Last, but not least, is my final OSW card.  You can see the other 2 cards here.

For this card I went back to the Big Shot and the embossing folders, this time choosing a floral pattern.  I also highlighted the embossing by brushing my sponge (in Summer Sun ink) along the raised portions of the design to help them stand out more.

I went back to the original mat of Basic Black, then Regal Rose.  I also stamped the inside of each of my cards (but I forgot to take a picture for you to see that).  I did stamp the envelopes and color them with my blender pen - you can see the envelope for this card peeking out to the left.  Additionally, I sponged the edges of my card with Regal Rose ink.

I hope all of my "Moms" had an extra special day!  Love you all!

Tags: Big Shot, Cards, Dry Embossing, versamark resist

Here is the second card I made using my OSW (you can see the original post here).

For this card, I embossed the background using my Big Shot and the dots embossing folder.  Because the background was dry embossed, I couldn't stamp my greeting directly on the background, so I stamped on a window sheet using black StazOn ink.  I attached the window sheet using pink brads.

For this OSW, I only matted it with Basic Black (leaving off the Regal Rose).  I really like the embossed background with the greeting floating on top.

(You can click on the picture to bring up a larger view).

Tags: Big Shot, crop-a-dile, embossing, eyelets, versamark resist

I made this card for my dear friend Leslie's birthday. I have to admit that I love the way it turned out. Sort of an impressionistic, water-colored look. What do you think?

Here's how I made it:

1) Cut Rich Razzleberry card stock at 5.5" x 4.25".

2) Cut Whisper White card stock at 8" x 5.25" and score at 4" (so folded card is 5.25" x 4").

3) Dry emboss card front using the Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Folder and the Big Shot (love the deeply etched images these folders create!).

4) Water color the flowers using an Aqua Painter and Rich Razzleberry and Crushed Curry ink pads. Add a bit of foliage color with Garden Green ink.

5) Stamp greeting from Sincere Salutations with Garden Green ink in upper right corner of card front.

6) Attach embossed card front to Rich Razzleberry card base. Stamp birthday greeting on inside using Rich Razzleberry ink.

Leslie - I hope your birthday was as special as you are!

Stamps: Sincere Salutations, Full of Life

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Garden Green

Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Aqua Painter, Manhattan Flower Impressions die, Big Shot

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I think I've mentioned previously that I am learning how to quilt and I just love it when I get to combine 2 of my favorite hobbies like stamping and quilting! Don't you love this scrappy-looking
"quilt" as the front of this birthday card? This card just makes me happy. And I am sucker for purple, so the Rich Razzleberry is perfect for me. Not sure I'm going to be able to give this card away. LOL! Oh wait, I can make more.

Unfortunately you cannot see the texture this card has. Once I made my "quilt", I texturized the piece by running it through my Big Shot with one of the texturz plates, and then cut it out with the Top Note die. It looks really cool in person. And don't you just love that Modern Label punch? It's so cute!

Here's how I made this card:

1. Punch 1 ¼" squares from the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP. You need enough to cover a piece of Whisper White card stock that is 4" x 5.25". Attach the squares as desired to the white card stock (note: you don't need perfect coverage on the edges, because you are going to die cut this piece with the Top Note die).
2. Using your favorite Texturz plate, dry emboss this piece using the Big Shot (tip: spritz your cardstock with a little water before dry embossing in the Big Shot – it helps create a deeper impression)
3. Die cut this piece using the Top Note die and the Big Shot.
4. "Stitch" the blocks together with a black pen (this is faux stitching).
5. Tie a piece of Rich Razzleberry polkadot ribbon around the Top Note piece.
6. Attach a 4" x 5.25" piece of Melon Mambo card stock to the front of your Rich Razzleberry card (5.5" x 8.5" folded in half).
7. Attach Top Note piece to the front of the card.
8. Stamp happy birthday from Teeny Tiny Wishes with Rich Razzleberry ink on a scrap piece of Crushed Curry card stock and punch out with the Modern Label punch. Sponge edges with Rich Razzleberry. Attach to front of card in desired location.

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black marker

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Accessories: Modern Label Punch, Rich Razzleberry Polkadot ribbon, sponge dauber, Big Shot, Top Note die, Stampin' Up! backgrounds 1 texturz plates

This was a fun card to make and perfect for that golfing fan (or is it fanatic?) in your life. Unfortunately the picture doesn't show it, but the golf ball actually has little dimples on it, just like a real golf ball – how fun!

This card uses our new In Color – Soft Suede – which is a great color for guys. Not quite green, not quite brown, but definitely not a "girly" color. The golf tee is made from the letter U in the Big Shot Serif Essentials alphabet die. Clever, huh? Wish I could take credit for it, but I learned it from Jennifer Randall (thanks!). The golf ball and the "sky" background both use Glossy white card stock. I love using glossy card stock but sometimes I just totally forget about it (crazy – I know). Glossy card stock gives such a shiny quality to any image you stamp on it – or in this case sponge on it.

Directions:

1) Create card base – 8.5"x5.5" textured Soft Suede card stock folded in half. Sponge edges with Soft Suede ink using.
2) Sponge a piece of glossy white card stock (2.5"x3") using Ballet Blue card stock. Leave some white space towards the bottom of the panel.
3) Mat this glossy card stock with a piece of Dusty Durango card stock (2.75"x3.25"). Attach this to the front of the card.
4) Run a piece of glossy white card stock through the Big Shot with the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds 1 texturz plate (using the dotted background to give the golf ball it's dimples). Punch out golf ball using 1 1/4" circle punch.
5) Create golf tee by die-cutting a piece of Real Red card stock using the Serif Essentials alphabet die (the die with the letter U – you only need a piece big enough to cover the U). Trim off one half of the letter U, leaving the side that looks like a golf tee.
6) Attach the golf tee to the glossy panel, and then attach the golf ball on top of the tee.
7) Fringe a piece of Old Olive card stock (1"x3.25") – be sure you only cut about half way down the strip, or you may accidentally cut off part of your grass. Attach over the golf tee, hiding the bottom of the tee.
Stamp Happy Birthday with Soft Suede ink on Whisper White card stock and punch out using the small tag punch.
9) Using the large tag punch, punch a tag from Dusty Durango card stock. Layer the 2 tags and attach a metallic eyelet using the Crop-a-Dile. Attach to front of card as desired.
10) Tie a piece of Soft Suede polkadot ribbon around the left side of the card.

Give to your favorite golf fan and watch how happy you make them!

Do you look at some colors and they just aren't you? If I'm perfectly honest, Soft Suede is not one of my favorite colors (but I love the rest of the new In Colors this year!). When I have a color that doesn't call to me, it can be a struggle to use it. Do you know what I mean? As I mentioned previously, I *love* the new Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper, and have been playing with it quite a bit. While it doesn't have any Soft Suede in it, I found that this pattern (with Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango) complemented the Soft Suede very nicely. So after all is said and done, I am rather pleased with how this card turned out.

I don't know how well you can see it in the picture (you can click on the picture to bring up a larger view), but I textured the Soft Suede card stock using my Texturz impressions plates and my Big Shot. The texture adds so much dimension and interest to the card – love it! I stamped my silhouette images with Crushed Curry ink on Whisper White card stock and punched them out with the 1 ¼" punch. I sponged the edges with Dusty Durango ink and a sponge dauber. Then I punched Crushed Curry squares using 1 3/8" square punch. When I auditioned my squares on the designer paper I found that they were getting "lost". So I cut some 1 ½" squares from the Dusty Durango and that popped them off the paper. Sometimes just one more layer is all it needs to make an okay project into a wow project.

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Elegant Thank you, Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Ink: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango

Paper: Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede

Accessories: Scallop oval punch, word window punch, sponge dauber, Big Shot, Textures Plate Kit #4, scallop edge punch, paper piercing tool

Have you ever tried our Simply Sent kits? They rock! They have everything you need inside a beautiful box (you don't even have to wrap it if you want to give it as a gift) – stamp set, card stock, envelopes, ink, accessories, step-by-step instructions to create at least 2 cards – everything!

I purchased the Just K Simply Sent kit a couple of years ago, and for whatever reason I haven't been using it – how silly is that? So, I pulled it out today to create a thank you card for a customer. But I decided that it needed something a bit modern, so I turned to my favorite embossing tool – the Big Shot and the Manhattan Flower textured impressions die folder to create some texture and dimension on my Chocolate Chip card before adding my stamped embellishments. I decided that I preferred the debossed side to the embossed side and here is how my card turned out:

I used all of the pieces from the kit and followed a template that was provided in the kit (though I modified it a bit to suit my new card). This was incredibly quick and easy to make, and I think it looks quite elegant with the Manhattan Flower embossed in the base card stock. I also ran the envelope flap through the Big Shot and the Elegant Bouquet impressions die to give a little something extra to the card.

Stamps: Just K Simply Sent (retired)

Ink: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss

Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss

Accessories: Manhattan Flower impressions die, Big Shot, Vintage brads, 1/16" hole punch, chocolate grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

When I first started stamping and paper crafting, one of my favorite things to do was to dry emboss the envelope flaps in which I sent my cards. After so many years of making cards, scrapbook pages, 3D items, etc. I had almost forgotten about embossing my envelopes. Luckily I just received my new Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Die (for the Big Shot or Cuttlebug) and new it would be perfect for dry embossing the flaps on those envelopes again! And how fun to receive a card/envelope like this in the mail – all of that texture and design is almost irresistible.

I made a birthday card for my friend, Carolyn and had to emboss the envelope to match the card. Not sure how well you can see the embossing in the picture above, so here is a close up:

Isn't that just scrumptious? I love, love, love it! This is so elegant, yet oh so easy. These would be perfect for wedding or bridal shower invites. I'm sure you can think of many other reasons to decorate your envelopes.

Did I mention this was easy? Way easier than when I first started with my brass template, wax paper and stylus. Now I just put the flap in the embossing folder, create my sandwich for the Big Shot (in case you were wondering – MultiPurpose Platform/Tab1 -> cutting pad -> embossing folder (with envelope inside) -> cutting pad (top of sandwich)), and run it through the machine. Easy peasy!

Here is the card I made to coordinate:

This is a very simple card, because I wanted the dry embossing to stand out. Here's how I made it:

1) Dry emboss a piece of Pacific Point card stock (8.5 x 5.5") using the Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Die and the Big Shot. Note: I pre-scored and folded my card stock in half (at 4 1/4") so I knew where to place the card stock inside the embossing folder.

2) Ink up a Stampin' Sponge with Whisper White Craft Ink and lightly brush it across the raised embossing to make the design pop out a little more.

3) Using the scallop edge punch, punch the long front edge of the card (leaving a scallop edge).

4) Attach a 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Designer paper (I used Walk in the Park) behind the front edge, lining it up so it is even with the back of the card. (You don't want your designer paper on the front to extend farther than the back of the card or your card won't fit in the envelope.)

5) Stamp the best wishes image from Oval All with Pacific Point ink. Punch with the large oval punch and sponge the edges with Kiwi Kiss ink.

6) Punch a piece of designer paper with the scallop oval punch. Attach the stamped image from the step above to the scallop oval.

7) Use the horizontal slot punch to punch a very small sliver out of the folded edge of the card (you need room to slide the ribbon around).

Tie a piece of Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla satin ribbon (mine was approx. 15"), sliding it through the hole you punched in the previous step. Trim the ends of the ribbon as desired.

9) Attach the stamped image to the card using dimensionals. Stamp birthday greeting on the inside of the card.

Here's a close up of the dry embossing:

Carolyn, I hope your birthday was as special as you are!

Talk about Clean and Simple! This is a single layer card using only Whisper White card stock. I've been wanting to try one for awhile and this week's Color Challenge (CC222) just happened to be a single layer card. Serendipity. J

I wanted to do some dry embossing on my card (which, unfortunately, you cannot see in the picture), and decided to try an experiment with my Big Shot. I die-cut a Top Note shape from the center of some thin chipboard, cut to 5 ½" x 4 ¼". Then I took this reverse shape (not the actual Top Note die-cut, but the leftover chipboard) and treated it like an embossing plate. I used the Multi-purpose platform without any tabs (both tab 1 & 2 were flipped out of the way), then layered the following from bottom to top:

• Top Note reverse image chipboard
• Whisper White cardstock (I actually taped the template to the card stock so I knew it would be in the right place)
• Silicone rubber
• Impressions Pad
• Cutting pad (I used this because my homemade texture plate wasn't as thick as the "real" ones, so I needed some extra height)

I ran this sandwich through the Big Shot and it dry embossed a perfect image of the Top Note die right onto my card stock. Woo hoo – I love it when an idea works!

To stamp the flowers – from Inspired by Nature – I left my "homemade" embossing template on the top of the cardstock, inked up the stamp with Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip, then stamped on the front of the card. The template acted like a mask so I only stamped within my Top Note shape. Cool, huh?! I sponged the edges around the template with Chocolate Chip and the edges of the card with Tangerine Tango.

To tie the Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon on the front, I used my horizontal slot punch to punch a partial hole in the edge of my folded card stock, just big enough to slide my ribbon through, around the back and tied in the front.

As many of you know, I love to stamp my envelopes to coordinate with the card inside and this was no exception. I love how the single flower makes such a lovely statement on this envelope. Wouldn't you love to receive something like this in the mail? Wouldn't it just pique your curiosity to know what was inside?

Stamps: Inspired by Nature

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango ink pad & reinker

Paper: Whisper White

Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, Horizontal Slot Punch, Top Note die, Big Shot, sponge daubers