Sarah's Inky Fingers

Around the House Challenge

2012-01-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

I've been cooped up in our house due to snow and ice for 4 days now and looks like we'll be here tomorrow too. Being snowed in is a pain after the novelty wears off. Life thought it would spice things up for us a bit and have our water heater go...all 50 gallons of it plus excess since the water won't completely shut off. It's flooded our garage, driveway, and family room. This card seems appropriate for our situation and the challenge using items found in your house over at Moxie Fab World is fitting since I can't leave the house. Please play along because I'd love to see what other undiscovered treasures I have laying around the house.

I was originally going to use these toothpicks as flag poles paired with some washi tape but changed my mind when they reminded me of knitting needles. Yes, I actually used toothpicks to knit bakers twine. It would have looked better if I'd done a few more lines but with everything noted above I've been dealing with water issues and don't have time for tedious knitting. The sentiment is from an old Stampin' Up! hostess set and the paper is from the Lime Twist collection from American Crafts.

Trigger Thanks

2012-01-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon the Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World and it made me think of a wedding. I was inspired by the neutrals for my card and made what I think would be an awesome thank you for someone who really helped a bride out with her wedding coordination.

The papers are from Basic Grey as well as the sentiment stamp. The flower image is from an old SU set I can't recall the name of but it was from Sell-a-bration about 5 years ago. I added a few highlights to the flowers with a warm grey copic to ensure they stood out against the same paper below then added a ton of black crystals. Thanks so much for looking and I hope you play along!

Rejects - Wa Wa Wa

2012-01-13T16:10:00.000-08:00

I recently submitted a few cards to Paper Crafts Magazine for the July/Aug publication. I'm not surprised nothing was pick up since let's face it I'm WAY out of the game having not spent more than about 3 hours total crafting in the last 7 months but I had fun doing it and I've got a few fun cards on hand now. These were my two favorite.

I have a thing for circles so I just love that this watermelon card originates from a circle and every element I used has circles in the paper and washi tape. I cut this out with my Cricut (first time I've use it for a card) and then bent the sentiment to match the curve of the rind. The "seeds" are just washi tape applied to the bottom layer.

I love this stamp and sentiment from Studio Calico. I bought the whole crafting kit because I HAD to have that stamp. It's just plain fun.

I want to give a clarification on my lack of crafting. For years before I had kids people would always comment I only crafted as much as I did because I was childless. I haven't greatly reduced my crafting due to lack of time but rather it's just that I'm tired. The idea of sitting down and really thinking stresses me out so I opt to do something mindless in my free time. As soon as I'm sleeping through the night again and the kids get on a regular napping schedule it's stamping game on again!

A Christmas Thank You

2012-01-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

I'm alive! I was able to sneak in a few hours of stamping this weekend and wanted to share the thank you card I've created to send out to all those who spoiled the kids and us this year (there were a lot!). I had to make sure it was simple because I had only about an hour left to design and create 8 cards. I picked up my Lawn Fawn ornament set which hadn't seen ink yet and the perfect little sentiment from a Paper Trey Ink set.

The images are colored in with copics and embellished with yellow crystals. I kept my shading simple to just a deep red for the outline and an orangish red for coloring and blending.

Thanks for looking and I hope the new year brings you joy!

Basket of Wishes

2011-10-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

I've saved this card that I made on WCMD to share at this weeks Friends with Flair blog hop. It's the first time these super cute images have touched ink. I always wanted to use them but had some trouble of thinking of a layout for this bicycle image to really shine. Adding the texture image on the card base helped bring in more color and allowed the image to pop. I also had a lot of fun playing with my new edger die cut from Paper Trey Ink. I just love the curved scallop and how effortless it is to add to the card.

Thanks so much for dropping by!

Batty Halloween

2011-10-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

I decided to play along in the CAS-ual Fridays weekly challenge of using ribbon in loops or tabs. It's October now so I think I'm ready to start creating some Halloween things. This is an all around bargain card. The chipboard bat came from my box of Cosmo Cricket warehouse goodies and the sentiment from Inkadinkado was picked up after Halloween last year for 75% off! It's kinda fun to shop for supplies just after the holiday and then set it aside for next year. I love how the ribbon loops look on this project. They are the only pattern or color so I think they really pop despite the huge bat element taking center stage. Thanks so much for looking!

Merci Card Set

2011-10-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband gave me a few hours of time today in the craft room. I played a long with the Lawn Fawn challenge of making a thank you card and actually sending it. I'm horribly behind in sending thank you cards so this was a needed challenge for me. I wanted to use their images but the only ones I have so far are Christmas themed, banners, and alphabets. I got creative and used the banner set and let the Cosmo Cricket designer paper shine. These were ultra simple but a little time consuming to do all the paper cutting and making sure each card was different. One of my favorite things about Lawn Fawn is that they sent a super cute little Merci stamp and hand written note with my first order...very nice touch!

Happy World Card Making Day to you all. I hope you're all as lucky as I was to get a little time to create. Thanks for stopping by!

World Card Making Day - 2011

2011-10-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

It's here in all it's glory...World Making Card Day! I made a quick trip to the farmers market this morning and everyone was carrying on like it was just any other Saturday. Facebook has been quiet about it, almost no status updates about people being in their craftrooms creating away. What gives? Well I'm happy all my crafting friends out there in blog land are just as excited as I am for this day. Join in the fun by visiting the GIANT blog hop hosted by Paper Crafts Magazine.

By joining in the hop I knew I'd force myself to sneak in a little time to craft. These kids are not leaving me much mojo but I churned out these two cards to share with you today. I used the same colors on both yellow, cream, and a bit of gray.

For this simple card I dipped into my chipboard stash from the Cosmo Cricket warehouse sale. I had fun doing the zig-zag stitches on the card and then lining up the needle of the machine with the stitch line. It's a very simple card but I like it. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

On this second card I just had to keep using that fabulous chevron paper from the Amy Tangerine line that came in last months Studio Calico main kit. The sentiment is from Hero Arts and the flower images are by Memory Box. I colored in the flowers with copic markers and added a touch of bling with some yellow stickles.

Thanks for indulging this tired Mom with a visit and helping me not feel so alone on this most important of holidays! Happy Happy WCMD to you!

All Me

2011-09-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's been quiet on the blog because I haven't had much crafting mojo and what little I've had has been put into scrapbook pages with photo's I'm not allowed to share. BUT I did want to share a card that I think is 100% me.

I have this thing for circles...I'm just drawn to them and always have been. I used this circle background stamp as the base of the card design and went to town coloring with blue and green copic markers. I then added random blue and green dew drops and a few green crystals to the centers.

I inked a partial image from Unity to get the cool pennant flag and then stamped the Savvy Stamp Hello image. Since the background is so busy I wanted to add a little something to ground the sentiment and draw the eye to it. I went for some Smash Book tape and ran over the top with a zig zag stitch.

I used all of my favorite supplies (except buttons & ribbon), design elements, and colors on this card which is why I'm saying it's 100% me. Thanks for looking!

Stickers

2011-08-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

I forced myself to play along in the CAS-ual Friday challenge this week of using stickers because I have a problem with hoarded stickers. I started paper crafting back when the use of stickers was just as important as patterned paper and decorative edge scissors. I still have A LOT of those stickers and they need to be used, donated, or just thrown away.

I've had these epoxy stickers from the dollar spot at Target for over 5 years. So long that I don't think you could even call them stickers anymore because the stick was gone...had to apply adhesive to get them on the card. Anyway I made a really simple card I'll be using to send to a guy.

Stickers are pretty cool if you have current products. I need to clean out and get some new ones and force myself to USE them instead of hoard :) Thanks for looking!

Just Saying Hi

2011-08-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a card I was able to sneak in some time to make with my new Hero Arts stamp set this week. I'm not usually one for vintage images but something about these telephones just got to me. I embossed the telephone on the patterned paper (from Making Memories) with detail embossing powder which tends to come out with a more mat finish. I like that it's not super shiny and thick.

I've also been slowly working each week to improve my abysmal sewing skills. I gave zig zag a try with this card and had things go a bit crazy behind the ribbon. But as often happens, mistakes make for great opportunities to correct. I added the eyelet and some thick ribbon and you'd never have known my sewing was crazy crooked under there unless I told you. Which I of course did because I'm honest like that. Happy Friday peeps and thanks for stopping by!

Crazy Daisy

2011-08-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of myself today for getting both kids to nap in their beds at the same time! My craft room is between their rooms so it's really easy for me to sneak in and craft IF they are both sleeping (this has only happened once before today in 5 weeks so far). I've finally fulfilled my dream of being a nap time stamper!

Source: thechildhealthsite.com via Misti on Pinterest

I wanted to take advantage of the Friends with Flair challenge and used this weeks trigger over at Moxie Fab World to inspire me. At first I had all kinds of ideas on making layered shapes with scrap paper. I settled on crazy petals for these two flowers and a layered scalloped edge made with lots of little punched circles from scrap paper. It's a really great inspiration this week and I think I'll give it another go if I get the chance to craft again this week. I can't wait to see what everyone makes...have you played yet?

Images - Unity, sentiment from Stampin'

CAS Tags

2011-07-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

I've finally found a few minutes to craft! Since I'm in desperate need of thank you cards for all the awesomeness being showered upon us from friends and family, I made a thank you card of course. I played along in the SCS CAS Challenge which is to use tags this week. Here's a super simple and no stamping card. The tags are various SU colors and it's an SU sizzix tag die. The letters are thickers from American Craft.

FWF Ups & Downs

2011-07-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in a bit since last Thursday our lives were forever changed when we were place with a 1 month old boy and a 12 month old girl sibling set we very much hope to adopt in the coming year. This has left me no time to stamp, I can't even get 2 hours of sleep at a time! While both are napping I wanted to share a card I made pre-kids and share why things will be quite around here on the blog for a bit.

All images by Unity, cotton candy stickles, copic markers

Stamp It!

2011-06-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to share a card I've waited a long time to share. This card was selected to be published in the Paper Crafts special issue Stamp It! Vol. 8 that went on sale today. This is the last card I submitted for the call. One of those I cranked out in a last ditch effort to submit a few more. Out of all the cards I made for the call (about 8-10) this was the only one selected for publishing and it happened to be my favorite of the bunch.

I stamped and then colored with copic markers directly on the chipboard. It was the first time I'd ever tried coloring with markers on chipboard and I loved the vibrant results.

Rainbow Jersey Style!

2011-06-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today I'm playing along in the Friends with Flair Blog Hop with Unity and the CAS-ual Friday challenge. I've used my cheetah butterfly and background stamp from Unity for this card. I wasn't sure what I'd ever use them for but once again I love how getting the Kit of the Month has stretched me out of my comfort zone.

The CAS-ual Friday challenge is to use border punches and I thought a rainbow would be the perfect way to really put a punch to work. I selected the scallops with the peekaboo holes just so you could really see the colors layer on top of each other. I love the end result!

Stamps: Unity and sentiment from Savvy Stamps, Paper from Stampin' Up! & PTI, EK Success Punch, Making Memories stick pins.

Winner Day!

2011-06-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Before we get to the exciting stuff I'm going to share a Thankful card since I'm very thankful for all who visit my blog! This is a card I had submitted to a call for ways to use twine to be published in the fall. I wrapped a chipboard "T" in the twine as the focal point. I used my adhesive runner to help me keep the twine in place because it does get a bit tricky around the curves. Since this was rejected I did see a similar technique in this months Paper Crafts but I'm proud of myself for thinking this one up long before I ever saw it :)

Now for the winner of the big prize! It's comment number 3 which belongs to Wendy ten Hove! That means I have a package to send over to The Netherlands...how cool is that? I wish I was going along with it. I could sure go for a stroopwafle and poffertjes.

The winner of the second prize is Laura, lucky #13! This package will be making it's way to London, another city I love to visit.

Congrats to both ladies and a big thank you to everyone for brightening my day with a visit! I'll need the winners to email their addresses to me at jaysarahs@yahoo.com so I can send off these prizes to you.

Smash Book Review

2011-06-20T19:39:00.001-07:00

I LOVE the concept of Smash Books by EK Success. I'll even admit I thought I was totally above buying this smash book of theirs...I mean how hard is it to just get a journal & a sharpie and call it a smash book? I did exactly that the day I saw the idea and have started one for all things kids. Before dinner with my girlfriends on Friday I did a little shopping at The Paper Source and they had all the Smash products front and center.

I love the feel of the thick embossed covers and the different themes and patterns of each page. They were much more inspiring than blank lined paper like my own version has. There are pages with just titles like Top Ten, I am, Today was _________. Not to mention the cool papers that get your creative juices flowing. I picked up the book for $14.95 which isn't a bad price since it's what I'd pay for a great quality journal of the same size. I also picked up their little book of journal starters like the OMG one below, huge rubber bands for when it gets really stuffed, and some black dotted washi tape. I think I'll have more fun making my own tabs and clips so I left those on the table. My total investment was less than $25. The "smash stick" that comes with the book is a lot like a fine point Sharpie (the nib is a little smaller) and the other end is a glue stick.

Being that I was excited about my purchase I invited my friends, who will tell you they are NOT crafty, to help me out with my first entry. We pulled it out right at the table before dessert arrived and everyone got really into it! I mentioned it would be funny if some chocolate or drink dropped on the page. My friend Kathy dipped her finger right in the chocolate and began dotting her drawn finger tips! We loved it and made a pact to add to the page as we meet again and again.

Overall review is a big thumbs up! I can't wait to keep adding to this book and love the rule that messy is beautiful. Below is a link to the You Tube video on the product.

Color Blocking

2011-06-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

I'm playing along in the CAS-ual Friday Challenge for the first time. This weeks theme is color blocking. It took on the challenge of also inking up some of those Michael's $1 stamps I'm always temped into buying because of the price. These two images finally saw ink after 3 or more years (blush).

Thanks for stopping by! Tomorrow I'll be showing my first entry in my new Smash book.

Sunshine Trigger & FWF

2011-06-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

This week I was inspired by the Moxie Fab Trigger to create a card with some shine and a rainbow of colors. The stripes on my paper are the "rainbow" and some stickles added the perfect touch of shine. This is a smaller card size than I'd usually make and I think it's why I think it's so darn cute. It measures at 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" which allows for the over hang of ribbon and paper.

I'm also using this card as my Friends with Flair card for the week. For you Unity fans that haven't already commented for a chance to win, I have 20 images and a lot of other goodies up for grabs on this post. I was lucky enough to win FWF a few weeks ago and ended up with a lot of duplicate images to ones I already own (they are pretty awesome!) so I want to spread the love!

Source: moxiefabworld.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Thanks so much for looking and please give the trigger challenge a try!
Image by Unity, designer papers by October Afternoon

Give Away Day!

2011-06-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's time to spread the love and give back to my readers. I'll be giving away 20 new Unity Stamp Company images, Sugar Coating glitter from Doodlebug Designs, 5 spools of ribbon, a tin of buttons, and an assortment of my very favorite cardstock (not pictured). This will be the prize for my blog followers. There will also be a prize package of buttons, two spools of ribbon, and cardstock for anyone who leaves a comment.

All you need to do is leave me a comment on this post telling me what type of blog post you enjoy most. For example - a challenge, tutorial, sketch, or simply a project being shared.

I'll draw two lucky winners next Tuesday, 6/21. Thanks everyone for the visit!

Oops!

2011-06-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

We all have that moment when something goes wrong. You drop an inked stamp on your project, stamp something crooked, place a layer on crooked, or spill some something on your project. I'll admit I almost cried when I finished coloring in all 980 some of these tiny little circles in a rainbow pattern and then stamped the sentiment on crooked. I really wanted a simple one layer card that had some wow when you realized the detail that had gone into that main image which seems quite simple at first glance.

I knew I wasn't going to let all that work of coloring those circles go to waste! This is when you need to step back and make a new plan. When this happens I almost always end up liking the second design better. That's surely the case here. I have a photo below of my boo boo just so I'm giving full disclosure to all of you blog readers.

I'll be posting my blog give away tomorrow and since I have heard from some of you that you are unable to "follow" my blog, I'll be doing two prizes...one open to everyone and the other open to only "followers".

Bird image from Memory Box, sentiment on both cards is from Stampin' Up!

FWF Hey Girlfriend!

2011-06-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hey girlfriend, thanks for swinging by my blog! Yep...this card is for YOU. I have been eyeing this set since Cosmo Cricket came out with the Upcycle line. I was thrilled to see it on special when Unity had their Warehouse sale last week. It was a simple card to make just stamping on the Upcycle paper. I used a scrap of it to cut out the hand bags and add them on foam to the stamped image for a fun little twist.

I've been gathering goodies for the blog candy I'll be posting next Tuesday on the 17th. So far I have over 20 Unity images, two packages of adhesive crystals, and some luxuriously thick and richly colored paper. It will be a collection of my favorite things. You must be a "follower" of my blog to qualify. Look for the post next Tuesday!

Study of Blue

2011-06-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple card to share that uses assorted blues from my scrap bag. I played with liquid pearls for the first time on this card and have to say I'm quite pleased. This is white from Ranger. I think it took on the slightest tinge of blue from the ink once it dried.

I'll also mention that I'm registered to take a crash course on my DSLR camera weekend after next. I'll finally be able to make use of such a nice piece of equipment and take better photos of my work to share here!

Hello from Savvy Stamps, flowers from Inkadinkado, Ranger Liquid Pearls, all inks and paper from Stampin' Up!

Sew Amazing

2011-06-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a little card I made as I was thinking about playing along in the Fab Moxie World sewing challenge. The challenge makes me nervous because I can't sew a straight line and this card is proof I can't even faux sew a straight line! I do love the idea of sewing and the images I have around it but I need to step my game up before entering anything, at least get that line straight :)

I haven't been feeling well this weekend so I seem to have lost my mojo a bit. It's frustrating because I have lots of time to sit and create but just can't get in my groove. Here's to getting my groove back this week!

Thread images by Stampin' Up!, Sentiment from Hero Arts, Designer Paper from October Afternoon Thrift Shop line.

FWF Sweeter

2011-06-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today I have a simple and sweet card to share for the Unity Friends with Flair blog hop. I made this card as a thank you for a friend who has kindly given me lots of baby items to help me prepare for the kid(s) we hope to soon be adopting. Since we don't know the age (will be 0-3) or even if it will be one or two kids, it's been very hard to prepare yet I have a need to "nest".

I've asked for help and the world has given back in such amazingly generous ways. I want to spread the love. I was thrilled to see I was last week's FWF post winner! I'm nearing my 300th post on my blog and to celebrate I'll be giving quite generously to one of my followers as well. I'll have a post on this soon but wanted to give everyone the heads up in case you are not already a follower. I so appreciate each visit to my blog and send a personal thank you to each and everyone of you for making my day brighter!

All images by Unity, ink and paper by Stampin' Up! - Regal Rose & Certainly Celery, green/gold stickles, copic markers, and buttons.

We Salute You!

2011-05-30T13:04:00.001-07:00

Today I dedicate this post to all the Service Men and Women who have paid the ultimate price for freedom. I also say thank you to their family and friends who have paid a huge price as well.

I have spent my crafting time this weekend gathering up cards to donate to Hero Mail. I have 50 so far and plan to host a craft night dedicated to making more in the near future. I'm a little embarrassed to admit I was able to pull 50 cards that measured up to the criteria without making a dent in my stash. I make so many cards yet send so few out this is a great solution and cause to donate to.

All images are from A Muse (part of the bundle I was able to score at 50% in their store closeout). I used copics and a white colored pencil to color the banner. I dotted each flag with silver stickles and added bakers twine by drawing a thin line of glue and laying the twine on top.

FWF Father's Day

2011-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing two cards today. This card is one I quickly made, late the night submissions were due to Paper Crafts Magazine for the 365 Cards special issue. After I finished it I had wished I used a different sentiment, something a little smaller and delicate but it's a fun card overall. In real life it has a nice depth to it since I have the circle panel popped up from the sentiment square.

The second I made for Father's Day with a sentiment I LOVE. I kept the colors masculine and the layout simple. Just a few stitched "X's" for embellishment and a little popped up paper pieced heart stamped in rust.

Thanks so much for looking and be sure to check out other Friends with Flair blogs!
All images by Unity Stamp Company.

Non-Traditional Sympathy

2011-05-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

The challenge of the week over at Papertrey Ink is for sympathy cards. I don't own a sympathy sentiment from PTI but it got me thinking. What is the message that you're really trying to send someone? To me this meant stating I was sorry about their loss and wanting them to know I'm there for them. I had the perfect sentiment for the later feeling.

I remember appreciating each and every card I received when my Dad passed away. There was an abundance of muted earth tone cards with flowers on them that looked like they were about to die as well. There were just one or two that had some color and helped brighten up a dark time and mood about the house. This is why I chose to use yellow and whimsical flower buttons and die cuts. I want this card to stand out in someones time of need to draw attention to the fact that I'm here for them if they need me.

Vanilla paper, die cut, and sentiment from Papertrey Ink. Designer Paper from October Afternoon thrift shop line.

Welcome Home Baby

2011-05-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

This week I plan on sharing a few of my favorite cards made for publication that didn't make the cut. I've resubmitted a few times so I'm giving up hope and ready to share them with the world.

This card was really fun to make. I did some subtle sponging on the main panel with the Spellbinders die intact for a masked look. I had fun adding lots of buttons and random stamped circles. The images are all from Stampin' Up!

I should add for those following my adoption journey this card is NOT a hint...we still haven't heard a peep about any news for a placement.

Nursery Shadow Boxes

2011-05-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make my own nursery decor for a few weeks but haven't found just the right thing until this weekend. I picked up the Give a Hoot Cricut cartridge this weekend and paired it with my last 4 sheets of Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love line. It's a match made in nursery decor heaven! My favorite so far is the sleeping fox. Jay's is the bunny peeking around the tree but it's my blog so I get to feature what I want ;)

I have one more to make, which will be a bird with a nest, to complete the foursome. They will be hung on the wall this weekend. More pictures will follow once they have been arranged. They are all multi-layered scenes which really pop in the shadow boxes. I had more fun making these than any project I can recall in the last year or so.

FWF Friday & Pin Of the Week

2011-05-19T21:09:00.001-07:00

This week I've been playing with my May Unity Kit of the Month...LOVE!

Source: snowybliss.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I've had this pin of a cake filed away for inspiration and it came in handy for this cake image. I made a very simple card but played with different ink colors for each of the "party" images. It's times like this I'm glad I've hung onto my Stampin' Up! markers. Direct to rubber is one thing Copics don't quite pull off in the same way as water based ink markers. The flame and scallops are dotted with stickles that didn't quite show up in the photo.

Have a great Friday and go check out some of the other blogs in the Friends with Flair blog hop!

Fruity Challenge

2011-05-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Unity is having a monthly challenge over on their blog where you can win 100 stamps AND a kit just for playing along! The challenge this month is any project using a fruit stamp. So if you've got some fruity Unity why not play along? I'll leave you some love :)

I used the three apples stamp from a Unity Kit of the Month on some deep red paper. No coloring means a card in a snap! I love the texture of the celery colored jute cord paired with kraft paper. I think it would make a great card for a teacher.

Sentiment from Papertrey Ink, Apples from Unity Stamp Co.

Baby Shower Ideas

2011-05-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

I had a ton of fun co-hosting a baby shower this weekend for a dear friend. The beautiful thing about co-hosting is I lent my house and another friend took care of all the food. This left me plenty of time for trying my hand at cake pops which quickly turned into cake balls. I also made molded chocolate mustaches and a pennant banner in their nursery colors.

The banner was so much fun to make. I used all my banner die cuts from Papertrey Ink and letters cut with my Cricut. I kind of wish I had the chance to host showers of any kind more often because it's so much fun!

Love Letters

2011-05-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Blogger being back up! I'm going to share the first card I've made with my May Unity KOM. I have to say each month my favorite image changes from what I think it will be to when I get the actual rubber in my hands. I loved the challenge of making a stack of letters look interesting. I stamped them on kraft then colored in with a white pencil.

All images by Unity

Scrap Pile

2011-05-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend I busted out some scrap kits I've hoarded for far too long in honor of National Scrapbooking Day. I had been a kit member of a few companies before I accepted a design team position at my local scrapbook store. This meant I was getting a kit a month for free and having to make 3-4 double layouts and projects a month. There was no time to use up those kits I already had on hand! So here I am two (almost 3!) years later busting into these and making use of the supplies.

I created several pages this weekend and since the materials were all so old I gave myself permission to USE IT! It's far too old to be submitting to any publications so why not have fun and make use of techniques that really are material hogs.

I ended up with this bit of patterned paper scrap and decided to play off the leaf pattern. I cut out the same leaves on another piece of the sheet and did a little off the page layering. It's been liberating allowing myself to just use up product with no requirements on number of projects that need to come out of it or must use materials! I need to stop the hoarding and do this more often. No matter how much I "love" that paper, there will be a new release just around the corner that I'll like as much if not more.

Moxie Fab Trigger

2011-05-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Source: moxiefabworld.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Instead of a pin of the week I'm using the Moxie Fab blog's Tuesday Trigger challenge to inspire me. I have a thing for circles so this print just pulled me in. I used the circle theme and some of the colors from the fabric. I used Amy Butler prints for the majority of the card and formed a "rose" out of some mustard rick rack. I had planned to use a Mother's Day sentiment but all that I have are small and needed something bold for this bold card.

I made this card a larger format to fit into a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 envelope. I cut one side short so I could have the flower "over hang" and still squeeze this into the envelope.

Thanks for checking out my card and don't forget to play along yourself!

Damask Thank You

2011-05-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to show a card that you could use for Mother's Day where you don't need a sentiment that says that. I think this sentiment from Stampin' Up! sums up what I'd want to say to my Mom every year.

I created the damask background and then added the Melissa Frances scalloped envelope tag to based my sentiment. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig for all parts of this card since I wanted the damask lined up just so and you won't want a crooked sentiment on that envelope!

Thanks for looking!

Bounty of Buttons Wreath

2011-05-02T19:47:00.001-07:00

This is the only non-Mother's Day card I'll post this week. I just have to share my favorite card I submitted to Paper Crafts for the Holiday Cards with non Holiday Supplies category. I just LOVE how this card turned out. It doesn't fit any of the categories for the Nov/Dec call so I'll share it here and send it to one lucky person this upcoming Christmas.

I started by making a ring of green paper to use as my base and just started laying down the biggest buttons first and then continued to pile them on. Once that was done I pushed the envelope (literally!) by adding crystals and ribbon.

Thanks for looking!

Tin 'o Pins

2011-05-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hey peeps! I've been lazy about posting to my blog but enough of that...I'm deeming this Mother's Day Week. I'll post as many card and gifts for Mom as I'm able. I'm starting with one I submitted to the Paper Crafts Holiday Cards and Gifts special addition call. This was a last minute idea I made about an hour before the call closed. I knew my chances of it being selected were slim since I didn't use Holiday themed paper but I went for it anyway. As I suspected, it wasn't chosen but that just means you get to see it now. I'm sharing this in the Reject Blog Hop started over at Damask Love.

This all starts with the tins you can find at Michael's made to hold gift cards. I picked up a bunch of these when they were 3 for a buck. If you toss the top of the tin it makes the perfect holder for 4 clothes pin magnets. I lined the bottom with paper and then used thin scraps of paper to top the pins themselves. Adding a button to the end finishes the look.

Then all you need to do is apply some self-adhesive magnets on the back and they stick right in place when you put them in the tin. I used Cosmo Cricket's Social Club mini mat pack for this project. Using the mat packs makes this a snap because everything looks good together!

Stuck on Stickers

2011-04-26T20:49:00.001-07:00

I'm a sucker for buying the sticker sheet of a paper collection I love. Even if I can't think of what to use them for, I just have to have them. What usually happens is I use up all the matching paper on small projects and will be left with these scrapbooking scale stickers and no paper.

Here's a card I made with stickers from the Thrift Shop collection by October Afternoon. Don't be afraid to use just portions of the sticker. I set the large doilie image on the cardbase and then trimmed off the excess. Same with the flower boarder strip I added to the sentiment panel. Using up those large stickers can make for a quick card!

Pin of the Week #2

2011-04-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

This week's pin translated to a cookie bag for me since I wanted to play along in the challenge for packaging being held over at Fab Moxie World (check it out!). I picked up these cool windowed treat bags at Packaging Specialities for only about 40 cents a piece! Don't they make a tub of Trader Joe's cookies look like a million bucks...or at least double what I paid?

I used Maya Road chipboard and covered the bird in paper from Basic Grey then colored the branch with a brown copic marker. I freehand cut the leaves to add to the end of each branch. All in all this took less than 10 minutes but it sure was fun. I see a lot of these treat bags being created in the near future!

Thanks for stopping by and please leave me a link to your creation if you are so moved to use my pin as inspiration. I'd love to leave you a little love!

Rise Above

2011-04-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last night my Unity Kit of the Month arrived just in time for a little Friday night stamping. I'm currently working on Christmas projects for a Paper Craft Magazine call so it was a really nice change of pace to indulge in some of these new images. I grabbed my favorite of the whole kit to work with first. I just love the sentiment and the cheerful hot air balloon!

All images by Unity, copic markers, banana, white, and kraft paper by Stampin' Up!, copic markers, and gems from Little Yellow Bicycle.

Have a GREAT weekend all!

Pin of the Week #1

2011-04-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Source: frenchlarkspur.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

My new obsession is Pinterest.com. Just what exactly is it? I like to describe it as a place where all things visually pleasing go to mix and mingle with those who appreciate them. A shelf of lovely jars? (pin it please!) An amazing kitchen? (pin it please!) A recipe I HAVE to try? (pin it please!) A collection of inspiring colors? (pin it please!) I could and do go on all day. Now that I have all these lovely items "pinned" what now? Use them to inspire me of course! Thus you have the birth of a new weekly post titled Pin of the Week.

I'll show you a lovely pin and what it inspired me to create. This weeks pin is above, the stunning row of jars and lavender. Below you have my take on this photo made with paper, ink, and rubber.

Images: (woodgrain - Studio Calico) (Flowers and vase - Stampin' Up!) (Sentiment - Papertrey Ink), copics, black ink, white stazon ink, kraft & white paper by PTI

B-Day Banner

2011-04-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

I've just returned form a wonderful weekend away on Whidbey Island. I was to participate in the Whidbey Island Marathon and celebrate my husbands birthday. I was able to join lots of friends and family who were out for their first shot at a 1/2 marathon. Due to an injury I was able to both support and join them for about 10 miles of the course. They all did AMAZING!

With Jay's Birthday in mind I made a birthday themed card for the Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday challenge. This was all about using your dies as masks. I used my banner maker die from PTI to make a mask on printer paper. Then I used a little re-positional adhesive to secure it to the front of the cardstock. Sponged it in with blue ink and then used a whole mess of PTI Birthday sentiments in the blue, green, and orange to make a festive card for a little boy. The best part is, it's just one layer save for that little border of green up top! I stamped the candles on the green and added yellow glitter for "flame".

I can't wait to see what everyone else makes this week for the challenge! Check out more samples here and give the crafters some love. Thanks for stopping by!

Butterfly Layers

2011-04-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Here's another birthday card to share featuring stacked butterflies cut from a sizzlet die and using up a lot of scrap designer paper. This was a fun one!

Paper is from Basic Grey, Stampin' Up! Butterfly die, and Papertrey Ink sentiment

Birthday Bonaza

2011-04-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

For some reason I've never been good about keeping my stock of birthday cards up. I have to admit I don't even like making them much but it's the type of card I need most often. I took some time to think about why I didn't like making them and it came down to lack of sentiments. I solved that problem with a new set from Papertrey Ink (PTI) and this weekend I cranked out 15 birthday cards! No I won't share all 15 but here's a few of my favorites. The images are by Unity and the sentiments for the most part are all PTI. Enjoy!

Cake image by Unity, sentiment PTI, yellow stickles top the candles

Party Hat by Unity, sentiment by Stampin' Up!, green stickles on top of the hat.

Oh Poop

2011-03-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Now it's time for something a little funny. I came across this sentiment and diaper image last night and realized I've owned it for about 2+ years and it's never seen ink. I don't know why it took me so long...doesn't everyone need an "oh poop" card now and again?

Images from Odd Bird Planet, baker's twine, white paper from PTO, copic markers, Bazzill espresso paper, Stampin' Up! Celery paper.

Ink Blending Journey

2011-03-28T21:04:00.001-07:00

When I saw this tutorial over on the Papertrey Ink blog I had never seen the Tim Holtz ink handle and pads used like that before. I've used mine exclusively for alcohol inks so I wondered if I was missing the boat with blending tools. I used them with my Stampin' Up! inks and found them really difficult to soak into the pad. I like the upright control the handle gives but I think I still prefer using make up sponges. It gives me just a bit more flexibility and a much greater variety of ink on the sponge. I'm glad I tried it and will keep it in mind for future projects when I want a light application of ink. To see more projects with ink blending check out this Mr. Linky List and add your own!

Since I found out last week that my company had been purchased I've been thinking about making cards to give to those I've worked with for years. I'll need a bunch of masculine cards and I loved this quote from the August year of flowers set from PTI. It's the perfect sentiment to leave a message for people as we all continue on with our journey.

Paper - Vanilla - (PTI), So Saffron - (Stampin' Up!), Designer Paper - Social Club (Cosmo Cricket), Inks - Old Olive, So Saffron, Not Quite Navy (Stampin' Up!), Images - August, Year of flowers collection (Papertrey Ink)

PTI Blog Hop

2011-03-24T21:12:00.001-07:00

Today I'm posting a card I made for my Mom and today is her actual birthday! I played along in the Papertrey Ink blog hop challenge to use embroidery thread on your card. Nothing too crazy here since my crafting mojo is on vacation this week but I still think it's cute...even if predictable.

I stamped the flowers, colored them in with copics and then drew circles inside with a pencil. I pressed holes into the paper with the needle on a foam mat to help prevent too much bending. This made stitching a breeze. I also learned early on that you can't make the holes very close together since it will quickly become one larger hole. To help this I colored the centers yellow since quite a bit of white was showing...nice fake :)

All images and white paper by PTI, Designer paper is Urban Prairie by Basic Grey.

Thanks so much for dropping by and Happy Birthday Mom if you happen to see this!

Winner Day!

2011-03-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

This morning I wanted to share another card made from the March KOM images as a tribute to thanking Unity for their generous 25 stamp prize for the Friends with Flair blog hop!

So who is the winner of this weeks prize kit? Random.org says it's post #16! Congrats to Lori who said...

"Love the funky feel of your card...it's great. "

To claim your prize please email Amy at amy@unitystampco.com with your full name, address and that you have won 25 images from the Friends with Flair Blog Hop.

Supplies - All images by Unity, white cross hatch Bazzill paper, copic markers, Cameo Coral paper and ink, pewter hardware from Stampin' Up!, fruit punch stickels.

Friends With Flair Friday!

2011-03-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Can I get a big whoop whoop for Friday?! It's been a trying week at work and I'm sooooo looking forward to a weekend with no plans except for a little me time in my craft room spent with my brand spankin' new Unity March Kit of the Month! A whole 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of new rubber goodness...do you have yours yet?

Last night I just had to sneak in a card before bedtime. I'll admit this winged heart isn't an image I would ever pick out and buy on my own but when presented in a kit it helps me try new things. When I held the rubber in my hand it just spoke to me and I knew it had to be the first image for me to use from the bunch.

I was inspired by the designer paper from My Minds Eye and used that as the base background of the card. The reverse side had a super cute print of plaid that I thought would be perfect for the heart center. I stamped the winged image on vanilla cardstock and the designer paper. I used a copic marker to add a touch of the aqua color to negative space on the wings. Thanks to the deep etching of the Unity images I was able to pull off stamping the sentiment onto a thickly textured piece of vanilla cardstock...LOVE that!

This is my first time playing along in the Friends With Flair blog hop (but not my last!) so I am SUPER excited to be posting this blinkie. Unity is giving away 25 stamps to one lucky person...will it be you? Just leave me a comment and it could be! I'll be selecting a random winner on Saturday morning and leaving the results as a post here and on this thread at SCS. Now go visit some other blogs in the hop and leave some love!

High Wire Lady

2011-03-17T17:58:00.001-07:00

Here's one of the two cards I submitted to this round of calls for Paper Crafts Magazine. I wasn't surprised not to receive a "happy email" today since neither of my cards really wowed me :) I just figured what the heck and submitted anyway. Now I get to join in the "reject" blog hop so head over to Dr. Amber's blog and show a little love for some of the other rejects out there!

I picked up a mat pack from Graphic 45 that is all old time circus themed. I can't even say why I did because I don't really like the circus or even the vintage style of the papers but it was a stretch...something new for me. I cut out this chick walking the high wire from a very busy sheet of DP and placed her on a black thread. I embellished her dress with some orange glitter pen for a little flair.

I think this is going to be a fun card to give to one of the amazing women in my life. So many of them impress me more than any high wire walker does!

Out of the Box

2011-03-14T06:26:00.001-07:00

This is one time I actually like the term "out of the box"...I'm not meaning corporate buzz word but the stamping technique. It's today's CAS Challenge on Splitcoaststampers. It means to have part of your image extend past the panel or are you've stamped it on.

This image from The Rubber Cafe is one of my favorites to do this technique with because what is more prone to extending out of the area than a plant? I simply stamp the image on a large piece of paper and then use my paper cutter to trim down as much as possible. Then I go in with my paper snipping scissors to trim out the image that extends out.

Thanks for looking!

Shimmer Spray Challenge

2011-03-13T11:18:00.001-07:00

I consider myself an expert of sorts when it comes to crafting and have to admit I was a little intimidated when I saw the challenge to use shimmer spray over at Moxie Fab. It's not something I've ever tried even though I've seen it. I didn't even own a bottle of it but plucked one up on a whim in my "happy color" orange to give the challenge a go. This was a few weeks ago and here I am sneaking my entry in on the last day!

The first thing I'll say about the mist is that it's powerful...talk about a mess if you're not expecting it! I'd suggest just going in the garage or outside and misting onto newspaper. I sprayed my desk good and I'm still cleaning up little flecks of orange. Good thing it's pretty!

I haven't mastered control of the spray the way I want to yet so it faked it a bit for this card. I did some concentrated half sprays in the corner of the paper and used gravity to pull the color the way I wanted. The darker streaks are where the color just ran and the lighter where I pulled color with the edge of a sponge. In real life the effect is quite impressive...it's beautifully shimmery!

I stamped this chipboard shape with some flowers and added marker and some yellow sparkle with Atyou Spica glitter pens.

Eye Candy

2011-03-10T20:17:00.000-08:00

I've been sick as a dog this week and in bed by 8 just about every night. This means zero crafting mojo and lots of reading. I thought instead of a card I'd post a super cool photo I found on the web that I'll use to inspire a bit of mojo when I can muster up the energy. I'd sure LOVE to have this in my house but tell me...who has that many books without a big comfy couch or chair at the bottom? That's a serious design FAIL by my standards but I'll let it slide and keep dreaming about the books.

Birthday Dahlia

2011-03-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

Here's another one of the cards that didn't make in the Paper Crafts call but this is one I'm not sad at all about hanging onto. I used the last of these stick pins I have in those colors to create this so now it's mine to give someone on their special day. I'm participating in the blog hop of "rejects" that starts over on Dr. Amber's blog.

This card was easy to make and I just adore the Sahara Sand with Baja Blue. I made the curving background by cutting out a large oval and then slicing it in half. The medallion of the flower is easy thanks to the die image that matches the stamp from Paper Trey Ink and some stacked nestibilities cut outs. I added a bit of shimmer to the center of the flower with an Atyou Spica pen.

Thanks so much for looking and please consider joining in the hop if you have any "rejects" of your own!

All images from Paper Trey Ink, watercolor paper, Baja Blue, and Sahara Sand papers from Stampin' Up!, pins are from Making Memories.

Sketch Rejects

2011-03-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

Today I received "happy email" that a project of mine was picked up for the special issue of Go To Sketches for Card Makers from Paper Crafts Magazine which will be available on 8/9/11. The card that was picked is one I'm frankly not crazy about but that doesn't make me any less excited to be published! It's completely different from anything I'll be sharing. The good news is now I get to share the cards I made and LOVE with you...none of this waiting until August business.

This card has a vintage feel to it while still being CAS. I stamped the flower image onto the faux book paper and embossed in black and used a warm gray Copic marker to color in the image. Then you throw that puppy into the paper cutter and slice it to bits. Good thing I like puzzles because next it's time to re-assemble on the black mat which has been distressed. I had fun distressing all the edges on this card and turning up the edges. I'm really happy with the overall look of this one.

All images and supplies by Stampin' Up! except the marker & Kaiser black pearls.

I have at least 6 more "rejects" that I really love queued up to be shared here so stay tuned!

Stamped Chipboard

2011-02-27T15:36:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do lately is stamp and then color chipboard with copic markers. The color is vibrant and it's such an easy way to decorate chipboard with no fuss.

I stamped the heart with cherries and then colored in with a red and green, not bothering to do shading. I added a touch of white gel pen to the cherries to give them a "shine".

This is my submission for the Challenge to use hearts over at the Unity Blog.

All images by Unity Stamp Co.

Make Your Own Background

2011-02-21T07:14:00.001-08:00

Today's CAS Challenge at SCS is to create your own background. I used a super simple yet pretty impressive looking technique.

1) Select any kind of textured neutral cardstock (the texture makes this look even better!)

2) Select 3-4 ink pads with the last color being a deep pigment

3) Begin with the lightest color and drag it across the cardstock until you have the look you want.

4) Continue this starting below the previous color and finishing off with the deep color to the base.

Tips:

To keep your fingers cleaner, I lay the cardstock on a splatmat and rub the ink across, expect to need to change the mat after you finish.

It's important to choose a deep color for the base since it can look muddy towards the end where all the colors have run together, you need something dark to cover this.

For this card I used watercolor paper and the following SU ink pads - Barely Banana, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobler. Image by Stampin' Up! Pins from Making Memories. Card measures 5 1/2 x 3 1/2

Thanks for looking!

Vellum Sentiment Strip

2011-02-17T20:49:00.001-08:00

This weeks challenge from Paper Trey Ink is to make a sentiment strip on your card from vellum. I have to admit vellum is something I haven't broken into in about 2 years or so...it was time to revisit what it can bring to some of my projects.

One challenge I always seem to struggle with is how to attach it to the project since often the adhesive will show. I planned to hide this behind a button but it just seemed too bulky on the feather light strip. Instead I opted for very thin applications of liquid Mono adhesive to the chipboard swirl an it's virtually invisible! I love how it appears to just float over the swirl.

Thanks for taking a look!

Vanilla paper & sentiment by Paper Trey Ink, Gray paper and Vellum by Stampin' Up!, K&Co Amy Butler Designer Paper, Maya Road Chipboard stamped and highlighted with a clear Atyou Spica glitter pen.

Butler Blue

2011-02-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

I played along in the Trigger Tuesday Challenge at Moxie Fab this evening and just loved the above image they had from Pottery Barn. I was drawn to the blue in the photo and knew I wanted to use texture.

What better paper to run to than my matpack of Amy Butler prints? They all have the texture of fabric printed on them so you have instant texture along with a really cool print. I then I picked a funky flower from a Basic Grey chipboard pack I had on hand and added more texture. I stamped the outer ring with an addia cloth image and sponged on some ink and the inner petals with a flower image. The petals took on the look of butterfly wings. I colored them with copic markers and then added some sparkle with an Atyou Spica pen.

All images by Stampin' Up! Papers by K&Co.

Kraft & Black

2011-02-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with the kraft and black combo lately. So crisp and classy! I used the Dahlia set from Paper Trey Ink for this card and paired it with the matching dies which makes it a snap to make. This whole card came together in less than 10 minutes! I stamped the Thanks from Stampin' Up! and added some black pearls to accent the sentiment.

The dahlia image is raised from the base and topped with a tiny bit of black stickles for some shimmer.

1st of the Rejects

2011-02-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

Today I was on pins and needles waiting to hear if any of my projects submitted to Paper Crafts special issue of Stamp It! would be accepted. There were 1800 cards submitted with only about 260 slots so I knew it was going to be tough. I was elated to hear I'd made the cut but there are always some that don't. No matter the outcome, submitting gives you a challenge and you end up creating things you may not otherwise have. This card seemed to be fitting of the way I was feeling today, and just so happens to be one of my favorite that was submitted.

I stamped the ruler image and then sponged the edges in So Saffron to age it a bit. I colored and then painstakingly cut out that cute but tiny little pin cushion and mounted it to the circle. The foam adhesive I put on the circle turned out to be the perfect thing to stick some pins (from my very own pin cushion) into.

All images except sentiment by Stampin' Up!, sentiment by Hero Arts, designer paper from Cosmo Cricket Material Girl mat pack.

I love you more than...

2011-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

I played along in the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger challenge this week. The picture of the tuffles was enough to convince me I needed to actually eat some chocolate...stat! I was inspired to make my husband this card that will be his valentine next week.

The photo didn't come out so well but I wanted texture and some rich chocolate tones for the card after looking at the photo. I used the rich espresso textured Bazzill cardstock as the focal layer and then added the chipboard strip that was stamped and colored with copics. I love how vibrant the color shows even on the chipboard.

Thanks so much for looking and please play along!

All images are by A Muse

Happy Birthday

2011-02-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a card I made for the color challenge over at Splitcoast's CAS Monday Challenge. The colors to use are Stampin' Up! colors I don't have so I used what I did have on hand in shades of yellow, peach, and an orangy red with white as the neutral. You should give it a try and a link to you card if you don't already post to SCS, I'd love to see it!

I stamped the images on textured paper for something a little different. I also added some glitter spica pen to the flames. I changed up the size of this card to 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" which makes a nice change of pace.

Images are from Stampin' Up! colored with copic markers and I embelished with Jillibean Soup bakers twine.

Thanks for looking!

Metal Die Storage

2011-02-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

I've been busy at work creating cards to submit to publication which means they can't be shared online until I know their fate :) I did want to share my solution to storage for metal dies such as Spellbinders. Since I've found stamps and metal dies that are made for each other (such as many from Paper Trey Ink) I've been collecting quite a lot of these suckers. They are fairly inexpensive, very small, and above all easy to misplace!

I needed a way to store these that didn't involve a pile in a drawer or basket. I'll admit my solution isn't sexy but it's cheap and works GREAT! I cut up the thicker base that often comes in 12x12 paper packs to keep the sheets supported. These were cut to 5" x 6" and then I cut a strip of self adhesive magnet roll and applied to the card. I thought about stamping on them and making them cute but the magnet would just mess up anything I did and I plan on using these for years to come...how do you pick an image you'll LOVE for years? I kept it simple and now I'm working on a cute container to store them in. Being able to flip through, see the name, and snap on & off the magnet has made these a dream solution for me...for under $5!

You Rock!

2011-01-30T21:00:00.001-08:00

Here's a card I made for the Rock & Roll themed CAS challenge over at SCS. I love rock and roll so I was pretty excited to make a card for the challenge. I wanted to make something I wouldn't be ashamed to give some of my guy friends...one who is an actual metal/hard rock star. I think even he would approve of this card and I just might send it his way.

I pulled out this clear stamp set by Inkadinkado which fit the theme perfect. Normally the inability to get this stamp to make a good solid image would drive me nuts! But the splotchy look actually works for this theme. I stamped the stars and colored them in with two different tones of gray copics then cut them out. I placed them on these cool clear metal tags and then blinged out the sentiment and star centers with crystals.

Thanks for looking...you all ROCK!

Eye Heart U

2011-01-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun little card I made after being inspired by a card from this month's issue of Paper Crafts. These little monsters and the eyeball are from a set of clear stamps I picked up at Michael's on the cheap. I stamped the little buggers and colored them in with copics.

Simple, cute, and a touch creepy...think this one will make it's way to my nephew!

Thanks for swinging by my blog!

Another Reason to Love Copics

2011-01-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

This morning I played in the Featured Stamper challenge at SCS and cased the layout of Emily Leipharts card "Take Time to Remember". Since I don't have that image but liked the placement of elements I was going to fake it with some stamped flowers but one thing led to another and I found some white stemmed silk flowers in my hand. I used my copic markers to color every part of these little things. I started with the petals, then the center, and finished off with the stem. The possibilities are endless with these flowers since you can custom color them to fit any project. The color applies beautifully!

I stamped the canvas background onto my focal pannel for some texture and then used a little glue dot behind each flower and one at the base point to attach them. I did learn the hard way that the centers of these flowers WILL crush to a fine powder if you press too hard trying to attach a glue dot to it...ooops! Learn from my mistakes :)

All images and supplies from Stampin' Up! except the bazzill white, copics, and crystal stickers.

Target Tuesday Congrats

2011-01-19T21:31:00.000-08:00

I went over to Fab Moxie World this evening for a little inspiration and wasn't let down. I checked out this week's Target Tuesday image (above) and had an idea for some pleated ribbon I knew I had on hand.

I took the ribbon and played with it curling it in my hand until I had the shape I wanted. This naturally curves so it was easy to form. I then used mini glue dots to make the ribbon stick to itself and then some more on the back to have it stick to the card front. A big button center hides the start of the ribbon and allows for a nice thick glue dot to be added in helping to hold it all together.

I then used bakers twine under the sentiment. In order to save material I cut each piece to length and then applied lines of adhesive to the back. After securing the first line the rest are easy to stack right up against each other. You can then apply another line of adhesive over the top to make sure they are secure once you attach to the card base.

All paper, ink, and stamps by Stampin' Up! Card measures at 8 1/4" x 3 1/2"

Moo-chas Grass-ias

2011-01-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Here is my card for the CAS102 Challenge over at Splitcoast. It's a sketch challenge today, one of my favorite kind of challenges. I wanted to use chipboard on my card and when I saw the cow that was part is part of the sheet of Cosmo Cricket pieces I have on hand I remembered this super cute A Muse sentiment I bought forever ago. You know those supplies you see and know you just have to have? You might not know how you'll use it or when but it goes home with you anyway. This image is just that kind of thing. This cow and that stamp were meant to be!

A tip I have for self adhesive chipboard that extends off an area you may not want it to stick to is to leave the backing on part of it. I used an exacto knife to make a line at the neck and only removed the portion from the body. You can also cover adhesive with baby powder for the same effect but I don't have any on hand.

Moo-chas Grass-ias for looking!

Love you, Doll

2011-01-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

I was finally inspired to use this lace heart after years of it sitting in my stash. Turned out all it took was some lace patterned paper to get my creative juices flowing.

1) Fold a piece of Kraft paper to create the base and then apply the pink boarder sticker.

2) Create a panel of the lace paper and adhere the lace with mini glue dots and add panel to card base.

3) Stamp sentiment (from Paper Trey Ink) and apply self adhesive pearls below.

Dew Drop Tree

2011-01-13T20:42:00.001-08:00

I just love how this card turned out! I stamped the tree in cocoa ink on kraft paper and then decided to add some color with copics. I like the effect of the color on the colored paper, soft and subtle. I then went for a bolder espresso ink when it came to the sentiment to make it really stand out.
The dew drops were placed on some of the "leaves" with a clear liquid glue and then I mounted the pannel on a textured chocolate pannel that had been punched in scallops and trimmed with a little kraft ribbon.

All images by Unity Stamp Company.

Doodle Flowers

2011-01-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

Last night before bed I looked through my new issue of Creating Keepsakes and was inspired by a feature on doodles. I loved what the pages looked like and thought I'd take a stab at this on a card before the commitment of a scrapbook page. I used these funky left over puffy things by American Crafts that I had left over from a design team kit. I was never sure what to do with them until now.

I used a fine point sharpie and just started doodling flower stems and leaves around the area I wanted to place the shape. I also drew in the hello and even though I'm not at all happy with it I decided to share the card anyway...because I like everything else. I just did a really simple coloring job on the leaves and stems with two colors of copics, not even trying to blend much. I like the look, reminds me of illustrations in a quirky kids book.

So I challenge you to dig out some weird or left over things laying around your stash and create something doodled. You never know how it might turn out! Please leave a link in the comments so I can see what you create if you take me up on the challenge.

Sun in January

2011-01-12T07:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a sunny card I made for Sketch Challenge 315 over at SCS. We have lots of snow here this morning so I needed to send myself some sunshine. This is a simple card where I let the DP from Basic Gray do a lot of the work for me. I stamped this cute flower image from Paper Trey Ink and then colored in with copics and finished off with some buttons.

Thanks for looking and I hope this brings a little brightness to your day.

Winter White Trigger

2011-01-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to create this card after seeing the Trigger Tuesday Challenge over at Moxie Fab World. Yes,the thing to inspire us was a white on white wedding cake but I just couldn't resist making this. Ever since I saw some samples with a new layer cake stamp set from Paper Trey Ink I've wanted to try to create the same look by just cutting my own layers and mounting on a cake stand image I already have. I cut each layer a quarter inch smaller than the one before.

The most fun was using my glue pen to design each layer of the cake! It kinda made me feel like a pastry chef. I trimmed each layer with ribbon and a tiny hand cut flower. I think it looks pretty cool for a single layer card!

The gift I'm most excited about from Christmas is a photography class. After trying to take this photo it's obvious I need it :)

Thanks for looking and Happy New Year!

Flower, Sentiment, and Stand are all Stampin' Up! images. I used a dark gray ink by Stampin' Up! for all the rubber and dazzling diamonds glitter.

All about the bow

2010-12-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

I played in the CAS color challenge over at splitcoast tonight and made this card. You needed to use brown, kraft, green, and white. I used this cool DP from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie mat pack as the base (4 3/4" x 3 1/2") matted on chocolate chip paper. I wanted to leave a nice wide band of the kraft.

I tide the knot of the wide ribbon and then the jute around the knot and made a bow. I originally intended to secure the jute to the ribbon with a brad button but the ribbon was so thick I don't think I could have fit this into an envelope if I stuck with that plan. Next time I'll go for a lighter weight ribbon as the base.

You could use this layout for any kind of card and all you need is a sentiment! So bust out those unused mat packs I know you have laying around and get to some cards.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I've been crafting mostly Christmas cards and gifts over the last month and a half but haven't wanted to spoil any gifts by posting here. Since we still have 1 day before Christmas I'll share my card for coworkers. I missed the boat this year and ran out of Happy Holiday cards that are safe to pass out at work and just couldn't find the energy to make more.

I decided to go with a New Year theme which is safe to hand out to everyone AND buys me an extra week :) The base is a great excuse to pull out number stamps and put them to use. I went with a doodle image which is fogiving. I start by stamping each of the corners and then filling inbetween which will allow you to line everything up without measuring.

The shapes behind the star are 1" squares that have had some corner rounding on two sides. It's a great way to use up some thin scraps.

All stamps, ink, and paper (Mambo Melon & Crushed Curry) by Stampin' Up!

Star punch, 1/2" corner rounder, Queen & Co bling

Cool Christmas

2010-11-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a Christmas card using cool colors. I took this embossed snowflake sticker and added tiny crystals and silver balls to make it really special. Adding that to some matted circles makes for a super easy and eye catching focal point. I used a scrap of some ledger paper print for the background and it's almost as if you assume it's plaid since it's a Christmas themed card...but nope, it's not!

I used my sponge makeup wedge for the edging because I find it gives me the smooth and controlled look I want most often. I love how it adds that little extra, almost as if it's another layer.

Stamps - Paper Trey Ink

Oh, Inverted World

2010-11-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

It's VSN Weekend over at SpiltCoastStampers! This means a new challenge every hour...wooohoo! I didn't get a chance to start playing along until about 9:00 last night but I plan on making up some serious time today. I hope you can join in too!

I wanted to share a card I made for a challenge where you needed to be inspired by something on your iPod. Just when I finished the last challenge card a song from The Shins album Oh, Inverted World came on. I used the album art to get me started on this card.

Since you need to work quickly when embossing get that powder on while the ink is still wet, I stamped all three images in one shot. A perk to using clear images and block is you can lay it over the paper you plan to stamp on. I used this as my guide on how to place the images. Then I could pour power over it all at once.

Birds and Buttons

2010-10-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hello! On Sunday night I spent the evening cleaning up my craft room and decided to make some major changes to my workspace. I've been playing with the idea of moving inks off my desktop with the exception of my black and brown ink. It's what I've been using about 80% of the time now that I love using Copic markers anyway so I cleared it off and it's just a few steps away in the closet now.

I also wanted to do something pretty to both display and organize my supplies. Buttons in jars sorted by color it is! Colors and shapes (especially circles) inspire me so what better to have line the edge of my desk than 5 jars of buttons?

I love having more workspace, especially when scrapping. The ink just too up so much space! Here's a card I made this evening. All stamp images are from Unity. The branch is from Maya Road.

Canning Made Pretty

2010-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been canning the last few weeks in prep for my yearly supply of good for myself and gift giving. I change up ways to make the lid pretty each year but it's easy to run out of ideas. When I saw the Preserves cartridge for the Cricut I knew I had to own it. Tonight I started playing with it for the first time.

I started easy because I'm not too skilled in using my cricut yet. I went for the simple lid cut outs. Simple as they might be...I REALLY like them! I can see a lot of these cut in my future. I just wish there was a pepper shape for my famous pepper jelly.

The great sticking power of my ATG gun adhesive made getting the ribbon to stick to the ring a breeze.

Bit of Sunshine

2010-08-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

I kept having to remind myself it really is August today. It was cold and gray with some obligatory rain. I'm not complaining because I spent the day canning and that's some hot work. It's nice to have fresh apricots that look and smell like sunshine to work with, without sweating up a storm!

I played along in the CAS challenge over at splitcoast tonight and it's a color challenge. I used Teal, Kraft, and White to create this card with an island vibe. I dug out this Island Blossoms hostess set from SU which hasn't been used in years. It's fun when you can create fresh fun new things with old materials.

I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the flowers just so in two different shades of teal. Cut it out for some pop and then topped with a button that looks like it came off a Hawaiian shirt. I added the sweet little sunshine sentiment from A Muse and called it finished.

Thanks for taking a look!

Sweet Baby Cards

2010-08-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend I broke out my mini mat pack of Cosmo Cricket Earth Love papers and went to town on some baby cards. I love the soft vintage feel of these patterns for baby cards! I simply blended a few simple images with killer paper for some easy cards. Thanks for stopping by for a look!

All images by - Stampin' Up!

Giveaway!

2010-07-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

My brother Ian is fantastic artist and he's been hard at work on new jewelry pieces to relaunch his Esty shop. In the process there were a few items he found minor flaws in. Instead of saving the stash to use as gifts for me, he's giving them away over the next several weeks.

Simply leave a comment on his blog post found here to be entered to win!

Return of the laziest blogger!

2010-06-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Peeps! I've returned to blogging after a long vacation. The vacation was really just me dinking around doing other things than the computer but I've missed sharring my work.

Here's a double layout I created for the Scrap n' Book Design team I'm on. The papers are a beautiful selection of sparkly Bo Bunny prints. It was the perfect match for my artsy shots at Buchart Gardens from last spring.

I wanted to talk about my scrapping process a bit since people always ask me where to start. Here it is step by step...

1) Decide what story I want to tell and select photos that go with it

2) Count the photos and consult my Becky Higgin's Sketch book based on how many photos I plan to incorporate into the layout. (Much easier than keeping EVERY Creating Keepsakes issue)

3) Let the photos inspire the colors I'll use and pull what is needed

4) Trim photos and lay them in a loose pattern until I find what works

5) Embelish and journal

The end layout almost always turns out quite different. It's just a road map of where to start and then I make it mine. The best thing about that is you can use the same sketch many times over yet have each page look fresh and new.

A Note

2010-04-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a card with an old set but still a favorite of mine. I just never get sick of making this flower with the Doodle This set from Stampin' Up!. I played in the color challenge over at SCS today using colors that will be retiring from SU. This has Blush Blossom, Ruby Red, and Cameo Coral with a touch of white. It's a fun and feminine color combo I'll have to keep in mind as I use up the remaining stock I have.

Happy Birthday Sweetie

2010-03-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

This cupcake image by Inkadinkado is so much fun to color. The frosting is perfect for blending experience with copic markers. I like to start with my darkest color and trace the lines of the frosting. I then go back and apply the lightest color over the whole frosting area. This blends the colors a bit and I go back in with a medium tone or pull color from the darkest onto the lightest copic to blend the edges of the color extreems. I've cut the image out and added a little spica pen to the sprinkles for shimmer.

Thanks for looking!

Absolutley Fabulous

2010-03-21T20:56:00.000-07:00

The CAS challenge for Monday was to be inspired by New York. What comes to mind when I think NYC besides amazing food and energy from the city? Fashion! I'm talking style, textures, chic, glamor, and class. Who better to represent that than the one and only Audrey? She's Absolutely Fabulous. Inside it reads "no seriously - you are!"

I used her as the center piece and combined texture with the bazzill white linen paper, herringbone designer paper, grosgrain ribbon, and a line of bling.

Her earring is decked out in gray and clear spica pen for a subtle shimmer in the right lighting.

Playful

2010-03-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share my favorite card from last week with you today. It was for the Thursday "playful" challenge on SCS. You needed to use images or items from something playful. I doubled up with a playful trike image from A Muse and then added a sentiment with scrabble tiles. It's very simple, white textured paper on smooth and then a touch of red.

I've been working on my April design team kit for Scrapin' Book in Puyallup most of the week. I'll be sharring projects from that all week starting with a 12x12 double layout.

Craftoptia

2010-02-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished the organization of my new craft room this evening. Now it's time for the fun part of decorating! I have some big ideas for color and some very cool wall decals in a large scale I saw on etsy. The hard part will be narrowing down all my ideas.

I love having all of my mounted stamps, embelishments, and idea books just a spin of the chair away.

I have my paper, punches, unmounted stamps (in binders), and other supplies in my closet nice and neat.

I'm Back...

2010-02-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

So we've finally moved into our new home and I'm well underway in creating my perfect craft/art room. I've had 5 years of trial and error in my old space and know what works. A blank slate was what I needed to begin again. I'll have photos very soon :)

Here's one of the first creations from this new space. I went with a spring theme of the CAS challenge today. I wanted something fresh and green to fit my idea of spring. This is a simple little card but my added "special touches" are the little crystals in the flower centers and some tone on tone texture with the white cardstock.

Thanks for looking!

Images - All by Stampin' Up!

Love

2010-01-25T05:42:00.000-08:00

Here's my keep it simple Monday card using the last of what hasn't been packed in my craft room. Our move happens this Friday so it will be a very busy week. I can't wait to start unpacking my new craft room!

Happy a great week everyone!

I Heart You!

2010-01-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a super simple valentine card you can make with very few materials or supplies. I don't have a heart shaped punch so I took my scissors to this heart filled sheet of designer paper from Little Yellow Bicycle. This is another example of how you can put seasonal DP to work for you. It makes it easy to stay up with the trends if you look for prints with images that could be cut. The $1.50 per sheet is a whole lot cheaper than buying new images on what may be a trendy or infrequently used stamp for you. I finished it off with the cute little I heart you image from Cornish Heritage Farms.

Thanks for looking, have a fantastic week!

Easy Peasy Idea Board

2010-01-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

This huge scalloped sheet of chipboard came with my supplies for the Scrapin' Book design team this month and I was instantly thinking up ideas. I settled on covering the ends with paper and filling the center with a 12x12 sheet of tin and a 12x6 sheet of adhesive cork. I was in awe my cropadile punched through the fairly thick sheet of tin but it worked like a charm! Then I made matching magnets with the scrap paper. I finished it of with some ribbon to hang it by and random buttons from my button jar.

I think I'm so impressed with this finished product just because of the sheer size. It's way bigger than a card, ha ha ha! Because it's so large it was very hard to photograph and my pictures just don't do it justice but I'll leave a little to your imagination. I'll be making another one soon that has a more grown up color scheme to hang in my craft room. It will be the perfect place to stick things that inspire me.

Chipboard by Daisy Bucket

Papers by My Minds Eye

Tin sheet and cork were found at Ben Franklin

Making DP Work for YOU!

2010-01-10T10:14:00.000-08:00

I have a package of Designer Paper from Stampin' Up! in a previous years "In Colors". This has me in a tough spot because I no longer have or can buy matching paper or inks. For this card I paired it with white, which everybody has, and used images within the paper design. I cut out the rose from one sheet as if it were a stamped image and then used another sheet in the same pink for the background.

I wanted the rose to stand out so I had in mind to emboss it. The first try I mixed two kinds of powder for a sparkle effect and it came out blackish. I thought I must had burned the EP. On my second shot with just clear it still came out with a burnt look and I discovered it was the dark pink on the back side of the paper showing through. The embossing powder had almost "wet" the paper when it was heated to make it show through. I never expected this but it was a good lesson. The third time was the charm. I did no embossing powder and went straight for the tube of stickles to highlight just a few petals.

Thanks for looking!

All supplies by SU with the exception of the Stickles.

Sweet Meg

2010-01-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

I picked up my design kit from my local scrap shop to find it filled with pink glittery papers and embellishments. It's to be expected seeing Valentines Day is when my work will be on display. The funny thing is my niece Megan came to mind right away. She embodies Valentines day everyday! I had to make a page dedicated to the Princess of Pink.

Paper: Yellow Bicycle and Stampin' Up!

Embellishments: Thickers letters, crystals, white grosgrain, scalloped punch, and Yellow Bicycle journaling block and bird decal.

Too Cute

2010-01-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here's a little card I made using the adorable Love Boat image from The Rubber Cafe. I look forward to using images like this because it's a chance to sit and color. I wanted to extend the look of the water so I decided to add the aqua colored ribbon on the horizon line of the water for the card base. I also wanted to give the water something special so a quick application of some diamond glaze onto the lines for the water give this a wet look. To finish it off I added the "too cute" rub on sentiment from the dollar bin at Joann's and these cute hot pink crystals from Queen & Co.

New Beginnings

2009-12-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

This beautiful butterfly represents new beginnings. Since my last post I've sold my current house and have bought a new one. As if the holidays were not busy enough already! I have a month to pack and move into our new home. I am sure the act of giving up a bonus room with tons of storage to my Husband will elevate me to saint status. Fear not, my new craft room will be fabulous and the perfect environment to create.

This is also a new beginning for me on The Rubber Cafe design team! This image was my first card made with the new images and goodies I've received and will be sharing with you all. I just love this swirl butterfly. I colored it in with copics and then mounted it on a background of shimmery white to give that magical feel.

I have to say I'm very impressed with the images from The Rubber Cafe so far. It's deeply etched red rubber that comes precut and mounted to EZ Foam. This means a great image with space saving storage...woo who!

Paper : Almost Amethyst, Shimmery White, Vintage Violet, White

Ink: Tuxedo Black, Espresso

Images: The Rubber Cafe (butterfly), A Muse (sentiment), Stampin' Up! (Flowers)