The hair gel (any kind will do!) goes in a tiny, little ziploc bag (available in the craft or jewelry aisle) and gets adhered to the window over the fish to look like water. You really only need just a thin layer of gel in the bag. (Too much gel risks postal hazards.)
It's hard to see the fish in this picture, but I did the Rock 'N Roll technique. I inked it first in Tempting Turquoise and then "rolled" the edges of the stamp image on the Brilliant Blue ink pad. I added some 2-Way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds to give him a little sparkle. Using the window as a guide, I adhered the fish to the Brilliant Blue card base.
Then I put SNAIL adhesive on either side of the window and adhered the bag of hair gel to the Tempting Torquoise cardstock like this:
Use Stampin' Dimensionals in the corners to adhere this to the Brilliant Blue card base.Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!
Supplies: Life's a Breeze stamp set, Something Fishy Jumbo wheel, Hugs & Wishes, Tempting Turquoise Classic ink & cardstock, Brilliant Blue Classic ink & cardstock, Whisper White Craft ink & cardstock, hair gel, 2" x 3" craft bags, Stampin' Dimensionals
I used the new "Owl Together Now" stamp set that I got on the cruise. It's so cute! I love all the punny sayings that go with the owls. This card took a bit of a different direction after I got started, so I ended up trimming it down to 4-1/4" x 4 1/4".
I love how she layered the star punches!
This one was actually hand-stamped by ME! My grandmother, "Nonie" as we call her, makes cards from my mom's old card front samples. I made this card three years ago, so I was happy to see it again; it's always been one of my favorites. The Summer Sketches stamp set is still current and is fabulous for watercoloring! I painted the boy's hair red because the image reminds me of Thomas. I just love the beachy colors (Creamy Caramel & Bordering Blue) and feel of this card. The linen Magic Mesh was the perfect nautical embellishment.
It's nice to have a stash of cards to use whenever an occasion arises. In fact, with many of these cards, I left the greeting off so I could choose what I need when I am ready to send the card...whether it's next week or next month.
My favorite part of the card is that by using the alphabet stamp set, you can customize the greeting to suit whatever you need. I stamped "thanks" on mine and Becki stamped "You ROCK!". We joked that if you wanted, you could do sentiments like "Sorry I gave you herpes" or "Have a nice period". You just can't find cards like that at Hallmark! Those would be truly one-of-a-kind creations.
The pictures are so beautiful that it made it easy to put this darling page together. Since I was working at the last minute, I pulled out an old Stampin' Techniques booklet (rev 4/06) and used this layout for my page.
Honestly, I like my page better than the sample! All I did was change the colors and embellishments to better suit the photos.
I don't know what to call this card. I just took an 11" x 4 1/4" piece of cardstock, folded it in half and then folded back one end. I CASEd the layout from a card my mom made with this set. I used coordinating paper from the Flowers for You series for the background and stamped the flower in Regal Rose and Old Olive. A Pretties Kit rhinestone brad really finishes off the card.
This was one of my favorite of the five designs we stamped. We used the Unfrogettable stamp set and the East Coast Prep designer series paper. Everything was punched with the 1 3/8" Square Punch. My favorite part of the card is the size -- it's 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" -- just a little bit shorter than the average card. The flat cardstock is 7" x 5-1/2" (as opposed to the normal 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" measurement). These will fit in the standard medium size envelopes or the small open-end envelopes. I think I will play around with this new size card some more and see what else I can come up with.
I made her birthday card during nap time today. Normally, I don't put so much thought into cards for children since they really don't care what it looks like. But after I promised I would post her card, I felt some pressure to impress you! So, I had another "first time" and finally tried the 
The 
It's hard to believe Claire will be 3 tomorrow! I'll post a more recent picture of the birthday girl tomorrow night along with the card I make for her. 
It always amazes me how different a card or scrapbook page can look just by changing the color scheme and stamp set.
The notecard holder is made from one sheet of 8-1/2" x 11" Certainly Celery cardstock. I scored it in half at 5-1/2" and turned it and scored it at 2-1/4". I folded it in half on the 5-1/2" score line and then cut the inside corner diagonally from the bottom to the 2-1/4" score line (see image below). This reduces the bulk in the center of the folder, allowing it to close easier. I folded the inside pockets up. (Optionally, you could use Sticky Strip to adhere the outside edges down to form a true pocket. I left mine loose.)
With the folder closed, use the 1/8" hole punch to punch a hole about 1/2" in from each edge. Thread ribbon through the holes so that it crosses the inside pocket. The ribbon, when tied, will hold the notecards in place.
I used the exact same layout as Lia's original card, but substituted some chipboard for the center flower stamp that she used. I used my Petals brass template to pierce around it. The window is punched with the scallop circle punch and the center flower from the Boho Blossoms punch. (Use the crop-a-dile to punch a hole for the clear rhinestone brad from the Pretties Kit.)
I didn't stamp the background straight over the flower, so I trimmed down the front of the notecard and mounted it on a larger card. I like this color combination (Groovy Guava and Blush Blossom). It's so soft and spring-y. And I was delighted to find that the 5 Petal Flower punch fits perfectly behind the die-cut flower! (Other punches used: Large Oval Punch & Key Tag Punch)
