Man, It's Hot Outside! Let's Make Cards!!

Wow, it's hot and muggy outside.  We've had 90+ degree heat for a couple of weeks now.  Add in the humidity, which isn't typical for So Cal, and you've got a recipe for crankiness!  I'm talking about me, of course!

It's been so hectic with school beginning, I haven't had the time or energy to do anything remotely hobby-ish.  So with this heat and a Labor Day weekend just starting, I'm pretty much housebound and very determined to finish up stuff around here.  Last weekend we spent almost a day and a half organizing our files that we hadn't organized when we moved here over 11 years ago.  This weekend I want to do something fun!

I was in charge of registration two weeks ago for all of our returning students.  With the help of a lot of people, it went very smoothly and I think only one or two parents had complaints.  Not too bad!!  Registration, like any other project at a high school, can not be done alone.  It truly does take many hands.  I'm a bit embarrassed that it's taken this long to say thank you, but cards will be in those helpful hands on Tuesday!

Before we moved to North Orange County over 12 years ago, we lived in Covina right down the street from where I grew up.  With the help of family, neighbors and friends, we did a 1500 sq. ft. addition on our house (including a second story) ourselves.  (Yes, it's true, I know how to install roofing, I can apply drywall mud, lay tile, pound nails fairly successfully - pretty much anything!)  One of the best things about that house was the home office - base and wall cabinets on all four walls - TONS of storage for and easy access to all my craft supplies.  One year I really got into stamping and did all of our Christmas cards.  I even ventured into embossing (using my husband's industrial strength paint stripping heat gun - not good!!!) which became my favorite stamping technique.

All my stamps have been in a big plastic tub and I haven't used them at all until today.  I dragged the tub out and dug through the stamps until I found one of my favorites.  Perfect for the cards I wanted to make.

If you want to give embossing a try, I'd suggest buying an embossing heat gun with your discount coupons.  It's pretty inexpensive.  I'd recommend using "pigment" ink because it will stay wet longer than ink from a regular ink pad.  Whatever color the ink is, that's what will come through (I like the clear embossing powder).

First I chose my stamps:

Got my embossing supplies together - inkpad, powder and plastic spoon for sprinkling:

Stamp the image and cover it with embossing powder:

Shake off the leftover powder that didn't stick (I shake it off on to a piece of paper and then pour it back in the powder container).  Then, using your embossing tool, heat the image until the ink is puffy and glossy:

When you emboss an image, it won't smear.  I love using watercolor paints to add some interest to the image:

I added a strip of scrapbook paper, a stamped and embossed "Thanks" to the front, and a stamped and embossed "for all you've done" on the inside.  I used mounting tape to adhere the stamped tag to the front of the card:

I added some twine - tied a bow at the top of the tag - and voila!  Done!

Using coupons or watching sales at your favorite craft stores will allow you to try this craft inexpensively.  The cards I used were pre-packaged ones from Michael's, but you can use scrapbooking cardstock just as easily.  I hope you give it a try!  Please feel free to comment with other ideas or to let me know what stamping techniques you enjoy!!  Happy Labor Day weekend!