DogGone Delightful Stampin'

Masculine Merry Moose Birthday Card

Hello Fellow Stampers ~

We're starting the final week of 2020 - I cannot quite believe it!!  What a year it has been!!  Both on a personal level; and for DDS Studios.  We've struggled through, and we're still here!!  😊😊😊  That's a good thing!!  As we are exploring new ways of doing things here at DDS Studios, I hope to start 2021 with a fresh outlook.

We are busily clearing the decks this week of the "old" (so hard we're calling that beautiful "August - January 2020 Holiday Mini" "OLD" -- sheesh!); and organizing in all of the Brand New - the 2021 January - June Spring Mini catalog.  Did you get yours yet?  If you need one, contact me ASAP!  And I'll be sure to get one into your hands!

 

Today I'm showcasing the card I designed for my Husband's Christmas Eve birthday ~  always a neat trick to try to separate Christmas from the Birthday celebrations; but I'm learning to pull it off!!!

The other "trick" is creating that perfect masculine birthday card without too much froo-froo!!

This design was inspired by the tissue paper I found to wrap his birthday gifts in!  Seemed the perfect color combination to me!

 

Design Colorology . . .

Whisper White

Gray Granite

Basic Gray

Basic Black

Silver Foil

Night of Navy

This is a fabulous color combination for a masculine-inspired card design.  I really like the subtleness and how the colors go so well together.  I will point out that Gray Granite has a Taupeish/brown undertone, and so using something like Sahara Sand in its place would also work.

I'm using a combination of our Moose Punch, Pine Woods Dies, and the Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set to create this card.

Keep in mind, that we are losing both our fabulous Moose Punch and the Pine Woods Dies on January 4th.  Don't miss out on these spectacular tools!  I LOVE them!!

The card base is cut from White, 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4".

The background is cut from Basic Gray and embossed with the Absolutely Argyle 3D Emboss Folder.  VERY masculine!

Then I created "offset" layers down the center of the card - Night of Navy, Gray Granite, Silver Foil, and a lovely Gray plaid piece from the Plaid Tidings DSP.

The measurements are as follows:

Night of Navy - 2-1/2" x 5-3/8"

Gray Granite - 2-3/8" x 5-3/8"

Silver Foil - 2-1/4" x 5-3/8"

Plaid DSP - 2-1/8" x 5-3/8"

By "offset", I means that you should align all these layers on their left edge and allow the right side to have that "peek" of color.

From there I cut two of the tree trio from the die set - one in Night of Navy, one in Basic Black as a "shadow".  They are layered together and then to the front of the card (no dimensionals).  I also cut the larger "detail" tree die cut out of Night of Navy, and laid it so it looks more "forward" of the "background" trees.

Then the moose is punched from Basic Black and popped with dimensionals over all of that.

I finished off by stamping this fabulous "masculine" looking font sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays in Night of Navy, and punched with the Classic Label Punch.  This punch is a GREAT masculine punch.  It is also popped with the mini-dimensionals.

And I finished off the card with 3 of the beautiful Iridescent Pearls - sadly these are also retiring!!  They were my favorite embellishment from this catalog -- don't miss out on stocking your stash!!

The inside was finished using the trees from the Merry Moose stamp set, and this fabulous sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays.  This is a MUST HAVE stamp set for your basic collection!  It is so versatile and useful!

Overall, it is a fabulous card; not too hard to throw together!  And yes, he loved it 😉😉

 

Be sure to snag retiring products soon!!

 

Hope everyone is having a quiet week and getting into those craft rooms for some creative time!!

I Love to hear from you.  Leave your questions or comments below!!

Hugs, . . .

 

 

 

"It's the Sentiment that Counts!" - September Stampin' Pretty Pals Blog Hop

Good Morning Fellow Stampers ~

It's the 2nd Wednesday of September; and as we close out the end of Summer and anticipate the beginning of Autumn, the Stampin' Pretty Pals are designing projects that showcase fabulous sentiments - because, after all - it is ALL about the sentiment; don' you agree?!?  

You may be starting the hop here or you may be hopping over from Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom.    Either way, you’ve come to the right place.  When you're done perusing today's project, you’ll find the the full line-up below to help you move or “hop” along your way from Pal-to-Pal.

Today's design is centered around creating a fabulous Autumn-themed birthday card.

When you're making the sentiment the focal point of your card design, what better way to do it than with a large, bold font-style.  The Ridiculously Awesome stamp set is perfect for this sort of design!

 

And when I was designing this card, I decided to use my simple half-front, flap card - but step it up into a new look!

You can catch a peek of it here; I used the Stitched Nested Label Dies to create the front flap; but you'll note the piece it was cut out of is part of the back inside of the card which creates a finished 'nested' look to the entire card.

 

I also love the new Stitched Leaves Dies which I incorporated here for the Autumn theme.

Here's a closer look at how the front flap of the card nests to the back inside - ready to see what that looks like when you open it up?

 

Don't you just love it??  I hope the birthday girl will too!!

 

This card really is ALL about the sentiment!

 

I hope you have enjoyed today's Autumn Birthday design - centered around a fabulous sentiment!

More inspiration awaits!  Use the Blog Hop Line-up below to visit the rest of this month’s Design Team.  My fellow Pals are excited to show you what they’ve created!  Mark your calendars for our next blog hop, which will be Wednesday, October 14th when our theme will be “Tag, You're It.”  Be sure to come back to see what that "teaser" will turn into!  😉😉  Don’t miss the fun!

I Love to hear from you.  Leave your questions or comments below!!

Until Next Time . .  Puppy Hugs, . . .

Pals Blog Hop Line-Up:

1. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
2. Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
3. Jeanie Stark at Just Stampin’
4. Melissa Seplowitz at The Stamping Ninja
5. Jen Roque at Stamp Camp with Jen
6. Rae Harper Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
7. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
8. Karen Hallam at Karen’s Stamping Habit
9. Deb Walker at Deb Stamps Life
10. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
11. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
12. Sue Jackson at Just Peachy Stamping
13. Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin’
14. Debbie Mageed at Secrets to Stamping
15. Leah O’Brien at Honey Bee Stamping & More!
16. Dacia Smith at My Creative Days
17. Su Mohr at Aromas And Art
18. Diana Carr at The Secret Life of Paper
19. Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
20. Christine Eck at Dances With Hooves Paper Design
21. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
22. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
23. Ann Murray at Murray Stamps INK
24. Pamela Sadler at Stampin’ Pink Rose
25. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
26. Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery

 

So Saturday ~~ 4th of July Birthday Card !

Hello Fellow Stampers ~~

And Happy 4th of July!!

I hope everyone has found a way to celebrate our Nation's Birthday today, despite our trying times!!

It's that time of year again . . . a 4th of July birthday in the family!!!  Interesting I think to have a birthday on the 4th of July!!  I think it makes that person EXTRA special; don't you ??

So I try to dig deep each year and create a birthday card that feels "patriotic" and yet Birthday specific all at the same time!!

And here is this year's contribution!!  😊😊😊

 

Designed as a white background on a white card base, I embossed the background first with the Dainty Diamonds 3D embossing folder.  A nice textured background for a "starburst" feel.

Then I pulled out two other items - first, the new Pattern Play stamp set; and second, our Stitched Star Dies.

First, I used the star confetti image in the stamp set, alternating Real Red and Night of Navy on Whisper White cardstock.  then I used the star spray die to die cut from this pre-stamped piece; then used Fine-Tip Glue to attach across the center of the card.

Then I used several of the detailed star dies from that set to cut out an assortment of stars from Real Red and Night of Navy cardstock.  Then attached those with Fine-Tip Glue as well.

 

By the Way, . . . I used that same stamped cardstock and overstamped the sentiment in Night of Navy, and fussy cut that out.  Pretty cool, huh? 😉😉

The card is finished off with Rhinestones to add that extra "firework" sparkle!!

 

The inside of the card is finished off to match the front!

And that wonderful "Happy Birthday" sentiment that seems to match the front sentiment so well? . . .  You'll find it in the stamp set in the Looking Up All Inclusive Card Kit!

 

 

I think today's design works to celebrate both my Uncle's birthday AND our Nation's -- don't you ?? 😊😊

 

Wishing everyone a wonderful rest of their 4th of July Weekend!  Stay safe & have some creative fun!!

I Love to hear from you.  Leave your questions or comments below!!

Hugs, . . .

 

Mix-It Up Mondays ~~ An Early Summer Jar of Flowers

Hello Fellow Stampers ~

I'm running a little late with getting the posts off the ground this week!  Been busy cleaning up my messy messy studio!!  LOL  I really want to try to do a nice walk-thru video of DDS Studios for ya'all once and for all!!  It's been a year since we took this room down to the studs, and put it back together with a breath of fresh air, and my custom-build studio area.  Many of you have been asking for that video tour; so stay tuned!  I'm planning to "walk you thru" soon!!

 

In the meantime, boxes and boxes of new goodies have been arriving here at the Studio.  I've finally got the shares all separated and packaged up; and all the new goodies organized and put away.  Now I'm ready to play play play!!  Yippee!  I hope you have started to enjoy your new Annual Catalog!!  It's a short ride this year; the Stampin' Up! catalog cycle is changing; and we'll be seeing the Holiday/Winter Catalog very soon!  So get ready!

 

I've been so excited to start playing with all the beautiful flowers we have in this catalog.

Today, I'm kicking off with the Jar of Flowers set.  I played around with a couple of ideas - and learned a little something about the new Mason Jar Shaker Domes - so we'll revisit those with a fun design in the near future!

In the meantime, this pretty little card materialized - and of course, it's in a wonderful blue & yellow combination, which is one of my favorites!!

 

Design Colorology . . .

Daffodil Delight

Balmy Blue

Pear Pizzazz

Early Espresso

Soft Suede

 

This card base is Balmy Blue, 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored at 4-1/4" - fold to the side (a normal A2 card).

A background mat of Whisper White, cut 4-1/8" x 5-3/8".

Then inset matting and focal background as follows:

Balmy Blue, 3-5/8" x 4-7/8"

Daffodil Delight, 3-1/2" x 4-3/4"

The center Daffodil Delight has been embossed with the new Dainty Diamonds 3D embossing folder.  And the center panel has been wrapped with a piece of the new 1/4" Bumblebee Gingham Ribbon.  I love the "country" feel of this ribbon and it's perfect with a "jar" of field flowers - don't you think? 😉😉

**[Lesson Learned Note:  I initially tried to use the Daffodil Delight designer series paper - DON'T!!!  The 3D embossing folders make too deep and impression and the DSP is too thin!  It basically tore it into little pieces!  Yikes!]

 

The Jar of Flowers bundle comes with the new Jar Punch which is perfect and easy peasy to punch out your cute country jar!!

This jar was stamped with Balmy Blue ink on Shimmery White cardstock; then punched.

I added the stems in Pear Pizzazz; then colored them in with a Light Old Olive Stampin' Blend pen.

Then I colored in the "water" in the jar with a Light Balmy Blue Stampin' Blend.  Using a "flick" technique, and working at the diagonal (with the stamped hash marks), this really almost looks realistic!!

The "lid" was stamped in Daffodil Delight on a piece of Daffodil Delight Designer Series Paper, then fussy cut and added to the top of the jar with tombow glue.

Then the flowers were stamped in Early Espresso ink, and colored with Stampin' Blends; and finally fussy cut to go with the top of the jar.  The whole thing is popped with dimensionals on the front of the card - and everything is finished off with Clear Wink of Stella for a lovely shimmery glimmer!

If you look at the photo you can "just" see the shimmer on the jar.

The sentiment is from the Celebrate Sunflowers stamp set, and was fussy cut and popped with dimensionals as well.

 

I'm definitely going to be playing with this set somemore this week!

I really love it! -- How about you?? 😊😊

Hope you had fun with today's design ~~

I Love to hear from you.  Leave your questions or comments below!!

Hugs, . . .

 

"Special Occasions" - April 2020 Stampin' Pretty Pals Blog Hop

Good Morning Fellow Stampers ~

We've arrived at the 2nd Wednesday of April!!  Spring is definitely here!! And just like last month (yikes, a whole month!), we are being warned of a BIG April/Easter snow this coming weekend.  Oh My!!  Probably a good thing that we're stuck at home right now!!

And with that being said, it's time to play with the Stampin' Pretty Pals!   While the COVID-19 pandemic is adding stress to our lives, we Pals hope this blog hop will help to lift your spirits. Let us inspire you to take a creative break and relax for a little while.  This month our theme is “Special Occasions” where we have made a project for just about any occasion you can think of!

You may be starting the hop here or you may be hopping over from Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose.    Either way, you’ve come to the right place.  When you're done perusing today's project, you’ll find the the full line-up below to help you move or “hop” along your way from Pal-to-Pal.

 

When I have the time, one of my favorite things to design is a Really Special Birthday card!

From the time I first saw the absolutely stunningly beautiful Grace's Garden stamp set and coordinating Garden Gateway Dies, I knew there was a birthday card just waiting to happen!!

 

This fabulous stamp and die set creates the most incredible cards.  There are a number of options as to how you can stamp or cut the fence/gate, and create the little garden of your dreams (which I'm doing a lot of dreaming about right now with snow in the forecast - LOL).

 

This card is all about the details.

The card base is cut from thick Whisper White cardstock, 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4".

Then I cut Shimmery White cardstock, on for a background layer to sit behind the garden arch; and one for the brick wall & arch focal.

There is a lot of beautiful sponging on this card - I sponged Seaside Spray, Daffodil Delight & Granny Apple Green on the cardstock that shows through the archway; and also sponged the edges of the card base to blend and match so that it all comes together.

But the brickwork, created by using the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder is really fun!  I used a combination of Terracotta Tile, Petal Pink, and Soft Suede sponged across the raised bricks for that gorgeous color.

 

The rest of this card is in the details.

The pretty flowers - all are easily stamped and die cut.  The only one that is not is the rose flower spray that I stamped in a "half curve" to match the archway; and then fussy cut.  This is easy to do because these are photopolymer stamps.  So you can bend and curve them to create this type of effect.

Behind the gate, stamped on the background the garden continues.  The sentiment is from the Botanical Bliss stamp set.  Perfect little stamp set for so many things (including my Bible journaling I started recently).

The fence was "trimmed/cut" down the center so I could have one gate "open" and the other sitting closed.  I love this effect on the front of the card.

The finished brick/gate/archway piece is actually popped with dimensionals to give some nice dimension against the background.

I think my little kitty watching his bird friend is my favorite!

You can even see the clear wink of stella glimmering on the flower petals in this picture.

 

I also placed Clear Wink of Stella here and there on the brickwork.

This card is so pretty!!

 

You can't have that pretty of a front of the card, without an inside to match!

The inside of this card is triple matted; and the Shimmery White cardstock has been totally sponged to match the front - Seaside Spray blue, Daffodil Delight yellow, and Granny Apple Green.

The cool thing about this, is that I incorporated the piece that was cut out when I cut the archway for the front of the card.

I sponged and attached it to the center; stamped the sentiment from the Forever Lovely stamp set; and then added flowers and another bird to match the front of the card.

It's like you stepped into the garden 😉😉😉

 

I hope you enjoyed today's Birthday occasion inspiration!!   More inspiration awaits!  Use the Blog Hop Line-up below to visit the rest of this month’s Design Team.  My fellow Pals are excited to show you what they’ve created!  Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 13th, when we will say “Goodbye to the Spring Mini and 2019-2020 Annual Catalog and/or Hello to the 2020-2021 Annual Catalog.” The Design Team will showcase their favorites from the retiring catalogs or new products from the new catalog. Don’t miss the fun! And, until then, please stay safe.

I Love to hear from you.  Leave your questions or comments below!!

Until Next Time . .  Puppy Hugs, . . .

 

Pals Blog Hop Line-Up:

1. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
2. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
3. Su Mohr at Aromas And Art
4. Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin’
5. Debra Simonis at Deb’s Stampin’ Grounds
6. Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
7. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
8. Ann Murray at Murray Stamps, Ink
9. Jen Roque at Stamp Camp with Jen
10. Rae Harper Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
11. Lori Pinto at LollyPop Paper and Ink
12. Jeanie Stark at Just Stampin’
13. Sue Jackson at Just Peachy Stamping
14. Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery
15. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
16. Deb Walker at Deb Stamps Life
17. Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity
18. Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
19. Debbie Mageed at Secrets to Stamping
20. Rosanne Mulhern at Heartfelt Stamping
21. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
22. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
23. Leah O’Brien at Ink, Paper, Stamps, Oh My!
24. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards