Dazzling Diamonds

Today's DRS Designs challenge is to use Dazzling Diamonds on your card. (Use the keyword: DRSC24 when uploading it to online galleries.) Most of you know, Dazzling Diamonds is a super fine and super shimmery glitter. Which is also super difficult to photograph!



In real life, the planets and stars on this card are shimmery and glittery! I used my 2 way glue pen for the adhesive. The DRS Designs' Hello sentiment was one that I couldn't fit into any of my past DRS cards. I decided that this card, probably being the last one I make as a Guest Designer, would showcase the small sentiment. To give it a bigger punch, I repeatedly stamped until it turned into a background. Used a fun nestie to cut out the shape..and voila! My mission is completed.

Well, not quite. Today, DRS Designs is sponsering the Pink Elephant Challenge Blog...use your favorite color on a card. RED is by far my favorite color. As you can see, I've used it on this card. Be sure to dazzle up your favorite color with dazzling diamonds...and enter you challenge card on both of these fun sites!

A little Tuesday Tip

Sometimes, you hear that a friend of yours is sick. As luck would have it, your card stash is void of "get well cards." Or perhaps you hear that another friend's mother has passed away. Once again, you look and find that you have no sympathy cards. Not every event in life is planned. So, you need to stamp simply and quickly once in a while. Voila...a one layer card is a good solution...but how to make it stand out?

ADD MINI LAYERS!!

For this sick piggie released by DRS Designs, just the vase, snout and ice bag are layered with dimensionals. But the result is interesting. Adding some texture with the ribbon and prima does the trick too. Notice that the sentiment is also a mini layer propped up on dimensionals.

So the next time you think you're in a pinch. Keep it simple and add mini layers!

Challenge #23...DRS Designs wants you to BUCKLE UP!

Buckle up with buckle cards....haha. I couldn't resist a red and blue color combo with this far out new stamp.



The rocket and moon are propped up on dimensionals. I stamped a few extra moons for the side embellishment. And of course, every starry card needs stickles!



Let's see your take on a buckle card. Be sure to post it to the DRS Designs' Blog!

Hurry..time to stock up...

on the newly released DRS Designs' stamps! Available to purchase TODAY! Here is oen more card I created using the new retirement sentiment. Since it has a quote, it also qualifies for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge sponsered by DRS Designs this week!



I love using acetate and seeing acetate cards, but they are tricky to photograph. (Please forgive the glare.) This card is so elegant and soft and pretty. After all those manly golf cards, I thought it was time to make a girlie card! The pink card from is embossed. Then, the acetate layer followed by the sentiment on top! Yep...acetate is my favorite sort of card!

DRS Designs is hopping today!

That's right! With the upcoming June release on Saturday, we are getting in a few more sneak peeks before you can see and buy the many summery DRS Designs' stamps!

Be sure to start at the beginning of the blog hop...and procede to the end as you comment on the designers' blogs. The blog candy drawing will take place at 7 AM EST on Saturday.

This week I've been showcasing Golf Cards. Here is a new sentiment to stamp for a coworker who is retiring in the summer. (Which would be a lot if you lived here in poor, old Michigan! haha)



When using a long quote, highlighting words can draw the reader's attention to the point you want to make. It is something I enjoy doing. DRS Designs has oodles of quotes and sentiments perfect for this technique. In fact, today DRS Designs is sponsering today's Cute Card Thursday Challenge Blog. Check it out and show your DRS spirit by using some DRS Designs Stamps on your card. If you don't have any, check out their online store!

Now...off you go to Jessica's blog. Have a great weekend!

Gift Card and Note Holder for Dear Old Dad...

Or Husband, Boyfriend or Uncle...

Sometimes those men in your life are hard to buy gifts for. So...you resort to giving them a gift card to their favorite restaurant or shop. How to present it? Well...here is a nifty way to send him the card along with a personal note about how much he means to you!



This month, DRS Designs is releasing several golf stamps. If your man is into the game, be sure to check out the new stamps all this week in sneak peeks on the design team blogs.




Inside this "card," there are 2 slots where you can slide in a gift card and a note card. Basically, the inner layer is a sealed business sized envelope that is folded in half and the top edge is cut off, revealing the 2 pockets. Be sure have have strong glue or adhesive to keep this stuck together.

The outside is a piece of cardstock that measures 4.25 x 11 inches. Score at 1.5 and 6.25. My insert measures 4x4 inches square. This will give you plenty of space to write a special note to a loved one.

Embellish all layers as you wish. A velcro dot is used to secure the top flap. This would also be great for end of the year teacher notes and gift cards...if your kids are still in school, like mine! Or soccer/baseball coach appreciation note and gift card. Boy, the uses for this gift card and note holder are endless!

Remember, the DRS Blog hop starts on Thursday. Comment on all the cards along the way and you will be entered into the drawing for fun and treasures!!

(Stamps used: Graphic Golf - 992LU, Above Par Bday - 507GU by DRS Designs)

Another week, another stamp company has sneak peeks!

This week, I'll be showcasing some clever stamps by DRS Designs! June is underway...Father's Day, warm weather, sunshine...anyone up for a round of GOLF??



haha. I'm not a golfer. (My Brookside HS Golf story would be too long to relate and then I'd only be disparaging the Physical Education Department of my alma mater.) But that doens't mean I can't make a great golf card! This stamp would make an awesome edition to a scrapbook page!

Come back tomrrow for another round of GOLF...or at least the card kind of golf! Circle June 11th on your Stamp Calendars! DRS Designs is having a blog hop...prize awarded on the 13th...when you can start purchasing these new releases!

Also...the Corrosive Blog Challenge is to make a card for Dad. If you dad golfs, then this would be a good one for Father's Day!

Feeling better mentally and spiritually with DRS Designs

This week's challenge is to make a Get Well Soon card or project. Saddly, I do not own any DRS Designs "get well" images that I can show you...and least not this week. (hehe) BUT...I did get this fantastic sentiment/poem which might be used to cheer up the poor in spirit, the depressed, the frustrated. Some of us are physically ailing, while others suffer mentally.

I hope every one is physically and mentally well this week...stamp on my friends! (Please use keywords DRSC22, when uploading to online galleries!)

Stamping Solid-ly with Solid Stamps

Could that be the latest stamp-inspired tongue twister? Just try to say that 5 times quickly.

DRS Designs has a stately Silhouette Grad Cap(W1092KU) that I chose to use this week. Since we are in the mist of graduation for highschool and college seniors, I thought I'd stamp some conGRADulatory cards.

Solid stamps give some people the fits but here are some ways to help you get a good color, especially when using large images.
1. Put a little texture on that stamp so it picks up the ink. Some people rub the new stamp on their jeans. For this stamp, I used my sanding block and lightly sanded the top surface.

2. Be sure that your ink pad is nice and juicy. Crafy ink can help a lot too.
3. When you stamp your image, hold it down a little longer than you usually do.
4. Try adding cushioning. Either with EZmount or place a magazine underneath your paper.


Now on to the Graduation Card examples...




I love using acetate on cards! I stamped and embossed the Easy Swirl Background (688HU) in silver. The black card base is cut slightly smaller than the normal so that it fits inside the acetate "cover." I used black craft ink and clear embossing powder for the simply solid mortarboard. Then, silver cording is added on the spine of the card to create this elegant graduation card.

Solid stamps can be quite versitile! They don't have to stay solid, or one color! One idea is to mask an area and then color it in with daubers. For the Silhouette Grad Cap, I used post-it notes to mask the top area before daubering on a darker blue. This can give a bit of texture to your image.

I used a gold Sakura pen to add in the tassel detail.

If you want to change the look of a solid stamp, you can try the "rock n roll" technique. First, ink your stamp in a light color, then roll the edges in a darker hue. Also, markers may be used to color a section of the stamp a different color too. Be sure to look up DRS Designs' many graduation stamps and sentiments!

Repeated stamping

The stamps used on this card are from DRS Designs. The pansy postage stamp was stamped repeatedly (WT219 challenge) to create the focal point on this card. I was so excited when DRS Designs sent me the sentiment. It will be perfect for so many cards...inside and out!

Luckily I had stamped this card yesterday and it fit the challenge. I think I have somehow uninstalled something on my new laptop...I'm off to fix it. Wish me luck.

It's a bird, it's a plane...it's a FLAP card!!

Today's DRS Designs' challenge is to create a flap card. There are several ways to make "Flap Cards." I decided to make one based on this Splitcoast tutorial.

You can decorate the inside of these little cards by using the same decorative paper as a border. As for closures, you can use velcro dots, thin magnets, or Zig 2 way glue. It can work like rubber cement. Adhere a small amount in the 2 areas that will touch. Let them air dry. ONLY THEN do you close the card. It creates a repositional sticky spot...sort of like a post it note. Not only is is a lot expensive than paper thin magnets, but you also don't get the bulk that comes with the velcro dots. See, I bet you learned something new today!

DRS Designs stamp: 899FU

Making your stamps....S-T-R-E-T-C-H...

As big as our eyes are for rubber stamps, most of our wallets are probably not big enough to buy everything that we see. The solution is to make what you do have...STRETCH. Find new uses, new techniques, new ideas, etc.

One thing that I do is to take a look at the details. For example, this stamp is such a quirky, funny little guy.

(717FU)



Not much to crop or stretch? But look closely. That #1 fan glove is just itching to be the star of a card. With the magic of ink and repeated stamping....hehe...you can easily make a card like this:



We use paper and ink and scissors. So pick up those scissors and cut away...until you come up with a new point of view for your stamped cards!

(650KU)

I can get a birthday boy sitting anywhere I chose when I cut off the gift he is sitting on.

Take a look at your stamps by DRS Designs and see how you can STRETCH their use!

DRSC20

Today's DRS Designs' challenge is to use your favorite technique. Since watercoloring would probably be my favorite one and I use it all the time, I thought I'd switch it up with something else.



After embossing the praying boy stamp against the large rectangle mosaic, I used daubers to sponge on the colorings. Then, I pressed the entire layer into my versamark pad. Sprinkle clear embossing powder and fire up your heat tool.

Result: A glossy, elegant focal point for your card!

I'm not sure if this technique as an official name. But I'd call it fabulous!

Feel free to join the challenge. Use DRSC20 as your keyword and link it up to the company blog!

DRS Hippity Hoppity!

It's Thursday! Thanks for hopping on over here to check out my blog and to see a card I designed for the May release of DRS Designs Stamps.

This card uses a new Dustin Pike image!! Isn't Jenny Giraffe adorable?



I used a sizzlit for the green leaves. Paper piercing adds a "little something" to any card without adding weight or cost it. (Think ease in mailing!!) What is your trick for keeping your card flat and light enough for one stamp when mailing? (U.S. Postal rates go up in May...beware!)

Okay, now hop on over to Heather's blog for more great cards and ideas! If you haven't started from the beginning, what are you waiting for? The blog hop starts on DRS Designs' blog page! As with all good blog hops and reveals, there's a sweet reward from some lucky stamper at the end of the hop!

Details of card:
DRS Designs: 859GU, 935FU
Paper: Bashful, Wasabi, Banana, Cocoa, Ruby, DP by

Bday Wishes from DRS Designs

I really liked today's Sketch Challenge on SCS. So I whipped up another card using DRS Designs stamps.

DRS Sneaky Peeky!

What a GORGEOUS day we had today!! 80 degrees, very windy...so you didn't feel the heat. I cleaned up some of the woods behind our house, hiked around in the woods with 2 five year olds, did some shopping, practiced the piano a bunch. Just a great, lovely day.

And it is a day for DRS Sneak PEEKS for the upcoming release. I decided to show this card since Deb, my co-guest designer received the girl stamp amd showed a peek of it today on her blog.



I have wanted to try a mosaic stamp for some time now. When this one showed up in my DRS goodie bag, I was a happy stamper! First I stamped the mosaic and boy silhouette in craft ink, embossed it with clear EP, then I used my aquapainter and watercolor crayons to wash on the color over the stamping. (Yes, I originally posted something else...sorry! My memory just got jogged!)

Be sure to come back on Thursday for the DRS Blog Hop! In the mean time, I'm off to fold the laundry that was neglected during the day.

DRS Color Challenge #19

This week's DRS challenge is a color combo of: Summer Sun, Pink Passion and Chocolate Chip. Wow! What a daring combo! Here is my take on it.




This tag card is perfect for a little boy going to a little girl's birthday party. The tag slides out for the sender to write a greeting. The boy stamp originally looked like this:



(E508 DRS Designs)

After I embossed the image, I carefully cut him out. Isn't he adorable sitting on the horizontal layer?

DRS Birthday Wishes and Hot Dog Cheers

This card was made using stamps from DRS Designs. They have some delightful kid characters.




This photograph doesn't pick up the irridescent spiral background that was stamped on the black. In real life, it's shimmery and full of fun! Way to go! Fun and food...all on one card. What could be better?

I have a few more cards that will have to wait for later...sneak peeks!

The new man in my life!

I bet some of my friends thought that it was Niko...my parents' dog who is staying here for a short week. And well, that is true. But there is a stamping man in my life.

DUSTIN PIKE

From time to time, he has free digi downloads on his blog. I heard over at Paper Make Up stamps that he is designing some stamps and I clicked over to check out the sneak peeks.

Meanwhile, I saw that some of the sneak peeks, which I happen to have from DRS, were his designs too! Wow wee! I'm the lucky stamper.

Now I need to get over to that site a little more often. Check him out if you like cutsie animals and creatures!

This Spud's for Ken

This evening, E showed me the Mr. Potatohead that he made...to look like his Dad!



I have been stamping...just sneak peeks for DRS Designs. A rubber stamp company with delightful sentiments who has invited me to be a guest designer for May and June! So fun.


Now, I'll have to stamp some DRS that I can show on my blog!! Go check out their website. Did I mention the fabulous sentiments??