It's #SimpleStamping Time!

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to today's post! We are back to school, back to work and back to our usual shenanigans as a family now that we have said goodbye to the Christmas holidays.  With all of those things going on, I am always thankful to have some time to reset for the week and enjoy some creative time.

That being said...sometimes I don't have THAT much time to create so welcome to my first edition of #simplestamping! I love the idea of the #simplestamping challenge because it helps to get back to basics while showcasing some beautiful stamps, satisfying that creative itch and just having fun with paper, ink and stamps! I took this opportunity to showcase the gorgeous Thoughtful Blooms set featured in the 2020 Sale-A-Bration catalog!

And here is today's project...

Talk about a simple and fun stamping project.  I love the clean, white background with the beautiful color of flowers.  It makes me think of spring and with this dreary, winter weather it's exactly what I need.

This card starts with a base of Crumb Cake layered with Whisper White and a popped strip of Neutrals 6" x 6" DSP.  The twine bow gives that look of simple, spring bouquet.  I pulled the ink colors from my stash of retired products, but they are still some of my favorites...Powder Pink, Fresh Fig and Garden Green.  The sentiment is stamped in Crumb Cake to coordinate with the base cardstock.  While my ink colors are on the older side, my stamp set is from the all new 2020 Sale-A-Brations catalog...Thoughtful Blooms.  You can get this set for free with a $50 Sale-A-Bration purchase.  For further details on all the fun with Sale-A-Bration, check out my post HERE.

Card Details
Size: 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
Paper: Crumb Cake Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock, Neutrals 6" x 6" DSP
Ink: Crumb Cake, Fresh Fig, Powder Pink, Garden Green
Stamp: Thoughtful Blooms
Tools: N/A
Accessories: Linen Twine

Today's card was inspired by the following challenges:

SUO Challenge

SUOC #239: Designer's Choice

Fusion Card Challenge

FUSION Winter: Sketch

Keep Austin Crafty!

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• Leave a comment below! I love to hear your thoughts on the day's project!
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Card: Wishing You Well

Hello and Welcome! 

A happy Saturday to everyone! I hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start.  Hopefully, you are getting some time to craft and/or find inspiration for future crafting projects.  

I designed a card today that I have fallen in love with and I plan to use this design and/or color scheme in future projects for sure.  The stamp set featured is the "Wishing You Well" set and the colors used today are Crumb Cake, Powder Pink and Fresh Fig.  I think the colors could go either way as either spring or fall, so take your pick! 

And here is today's card...

Card Details

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry

Ink: Crumb Cake, Powder Pink, Fresh Fig

Stamp Set: Wishing You Well, sentiment of your choice

Accessories: Rectangle Stitched Framelits, silver button, linen twine, mini dimensionals, snail adhesive

Here is a close up of the detail on the lovely, embellished sentiment.  If you haven't tried adding a vellum background to your cards, I highly recommend it! I think that added layer just makes the sentiment pop out and gives it a nice, soft touch.   

I'll be entering this card into the following challenge: 

Simon Says Stamp Monday: Tiny Things

Love those tiny flowers in the background!

I would love to hear your comments on today's project! Don't forget to leave them below! 

Keep Austin Crafty!

Spotlight Saturday: Botanical Butterfly DSP

Hello and Welcome!

I hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start! We had some beautiful weather here in Austin today and we were so excited to be able to go out and enjoy it.  We hit up the neighborhood block party and enjoyed some delicious BBQ followed by yummy ice cream...a good time was had by all!

It was nice to be back in town as the little one and I escaped the last of the winter weather (hopefully) with a trip up to the grandparents house! A few days with Grandma and Grandpa can always make things better when it's 20 degrees outside...no we do not do well in the cold!

Anyways, I'm back to blogging and card making after a brief "vaca" and excited to share another completed gift set.  I loved the Botanical Butterfly DSP "Thanks" card that I posted a few days ago, so I decided to make a few more to really highlight that beautiful paper. 

So here are today's cards...

Isn't that paper just beautiful!? You can check out the dimensions and card details at the original post.  

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Whatever the Weather 

Don't these cards say "SPRING IS HERE!" 

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And don't forget the wonderful deals for Sale-A-Bration are still going on until March 31st! 

Check out the brochures below!

And don't hesitate to email me with questions or help ordering! 

    

Keep Austin Crafty!

Card: Butterflies All Over!

Hello and Welcome! 

A happy Sunday to all of you out there! I was inspired today by the beautiful Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper.  I love when you can create a card and let the paper do the work for you!  The paper in this series is so versatile and lovely that it is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.  

And here is today's card...

Today's card happened to fit perfectly with this week's TGIF Challenge as well! Love when that happens!

Step-by-step instructions:

1.)  Start with a piece of Old Olive card stock cut to 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" as the card base.  

2.) Crop a piece of Whisper White card stock with the largest rectangle die cut and a piece of Botanical Butterfly card stock with the 2nd largest die cut in the Rectangular Stitched die cut framelits.  

3.)  Using one of the smaller rectangle die cuts cut out a framed area from the DSP for the sentiment stamp.  

4.)  Stamp the sentiment in Tuxedo Black ink.  

Here is a close up of the sentiment.  I used a stamp from an old Paper Pumpkin kit.  It has always been one of my favorites because of the subtle outline around the sentiment.    

And best of all?!?  You can get this beautiful paper for FREE with a $50 purchase during the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration event.  Don't forget to check out all of the wonderful products available during this event! 

Check out the Sale-A-Bration Brochures below! 

    

Don't hesitate to email me with questions or help with ordering! 

Keep Austin Crafty! 

Card: Clean and Simple Flowers

Hello and Welcome!

Today's card was inspired the "clean and simple" concept. I was happy that it inspired not just a card, but a whole card set.  The card theme of "clean and simple" really lends itself to being able to snap out some cards pretty quickly, so it was great to put this little set together.  I could keep these simple beauties in my stash or package them up as a sweet gift to a friend.  

And here is today's card...

And here is the set...

Step-by-step instructions

1.)  Start with a piece of Whisper White card stock cut to 3.5" x 4.87" as the card base. 

2.)  Crop a piece of Kraft card stock using the 3rd and 4th largest die cuts in the Rectangle Stitched Die cut set as the frame. 

3.)  Stamp the sentiment and the flower to the front of the card.  

4.)  Add a self-adhesive embellishment to the middle of the flower.  

                                                                                                                                            

I choose to highlight the following ink colors: Fresh Fig, Dapper Denim, Peekaboo Peach and Sweet Sugarplum with the embellishment offsetting the shades of the ink colors.  The flower stem is stamped in Garden Green.

Keep Austin Crafty! 

CASE it UP Tuesday: Flowers for a Friend

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to the first edition of CASE it UP Tuesday! Ever see a beautiful card on Pinterest or in a catalog and think "I wish I could make that?!"?  Well, I'm here to tell you that you can! Even the best creative card maker could use a little inspiration sometime, so I have started this weekly post dedicated to CASEing (Copy and Share Everything)!  You can learn to make a card exactly as you see it, use only certain elements (i.e. embellishments and ribbon) or take the layout as a starting point.  What's important is that you take time to create and make something beautiful!  

Today I have to give credit to the wonderful Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty.  I have taken her "Let's Giggle with Happiness Blooms" post and applied the A Big Thank You stamp set and Share What You Love DSP.  

Here is today's card...

Step-by-step instructions

1.)  Start with a piece of Old Olive card stock cut to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" as the card base. 

2.)  Adhere a piece of Whisper White card stock cut to 4" x 5 1/4" to the card base with Snail Adhesive. 

3.)  Adhere three strips of Share What You Love DSP (1" x 4") to a piece of Old Olive card stock cut to 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" with Snail Adhesive. 

4.)  Stamp the sentiment from A Big Thank You stamp set in Fresh Fig ink on Whisper White card stock. 

5.)  Use the Big Shot and 2nd smallest rectangle (Old Olive) and smallest rectangle (Whisper White sentiment) dies from Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies. Adhere together with Snail Adhesive. Adhere to the card with mini Stampin' Dimensionals. 

6.)  I added some additional embellishments with a twist of copper twine underneath the sentiment section and a few bronze colored sequence.  

Thanks for stopping by today for this quick and easy CASE card!

Keep Austin Crafty! 

Fresh Flowers

Hello and Welcome!

A happy Saturday morning to all of my fellow crafters!  Today I am sharing a card that was made for my dear old dad as a HUGE Thank You for the work he did to help me create the crafting space that I so lovingly call my "she shed".  As you may know, we recently completed the project to turn my extra closet into a craft space and I could not be happier with how it turned out.  Now I have a special place for all my crafting goodies and a quiet space to create cards like the one I am sharing today.  

Here is today's card...

   

Don't you just love all those beautiful flowers going up the edge of the card?! I tried to bring some real garden aspects into the card as well with a dark background and twine as the embellishment.

Step-by-step instructions

1.)  Start with a piece of Whisper White card stock cut to 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" as the card base.  

2.)  Using the second and third largest die cuts in the Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies series cut one piece in Soft Suede and one piece in Whisper White card stock.  

3.)  Using the smallest die cut of the Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies series cut one piece of Whisper White card stock and stamp the sentiment in Fresh Fig ink.  

4.)  Stamp the floral background using the A Big Thank You stamp set in Fresh Fig, Powder Pink and Garden Green ink onto the die cut white card stock.

  

5.)  Wrap with Linen Thread and secure the sentiment and added button embellishment with the Fine Tip Glue Pen.  

6.)  Adhere the layer of Soft Suede card stock with Snail Adhesive and the stamped Whisper White layer with Stampin' Dimensionals.  

7.)  Stamp the corner of the envelope with the matching floral background for added color.  

Reminds me of a lovely spring garden! 

I'll be entering this card into the following challenges: 

Freshly Made Sketches #374

Global Design Project #175

Keep Austin Crafty! 

Beautiful DSP - Gift Set #2

Hello and Welcome!

As promised, I am back today to share the second gift set project that I completed using my new Stampin' Up! goodies.  You can check out my first gift set post here.

Here is the lovely finished product...

Again, hopefully this picture shows up well on everyone's end.  I tried to get it as large as I could so you could see the detail on each of these cards.  You can see the original card in the back, left corner.  I started off making the first two cards with the velvet ribbon and then decided to change it up by adding a pearl adhesive to the last two cards.  It's always fun to make each card stand out in different ways!  Each card also features a different stamp on the "window-like" layer.  I'm a big fan of stamping the paper to create an original background!    

For step-by-step instructions on how to construct these cards, you can see the original post here! 

Paper: Share What You Love DSP, Share What You Love coordinating cardstock

Ink: Fresh Fig, Crumb Cake or Tuxedo Black

Stamp Set: A Big Thank You

Embellisments: Fresh Fig velvet ribbon, Share What You Love self-adhesive pearls

Keep Austin Crafty!   

Beautiful DSP - Gift Set #1

Hello and Welcome!

I hope all my readers had a wonderful weekend! I am back today to share a gift set project that I worked on and completed this last week.  Last Tuesday, I posted a project using the new goodies from my Stampin' Up starter kit (you can check that post out here).  I was so happy with how they turned out that I decided to make a coordinating gift set.

Here is the lovely finished product...

Ok hopefully this picture shows up well on everyone's end.  I tried to get it as large as I could so you could see the detail on each of these cards.  I love how they turned out! You can see the original card in the back, left corner.  The design was so simple and easy to re-create that these cards came together pretty quickly once I got on a roll.  The colors are so rich and vibrant!

For step-by-step instructions on how to construct these cards, you can see the original post here! 

Paper: Share What You Love DSP, Share What You Love coordinating cardstock

Ink: Fresh Fig, Crumb Cake or Tuxedo Black

Stamp Set: A Big Thank You

Check back Thursday for gift set #2!

Keep Austin Crafty!   

Clean and Simple

Hello and Welcome!

A happy Tuesday to all of you.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I love when a card just comes together so nice and neat.  Sometimes I go through so many changes to a card that I can't even remember what my original thought was and sometimes cards have to be scrapped all together.  But that's the creative process and don't we all love it?!?

However, that wasn't the case with today's card...

It just brings a smile to my face seeing that beautiful bouquet of flowers.  I love that the burst of color really helps to make them the focus of the card. 

Step-by-step instructions

1.) Start with a piece of kraft cardstock as the card base (the finished card measures at 4 7/8" x 3 1/2").
2.) Cut two pieces of cardstock (one white, one kraft) at 4 3/8" x 3" for the two layered pieces.
3.) Die cut the shape of your choice (I chose a circle for this card) on the piece of kraft cardstock.
4.) Adhere the two layered pieces to the card base.
5.) Stamp the bouquet in Stampin' Up Early Espresso.
6.) Add the coloring of your choice to the stamped image. I used my Firefly Alcohol Markers in the following colors: Pale Green, Vivid Green, Rose Red, Old Red and Yellow Ochre
7.) Die cut a banner shape and stamp a "Thank You" sentiment in Stampin' Up Early Espresso.
8.) Adhere the sentiment die cut using adhesive dimensionals
9.) I added a silver button and linen thread for extra dimension.

See a close up of those bright colors below...

I will be entering this card into the challenges listed below.

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Alcohol Inks

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Clean and Simple

Keep Austin Crafty!

Simple Thanks

Hello and Welcome!

I am finishing up this week with a simple thank you card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches.  I am very excited to be going on an annual girl's trip this weekend and Friday cannot come fast enough! San Antonio here I come!

So here is today's card...

I used some darker colors for this card, but I think it makes for a mature look.  I had a hard time deciding on the sentiment, but ultimately went with a simple "Thanks".  I think the colors and the simple flourishes could really be used for so many different sentiments.  Perhaps I'll keep playing with this layout and see what happens on the next card!

Here is the sketch for Freshly Made Sketches this week...

Supplies Used: Jack and Jill by Lori Whitlock cardstock, SU linen thread, SU Crumb Cake ink and SU A Big Thank You stamp set

Keep Austin Crafty!

Just keep it simple...

Hello and Welcome!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving.  The family and I had a wonderful day and I am so very thankful that I was able to spend the day with the people that I love!

I am back today to share a simple "thanks a bunch" card.  We are having some beautiful weather today and it has inspired me to play with some bright colors and keep it simple.  I completed two cards and I thought I would complete a few more to make a card set as a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law.

Here are my two cards...

And shown as a set so far...

The sentiment "Thanks a Bunch" is stamped on the inside with black ink.  I think this is the first card I've made with no sentiment on the front and at first I thought "hmmm...it definitely needs something", but the more I thought about it I figured I would just let the beautiful die cut flowers take center stage.  

Supplies used: Jack and Jill by Lori Whitlock and Recollections for the card stock, flower die cuts (came in an Amazon pack so I don't have any details), and Recollections bling stickers

I am entering this card into the following challenges: 

Tuesday Morning Sketches #480

STAMPlorations November 2018

CAS-ual Fridays CFC -#213

11.23.18 8:48pm update: Ok somehow I managed to finish off two more cards today (Thanksgiving Day = one tired 4 year old who spent alot of time coloring and painting her own handmade cards today)!  I changed up the backgrounds and added a partial sentiment on the front.  I changed the inside to read "Thanks for your Thoughtfulness" and thought the "A Note Of" comment on the front added the perfect touch.  Now all that's left is to package these goodies for Christmas!

Keep Austin Crafty!