I saw a sketch on Splitcoast that immediately made me think of the Sneak Peek set Proud Peacock. The sketch reminded me of a peacock tail!
Supplies
Stamp sets – Proud Peacock, Smarty Pants
card stock – Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze, Greenhouse Gala, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Pear Pizzazz
Stampin Write Markers – Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Pear Pizzazz
Ink – Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy
Etc – Word Window, 2 1/2 circle, Modern Label,2-Step Bird punches, circle scissors, Daffodil Delight satin ribbon, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Itty Bitty flower punch, pearls
I used the rest of the Smarty Pants sentiment on the inside. It says “nobody is better qualified.” At first I thought this sketch would be too hard – now I love it! Try it! Enjoy – Hugs, Fran
Category: Summer Mini
Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch
Here’s a card I did for a Case challenge – case a sample from the demonstrator magazine Stampin’ Success. For this card I simply changed the colors and kept the layout. 
I used the Bold Blossoms stamp set (which is being carried over into the Summer mini) and the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch. This punch does three different images. You slide the lever to choose which one you want. Very fun!
I had the hardest time getting this placed the way I wanted and moved the flowers and oval around many times – until I just said “enough”” and let it go! Go figure!
Supplies
Stamp Set – Bold Blossoms
card stock – Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke
Ink – Pink Pirouette, Early Espresso
Etc – Early Espresso satin ribbon, pearls, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch,1/4″circle punch, Wide Oval punch
We’ve been hanging out in the basement as huge lines of storms and tornadoes pass by outside! Stay safe and sound today!!
Enjoy – Hugs, Fran
A Father’s Day Idea
I don’t even have a Mother’s idea yet – but here’s one for Father’s Day! My father loves to travel and when I saw this double easel card on The Three Sisters site I pictured a card for him using The Open Sea. (See – I got the name right this time!)
The sentiment (from Best Dad Ever) and the anchor are embossed and the “stops” are staggered to hold the sides at different levels.
I almost printed “You Mean the World to Me” until I remembered that this sentiment is in Word Play! Perfect!
Supplies
Stamp Sets – The Open Sea, Best Dad Ever, Word Play
card stock – Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Nautical Expedition DSP
Ink – Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy (Classic and Craft), Versamark
Etc – Antique brad, Vintage brass brad, Word Window punch, 1 3/8 and 1/4 inch circle punches, Bakers Twine, silver embossing powder, clear embossing powder
Enjoy – Hugs, Fran
Fabulous Florets
Today I’m headed to a wedding shower for a sweet young lady. When her invitation arrived, I was pleased to it was almost an exact match for the upcoming Fabulous Florets set in the Summer Mini! And she is using Melon Mambo and Basic Black as her colors – a girl after my own heart! Unfortunately you can’t see the pretty details on this card from my photo. I stamped the card on the beautiful Presto Designer Series paper – and it just doesn’t show up in the photo. 
And you’ll love this tidbit – I am completely out of Black satin ribbon so I removed the ribbon from her invitation to use on my card! It’s called “giving back!”
I really tried to get the photo to show the Presto paper – you will just have to believe me on this one.
Supplies
Stamp sets – Fabulous Florets, Teeny Tiny Wishes
card stock – Presto DSP, Basic Black, Melon Mambo
Ink – Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black
Etc – Word Window punch, Black satin ribbon shamelessly stolen from invitation
Note – I have been referring to The Open Sea as On the Sea in my sneak peek posts! Feel free to correct me when you see me doing crazy things like that! Enjoy – Hugs, Fran
Masculine Birthday
Masculine birthday cards seem to be harder than others – why is that? I guess it’s just harder if I don’t get to use flowers! I need several masculine birthday cards at the moment so I’m thrilled to have On the Sea to help me out! Here’s one – 
This card uses a 4 x 5.25 piece of the Newsprint DSP. I stamped the background image off to the side and then sponged the edge in Crumb Cake and then Early Espresso and then spritzed it with Basic Black. The Basic Black card stock strip was punched with the Spiral Border punch, distressed it and attached it to the side with some yummy Baker’s Twine tied around it. The Cherry Cobbler seam binding was a last minute addition – a little more color.
Happy Birthday is from Bring on the Cake (I’m mixing my minis!) For the inside of this card I added another piece of the Newsprint DSP – sponged but not spritzed. Now I can add my inside greeting and have lines to write on!
Supplies
Stamp sets – One the Sea, Bring on the Cake
card stock – Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Newsprint DSP
Ink – Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Etc – Cherry Cobbler Baker’s twine, Spiral punch, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, brass brads, spritzer
Now to get it in the mail! Enjoy – Hugs, Fran
Proud Peacock
When I was growing up, my grandparents had peacocks on our family farm. They are beautiful but very noisy birds! I can remember waking up to the sound of the peacocks screaming “help! help!” (That’s really what it sounds like!) And they start with the sun coming up! But when I saw this set – I just had to have it for the memories of my grandparents (not the peacocks!)
I paired this set up with a technique on Splitcoast – Ruffled Ribbon Border.
Look closely and you will see that I stamped the peacock twice and popped up his body (similar to the sail on my Sail Away post.) His beautiful tail is colored with Stampin’ Write Markers. 
Supplies
Stamp Sets – Proud Peacock, Fabulous Phrases
card stock – Not Quite Navy, Daffodil Delight, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Whisper White
Ink – Basic Black, Not Quite Navy
Stampin Write Markers- Bashful Blue, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight
Etc – Daffodil Delight ribbon, Scallop Trim punch, Word WIndow punch, 2 /2 circle punch, rhinestone brad, Elegant Lines embossing folder
“Fabulous” seemed like the best phrase for this peacock! Enjoy. Hugs, Fran
On the Sea
Here’s another Summer Mini sneak peek – On the Sea. I had a piece of faux barn board from some previous cards and thought this technique would go great with this set. 
The ship is stamped with Stazon on watercolor paper and colored with reinkers and an aquapainter. 
Note – my barn board was too light so I took some Early Espresso and gently wiped it over the paper to darken it up a bit. On a “do over” I would use a darker color reinker.
Supplies
Stamp sets – On the Sea, Thank You Kindly
card stock – Cherry Cobbler,Not Quite Navy, watercolor paper,Nautical Expedition DSP
Ink – Jet Black Stazon, Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso,Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler
Etc – brass brads, 2 1/2 circle punch, Word Window punch, ticket corner punch, faux barn board
Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch
This new punch is so much fun! Three punches in one! Here I’ve paired it up with the stem in Bold Blossom and a set from the Summer Mini called Happy Greetings. This was my swap card for our team meeting yesterday.
With this cute sentiment I knew I wanted to have a “he loves me, he loves me not” look. I simply snipped a blossom from the punch and pulled it out a bit. 
The DSP is First Edition brayered with Blushing Bride. Behind it I used the line of pearls on the pearl sheet.
Supplies
Stamp sets – Bold Blossom, Happy Greetings
card stock – Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz, First Edition DSP, Whisper White
Ink – Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Pink Pirouette
Etc – pearls, Pink Pirouette ribbon, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, Tasteful Trim Big Shot die
And here’s a terrible picture of the inside. I made it with My Digital Studio and printed it out on Whisper White card stock. 
I didn’t photograph it at the same time as the card – but I did want to share it so you’ll have to ignore the shadow! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran
Stength & Hope and Winners
Today Samantha is going to our American Cancer Hope Lodge to do a service project. One of things she is to bring is a basket with small gifts for someone there. She wanted a packet of cards to include so that the recipient would be able to write notes to friends and family. My Stampin Success had just come and voila! A perfect card design was just waiting to be cased. And it uses the Strength & Hope set which benefits The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. How perfect is that?
This is a 3 x 6 card (3 x 12 folded in half) in Blushing Bride. The butterflies are stamped in Baja Breeze, So Saffron and Peach Parfait. Little jewels accent each one and it’s finished off with Blushing Bride ribbon. I lined the insides in Whisper White, stamped a butterfly in Blushing Bride off the side and left them blank so the person who gets them can use them however they want.
Supplies
Stamp Set – Strength & Hope
card stock – textured Blushing Bride, Whisper White
Ink – Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Peach Parfait, So Saffron
Etc – jewels, Blushing Bride ribbon
On to the winners of this weeks Birthday celebration! Thank you to everyone who left me a comment – they certainly made my birthday week fun!
The winner from Hello Blossoms is #14 – Linda! She wins the Birthday Bakery stamp set. She wrote –
Happy Birthday Fran! May you have a wonderful day and an amazing year. I love how you used poppy pizzazz with the hello blossoms! Pretty perky! Thanks for sharing on your special day!
The winner from Sail Away is #1 – Joyce! She wins the Birthday Bliss stamp set. She wrote –
I love your card. What a great way to use the bakers twine!
Happy Birthday!
Fran, I love receiving your updates. You are such an inspiration to me. Love the dad card. Reminds me of my dad. Thanks again for sharing your talent.
The winner from Thoughts of Kindness is #18 – Elaine! She wins the Afterthoughts stamp set. She wrote –Such lovely cards love those flowers
And the winner from More Sail Away is #19 – Connie! She wins A Slice of Life stamp set. She wrote –This is a great card! My husband and I have owned two sailboats. I have to have this set after seeing what you have done with it. Very nautical looking.
Congrats to the winners – and please contact me so I know where to send your stamp set! Thanks for helping me celebrate this week! It certainly made my birthday extra special to read all your comments! Enjoy! Hugs, FranMore Sail Away
I used the April sketch to try for this card, Sail Away and the new Nautical Expedition Designer Series paper. I stamped the sailboat in Basic Gray on two pieces of Confetti White and cut out and layered the sail (again – can you tell I like this look?)
Supplies
Stamp sets – Sail Away, Tiny Tags
card stock – Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray, Confetti White, Nautical Expedition DSP
Ink – Basic Gray, Not Quite Navy
Etc – Baker’s Twine, paper piercer, Not Quite Navy buttons, sponge, Tiny Tag punch, floss
It’s the last day of my birthday celebration! I’m going to give away a stamp set every day that has something to do with birthdays! All you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win. On Saturday morning I’ll pull a random comment for each day and announce the winners. The stamp set for this day is A Slice of Life – 