Category: Creative Card Projects

HAPPINESS BLOOMS WITH SIMPLE STAMPING

Posted on by darlaso
Happiness blooms with simple stamping by Darla Olson @inkheaven

Simple Stamping Can Make You Happy!

Simple stamping eliminates the frustration that can accompany the creation of a more complicated card. For this reason, it’s a good idea to just kick back and go simple.

One way to go simple is to start with Memories & More Cards & Envelopes as this eliminates most of the prep-work! For example, this card features the Happiness Blooms,Memories & More, Cards & Envelopes. In this instance, tone-on-tone stamping is done in Night of Navy ink on the card base using the Bloom By Bloom stamp set. As you can see, this adds dimension and interest to the background.

Plus, you can easily step-it-up a bit and still keep it simple. To do this, just add in the Happiness Blooms Memories & More Card Pack which will help you to easily add in bold, bright, and cheerful accent layers. Since the card pack lists coordinating colors, you can easily choose coordinating inks. To demonstrate, this card features a card from the Happiness Blooms card pack. Lovely Lipstick is a primary coordinating color on the card. For this reason, Lovely Lipstick is used on the Bloom By Bloom flower on the front of the card.

In conclusion, the Happiness Blooms, Memories & More, Cards & Envelopes are perfect for simple stamping. Especially since they belong to a suite of products designed to coordinate and simplify stamping.

Happiness Bloom Suite of products pictured @inkheaven

Shop the Happiness Blooms Suite

The Happiness Blooms Suite is brand new and featured in the 2019 Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog! To learn more about the Occasions Catalog – CLICK HERE

Purchase $50 of these products and choose a FREE Sale-a-bration item! To learn more – CLICK HERE

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2019 Occasions Catalog – CLICK HERE

To learn more about Sale-a-bration – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Sweet Card Rains Loving Thoughts Using The Old And New

Posted on by darlaso
Sweet card rains loving thoughts using the old and new from sale-a-bration by Darla Olson @inkheaven

Rain Loving Thoughts On A Friend With This Sweet Card

Do you have a friend who is in need of loving thoughts? Send them loving thoughts with this sweet card! Plus, the adorable frog is sure to bring a smile to their face!

Inspiration for this card came from the featured thinking of you sentiment. Specifically, from that sweet little heart! Consequently, I had to use those gorgeous floating hearts! Those, coupled with the adorable frog made a sweet card. However, adding the umbrella was the cherry on top!

The Inside Story On The “Old” Supplies Used

First off, I will start with giving you some clickable images of the old supplies used on this sweet card! The amazing, retired Umbrella Weather Framelits dies are a steal of a deal at $15! But hurry! They are on the clearance rack and won’t last long at this price!

Get The Scoop On The New Supplies…

Secondly, let me share the new supplies used on this sweet card debuting in the new Occasions Catalog and the Sale-a-bration Brochure on January 3rd! Please note that you will not be able to purchase these items until January 3rd after 3:00 a.m. Mountain time. To learn more about the 2019 Occasions Catalog – CLICK HERE.

  • Forever Lovely is a new DistINKtive stamp set (the first of its kind in photopolymer) and is the source of those gorgeous floating hearts! To learn more about DistINKtive stamps – CLICK HERE
  • All My Love Designer Series Paper coordinates with the Forever Lovely stamp set and is the paper featured on the umbrella!
  • So Hoppy Together (not shown) is where the adorable frog is from! In addition, it is a Sale-a-bration set which means that you can get it for FREE!
  • Part of My Story (not shown) is a sweet new sentiment set which is where the thinking of you sentiment is from, of course! Part of My Story is also a Sale-a-bration stamp set! To learn more about Sale-a-bration – CLICK HERE.
Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2019 Occasions Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this sweet card with the old and new, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this card – you might like this one – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Masculine Birthday Card Idea – Get Ready For The New Year

Posted on by darlaso
Create a masculine birthday card with Rooted in Nature by Darla Olson @inkheaven

Masculine Birthday Cards For The New Year

Soon, Christmas will be over and we will be faced with a new year of birthdays! With that in mind, I wanted to share a masculine birthday card idea with you.

It just so happens that I recently sent out the last card from my birthday card stash that I made at the beginning of 2018 and needed a few more. Incidentally, I ran out just before my dad’s birthday. Plus, there were a couple more guys with birthdays coming up so I decided to create some masculine cards.

I had purchased the Tranquil Textures Designer Series Paper because of its great abstract designs; but had not used it yet. I used it as a starting point to create my birthday card after selecting a paper from the package that I thought had perfect masculine colors. In addition, I created this card during a Facebook Live and have the video replay posted below. I also shared some tips in the video on how to get perfect placement with the embossing dies:

This is also a great card for mass production using the Stamparatus. To learn more about the Stamparatus – CLICK HERE

Masculine Birthday Card Shopping List

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this masculine card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this masculine card, you might like this one as well – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

How To Create Elegant 3-D Flocked Christmas Trees

Posted on by darlaso
Learn how to create elegant 3-D flocked Christmas trees by Darla Olson at inkheaven.

Learn How To Create Elegant 3-D Flocked Christmas Trees

Embossing paste and die layering are the secret to creating these elegant 3-d flocked Christmas trees. I used mine to create these elegant looking Christmas cards. However, I think they would also look fabulous on gift tags or place setting cards!

I do have a video to share with you that shows the process for getting the die cuts flocked (along with some other great ideas!) However, before I share that with you, I want to share a few key points about this card:

  • Foil-edged card bases and envelopes add to the elegance and reduce cutting time.
  • Adhesive backing is placed on the gold foil paper prior to die cutting the “Merry” to eliminate time (and mess) spent gluing.
  • Tip: The tree is two separate dies layered together so you can die cut them together to save time!

Creating 3-D Flocked Christmas Trees Is Addictive Fun!

Creating 3-D flocked Christmas trees is addictive fun!

True confession: I had so much fun creating my first batch of flocked trees that I die cut another batch while I waited for the first batch of 12 to dry! (I am guilty of doing this several times more than I planned!) They turned out so pretty! Plus, they were easy to do! What’s a girl to do?! Here is my Facebook Live video:

Shop This List To Create 3-D Flocked Trees

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating 3-D flocked Christmas trees, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this project and the other projects shared in my Facebook Live video – CLICK HERE

For another card with a little different flocked tree – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Stress Free, Quick And Easy, Last-Minute Christmas Cards

Posted on by darlaso
Stress free, quick and easy last-minute Christmas card by Darla Olson @ inkheaven

Stress Free,Quick And Easy, For The Last-Minute Idea

Are you looking for a stress free, quick and easy, Christmas card for the last-minute? (Besides running to the store and quickly buying the first box you see!) This idea will have you whipping out Christmas cards in record time!

First, to save time and reduce stress, don’t cut your own card bases. Get cards and envelopes that are ready-to-go! I highly recommend these for convenience and elegance:

Secondly, use a pretty background paper to easily add color, dimension, and interest to your cards without stress. For my Detailed Deer cards, I used the coordinating Dashing Along Designer Series Paper. I like it for several reasons:

  • Traditional Christmas colors and patterns
  • Less designs with more sheets 
    3 double-sided sheets (6 total designs); 4 sheets of each design
  • Nice weight to use for coordinating projects – I will be showing a quick and easy coordinating project in my upcoming Facebook Live this Sunday evening!

Thirdly, for stress free, quick and easy, assembly – do not use glue to adhere your die cut deer image! Instead, adhere Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets to Gold or Silver Foil paper before die-cutting deer images! The Detailed Deer dies have two, nicely sized deer images for card fronts. The image in this card works better for landscaped cards. The other image works better for portrait cards. To speed up card making, I recommend die cutting both images at the same time and creating both landscape and portrait cards!

Last but not least, use the Stamparatus to quickly and easily stamp your Christmas sentiment on the inside! Additionally, I recommend using Timeless Tidings stamp set for your sentiments. 

Last Minute Clickable Shopping List 

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Quick and Easy Assembly

Bulk cut the background paper to 3-3/4″ x 5″. Tip: If you don’t have a paper cutter that will do this for you, take it to an office store and pay them a few bucks to do it for you.

Adhere the background paper to the card bases using a tape runner rather than glue. I recommend Snail Adhesive.

Peel the backing off the deer die cut and apply to the card front! 

That’s all there is to it! Quick, easy, and stress free! 

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating cards, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this quick and easy idea, you might enjoy this one – CLICK HERE and this one – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Create A Flocked Christmas Tree With Embossing Paste

Posted on by darlaso
Flock a tree with embossing paste by Darla Olson @ inkheaven

Create a Flocked Christmas Tree

Creating a flocked Christmas tree for your handmade card is very easy to do. All you will need is:

  • A tree shape cut out of card stock
  • Embossing Paste
  • Sponge

Now that you have these three items, you are ready to flock your tree! 

  1. First, dip your sponge into the embossing paste
  2. Secondly, tap the sponge randomly over your tree shape to apply the paste
  3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until your tree is flocked to your liking.
  4. Set the tree aside to let the flocking dry
  5. Adhere the dry, flocked tree to your handmade card.

Tip: Place your tree on a silicone craft sheet when you flock it for easy clean up.

Use these flocked trees on any card with a snow scene! They add interest, texture, and sparkle to your handmade cards.

Shop this list for supplies to create flocked trees:

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating flocked Christmas trees, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this easy and fun technique, you might like this one with shimmer paint – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Use Shimmer Paint To Add The Frosty Look Of Winter

Posted on by darlaso
Use shimmer paint to add the frosty look of Winter to your handmade cards

Shimmer Paint Adds The Frost Of Winter To This Handmade Card

Shimmer paint is user friendly and is a great medium to use on your handmade cards! For instance, I created the snow on this card by dipping a stylus into the paint and dabbing it on. Definitely easy! 

In addition to the shimmer, the paint adds texture to the card. Consequently, it adds interest to an otherwise very simple design.

The background on this card is a watercolor wash. I have a Facebook Live video in this post that will show you how to do that – CLICK HERE

As you can see, I did add a sentiment to this card. However, I think it would look fabulous without one! With that in mind, I would move the tree up just a bit. 

This card was featured in my recent Mega Card Making Class in Waverly, Iowa.

Frosty Winter Woods Tutorial And Shopping List

For the free tutorial – CLICK HERE

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating your own frosty Winter card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Simply Thankful For All The Good Things Handmade Card

Posted on by darlaso
Simply thankful for all the good things at inkheaven

Express Your Thanks This Month

“Simply Thankful For All The Good Things” is the perfect sentiment for expressing your thanks. As we march towards Thanksgiving and the business of the holiday season, it’s a great time of year to pause and acknowledge all the good things that we are thankful for. Even better, is taking the time to share our gratitude with those we love. Spread a little joy with your stamping happiness!

Multiply Your Thankfulness

This card is perfect for mass production with the Stamparatus! With just two stamps and two inks used, the Stamparatus can be set up to stamp up a dozen or more cards of thanks in no time! To learn more about the Stamparatus – CLICK HERE

Simply Thankful Tutorial And Shopping List

For the free tutorial – CLICK HERE

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

For Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this handmade card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this Simply Thankful card with Country Home, you might like this idea that turns it into Christmas! – CLICK HERE

For another fun, unique idea with Country Home – CLICK HERE

Need to send some thoughts and prayers? CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Create A Handmade Card With Chicken Wire Elements

Posted on by darlaso
Altered chicken wire elements adorn this handmade card by Darla Olson @ inkheaven

Altered Chicken Wire Elements Adorn This Handmade Card

I had several things on my wish list when I sat down to create this handmade card with, “Wishing You Well”.

  • To start with, I wanted to use the Chicken Wire Elements.
  • I also wanted to try to get the bow to look like our Glittered Black Organdy Ribbon (see that here).
  • Plus, I wanted a neutral, rustic look for my card.

Altering The Chicken Wire Elements

Initially, I had not planned to alter the elements. However, I wasn’t too excited about the silver look with my neutral color choices. So, as a result, I flipped them over and used black ink and a sponge dauber to alter them and give them a different look.

My idea for the glittered bow was fairly simple: use Wink of Stella! I was very pleased with how it turned out! You can see that in the video below!

Clickable Shopping List For Your Own Handmade Card!

 
Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

To see the current Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Watch My Facebook Live Video For How-To

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this handmade card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this post with Wishing You Well – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Wishing You Well Is A Great Stamp Pairing For Country Home

Posted on by darlaso
Wishing You Well is a great stamp pairing for Country Home!

Great Stamp Pairings For Country Home!

Similar to wine pairings, stamp pairings are a fabulous way to expand your creative options when making handmade cards. If you have ever experienced a wine tasting, you know that pairings can dramatically change the taste. Similarly, stamp pairings can bring together different elements to enhance each other. For example, take a look at the card above: It’s a great stamp pairing of Wishing You Well and Country Home. As a result, it gives the Country Home Set a slightly different look. In addition, it expands your options for using the, Wishing You Well stamp set.

Here are a few stamp pairing basics for you:

  • Look for stamps that compliment what you already have. For example: Different sentiments.
  • Congruent or compatible. For example: A similar style.
  • Stamps that add depth. For example: Background or texture stamps.

These are just a few examples, but you get the idea!

Here Is A Clickable Supply List For This Great Stamp Pairing

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Watch My Facebook Live For How-To

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this handmade card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this great stamp pairing with Country Home, you might like this pairing that turns it into Christmas! – CLICK HERE

For another fun, unique idea with Country Home – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Quick & Easy Christmas Card Layout With Washi Tape

Posted on by darlaso
Quick & Easy card layout, just frame it in washi tape by Darla at inkheaven.

Quick & Easy Christmas Card Layout With Washi Tape

Quick & Easy card layouts are essential when making mass quantities of Christmas cards! That’s why I love this simple card layout using Washi Tape. 

For this card, I added a little texture to the layer behind the tree using the Swirls & Curls embossing folder. However, to simplify the card even more, this step could be skipped! 

Since the Washi Tape is holding the layer behind the tree in place, no other adhesive is necessary. In addition, it only takes a few glue dots to hold the tree in place! Plus, since the tape tears easily, so no cutting is needed to frame the layer behind the tree! 

I added a little bling with Red Rhinestones, but those are adhesive backed and easy to add! 

This card layout is quick & easy, requires only a few supplies, and is simple to mass produce! 

Here is a convenient, clickable shopping list for this Quick & Easy Christmas Card

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this quick & easy, handmade Christmas card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you are looking for Quick & Easy Christmas card layout ideas with Washi Tape, you might enjoy this card idea with a free tutorial – CLICK HERE

Here is another easy idea for using Washi Tape during the holiday season – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Craft Up A Vintage Country Home Christmas Card

Posted on by darlaso
Craft up a vintage country home Christmas card for your friends and family this year! by Darla Olson @ inkheaven

Craft up a Vintage Country Home Christmas Card

If you are a vintage junkie you will love crafting up this Country Home Christmas card! My inspiration for this card came from a couple of  different sources:

  • My Facebook Live viewers requests
  • Window shopping at Hobby Lobby
Vintage Country Home Christmas Card inspiration from Hobby Lobby shared by Darla Olson @ inkheaven

These were just a few of the photos that I snapped walking through Hobby Lobby looking for vintage Country Home inspiration. The pine cones in the upper right inspired the Christmas card!

To make this card happen I did have to pull in multiple sets, but it was so fun watching it come to life! Here are the supplies in a clickable supply list that you will need to recreate your own vintage Country Home Christmas card!

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Watch this Facebook Live Video Replay

Watch this Facebook Live Video Replay to learn how to create the vintage Country Home Christmas card. (Plus, see some swaps!) Be sure to like and follow my Facebook Page – CLICK HERE so you can get notices when I go live!

To get my Facebook Live schedule delivered to your inbox, along with other event information, catalog tours, and more subscribe to my Inkheaven Intel Newsletter!

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating your own vintage Country Home Christmas card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this Christmas card created with the Country Home stamp set, you might enjoy this card featuring a vintage tin tile vase complete with a free tutorial! CLICK HERE.

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Celebrate Fall Birthdays With Nature Inspired Cards!

Posted on by darlaso
Celebrate Fall Birthdays with nature inspired cards @ inkheaven

Nature Inspired Cards For Fall Birthdays

September is a month full of birthdays for my family and friends. It’s also the beginning of Fall, so I decided to create some Autumn cards to celebrate.

The Autumn birthday card above is a spin-off idea from another card idea. The original card below is a little more feminine and I wanted a more masculine birthday card for my brother. Both cards are nature inspired, feature similar Autumn colors, and use the same layout.

Nature inspired painted harvest Fall card layout by inkheaven

I originally created this nature inspired Fall card for a class featuring the Painted Harvest stamp set. I needed some birthday cards, so I decided to modify them slightly. For my mom’s birthday card, I just switched out the sentiment to the Happy Birthday sentiment that I used for my brother’s card above.

I also shared my class cards in a FB Live and demonstrated one of them. You can watch that video here:

To receive my free tutorials for my Painted Harvest Class, please subscribe to Inkheaven below:

If you would like to recreate this Fall, nature inspired birthday card and the designs in the tutorials, please shop my online store!

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating your own Fall and nature inspired birthday cards, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Use The Tin Tile Embossing Folder To Create A Vase

Posted on by darlaso
Use the tin tile embossing folder to create a vase by darla at inkheaven

Create Vases With The Tin Tile Embossing Folder!

Vintage ceiling tin tiles and galvanized metals are hot trends in home decor! I just love how Stampin’ Up! brings current trends into our stamping! The Tin Tile Embossing Folder and Country Home Stamp Set in the 2018 Holiday Catalog are perfect examples! To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE.

While researching ceiling tin tiles I found this fall floral arrangement. It is the inspiration for the tin tile vase on my card!

Tin Tile Vase Inspiration from Etsy

Creating the vase is easy since the squares are part of the tin tiles in the folder and all you have to do is cut them with your paper trimmer!

Supply List And Tutorial For Tin Tile Vase Card

For the Tin Tile Vase Card tutorial – CLICK HERE

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

Specials and Offers – CLICK HERE

This Country Home Tin Tile Vase Card was a make & take at my Grand Annual Open House events in August where I launched the 2018 Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this tin tile vase card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this card and free tutorial from my open house, you might enjoy my Spirited Snowmen make & take – CLICK HERE

In addition, I have a free tutorial for my Dashing Deer make & take – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always

Simple Handmade Christmas Card With Free Tutorial

Posted on by darlaso
Simple handmade Christmas card with free tutorial @inkheaven

Create This Simple Handmade Christmas Card

Simple, handmade Christmas cards are key to a stress free holiday season! This simple, handmade Christmas card can be easily mass-produced.  In addition, it can be easily set up in the Stamparatus to make mass-production even easier! To learn more about the Stamparatus – CLICK HERE

Simple Handmade Christmas Card Supply List And Tutorial

For the free tutorial – CLICK HERE

Happy Shopping @inkheaven
Thank you for shopping with me @inkheaven

This simple handmade Christmas card was a make & take at my Grand Annual Open House events in August where I launched the 2018 Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog. To learn more about the 2018 Holiday Catalog – CLICK HERE

Thank you for stopping by to visit. If you have any questions, or need any help creating this simple handmade Christmas card, please ask! I love helping you create stamping happiness for yourself and loved ones!

If you enjoyed this Dashing Deer Christmas card and free tutorial from my open house, you might enjoy my Spirited Snowmen make & take – CLICK HERE

Darla Olson at inkheaven wishing you stamping happiness always