Birds scare me--even if Rocky [the class bird] is canary yellow. I do like that color crayon." 

But, it turned out that I really enjoyed this challenge. I think that's what challenges are all about. You really never know what is going to inspire you.

Here's the Inspiration Photo:

Can you guess which quadrant my eyes went to immediately? Yup, the lower right-hand corner. I love the golds and greens in the photo.

Here's what I did:

I chose a base of Summer Sun cardstock and layered it with Old Olive cardstock.

I knew exactly which paper I wanted to use from the "Pink Flamingo" DSP--the Summer Sun and Whisper White Floral Pattern. I used my Corner Rounder Punch on two opposite corners of the Old Olive and the DSP and adhered them to my base.

I chose three flowers from the Petal Pizzazz Stamp Set and stamped them in Old Olive onto Whisper White and heat embossed them with clear powder and my heat tool. I then cut out each flower with my Paper Snips. I adhered them to the corner of my card using Snail Adhesive for the big flower and Stampin' Dimensionals for the two smaller ones.

My bird is from the Of the Earth Stamp Set. I stamped the entire stamp using my Versamark pad onto Old Olive and heat embossed it with clear powder and my heat tool. This made the outline of the bird very easy to see. I cut it out as carefully as I could using my paper snips.

I then ran Old Olive and Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot Die-Cut Machine using my Lots of Tags Sizzlits Die-Cut. I followed the perforated lines on the Whisper White and punched it out. Then I adhered it onto the Old Olive. I stamped "For You" from the Happy Moments Stamp Set in Old Olive using my Stamp-a-ma-jig. At the last moment, I flashed on the idea of threading Linen Thread through the hole I made in the tiny tags with my 1/16" circle punch and stretching it out to reach my tiny bird as though he was flying through the air carrying this message to a special someone. I glued the Linen Thread under the beak of the bird and adhered him sitting on one of the flowers with a Stampin' Dimensional.

I'm growing fonder of birds every moment! My apologies to Rocky! I think you're growing on me! I truly was inspired by this photo and hope you are too. Please join us at Pals Paper Arts. Each week is a very special challenge and, I assure you, all of them are fun.

And, please remember, I'm always here to answer any questions, take your SU! orders, or read your comments. I love hearing from you!

Thanks for visiting!

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Petal Pizzazz, Of the Earth, Happy Moments

Inks: Old Olive, Versamark

Cardstock: Summer Sun, Old olive

DSP: Pink Flamingo

Embellishments: Linen Thread

Tools: Corner Rounder Punch; Big Shot Die-Cut Machine; Lots of Tags Sizzlits 4-pack Dies; Stamp-a-ma-jig; SNAIL Adhesive; Stampin' Dimensionals; Versamark; Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool; Paper Snips; 1/16" Circle Punch

PPA #30--Brilliant Blue for You

It's a KISS Challenge at PPA this week! What does that mean? Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Your card should have plenty of white space and not too many layers or embellishments. And, it shouldn't take too much time to create. Please join us at PPA and show us how you KISS! Just follow the directions at the site to add your card to Mr. Linky. It's as easy as 1-2-3! We'd love to see what you create.  
 

Here's what I did. I'm a tremendous fan of cobalt blue. My kitchen and living room have lots of touches of this color. So, today I chose Brilliant Blue cardstock to start with. I realize more and more that one of my favorite pallettes from Stampin' Up! is the Bold Brights colors. I love to be surrounded by vibrant colors!

I created a 5-1/4" by 3-3/4" base of Brilliant Blue cardstock. I layered it with a 5" x 3-1/2" layer of Whisper White cardstock.

I chose the "Corner Floral Stamp" from the Patterned Pines Stamp Set and stamped it in Brilliant Blue onto Whisper White using my Stamp-a-ma-jig in the four corners.Gina's Tip: I know you may not think that using a Stamp-a-ma-jig is easy, but once you get the knack of it, it definitely falls into the KISS category. And, as I've mentioned many times before, I can't live without this tool!

I love my new Vintage Labels Stamp Set so much! So, I chose the "Circle Stamp" and stamped it in Brilliant Blue onto Whisper White. The stamp set comes with the following greetings--For You, Happy Birthday, and Best Wishes. Since I wasn't sure who I was making this card for, I decided to use the "For You" stamp. This way, I have a card on hand that can be used for any occasion. I stamped the "For You" in Taken With Teal using my fill in the blank. (I should hear a loud, uproarious "Stamp-a-ma-jig!" here!) I love the way the Brilliant Blue looks with Taken With Teal. This is one of my favorite color combinations!

I punched out my sentiment and label using my 1-3/4" circle punch and adhered it to my card with a Pop-up Glue Dot. Easy, easy, easy!

I hope you like my card. I had so much fun creating it. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write to me right here! I love hearing from you. And, please join us at PPA, won't you?

   

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Patterned Pines, Vintage Labels

Inks: Brilliant Blue, Taken With Teal

Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Whisper White

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Pop-up Glue Dots

PPA #29--Oh, Sweet Pea! New Baby Card

  
 

Come play at PPA! How can you resist this wonderful sketch by Pal Margaret Moody? I had a great time playing with it. Won’t you join me and my Pals at PPA? We’d love to see you there.

Here's the sketch:

 

 

Here’s what I did:

●I created a So Saffron base of 5” x 7”. Following the sketch, I added the “Animals” paper from the Tall Tales Designer Series Paper at the top and bottom.

●For the middle section, I chose the “So Saffron and Whisper White Striped” paper from the Tall Tales DSP.

●I stamped “Sweet Pea” from the Little Angel Stamp Set in Chocolate Chip onto Whisper White using my new clear block stamps. Gina’s Tip: I thought I would never give up my wooden stamps, but I have definitely fallen in love with the clear block stamps. They are so easy to use and create such a crisp and clear image when you stamp with them.

●I backed the Whisper White with another piece of So Saffron and punched out a Brilliant Blue border using my Scallop Edge Punch.

●My finishing touch was to cut out the giraffe in the hot air balloon from the Tall Tales DSP using my Paper Snips and prop it up on the side of the sentiment using Pop-Up Glue Dots. Gina’s Tip: The great thing about following a sketch is that you can make it your own and not follow it exactly. I placed the scallop above my sentiment and used the balloon on the side.

Please feel free to leave me a comment or a question. I love hearing from you…always!

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Little Angel

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Designer Series Paper: Tall Tales

Cardstock: So Saffron, Whisper White, Brilliant Blue

Tools: Paper Snips, SNAIL Adhesive, Pop-up Glue Dots, Scallop Edge Punch

 
Tall Tales DSP 

Little Angel Stamp Set 

Pals February Hop--It's Sale-a-bration Time!

Welcome to the Pals February Hop! I’m so glad you stopped by. If you came from my Pal Kim Lampone's Stamp, scrap, get kreative blog, I’m sure you loved what you saw there. This month, the Pals are showcasing the Sale-a-bration catalog … and oh what goodies there are in it.

I love the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, so I chose to use two floral papers from it. My Sale-a-bration items are the Vintage Labels Stamp Set and the Happy Moments Stamp Set. I also couldn’t resist using the Scallop Trim Border Punch.

I love the way the Vintage Label Top Note stamp echoes the Stampin’ Up! Top Note Bigz Die on the outside of the card.

For the interior, I used the Top Note Bigz Die to create my writing space.  And, if you know me, you know that I can’t resist using glitter on my cards so I heat embossed the birthday cake using Craft Whisper White and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds.

I don’t want to keep you too long since there are 19 Pals this month on the Hop and I’d like you to see all of them. Your next stop is my Pal Regina Mangum at The Stampin' Bean. I know you will love what she has prepared for you.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you.

And in case you need to re-visit any of the Pals’ blogs, here’s the list of Pals' Hoppers! Have fun!

1.   Kalshelia Lloyd -- www.stampinfabulousity.com Stampin' Fabulousity
2.   Ann Schach -- www.stampinchic.com The Stampin' Schach
3.   Margaret Moody -- www.margaretmoody.typepad.com Margaret Moody
4.   Debbie Pierce -- www.stampinsunshine.com Stampin' Sunshine
5.   Carla Bazhenow -- www.carlas-scraps.com Carla's Scraps
6.   Mary Fish -- www.stampinpretty.com Stampin' Pretty
7.   Kim Lampone -- www.kjskorner.blogspot.com Stamp, scrap, get kreative
8.   Gina Shaw -- www.cardsbyginashaw.com Cards by Gina
9.   Regina Mangum -- www.thestampinbean.blogspot.com The Stampin' Bean
10. Lourdes Torres -- www.cozycraftycorner.blogspot.com Cozy Crafty Corner
11. Kris Kilcoyne -- www.kweenbee.typepad.com Kween Bee Kreations
12. Liz Hughes -- www.diypapercreations.com DIY Paper Creations
13. Melanie Collins -- www.oopsadaisy.typepad.com Oops a Daisy
14. Mike Funke -- www.stampin-style.com Stampin-Style
15. Anne Beale Yancey -- www.mukibug.com Mukibug
16. Martha Stewart -- www.SeasonsOfStamping.com    Seasons of Stamping
17. Jason Casper -- www.stampindad.blogspot.com Jason's Stampin' Pad
18. Barbara Furlong -- www.theloveofstamping.com The Love of Stamping
19. Tricia Gillam -- www.soulstamper.com Soul Stamper

PPA #28--Pretty in Pink and Black Birthday Card

  
 

Wow! I don’t know where the time goes, but the weeks just fly by. It’s time for another Pals Paper Arts Challenge and this week, we challenge you to use these colors. Won’t you join us at PPA? We’d love to see your creations!

 

I love these colors—chosen by our color and sketch maven Pal Margaret Moody—and I had such a good time creating my card with them. I adore the Of the Earth Level 1 Hostess Set and found myself reaching for it once again. As soon as I looked at the label on the stamp, my idea struck me like a lightning bolt. I love the way the black image looks on top of the wooden stamp block. So that’s what I ran with.

●My Basic Black base is 5-1/2” x 4-1/4” folded at the top.

●The next layer, Pretty in Pink, measures 5-1/4” x 4”.

●I stamped my “Butterfly and Flower” image from Of the Earth in Basic Black onto two panels of Melon Mambo. Then I sprinkled Heat and Stick Powder and Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter on top of the images and embossed them with my Heat Tool. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to give me the alignment I wanted on both panels.

●Since I needed a birthday card, I went to my go-to stamp set, Four Square, and stamped “Happy Birthday” in Basic Black onto Melon Mambo. I sprinkled Clear Emboss Powder and again used my Heat Tool to heat emboss the image.

●I punched out the sentiment with my Scallop Square Punch and adhered it to a larger Basic Black square. I propped this up using a Pop-up Glue Dot.

●I wanted something special going down the center of the card, so I reached for my Melon Mambo In-Color Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon and folded it, as you see pictured, on the plain side. Gina’s Tip: The beauty of this ribbon is that you can use it on either side. I used Mini-Glue Dots to fold the ribbon and hold it in place.

●My finishing touch was adding the photo corners which I created with my Photo Corners Punch using the small corners and adhering them to my card with Snail Adhesive.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I so appreciate having you here. Please feel free to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you.

And please play along with us at PPA! We do have fun.

 
   

Recipe:

Stamp Sets: Of the Earth Hostess Level 1 Set, Four Square

Ink: Basic Black

Cardstock: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo

Tools: Heat and Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter, Heat Tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Clear Emboss Powder, Scallop Square Punch, Pop-up Glue Dot, Mini Glue Dots, Snail Adhesive, Photo Corners Punch

Embellishments: Melon Mambo In-Color Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

PPA #27--Snowflakes Keep Falling on My Head

 

Age old question: If it snows in a pine forest and no one’s there to see it, did it really snow? That’s what I was wondering when I created this card for this week’s Pals Paper Arts Challenge—Snowflake Theme.

Here’s what I did:

•I chose Gable Green as my 6” x 4” base since I wanted a soft background color.

•To make my “snowflakes,” I ran a piece of Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot Die-Cut Machine using the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder—new in the Occasions Mini Catalog. I love the overall effect and crispness of this die.

•I cut the Whisper White a ¼” smaller than my base and punched out the four corners of the base and the Whisper White cardstock using my Ticket Corner punch.

•I stamped the “Three Pine Trees” from the Patterned Pines Stamp Set onto Garden Green cardstock. I stamped some using my VersaMark stamp pad and some using my Craft Whisper White pad. Then I sprinkled on Heat and Stick Powder and Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter and heat embossed all of the trees. Gina’s Note: I wanted some of the trees to have snow on them but I wanted to keep the background trees green. That’s the way I thought it would look in my pine forest.

•I cut out each tree individually using my Paper Snips. Then, I adhered the green trees with SNAIL adhesive and placed Pop-Up Glue Dots on the snowy trees to give my pine forest some depth.

•My sentiment is from Chat Room Rub-ons—also new in the Occasions Mini Catalog—which comes in Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. I chose the Whisper White and rubbed it onto Garden Green cardstock. Then I punched out my sentiment with my Modern Label Punch and adhered it to my card with SNAIL adhesive and a ½” Whisper White Library Clip.

And the answer to my question is, yes, it snowed in my pine forest! I had so much fun creating this card. Take some time out of your day and please feel free to play along with us at PPA! Hope to see you there. And, of course, please feel free to leave me a comment so I know you stopped by.

 
 

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Patterned Pines

Inks: Versamark, Whisper White

Cardstock: Gable Green, Garden Green, Whisper White

Tools: Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Heat and Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter, Heat Emboss Tool, Paper Snips, Ticket Corner Punch, Modern Label Punch, Chat Room Rub-ons, SNAIL Adhesive, Pop-Up Glue Dots

Embellishments: ½” Whisper White Library Clip

PPA #26--Anything But a Card Itty Bitty Real Red Gift Box

 

 

Time to Play at PPA! And, oh what fun I had! “Anything But a Card” projects don’t come easily to me, but this week I knew I had to try the Stampin’ Up! Bitty Box and Envelope Bigz XL Die. Perfect for a birthday or a valentine gift! Who wouldn’t want to open this box and find a sweet pair of garnet, or perhaps, ruby stud earrings nestled inside? Or one or two special chocolates wrapped in foil? Mmmm-mmm!

 

Here’s what I did.

 

•I used Real Red textured cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot Die-Cut Machine using the Bitty Box and Envelope Bigz XL Die.

 

•I scored and folded the box as shown on the template. It came together so easily!

 

•As you probably know by now, I love the crisp colors of red and white together so I stamped the “Tower of Gifts” from the Happy Moments Stamp Set—new in the Sale-a-bration catalog—in Basic Black onto Whisper White. Gina’s Tip: I love the graphic quality of this stamp with its circles and stripes.

 

•I took out my Real Red Stampin’ Write Marker and colored in the circles and stripes as shown. With my paper snips, I cut out the tower of gifts.

 

•Next, using my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I positioned the “For You” sentiment, also from the Happy Moments Stamp Set, exactly where I wanted it on the middle gift. The words fit perfectly and I think they add to the graphic element of the three packages.  I stamped the words in Real Red. Gina’s Tip: Once again, this is the beauty of using Stampin’ Up! products—they mix and match perfectly!

 

•I punched out a Scallop Circle in Whisper White and adhered it to the top of my Itty Bitty box. I propped up the tower of gifts using a Pop-Up Glue Dot and wrapped Real Red ¾” Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon around the entire box.

 

Voila! My box is finished and I’m ready to place my gift inside.

 

Please feel free to leave me a comment about my Itty Bitty Real Red Gift Box. And, please join us at our Pals Paper Arts Challenge. The site gives you the information you need to post your wonderful creations. Hope to see you there!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

  
 

Recipe:

Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White

Stamp Set: Happy Moments

Inks: Basic Black, Real Red

Tools: Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Stampin’ Up! Bitty Box and Envelope Bigz XL Die, Stampin’ Write Marker, Paper Snips, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scallop Circle Punch, SNAIL Adhesive, Pop-Up Glue Dots

Embellishments: Real Red ¾” Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon