A Blog Called Wanda

An old fashioned hello!

Let's talk! Today I'm sharing a card I made this weekend using a fun stamp set from Hero Arts! I only had a few more days to get an entry into the February contest! I love entering their blog contests. There's a lot of competition and it's fun to join in the mix. You don't have to have a blog to enter - they do their contests on Flickr - which is free - so I really encourage you to enter! CLICK HERE for the details on the challenge for this month.  This month's theme is Friendship or Hello cards.

 

 

I love this vintage stamp set - cool old phones and a neat font...Just begs for some retro colors and buttons and such. I like combining a bunch of 'stuff' on my shabby chic cards. Here I used a scrap of the patterned paper (Picadilly by Basic Grey) and a pearl pin to make a flag. One trick for putting light colored buttons onto dark cardstock is to put the button on a tiny piece of white paper. That way the color can come through.

 

 

Here are my supplies...The pretty red toile looking paper is the back side of the stripes...perfection! I found just the right shade of aqua blue Bazzil paper to match. These colors make me think of the 50's!

 

Let's talk!  The stamp set is called "Just Saying Hi." I love the sayings in it.

 

 

 

So there you have it for today! Thank you, as always, for coming by to see me! I hope you have a great day! See you soon.

 

A good deed story and a card...

Hi friends! How are you? I'm hunkered down in my craft studio for the next two days...I gotta get some stuff done! That's okay with me though. Kitty is in here with me and I have some tunes going on my iPad and it's all good. The hubs is relaxing in the family room. A perfect day. I made today's card as a thank you card for a good deed that someone did for me last week. It's a nice story.

I'm sitting at my desk at work last Thursday afternoon and feeling sort of sleepy due to Excel spreadsheet overload...so I got on my iPhone and wrote a facebook post saying "I wish Starbucks delivered." That's it, forgot about it, and kept going. Well...down the hall in another department a sweet co-worker read my post on her phone and wrote me back that she would go and get us Starbucks and deliver it!!! There's a Starbucks about 3 blocks away from our office...and she needed some fresh air... SO how great is that? Technology + facebook + sweet co-worker = Starbucks delivery! What did we ever do before iPhones? Don't answer that...don't speak of it...LOL.

So here's the card I made her to say "thanks a latte" to her for going and bringing me a much needed Venti Soy Caramel Macchiato! Her favorite color is pink...

 

 

This trellis (called Tessatina) die is a brand new die from Memory Box for Spring...I am in love! It looks very nice and crisp against this pink. This quatrefoil pattern is without a doubt my favorite new stamping 'thing' and it's popping up everywhere. Hero Arts has a new stamp (Studio Calico) with this pattern coming out soon. I saw it at CHA. YUM.

 

Here are my supplies...The stamp set is from Amuse Studio and I cannot remember (sorry) where I got this pretty washi tape. I put a touch of Stickles on the little steam clouds. Two Copics is all. R81 was a perfect match for this Bazzill paper.

 

This is what I put on the inside of the card....

 

 

This past week I got five new email subscribers! That puts me at 225 peeps who are kind enough to let me pop them an email when I post something new! This is very very touching to me and I'm really glad you're here sharing with me. Thank you! Have a great day everybody. :-)

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Sunflower Happy Birthday! TESC #152!

WOOO HOOO! It's Friday! Hope it was a great week for all of you and that fun times are ahead for the weekend! I have Monday off for President's Day so it's a three day weekend for me. I have plans for brunch with a gal pal tomorrow and then I need to stamp like a crazy woman to get my projects all done! Thanks for coming by today. It's my day to post for Taylored Expressions so I used the awesome sketch from TESC #152! You still have time to enter your card for the sketch challenge....and you could win a prize! CLICK HERE for details!

I made sort of a shabby-country-chic sort of creation! I used new papers from My Mind's Eye and a Fall stamp set and a pretty shade of golden yellow. I'll put my supply list at the bottom of the post.

 

 

 

 

Here is the sketch image. I flipped it up on it's side since I wanted to use the oval the long way to fit my image better. COOOOOL sketch...it's a keeper!

Here is a photo of my supplies...I used the "Thankful" set - which is traditionally for Fall! You can get more use out of your sets if you try to see them in a different light. The apples could be for a teacher card too and I love the sentiments with that set. I used the Happy Birthday words from the "Embrace Beauty" set because I like that font.  

 

Here is my card before the focal image. I sanded the brown paper and the gold paper to make it softer and more shabby-licious! hee hee.

 

 

 

 

Here is my Copic Palette...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Supplies - all from Taylored Expressions:  

Thankful Stamp Set

Embrace Beauty Stamp Set

Medium scallop die

Copic Markers

MME  - Be Amazing 6x6 paper pad

I hope you have a most fabulous day friends!  

 

Happy Valentine's Day 2012! XOXOXO!

Whew....I have a lot to share today! I had a super fun, busy weekend full of friends and laughter and food and crafting and pictures and oooh boy. I needed to go back to work to rest up! Hahaha. Happy Heart Day to you and your family. It's Valentine's Day! I'm sorry it's here because I feel like I was just getting in my crafty groove with hearts and stuff. I put all the Valentine crafty things away last night...until next year. I have one last card to share with you for the holiday.

As you probably know...I love banners! I'm crazy about 'em actually. Love them on cakes, and cards and hanging up for a party and all that. I even have a Pinterest Board called Banner Madness (click here). I wanted to make a pretty red and cream banner card so I got out some supplies and went to town with it! This card is definitely "more is more!"

 

 

Each little banner is different, but they are all unified by using the same papers, hearts, and butterflies. I adore crisp, bright red with cream.

 

Before I started, I went around the craft room and got out all kinds of yummy things I thought would go together. The pennants were cut from a Papertrey Ink die set and the hearts are also a Papertrey Ink die set. The butterflies were punched from Martha Stewart punches. The beautiful lace ribbon is from my sweet pen pal Holly in The Netherlands! I had to pretty much tear the whole room apart to find those teeny tiny clothespins!!!

 

This is the process of laying everything out first to see what looked best...before gluing it all together. I decided to layer two colors on each pennant.

 

 

Here they are all strung on a pretty piece of lace. I inked the edges of everything with linen distress ink just to make it look more vintage.

 

 

I busted out the sewing machine and made a free form edge around the cream paper. The message was stamped in brown ink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, somewhere along in the process, Mr. Buddy decided to hop onto my stamping table and have a look...and he liked this one the best! Bad kitty!

 

Friday night my friend CJ met me at Paper Garden to take a class from the fabulous Ms. Julie Ebersole! CJ is an amazing baker/cake decorator. She brought me the most adorable (and delicious) little box of truffles she made! Aren't the pretty? They tasted so goooooooood!

 

 

In class, we made five fun fold cards. I think this idea was my favorite. The card lays flat for mailing but then pops up into a little diorama. SO cute! I will be making some more of these - I have some ideas in my head already. Thanks for a great class Julie!

 

Saturday I spent the day with some of my stamping gal pals....all day....eating yummy food and stamping and laughing and being silly and carefree! Sunday the hubs and I decided to do our Valentine's Day celebrating. It's too hard to go out on a Tuesday night with the crowds and such...so we just did it a little early. First we went for a nice long drive in the car just to relax and snap some pics. Then we went for a tasty dinner at PF Chang's! Had great service and a wonderful time. Made it home in time to watch the Grammys. It was a perfect weekend!

Some of you might know that I LOVE my iPhone. No, I mean like I REALLY love my iPhone! hahaha. I have about 20 photography apps and like to try different things with my phone photos. One of my favorite apps is Instagram. I like the different filters and effects and I like the fact that you can "follow" people's feeds and and share your pix. You can CLICK HERE to see my Instagram stuff. I thought I would share some of my favorite photos from Sunday's drive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One last picture...our daffodils have started blooming in our front yard! They are so fresh and bright and perfect right when they bloom. Makes me happy!!! Okay, that's enough of my yammering on for one day.

 HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

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Taylored Expressions February Release week - Key Ingredients Part Two!

More fun today and more projects using the brand new Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit and exclusive Vintage Dreamer stamp set! Here's a photo of the kit in case you missed it on Friday...lots and lots of goodies in there! If you subscribe you get a box full of matching card coordinates every month!

Here is my project for today - again featuring the KI kit, the new stamp set, and the new impression plate! Yeah! I truly love all this new stuff! I used the damask side of the impression plate for the top of my card and then sponged a tiny bit of distress ink to make the detail stand out more. That seam binding ribbon is so yummy....

 

The birdie image was cut from one of the pieces of the patterned papers and then layered over some other matching papers. Taylor really did such an exquisite job matching everything...

 

This is one of the stamp images and I stamped in brown directly onto the patterned paper.

 

 

 

Just so you can have another look...here is the stamp set image and the impression plate image!

 

Thank you for stopping by today! Here are your links for the day:

Key Ingredients Blog: http://www.thekeyingredients-blog.blogspot.com/

Projects for today:

• Melissa Sauls
• Debbie Carriere
• Wanda Guess 

Taylored Expressions February Release week - Key Ingredients!

 

TE February Mid Month Key Ingredients Release!

 

• Key Ingredients Info and Inspiration - From February 10-15  you can learn all about this fantastic kit club and see samples from the Key Ingredients Design Team and the Baker's Dozen! Click here for all the info and start at Taylor's blog each day for all the inspiration.
• February Key Ingredients featuring My Mind's Eye Lost & Found - Rosy begins shipping February 15th. Enroll now!
• Exclusive Vintage Dreamer Stamp Set - find out how you can get your crafty little hands on this stylish new set at 50% off for a limited time!
• Win a Key Ingredients Kit - you can win the March Kit to try out, or have a month added on to your current subscription. See Taylor's blog for all the details and to enter to win! It's easy! 

 

 

The quality and value of the Key Ingredients kits is amazing!  - each month you will get enough coordinating product to make 16 or more cards! They are fun, pretty and easy to use.  I am in love with the Vintage Dreamer Stamp Set and that it is exclusive to KI Subscribers! Enroll in the Key Ingredients Subscription program and take advantage of the opportunity to purchase Vintage Dreamer at 50% off!

Many more details will be posted on Taylor's blog. The Vintage Dreamer Stamp Set will be available to KI Subscribers ONLY. It will be available throughout 2012, but it will be at 50% OFF only through 3/10/12. On 3/11/12 the price will return to regular retail of $21.95. 

Okay, now I am really excited to share my projects with you! This month's kit and stamp set ROCK! It's a different look for us at Taylored Expressions and it's wonderful! kind of shabby chic and vintage! I hope you like it too!  My first card is a criss-cross card. I love this card design and I use it when I really want to show off lots of patterned papers. It's easy to make, but looks impressive when it's done!

 

 

This photo shows the part that you write on that goes inside the folded piece. I lstamped one of the images onto the cream card base in a light distress ink and then scalloped my bottom edge.

 

To make the card base, score an 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock in half the short direction and then cut it in half the long direction. Then, on your paper cutter, cut a triangle out of each piece so that they cross when you adhere the two pieces together!

 

Now the fun part! Putting on matching patterned papers. So great to mix and match patterns and this kit is perfect for it. I use the triangles left over from my cardstock to make a template for my layers.

 

 

Here it is all decorated with that beautiful typewriter image and some ribbon and roses... 

 

 

 

Well...after I made that first card, I couldn't stop myself! I had to make more! I used the same soft color palette of peach and mint green and made two more thank you cards for some special ladies. I stamped on watercolor paper which makes it seem even more vintage-y. Look at the bottom of the cards...houndstooth! This was made with the brand new Impression Plate! LOVE it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the 4-1-1! Please check out the images below of the KI kit, the stamp set and the new impression plate!  Paper, Ribbon, Flowers, pearls...oh my!  

 

 

Here is the Linky List for today...spend some time with us looking at everyone else's great projects! SO much fun because the Baker's Dozen has teamed up with the Key Ingredients Team this week! YAY!  

• Debbie Carriere
• Jessica Diedrich
• Jessie Rone
• Lea Lawson
• Monika Davis
• Charmaine Ikach
• Jami Sibley
• Jen Shults
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron
• Melissa Sauls
• Melody Rupple
• Regina Mangum
• Sankari Wegman
• Taylor VanBruggen
• Tori Wild
• Wanda Guess

Be Mine...

Hi friends! I hope you're having a great week so far! I'm popping in today with TWO cards to share! I feel the need to keep making Valentines, but then there's other stuff to post too! This week I found the time to make a card for PTI's Make it Monday and I wanted to get that posted tonight to share with you. Later in the week is some shabby chic goodness from Taylored Expressions!

My first card for tonight is a happy Valentine. I got this idea from some fun stickers I saw at Michael's. They were little birdies holding love notes. I decided to re-create the idea using my big birdie Sizzix die and then I hand made a love letter for him to carry!

 

 

 

The sentiment is from Paper Source. I love that font and have it in many sayings!

 

 

Here are my pieces. I cut a small piece of white paper and then scored it with my bone folder to look like an envelope. Then I put a nice red heart on it. I inked around the edges of the blue parts with some light blue chalk ink.

 

 

I had to add some glitter! His eye is a black gem from my stash. the red hearts above are part of a Martha Stewart edger punch.

 

 

 

 

 

My second card for today is a cheery birthday card with a cupcake! This week's Make it Monday Challenge #52 at PTI was to stamp both sides of a die cut and use both sides in your project. There are some really clever people out there - the other entries are awesome! CLICK here to take a peek... And, you still have the rest of the week to get your card in!

 

 

I cut out the die cut shape for the top and bottom of the cupcake and then stamped both sides in pink and brown and attached them. In order for you to see both sides of it, I used a jump ring to attach it to my circle cut out! It kind of swings around in there!

 

 

The impression plate, the polka dot paper and the stamps/sentiment are all from various PTI supplies. I adore this cane impression plate. I used white core paper and then sanded it to make the design stand out more.

 

 

 

Thanks for coming by today! Big hugs from me and Buddy!  

L-O-V-E Foldout card!

Monday? Already? Truly, how is that possible? I guess there's nothing we can do about it, but boy this weekend went by fast! Saturday we hung out with family all day (after getting our taxes done in the morning) and then yesterday was a Super Bowl pizza festivus at our house! I did get in some crafty time to make another Valentine to share on the bloggy blog. I got the idea from this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. It's a fold-out card - and I don't believe I've ever made one before! 

 

 

Here is the inside of the finished card. By the way, it's hard to take a photo of a fold-out card! LOL. I used some adorable paper from Amuse Studio, sent to me by my friend Teadub!

 

Here is the image from the magazine...and the papers....

 

I printed the template right onto my cardstock and cut it out, instead of making a template first and then tracing. Either way works. Here is the link for the template:  CLICK HERE!

 

 

 

I made a red card base - it's 5x5 inches square - and then lined it with the white paper.

I added some Doodlebug rub-on letters to say I LOVE YOU.....

Here's how I decorated the front of the card - very classic Valentine-y don't ya think? Didn't go too crazy with it. That bright red with white is so crisp and fresh.

 

 

Here's one last view of the inside. You should definitely try this one! It wasn't too hard at all, and you could really have fun with paper choices on this.

As always, thanks for spending a bit of your day with me! Have a great week! More Valentine's to come...my craft room looks like a cupid expolosion right now! XO. 

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A cheery cherry valentine...and a CHA video!

Hello! I'm so excited to actually be home and posting from my computer and hanging out in my craft room tonight! Whew...what a week! It was so great...all of it. I'm still trying to process and remember everything. I had more fun than a girl should be allowed to have at the CHA convention! Thanks for all the nice comments on my posts from my iPhone. It was great to share with you! Now, it's back to reality for me and lots of stamping assignments to get done! Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away! ACK! I need to get busy in that department.

I have a valentine card to share with you, but first, I have a video to share! You know how the DH is really into making videos? Well...I gave him my CHA photos and he made one for me! I hope you will watch it!

 

 

 

What did you think of the video!? TOOOO much fun! I love that he knows how to do that stuff. You might say he's the audio/video department here at A Blog Called Wanda! Okay...now on to my Valentine for the day... One trend I absolutely notice lately is CAS cards. Everyone's going there! I have a new board on my Pinterest just for CAS beauties. Being inspired,  I decided to keep it clean and simple today...and use one of my favorite tools. 

 

 

 

 

I am in love with my Epiphany shape studio tools!! This one is a small heart. At CHA they premiered two new shapes - a flower and a tiny banner! Yipppppeeeee! Those on on my list for sure. Here is my stash of supplies for this project.

 

 

 

This stamp is an old favorite from Hero Arts. I inked up just the stems, and not the cherries. The scale was perfect for those hearts!  

 

I colored the leaves in with my Copics (YG23, YG25 and YG17). The large heart shape is cut from a new die from Memory Box called Cupid Heart. The sentiment is a new one this season from Savvy Stamps. I stamped it on a strip of vellum.

 

 

 

Thank you so much for coming by today! The Taylored Expressions release for February was pushed back a couple of week since Taylor was at CHA. So, be on the lookout for new yummies from Taylor at the end of next week. You will love a new style she's trying out this month.  Have a fantastic weekend!

CHA Goodie Boxes!

Hi peeps! Today I'm posting a super fun project that I've been saving to show you! I'm typing this before leaving for the convention...and when you read this, I will most likely be in my car somewhere on I-5 on the way home from LA. Since I was going to meet the Taylored Expressions Baker's Dozen crew I wanted to make them something special. I made cute goodie boxes to leave at their hotels as a little check-in surprise! I was cooking up this idea for weeks and it was hard to keep a secret.

I used tons of my favorite Taylored Expressions Cuppie stamp sets and lots of sparkly glitter. I hope you enjoy looking at this project. There are lots of pictures in this post!

Here they are all ready to get loaded into the car:  

 

 

 

Here's a close up of my coloring before I put any glittery parts on....

 

I used images and saying from all of these stamp sets. I kept the palette simple - pink, aqua and black. This let me play with a lot of images but still have a clean look.

 

 

 

Look at all those little candies....so cute!

 

Here they are all spark-a-lay!

 

I made little matching notecards to go inside the boxes. To make my mini cards (about 3.5 inch square) I used my Cuttlebug and a large scallop square Nestie. I love making little scallop cards like this. Somehow they seem more fun!?  

 

Here is my little stack of cards ready to go!

 

 

This is what I put inside for the gals....

 

 

Okay, these little cupcakes are the cutest thing ever! I found them at Bed, Bath and Beyond! They are meant to be little single cupcake holders....but I filled them with candy. Then the gals can use them later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I printed the names out on my computer onto thick cardstock....

 

 

This is the back and side view.... 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for coming by today to check out my project! I hope you do something creative every day! Have a wonderful day....see you soon!

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