Welcome Baby!

I enjoy the chance to do something special for my good friends. A special friend of mine had her first child not too long ago. Being the wonderful person she is, she had lots of family and friends sending her clothes and other great gifts for the first time mom. What is a person to do for someone who is so loved by many and has all the basics she needs? Well make her a special card of course. Or in this case a set of 50 cards that can be sent to her family and friends.

This is the baby announcement I made for my friend. The front is one of my favorite stamp sets, "Fox & Friends". I was so glad to see it included in this years 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. To form the layout I placed all of the stamps out on my Grid Paper. It took a little bit of math to figure out the size of each area. There is a 1/8" space between each section.

Grid Paper is a wonderful tool to have on your stamp table. It has a large area to protect your table from ink and other stamping messes. There is a small area to the side to make notes. Each border has a ruler, allowing you to measure for layers easily. I use it to measure just the right amount of fibbon when making multiple cards. You can use it to temporarily clean ink from your stamps before using your Stampin' Scrub. You can stamp off some of the ink on your grid paper to make your project stamping lighter. It is a great place to ink up your wheels before putting them to your projects. When I have inked my grid paper beyond normal use, I give it my kids to punch out shapes and keep them busy while I finish my projects. There are countless ways you can use your grid paper. It comes in a stack of 100--11" x 17" sheets for only $9.95. Item #102787.

One of the easiest ways to dress up a card is to use an embossing folder to texture the background. I used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The little button is from the Bitty Buttons Collection. It is a great value at 64 buttons for only $4.95. I tied a small piece of linen thread through the holes in the button to finish it off. It is held in place by a mini glue dot.

Products Used:

Stamps: Fox & Friends (#110702-Wood, #118565-Clear), Curvy Verses (#114948)

Colors: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Black Stazon Ink

Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (#117335), Big Shot, Bitty Buttons (#118761), Linen Thread, 1/2" Circle Punch, Grid Paper (#102787), Mini Glue Dots