Cards for May

We are finally starting to have some spring-like days here in Michigan.  This card has two of my favorite things I look forward to this time of year - green leaves & bike rides!  I have made several cards just like this one to have ready to send out during the month.

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #2 - Stamp a stack of cards each month to have ready to send.

I used the Sheltering Tree stamp set; it's one of those all-season sets that can be used over & over again throughout the year.  Plus, it works well for both masculine & feminine cards.

I've made a lot of cards with this set, but I've never shared any here on my blog.  However, if you search "Sheltering Tree, Stampin' Up" in Google Images, you will see many beautiful cards!

Here is a tip that I used in this card that adds a very subtle, yet effective touch:

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #37 - Use a thin yellow mat behind outdoor scenes to give a hint of sunshine.

I love how that little mat brightens up the card in such a simple way!  If you need the Sheltering Tree stamp set to create some fresh and fun cards, you can order it today by clicking on the "Shop Now" button in the right sidebar and following the steps listed under "steps to order".  Or you can just send me a message at godismydelight@yahoo.com.

Thanks for stopping here today!

Lots Of Love Card

This is a "fancier" card than I usually make, but it was still fairly simple.  I think this is a nice card to use for Mother's Day (coming up on May 13) or as a birthday card for someone special.  I have 3 tips to share with you today . . . 2 old ones and 1 new one.  First the new one . . . 

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #36 - Use patterned paper to dress up your envelope.

This only took a couple of minutes to do, but I think it makes it look extra-special.  Simply cut a strip of paper that will cover the flap.  Adhere the paper strip to the flap of the envelope (I use Stampin' Up's Multipurpose Liquid Glue) and then trim the excess paper.  

Then, the next tip I used . . .

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #1 - Copy a design from our catalog.  Modify, if needed to fit your own style or the supplies that you have on hand.

So there's the card that I copied; do you see it?  I modified it by using layers of black & green cardstock as the base, but I totally copied the placement of those little flowers and leaves.  I also added a length of black shimmer ribbon at the top, instead of the embellishment that is shown in the catalog.

Then, one final tip . . .

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #33 - Find inspiration in the objects around you.  Find ways of re-creating the style on a card!

Have you seen these postage stamps?  They came out a few months ago.  As soon as I saw them, they reminded me of the Lots of Love stamp set.  (It makes me wonder if Stampin' Up & the US postal service coordinated on this!)

This has been one of my favorite stamp sets from the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog.  Unfortunately, it is being "retired" and will no longer be available after May 31, 2018.  The coordinating paper, Whole Lot of Lovely (that I used on the envelope) has already sold out.  If you are interested in seeing a list of the other retiring products, you can click here.  

I have already had a sneak peek at the new catalog, which will be released on June 1.  There are so many fabulous new products!  If you would like to have a free copy of the catalog, let me know & I will be glad to put one in mail to you.

Spring Colors

Here in Michigan, we don't have many trees or flowers blooming yet.  But at least we can dream about spring and the beauty that we will soon be enjoying!

Today I am sharing a spring card that I recently made, using the Colorful Seasons set from Stampin Up.  This is definitely a stamp set that can be used throughout the year.  And these are great sentiments as well! 

Here is a card that I made for autumn with this set, and here is a winter card.  I already know that I will be using that chair stamp for a summer card!

But back to my spring card . . .

I want to share with you a fun tip that worked beautifully on this card.  If you look closely, you will see a bit of blue behind the flowers.  This was quick & easy to do, using a sponge.

There is another place where I sponged on some ink, but it isn't as obvious as the blue.  Do you see the green ribbon?  That ribbon started out as white, but I quickly changed it to green!

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #35 - Use a sponge to add subtle touches of color.

Stampin' Up sells sponges in a pack of 3 for $3.50.  I like to cut these sponges into wedges to use for each color.  One pack of sponges can last you forever!

You can send me an email (godismydelight@yahoo.com) or leave a comment if you have any questions.  Thanks for stopping here today!

Inspired By A Postage Stamp

 Have you seen these new postage stamps?  They just came out a couple of weeks ago.  I have always been a fan of Mr. Rogers and rushed to our post office to buy these stamps on the day they were issued.  And it's a good thing that I did because they were sold out within a few short hours!  That means that there are a lot of admirers of Mr Rogers in our town and that makes me happy!

I keep several different kinds of postage stamps on hand.  I often try to match the colors or design of the card I am making to the postage stamp that I will be using. (Just a fun creative exercise for me; I don't expect the recipient to notice!)  So here is the card that I created to go with the Mr Rogers stamp: 

 Obviously there is a lot of red and blue, but notice that I added some touches of gold to match King Friday's crown.  Also, I wanted to use some sentiments that Mr Rogers would.  I looked through all of my stamps to see if I had any that said "I like you" or "You are special".  Surprisingly there weren't any!  But I made some phrases with some of the words from the Thoughtful Banners set that seemed close enough.  

By the way, I copied the design for the card right out of the Annual Catalog.  Whenever I feel stuck in coming up with a design, I open my catalog.  For this card, I knew that I wanted to use the Thoughtful Banners set, so I turned to that page and saw these cards at the bottom:

I liked the middle card the best, so I simply changed out the colors.   This is the very first tip that I shared on this blog!

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #1 - Copy a design from our catalog.  Modify, if needed, to fit your own style or the supplies that you have on hand.

I have read many things about Mr. Rogers and an interesting thing that I learned is that he constantly was sending out notes of encouragement to family, friends, co-workers, and his many "neighbors".  That is why it seems entirely appropriate that his picture is on a postage stamp.  I hope that you feel inspired to send a card to someone today!