Retro Coffee Card

Last weekend I saw a sketch post for Retro Sketches on the Facebook group, Coffee Loving Papercrafting.  I knew I had to create something with that sketch and the retiring Perfect Blend.

rs#165

Here is the card I came up with.  I masked off the right side of the card with post-it masking tape, and stamped my cup 3 times with a few splatters in the background for good measure.  Then I stamped the cup again on Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Whisper White cardstock before cutting them out by hand.

All the pieces were adhered together and I popped the lid up using dimensionals.  The finishing touches were double mats with coordinating cardstock and Early Espresso Baker's Twine.  This would make a great card to give with a gift certificate to your favorite coffee spot.  ;)

Supplies:
Stamps: Perfect Blend (Stampin' UP!)
Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake (SU)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Eearly Espresso Bakers Twine, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Circle Framelits (SU)

Perfect Blend

Happy Good Friday to you!  This week has been a super busy one.  My son has had minimum days all week, which should mean more time in our schedule, but the opposite is true.  He's had baseball practice and games for the 2 teams he's involved with, student led conferences, and I've had work, quilt guild and creative deadlines.  On Tuesday alone I made 6 round trips from my house to some activity for my son.  Plus, we have discovered a leak in our floor, but can't figure out where it's coming from.  Oh joy!

I need some serious craft time and nap time to recover.  :)  Next week is Spring break.  Hopefully life can calm down for just a bit.  Sorry I haven't been posting cards all week.  I'm making it up to you with a card, video and 2 sneak peeks.  ;)

First the sneak peek of the "punny" challenge at StampNation that started on April Fool's Day.

You have got to check out what the others have created for this fun challenge!  StampNation members can see it here.  Clicky

My second sneak peek is a card I made exclusively for the StampNation classroom, inspired by member Tink.  She asked what she could do with all the extra paper bags her grocery store gave her.  I answered that question with this card.

After I filmed the exclusive video for StampNation, I kept the camera rolling and filmed a second video for YOU!  :)

https://youtu.be/UABkOapSM8w

Stamps: Perfect Blend (SU)
Ink: Early Espresso (SU)
Paper: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Whisper White (SU); Grocery Bag (Fred Meyer)
Accessories: Bitty Butterfly Punch, Hearts Border Punch (SU); Coffee Cup Die Set (Whimsy)

After the camera stopped rolling on this card, I recycled more brown paper to work on a 3rd card.  This one I have to keep under cover until our new class comes out in the Creativity Grows Here classroom, but I'll give you a sneak peek.

It's amazing what an hour in the stamp room and a little bit of inspiration can do!  What is your favorite use for the bags you bring home from the store?

Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

***If you are looking for the Stampin' Celebration Challenge post click here or continue to scroll down.

Today is a fun day in blog land.  Chaitali has joined forces with some amazing sponsors to offer us prizes and gifts.   (As if having a cup of coffee with hundreds of your online friends wasn't enough.)  I'm predicting this will be a BIG one that you won't want to miss out on.

I enjoy a little coffee with my chocolate and flavored cream.  :)  My husband teases me asking if there is even any coffee in my drink.  Fresh ground coffee is one of my favorite smells.  There is a comfort in its rich aroma.  Here is my "ode to coffee" no matter what style of coffee you prefer.

  
If you saw my Friday post, then you probably recognize the sketch I used from Freshly Made Sketches.   This one is a keeper!

Stamping Supplies:
Stamps: Perfect Blend (SU), Gorgeous Grunge (SU)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede (SU)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Retired DSP (SU), Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, Whisper White
Accessories: Chevron Embossing Folder (SU), Embellished Tag (Mama Elephant), Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon (SU)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween my peeps.  Nothing more scary than a morning without coffee.  (If you drink coffee that is.)

Monday I showed you the Orange Skull version.  Today is the spider web.   They both come from the same sheet of Witches Brew DSP. 

Thanks again to my friend, Sherry, for the inspiration. 

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Click HERE to see this week's deals.



Perfect Blend




Witches Brew DSP



Chevron Embossing Folder



1/8" Black Taffeta Ribbon



Brewing Together ~ CQC#212

My friend, Sherry Piro, has been the biggest cheerleader I know for Operation Write Home.  (OWH)    Recently she sent me a picture of some Valentine's/Love cards she has been working on to send to OWH.  I LOVE them and asked if I could CASE them.  She said, yes, and I plan to CASE them all.

Aren't they adorable?!!!  The one that really got my eye and got my creative juices flowing was the coffee cup.  I had just been thinking that I need to pull that stamp set out and give it some love.  Sherry used heart paper for her cup and I thought it would be cute to use paper for all the holidays to make cards.   Since Halloween is coming up I decided to give it a go with the Witches Brew DSP.  Here is what I came up with.

When I was talking to her about the card she told me she plans on making one for Christmas too.  I told her I wished I had a Halloween "brew" stamp.  She said I should just print one out on the computer.  Brilliant!  Don't you just love creating with friends?  They always have the best ideas.   It would be so easy to print out a few cute sayings onto cardstock and then punch them out like I did with the stamped image here.

To make the cup I stamped it on both sides of my Double Sided Paper, once onto white cardstock for the lid, and one more time onto my Very Vanilla cardstock.  I cut out the DSP, adhered it to the Very Vanilla piece, then popped up the lid on dimensionals before placing it on top of my cup.  That sounds like a lot of stamping and cutting, but it's EASY because you don't have to be precise.

The colors in my card aren't exact, but close to the ones at ColourQ this week.  I will have another card similar to this one later in the week on my blog.  This time I flip the DSP around so more of the spiderwebs show than the skulls.


cQc #212



Thank you Sherry for inspiring me not only with your sweet Valentines, but with your dedication to Operation Write Home. 

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

P.S.  If you are looking for the winners of my weekend giveaway scroll up or click HERE.

P.P.S.  If you are looking for the StampNation Design Team call CLICKY

P.P.P.S.  Today is the last day of Stampin' UP!'s 25 stamp sets for 25% off sale.  Will you be getting the same sets I purchased this morning?  Clicky




Witches Brew DSP



Perfect Blend Stamp Set



Chevron Embossing Folder



Midweek Masculine Throwdown

Operation Write Home has a midweek throwdown today that is right up my alley.  The challenge is to make a Friendship card, but there was a twist posted on the OWH Facebook page.  Make a card that a man could send home to his friends and family.  I usually post my masculine cards on Monday because I like to title them Masculine Monday, but I might have to start a Midweek Masculine or Masculine Midweek posting for OWH since the majority of our heroes are men.

While this card isn't specifically masculine, it isn't feminine either, and I think it is a card any man (or woman) could send to a friend.   It was so fun to make that I am thinking of sending it as my thank you cards this month.

I used the SU Gorgeous Grunge set to create the "messy" background and "coffee spills".  I wrapped some Early Espresso Baker's Twine around the left side and strung it through my tag.  The tag reads: "coffee & friends are the Perfect blend".

The cup was made by first stamping the image from Perfect Blend onto the background paper.  Next I stamped the cup onto Crumb Cake CS, Whisper White CS and Epic Day DSP.  Then I fussy cut all pieces and layered them on my card base.  Crumb Cake on the bottom, the green paper band next and the white lid popped up with dimensionals.

Hopefully this card passes for one a guy would send his friend.  I know plenty of friends "I" plan on sending it to.  Many coffee lovers and Starbucks addicts on my friends list.  :)

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Stampin' UP! Supplies Used:
Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Perfect Blend
Paper: This & That Epic Day DSP, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Whisper White
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Gumball Green
Misc.: Early Epsresso, Baker's Twine, Small Hole Punch (non SU), Circle Punch

The Perfect Blend

When I saw this stamp set in the new catalog I knew I had to get it.  While I am not much of a coffee drinker, unless it is added to chocolate, many of my friends are.  So, I thought it would make cute cards to send to them.  At first I was disappointed that it didn't come with a Framelit, but it's super easy to cut out.

I stamped the main image onto Crumb Cake cardstock and then stamped it onto Whisper White cardstock.  Both times I used Baked Brown Sugar ink.  For the white piece I used Black Staz-On in to stamp the sentiment and Real Red to stamp the little heart from Lovely Little Labels stamp set.

Next I cut out the white pieces with super sharp paper snips.  If you know me, then you know I am not good at cutting, but the sharp pointy scissors really do help, as do the lines in the image.

For the background Crumb Cake piece I used the Deco Label Framelits and ran it through the Big Shot.  Then I glued the white band on, and used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop up the lid.  The label is glued onto an Early Espresso mat with a Real Red Ribbon, and the mat is popped up using more dimensionals.  (I love those things!)

In case you were wondering, my sketch inspiration came from this week's Mojo Monday challenge.  You still have lots of time to enter your own card into the challenge.

Now comes the hard part?  Which coffee loving friend will my first coffee cup card be sent to?  I better get to work making more!

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Supplies used (all Stampin' UP! unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Perfect Blend, Lovely Little Labels
Colors: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White
Paper: Mocha Morning DSP (retired)
Misc: Deco Labels Framelits, 1/8" Real Red Taffeta Ribbon





Perfect Blend




Lovely Little Labels



Deco Label Framelits