Babies!

This morning I went to a baby shower ... ah, it took me back looking at all the teeny tiny little grow-suits and socks, not to mention nappies, wipes and nappy sacks, dummies and teething rings, little jars of baby food and bunny rugs.  You kind of forget just how much stuff you get through with a new baby in the house.  My baby is nearly 13-1/2, and her older brother will be 19 soon, so it's all waaaay behind me now (*whispers* thank goodness!  I'm too old for all that now LOL).

Anyway, I realised late last night that I was short one baby card so at 10:30 sat down to quickly whip something up.  I know my friend is having a boy, so the colour scheme presented no problems.  And I had a sneaking suspicion that owls were going to feature heavily (which they did) so out came my Owl Builder Punch.

And this is what I made for her:

I totally pinched the idea of the circles from this card ... love that colour combo and layout.  You'd be surprised though to find out just how hard it is to layer your circles just right ... I think that took longer than the rest of the card!

And in the spirit of the original I used some foam tape to pop some of the elements up a little, which was fun.

Now that I think of it, I wonder if the owl theme is in honour of all the nights she'll be sitting up with Junior ... let's hope he's more of a sleeper than a partier.

Images © 1990-2012 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Cardstock: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Poppy Parade
Other: 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Sweet Buttons Embosslit, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

More Owling About

I'm still having a little fun with the Owl Builder punch.  This card is a little more straightforward than the last two - no tricks, no fancy stuff, just the owl as he was meant to be.

I have also discovered a colour scheme I'm particularly happy with :-)  Look how pretty Pool Party and Island Indigo are with Poppy Parade!  Fresh and clean and just downright happy!

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Sentiments
Ink: Island Indigo
Cardstock: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip
 Other:1-3/4" Circle Punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Owl Builder Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Large Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

Welcome Sheep

Every time I look at this little guy's face, I have to smile :-)

Further to my post the other day about cranking out a few ideas with my owl punch, I came across this little gem.  Too easy!  The sheep took about five minutes to make (well, possibly six by the time I glued the teeny-tiny pupils onto the eyes), then another half an hour to decide on his background.



Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Ink: Marina Mist
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Whisper White, Basic Black
 Other: 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Owl Builder Punch, Word Window Punch, Boho  Blossoms Punch, Marina Mist 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Crimper

Owl Love :-)

The other day I realised that my Owl Punch hadn't been getting much love lately, so out it came for a play.  After a bit of a look around on the web I felt inspired enough to make this little beauty ... I love it so much, just wish I'd thought of it independently *g*.

The original inspiration is here ... you can see that I've tweaked the idea a little.  The "sky" layer is a piece of Pink Pirouette cardstock, which I sponged in layers using Pink Pirouette, Peach Parfait and Melon Mambo ink in an effort to replicate an evening sky.  The card itself came out a very vibrant and warm colour which doesn't really come through in these photographs.

I used the "inlaid embossing" technique to embed the word into the top layer - I always get a buzz out of seeing how it ends up looking almost like it was printed directly onto the cardstock.  The large large heart from the Heart To Heart punch fits well in place of the "v" as you can see.

I'm loving the Timeless Type Sizzix alphabet - it's exactly the right size to use for short words on a cardfront.

Images © 1990-2011 Stampin' Up!®

Supplies used:
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Peach Parfait, Melon Mambo
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette
 Other: 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Owl Builder Punch, Bird Builder Punch, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlit Dies, Square Lattice Embossing Folder

The whole thing

As promised the other day, here's the thank you card I sent to my friend last week - it arrived safe and sound :-)

I'm still pretty happy with the result of my first attempt at inlaid embossing (well, second, but we won't talk about the true first attempt, it was pretty pathetic). Using the right embossing folder makes a world of difference - the Square Lattice folder is perfect because it has such a close, intricate design and the edges of your layers barely show at all.

Supplies used:Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Peach Parfait, Certainly CeleryOther: Timeless Type Sizzlit Dies, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Two Step Owl Punch, Two Step Bird Punch

Sale-A-Bration Owl Punch

How adorable is this stamp? Designed to match the Two Step Owl Punch, it's quick way to create a focal point for a card.

This stamp is part of the set Punch Bunch, only available during **Sale-A-Bration** (from now until March 31, 2011), and is only available when you spend $100 or more (in one transaction) on catalogue merchandise from Stampin' Up!.

So far, the samples I've seen using this stamp were all in the gorgeous Bright series of colours from Stampin' Up!, so I decided to try something a little different use my personal favourite colour, Cherry Cobbler. Combined with Early Espresso and Very Vanilla, it's a very elegant combination.

Don't forget that there are three other stamp sets you can get for FREE during Sale-A-Bration, if this one doesn't float your boat - check the brochure **here**, then contact me to place your order.

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Punch BunchInk: Cherry Cobbler
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Early EspressoOther: Top Note Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Two Step Owl Punch

Christmas Gift Card holders, #1

Each year, I give my brother's kids gift cards for Christmas ... as they get older it's hard to know what they particularly want, so I figure they're better off choosing their own gifts at their own pace. So every year I have to think up a new way of presenting the cards. Luckily there are a ton of ideas out there on the net to be inspired by!

You can see past years' gift card holders here and here.

Here's the first of the three holders I made last week. This one is based entirely on this one I made earlier this year. Because it was for my nephew, I had to restrain myself and not cover it with flower stamps and "pretty" things - lucky the owl fits nicely into this category! In retrospect, I should have put a little Christmas hat on him; sadly I didn't think of that until much later.

Here's a closeup of the owl (click to get a better look). You can also see that I spritzed the background with my Champagne Mist shimmer spray (lovin' this stuff!) (click here for a little more detail about the product, about halfway through the post). You can also see a little of the texture of the cardstock - this is the textured type, available as part of the 12x12 packs of single colour cardstock.

And here's the inside ... you can use Velcro to hold the gift card holder closed, but I prefer self adhesive magnets (you can buy this stuff by the sheet from craft stores).

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Teeny Tiny SentimentsInk: Early Espresso
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie Textured, Early Espresso, So Saffron, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie
Other: Top Note Die, Two Step Owl Punch, Two Step Bird Punch, 2" x 1-3/8" Oval Punch, Word Window Punch

Too Cute!

Okay, so now we've all seen the Owl Punch - and he really is too cute.

I finally made a card incorporating my little penguin - the icebergs are made with Stampin' Up!'s vellum cardstock, glued over a piece of Baja Breeze card which I tore and sponged to look a little like the sea. He needs a greeting, but that is something I will add when I decide who he's being posted to.

Supplies used:Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Peach Parfait, Baja Breeze, Vellum Cardstock
Other: Two Step Owl Punch

Birthday Owl

I finally got around to using the little owl I made the other day, turning him into a cute birthday greeting. I used the Two Step Bird Punch for the branch, otherwise he would have been floating in mid air. Of course, this means the branch is floating ... now I'm overthinking things LOL. If it was truly realistic, the owl's heart would be on the inside, for a start.

This is a card the guests at a recent workshop made, with personal variations of course.

Supplies used:
Stamp/s: Perfect Punches
Ink: Early EspressoCardstock: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Peach Parfait, Poppy ParadeOther: Two Step Owl Punch, Two Step Bird Punch, Top Note Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

OMG! Owl Punch!

One of the first things I *had* to have from the new 2010-11 Idea Book & Catalogue was the Two Step Owl Punch (page 146). The punch itself doesn't look like much, but once you do a bit of creative punching and gluing, you get this little guy - how adorable is this?

He's only little, too - a hair under 3.5cm from the top of his head to his butt (not counting ears or feet).

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the owl contains a few new colours - his body is made using the new Early Espresso core colour, a dark, dark brown; the heart is in the new In Color Poppy Parade - a clear bright red, almost a vermillion; and the eyes are another In Color, Peach Parfait, which is kind of like a lighter version of Pumpkin Pie.

Supplies used:Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Peach Parfait, Poppy ParadeOther: Two Step Owl Punch

And here's a variation, which isn't an original idea at all - but it's so darned cute and easy I had to make one. The beak is made from the heart included in the punch, with the eyes glued over the top. This one has a bit of an odd look - those little black pupils are super small and kind of tricky to glue on!

Supplies used:Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Peach Parfait
Other: Two Step Owl Punch