Handmade Cards

Dragonfly Garden – A Positive Change

March 11, 2021 by Robin

A new blog design!

Aloha, all!

The dragonfly is a universal symbol of change, transformation and self-realization. With the introduction of my new blog design, I hope that I’m successfully beginning that process for Robin’s Craft Room. There are so many parts of this redesign. Some are right out front, with the new logo and graphics. Others are sitting in the background ready to be introduced soon. And yet others are in the background and only I, as I struggle to learn how to make the best of us them, have to deal with them. But now for the introduction!

My New Outlook On Card-Making

I probably could write an entire essay about how my outlook on my card-making and my writing about it has changed over the last dozen or so years. In fact, I started down that path as I started this paragraph. But I shall spare you that. Instead, I’ll tell you that, during the past year my outlook on so much has changed. The result was that, this past fall, I decided that I wanted the format of my blog to better reflect a change in the way I view creating card designs.

Stampin’ Up! provides us – me and you – with so much beauty in its stamps and papers, that I wanted to focus more on how to show off that beauty. Rather than saying, “I want to make a birthday card,” I’d say to myself, “What can I make to show off this stamp or this paper – or both!” And I’d go looking for just the right fold or layout or technique to do just that. Then I’d look at the card and think, “What do I want this card to say?”

My New Outlook on My Tutorials

With that thought driving my designing, I decided to share how I used Stampin’ Up!’s products to make stunning cards out of those designs. Over the past several months, I’ve worked hard to pair patterned papers or stamps – or both! – with designs that I’ve used in the past to make cards. In fact, I even developed a few new takes on some of my favorite designs.

With all the work I’ve put into these, I’ve chosen once again to put my design tutorials into booklets for sale. As I write this, I’m still not sure how it works, but you can see the booklets that I have for sale here. The tutorials for sale at this point are all fancy folds. But the one I’m working on right now is a card layout booklet. Let me tell you, I’m having a great time with it! I can hardly wait to do more.

Today’s project is one that I used to illustrate one of the tutorials in my Diamond Fold Tutorial Booklet. It features the Dragonfly Garden Stamp Set and the Dandy Garden Designer Series Paper set. I love making this fold – and it folds so nicely that it fits in an A2-sized envelope

My New Logo

With all the work that I’ve been doing to get to this point, I feel that I’ve personally changed a bit. I feel that I’ve changed from being a “rah-rah-rah, oh this is fun, you just have to join me in this fun” type of stamper/blogger. I now feel more like a person who truly enjoys the artistic side of card-making, but in a calm, structured way. I truly admire those who can joyfully slap stuff together into a montage of multi-media art that makes you say, “Wow!” But that’s not me. Calm and structured. That’s who I am, and I’m pleased with the way that my new logo portrays that part of me.

And There’s More

And it’s still a work in progress! Heck, I’m still a work in progress! A few things here and there will change over the next month or two. As I become sufficiently used to my new site, I’ll know better how I wish everything to look and work. As I educate myself about my new site, I hope that you’ll continue to enjoy my posts about what I’m doing.

While I’m exploring my new site, I have a request for you. Would you please explore it, too? And let me know if there’s something that doesn’t seem quite right. By all means, let me know if you have suggestions! Five people get a pack of Stampin’ Dimensionals for responding – random selection!

I can hardly wait for this to become my new normal – and yours, as well!

Happy Stamping!

Sale-a-bration is Over!

February 24, 2021 by Robin

Sketch Included!

Aloha, all!

It’s the last Wednesday in February! I write that with an exclamation point as this marks two important points in time for me as a card-maker/ blogger. First, it’s time for Island Hopping! That’s what happens on the last Wednesday of every month. My friend, Cheryl Hamilton, from the island of Maui, and I, from the island of Hawai’i, join forces to create blog posts on a particular theme.

This month brings us to the second point in time that’s important for both of us. Sale-a-bration ends at the end of the month! So our theme for the end of February is that Sale-a-bration is still on! But only for four more days 🙁

My Two Favorite Sale-a-bration Freebies!

While I may still have one or two more posts about Sale-a-bration products, for this post I wanted to showcase my favorite Sale-a-bration freebie. But I finally couldn’t decide which, so I chose two. Well, one and a half. My absolute favorite Sale-a-bration freebie is the bundle of the Berry Blessings Stamp Set and the Berry Delightful Designer Series Paper. But my almost absolute favorite (do I sound like a 10-year old?) is the A Touch of Ink Stamp Set. So today I have for you a fun card layout using the A Touch of Ink Stamp Set combined with the Berry Delightful Designer Series Paper!

All the Touch of Ink Stamps Are Favorites!

In the beginning, I thought that fun Hummingbird was going to be my favorite. But then I started playing with the other stamps that have both an outline image and a filler image. I couldn’t spend too much time thinking about what I was going to feature in today’s post, so I pulled them all out of my stamp case. And, yes, I am going to show them all to you today. Along with that gorgeous Berry Delightful paper.

Here’s a bit about what I did with all of these cards. I stamped the outline images just the way one normally stamps: ink the stamp and stamp the paper. For the fill images, though, after I ink the stamp I stamp it on a piece of scrap paper – called “stamping off.” It gets some of the ink off the stamp and then the fill is ready to be stamped onto the line art.

The Hummingbird and the Leaves

The card at the beginning of this post features the Rich Razzleberry print from the Berry Blessings paper set. I love how the Just Jade color looks with Razzleberry, so I chose those two colors for this sample.

The Butterflies and the Flowers

As you’ll see with the following three samples, I couldn’t make up my mind which colors I was going to use with which papers. The list of colors for the Berry Blessings paper set include both Night of Navy and Balmy Blue. And I quickly found the prints from the paper set that I wanted to use. But which blue would I use and did I want to add a color. I answered that last question quickly: “No. Just one color.” But which blue kept me going back and forth. So here are the samples.

I really like the Night of Navy with the blue plaid. But I just couldn’t find myself liking the same color with the blueberry print. And, no I didn’t make another card. I simply pulled the Night of Navy layers off the middle card and added new layers with Blueberry Bushel-colored images. Which do you prefer? Maybe if I’d done the color blocking a bit differently with the blue-based cards I would have been happier with them. As it is, I’m happy enough with all them that they will definitely be sent off to friends!

The Sketch

It’s been a while since I’ve included a sketch with a blog post. But I had to sketch this one out because I wanted all of the samples to have the same design. So I’m sharing it with you. I’d love to see anything that you might make with this sketch AND I’ll be happy to share it here for others to see, too! Click here for the layout.

The Bottom Line

First of all – remember that Sale-a-bration is ending soon! If you’d like some ideas for what to buy to get one or both of these fun products FOR FREE, just let me know. For example, if you bought all of the products that I used to make these cards, along with some adhesives and envelopes, you’d just about be at the point that you could get the Berry Blessings Paper AND a Stamp Set FOR FREE!

And by all means, when you make something fun based on one of my blog posts, I’d love to share it here. Just let me know!

And Most Important – visit Cheryl Hamilton’s Blog to see what she’s done with Sale-a-bration products!

Happy Stamping!

Butterfly Jewels

February 22, 2021 by Robin

Butterfly Brilliance Stamp Set and Dies

Aloha, all!

While I know that Sale-a-bration still has a week to go, I still cannot wait to tell you about a brand new bundle coming your way! It’s Butterflies! I actually heard some of you say, “Oh, no! More butterflies?” Oh, yes. And they’re wonderfully different! Not only that, the products that you’ll be seeing are a perfect complement to other butterfly products already in Stampin’ Up!’s catalogs

A Sneak Peek at the Butterfly Bijou Designer Series Papers

Yes, I love the new Butterfly Brilliance stamp set and dies that are in this new suite of products. But most of all I love the papers. Do you see all those butterflies? I cut every single one from two sheets in the Designer Series Paper set. Did I hand cut them? No. You all know I have a Brother Scan ‘n Cut machine. I fed the sheets into it and, with a bit of finagling, out popped these beautiful critters.

As I made this card, I wondered which two or three butterflies I’d choose to accent this card. As I added them onto the die-cut circle I’d made for this fun-fold card, I kept thinking, “Maybe just one more over here.” And that’s how I ended up with such a beautiful cluster of color and size of butterflies. Did you see that I even added one last one to the paper that’s on the inside of the card?

The Sentiment is an Oldie-but-Goodie

The Butterfly Gala Stamp Set has been around for a bit. It’s the set that goes with the Butterfly Duet Punch. Stamp two butterflies/punch both at the same time. And it has a lovely collection of sentiments that are going to go beautifully with the new stamp set, as it does with this card. One of the “Good Things in Life” is definitely butterflies. And what a lovely sentiment to put on a card for a friend.

About the Fun Fold Card

Believe it or not, pandemic or not, I am terrifically busy! Yes, I made this fun fold card, but I generally followed someone else’s directions. I’ve decided that I’d like to make some adjustments to the directions that I was given, so I’m going to write my own tutorial with my own adjustments to the design. But I just do not have the time this week. But soon! And I really don’t think it’s going to be too long before you see one of the projects that’s taken up a lot of my time.

Get Ready for Some Blog Changes!

I’ve loved every minute of using its current design, which I’ve had for three years now. But I’ve been feeling that I’d like a change, and I’m so excited about the design that’s being developed for me. It’s really close, and I can hardly wait to see it myself. Stick around to check it out because I’ll be having some blog candy to celebrate once I get the new design on its feet!

The Bottom Line

And don’t forget to check back here next week to find out more about the new Butterfly Brilliance Stamp Set and all that goes with it! I’m almost as excited about that as about my blog redesign!

A Dragonfly Garden Birthday Wish

February 13, 2021 by Robin

For a garden lover

Aloha, all!

A favorite stamp set in the current Stampin’ Up! Mini Catalog is called, Dragonfly Garden. And my favorite image in the stamp set is a group of flowers, growing in a garden, which is exactly what I think of when I want to attract Dragonflies to my garden. Of course, in my perfect Dragonfly Garden, there has to be a pond. But I can make believe there’s one there somewhere.

From One Set of Papers to Another

I began the design for this card with the idea that I was going to use the Dandy Garden Designer Series Paper for he background. And that’s where the planning for this card stopped. I couldn’t quite figure out how I was going to construct the card front with any of the papers in that set. Of course the first thing I started doing was flipping through Pinterest and other online sources for ideas. I saw a card made with one of the beautiful Ornate Layers Dies on not one but three occasions. I’m sure I saw other great ideas, but this die-cut frame was what grabbed me each time I saw it.

The problem with this die and the Dandy Garden papers was that the only designs in the paper that worked with the frame were not a color that I had in mind for this card. But a brand new set of papers was going to work beautifully. The paper set is Butterfly Bijou, and will be available for everyone to see – and purchase! – at the beginning of March.

The sheet of paper that I chose featured three colors that were going to go perfectly with the floral stamp from the Dragonfly Garden Stamp Set: So Saffron, Blushing Bride, and Mint Macaron. This sheet from the Butterfly Bijoy paper set looks just as if someone had done a watercolor wash over a piece of watercolor paper to create the most gorgeous background!

There’s Still a Piece of Dandy Garden Paper In the Card!

Before I put the Dandy Garden Paper away, though, I had to snatch a dragonfly from one of the dragonfly prints. And, no, I did not fussy cut this little cutie. The Dragonflies Punch punched it out of the Designer Series Paper perfectly! Both the large and small dragonflies printed on one of the sheets work with the punch. Unfortunately you can’t punch both dragonflies out at the same time because of the way they are printed. But it’s still easier that cutting those critters by hand!

A Special Happy Birthday

I made this card for a special person, my husband’s aunt. Her birthday is coming up in just a few days. One of her favorite things to do is to walk in a wilderness-type area on the property on which she lives. Certainly there are flowers and birds. But there’s also a large pond and it attracts some beautiful insects including – you guessed it! – dragonflies. I can just see this scene out where she walks.

I found a birthday greeting that I thought would go perfectly with the other elements of this card in the Timeless Tulips Stamp Set. Because I organize my stamps by name, it seems that my two favorite birthday greetings sit right next to one another. One is in Timeless Tropical and the other is the Timeless Tulips. Works for me! I especially like this particular sentiment because of its size. It fits nicely on a 1/2″ strip of cardstock. And I can mat it with a 3/4″ strip of a coordinating color cardstock. In this case I used Mint Macaron, the cardstock I used for the card base for the card. I added two Rhinestone Basic Jewels to give the card a little bling.

The Bottom Line

I love that Stampin’ Up! seems to have been doing more in the way of “natural” designs. That includes its Designer Series Papers as well as its stamp set. I was thrilled with the Dragonfly Garden set with its coordinating Dandy Garden paper set. Then there is the Enjoy the Moment Set featuring seed pods. You’ve seen some work I’ve done with that set here. And now there’s the upcoming Butterfly Bouquet suite. Of all of them right now, the Dragonfly Garden is my favorite. You can click on its picture in the slideshow below and learn more about it and coordinating product in my personal Stampin’ Up! store right now! You will love all the products that go with it.

Whatever you are doing this week with your stamping, I hope you’re having fun with it!

Another Valentine Fun Fold!

January 29, 2021 by Robin

Easel Fold for Valentine’s Day

Aloha, all!

On Wednesday I showed you a fun variation on the traditional easel card. And, yes, if you haven’t seen a “traditional” easel card, I’ll be sharing one in a few days. Anyway, after I’d had so much fun making Wednesday’s Vertical Easel Card, I managed to come across yet another twist on the easel card idea. It’s a Diagonal Easel Card. I just saw the card and figured I could come up with a sample myself without instructions. And I did!

A Square Card That’s Simple to Make!

My vertical easel card started as a 5″ square card. I enjoyed looking at that square card so much that I decided to make today’s card square also. It’s another 5″ square, and that creates lots of room for decorating. Not only that, the diagonal design allows you to adhere the center element right onto the card front. There’s no need to create a base on which that element rests, which is what I had to do with the vertical easel.

Snail Mail – What Fun!

Do you see all the snails on this card?! I love that the snail stamp from the Snailed It Stamp Set is carrying an envelope with a heart – perfect for Valentine’s Day! There are even versions of that cute stamp printed on the Snail Mail Designer Series Paper set. I did managed to hide those two on this sheet of paper. But you can still see a bit of the heart-sealed envelopes in a couple of places.

I Couldn’t Resist Using Paper Pumpkin Elements

I have two thoughts when it comes to using Paper Pumpkin elements on projects I share here. One thought is, “Why share it when your readers can’t buy it?” That’s because, once a Paper Pumpkin kit is shipped, you can’t say, “Ooooh, I want this” and then go order it. It’s no longer for sale. The other thought is, “Maybe if they see how much fun these kits are they’ll subscribe!” It’s that thought I like best. I have been having so much fun with Paper Pumpkin kits lately, and I’d like you to have the same kind of fun. Of course occasionally I’ll see the promotional e-mails that all Paper Pumpkin subscribers get and think, “That’s not for me.” So I pause getting the kit for that month. I’ve only really regretted that move once.

There are three elements on this card that are from the January 2021 Paper Pumpkin kit. The first is the smaller of the snails on the heart. January’s Paper Pumpkin kit was Valentine Cards, and that snail was in the stamp set that shipped with the kit. So cute! She’s facing towards the right in the stamp, but I used a Silicone Craft Sheet to create a mirror image of the stamp.

The second element from the Paper Pumpkin kit is the “hi, valentine!” sentiment. I stamped that using Real Red Ink and then punched it out using the Classic Label Punch. Finally, I added some of the Blushing Bride Resin Hearts that I had left over from the kit. You can see one of them up in the right corner of this picture.

The Many Hearts Die Set

I’d loved the way that the hearts in my last easel card layered up to make a very nice center element. So back I went to the Many Hearts Dies set for this card as well. I die-cut the scalloped heart in Real Red Cardstock, and then added another print from the Snail Mail Designer Series Paper set. The snails were going to make the layer busy enough that I didn’t think I needed another layer.

I frequently forget to stamp the inside of my cards. By the time I finish a card front, I already have an idea for the next card and that’s where my attention goes. But, with the Easel-style cards, something has to go inside for the card front to rest against to keep it popped up, making an easel. So while I’m there, I might as well decorate.

For today’s card, I repeated the Heart-printed paper that’s in the background on the large center heart. But I wanted something a little bit frillier to go with this cute card. So back to the Many Hearts Die set I went. I cut out the very dainty string of outlined hearts to add to the printed paper. I found that the best way to attach the heart strip to the paper was to apply a strip of transparent tape to the bottom of the strip and then attach that to the back of the paper. The tape helps keep the heart strip steady as you’re attaching it. Then it keeps it in place on the paper – as transparent tape is supposed to do!

Finally the Stopper

You want something that’s solid and thick to act as a stopper for the easel card front. Those flimsy little hearts were not going to work. Then I found a little heart die in, yes, the Many Hearts Dies. It fit almost perfectly over one of the outline hearts. I added a Stampin’ Dimensional to the back of the heart and, voilà! A stopper that did the trick. Oh, and there’s another of those Paper Pumpkin resin hearts.

The Bottom Line

So much of what Stampin’ Up! makes for you to buy coordinates with other Stampin’ Up! products. Usually those products are all featured in a “suite” of products. But Paper Pumpkin is starting to do more and more to coordinate with current catalog products. In fact, the latest from the Paper Pumpkin creative crew is that they’re going to be doing more of this. It makes so much sense to me.

I was so excited to be able to use products from this month’s kit that went perfectly with a suite in the January – June Mini Catalog. Maybe you might think about signing up for a subscription. And don’t forget that the price of a subscription counts towards Sale-a-bration FREE products! I’ve added the various Paper Pumpkin Subscription kits in the slide show of products below. If you click a link it will take you right to my Stampin’ Up! store if you’re interested!

Happy Stamping!