Think Outside the Box

Sprinklin a little love

2012-02-15T06:32:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous Paper: pink pirouette and white Ink: memento tuxedo black Accessories: nestabilities, copic markers, dimensionals, martha stewart punch, early espresso baker's twine

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day. Here is another card that I made for my niece (I have three nieces and one nephew). Love this stamp, I think it is adorable. I did find out that matching pink copics to cardstock is not fun. I think I finally found a pretty close match. I cut out the bee and popped it up for dimension. I also added a bow to the negative space of the heart. Here's a closer look:

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Terri

Whale you be my Valentine?

2012-02-14T06:35:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: whipper snapper Paper: white and teal cardstock, red swiss dots Bo Bunny, teal vellum Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: copic markers, dimensionals, twine, fiskars border punch, papertrey die cut

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone! I made this card for my niece and nephew, I found this cute image shopping with my mom and sister. I just had to have it! I was again having some mojo problems, so I found this card to case. I just love her work, thanks for the inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!

Terri

Have "Anise" Birthday

2012-02-11T11:48:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Paper: Bazzill cardstock, DCWV paper stack Accessories: Papertrey circle die cuts, 3/4 inch square punch, anise candy wrapper, dimensionals

We celebrated my father-in-law's birthday today. He loves black licorice and anise flavored candies. So we picked up some sweet anise treats for him for his special day. When I went to make his card, I was have some major mojo block. My husband would walk in and I would just be staring at the wall. So he started offering some inspiration. He said make the theme of "Have a sweet birthday" So I was looking for stamps/accessories, I wasn't coming up with anything. Then he came in again and said, "give me a piece of paper I got it!" He wrote down "Have "anise" birthday." Then I remembered that I had purchased a bag of the anise candies for our candy jar, and the wheels started turning. I unwrapped and enjoyed my candy and cut a few 3/4 inch squares to stack for dimension. I cut the wrapper a bit because after my squares were adhered together they weren't as thick as the actual candy. I twisted it up and presto my focal image was complete. Then I looked up and saw this card that I have displayed in my stamping space and thought the layout would be great for this image. I recently purchased a set of circle dies from Papertrey and one of them had a pinking edge, and thought that would be more masculine than scallops. I cut out the top layer with the pinking edge circle, the next layer with the 2 1/2 inch circle adhered them together and popped it up with dimensionals over my patterned paper. I put glue dots on the back of the "candy" and I was done. I computer generated the sentiment and printed it on a 2 1/2 inch yellow circle and framed it with a red pinking edge circle for the inside. And I was done in 15 minutes! So maybe I will have to get the 'ol hubby involved more often in my cardmaking. That's one of the fastest cards I have ever made!

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

Terri

Featured Stamper Challenge

2012-01-29T22:05:00.000-06:00

Stamps: Stampin Up Paper: Kraft Ink: early espresso, white craft Accessories: cherry cobbler seam binding, northern flurry textured impressions embossing folder

I haven't done a Featured Stamper challenge in awhile so I was on a mission to do so. Shirley is the featured stamper, she has a fun gallery! I chose to case this card. I made the following changes: I embossed the snowflakes and added white embossing to the snowflakes, I changed the ribbon color, and the orientation of the snowflakes. Funny story, I could have had this card done in 10 minutes! But I couldn't find the senitment stamp that I wanted to use! I tore up my stamp space, checked and double checked my stamps. Finally I found it, I had put this stamp set with a couple of others in one of the new Stampin Up cases! Needless to say I labeled the case, so I don't have to go searching again! I did end up tidying everything up nice as a result of taking things out and putting them away a few times! :)

Have a super week!

Terri

Happy Birthday MOM!

2012-01-28T07:37:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Fresh Vintage, Stitched Background, GKD Stamp TV kit Paper: crumb cake, pear pizzazz, white Ink: pear pizzazz, crumb cake Accessories: Spellbinders tags, scallop circle punch, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 inch circle punches, dimensionals, pearls, Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Today is my Mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! We are heading down to see her today in a little while. I made this card for her using the Fall to Layout sketch this week. My card base is 5x7, I just couldn't get the look I wanted on the standard size card. The details are pretty simple on this one.

Better run, gotta get ready to go!

Terri

Ruby Anniversary

2012-01-16T06:33:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Dollar Stamp Paper: crumb cake, cherry cobbler Ink: Memento rich cocoa, craft white Accessories: CB victoria embossing folder, Basic Grey heart embosslit, Offray ribbon, sponge, dimensionals, corner rounder

My Mom and Dad celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last in November (I know I'm a few months late in posting this, that seems to be the way things are going this year!). And this is the card that I made for them. Isn't that heart embosslit the best?! I scooped it up very quickly when I saw it at Archiver's. Too many new products, not enough time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting caught up with the calendars

2012-01-10T22:08:00.001-06:00

The holidays kept me pretty busy this year, and I forgot to post my calendars. So here are months November through January. These are so fun to make! Link to calendar cases. Thanks for stopping by!

Terri

I know, I know, Christmas was a few weeks ago...

2012-01-08T21:21:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Heard from the Heart Paper: pear pizzazz, white, crumb cake Ink: Memento tuxedo black, cherry cobbler stampin' write marker Accessories: SU large paper doily sizzlit, gem brad, cherry cobbler seam binding, spellbinders circle

I saw this idea online to make a wreath out of the paper doily die cut and had to try it out. First off, the large paper doily die cut is tricky to work with depending on the die cut machine you have. I have a cuttlebug and this is the stack I used: A, shim (came with crease pad), B, die cut facing up (I attached a cardstock shim made from GKD heavy base weight paper onto the die), wax paper, paper to be cut out, B plate. This was very tight in my CB, but it was the only way I could cut through the cardstock. This die works best with a lightweight paper. If you are interested in this die I would ask your demonstrator if you can try it before you purchase it. I am on my second die and it still doesn't cut without feeling like my CB is going to snap in half!

Anywho, I used a spellbinders circle to cut out the center of the doily and presto, it was a wreath. I added a bow and sentiment and I was done. I love the look of the wreath, but I will definately not be mass producing this one! I would have little pieces of cardstock everywhere! :)

This week's CAS challenge is to use a die cut, so this card works perfectly for this challenge! Yay!

Thanks for stopping by!

Terri

Hello Kitty

2012-01-06T06:33:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: wow flowers Paper: patterned paper?, pink, light pink, and white cardstock Ink: pink pirouette Accessories: Hello Kitty Tutorial, early espresso ribbon, top note, white gel pen, pink copic marker for details.

My niece is turning 4 this month and after they visited in November I found out that she loves Hello Kitty! So she is having a Hello Kitty birthday, found a cute outfit and Hello Kitty treasures. So I thought a theme card would be fun too. I found a tutorial, listed above, and followed it. I think it turned out pretty great, it took me awhile but it was worth it! The image turned out pretty big, so I didn't have to add too many details to the actual card.

Thanks for looking and Happy Friday!

Terri

Time for a warm beverage?

2012-01-02T01:44:00.001-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous, Like it a Latte Paper: DCWV blue, GKD white, Stamping Bella white, silver glitter paper Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: Sizzix postage stamp die cut, copic markers, liquid applique, ribbon from Michaels, Darice embossing folder, gems, dimensionals

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Ours was busy and was made even busier for me when my husband decided to get the stomach flu the night before Christmas Eve! UGH! I was flying around like a mad woman! Everything got done and holiday cheer was spread, along with the flu bug. Unfortunately Brian's family now are all starting to get the flu. They certainly didn't ask for that for Christmas! Hopefully it will be short lived, and hopefully I will stay in the clear and not get it! :)

I didn't have much time for stamping over break, so I spent tonight stamping and hopefully most of tomorrow stamping! The CAS challenge this week is the theme of beverages. I thought this cute monkey would be a fun image to use for this challenge. And I was able to break out the copic markers. I do love to color! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Terri

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:17:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope your day is filled with happiness and joy! I am also sending birthday wishes my sister's way! Hope you have a good day Amy with all of your new goodies.

I thought I would share a link to one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x58T9DUmjuQ

I love Jimmy Fallon, hope you enjoy! Off to finish up my last preparations, busy, busy!

Terri!

Tangled Christmas

2011-12-20T21:46:00.004-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Changito, teeny tiny wishes Ink: Memento tuxedo black Paper: old olive, white, red, patterned paper Accessories: word window punch, modern label punch, copic markers, dimensionals, Cuttlebug embossing border, liquid applique

Hello! December has not been a crafty month unfortunately. This is only my second post and the month is almost over. I made this for my niece and nephew, using the sketch from SCS. I had fun coloring this image. I tried the cardstock from Stamping Bella and it is fantastic! It made blending a dream! If you love coloring with copics give it a try, you will not be disappointed!

I hope you are all doing well. I will be catching up with all of your blogs this week.

Take care and thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Holiday Wishes

2011-12-04T21:17:00.000-06:00

Stamps: Limited Edition, Amuse Paper: kraft, cherry cobbler, pear pizzazz, Amuse, Stamping Bella white Ink: Memento tuxedo black, early espresso Accessories: EK Success border punch, cherry cobbler ribbon, twine, nailheads, copic markers, sakura glaze pen, dimensionals

It feels like forever since I have posted. I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. We celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with my side of the family during Thanksgiving. So that is why I haven't been crafting, I've been celebrating! We had a lovely time! But it is time to get some Christmas cards made. I am going to be mass producing a couple of cards I posted, but I make special cards for my nieces and nephew. I am not sure who this will be for yet, we'll see how the other ones turn out. I used this card from the featured stamper challenge this week. I also see that it qualifies for the CAS challenge to use twine on your card, love it when this happens!

Thanks for stopping by, I would love to say see you soon, but I'll probably see you next week some time! Happy crafting!

Terri

CAS Sparkly Snowflake

2011-11-20T22:14:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: none Paper: GKD white, silver glitter paper Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing border, Score Buddy, EK Success snowflake punch, white button, self adhesive gem, dimensionals

Long time, no stamp! Tis the season to be busy, between school and getting ready for the holidays I haven't had time to keep up with my cardmaking. I have been working on this card for a week! I actually cased one of my cards from this summer. I was pleased to see that it will go with the CAS challenge on SCS, the theme is winter/Christmas.

Hopefully I will be back soon and I will have some time to visit your blogs too!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Copycat Card

2011-10-31T06:32:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: SU Paper: peach parfait, black white, yellow Ink: tuxedo black Accessories: CB embossing folder, large circle punch, owl punch, bird punch, scallop oval punch, large and small oval punch, MS bat punch, peach parfait ribbon

What am I for Halloween?? A copy cat...I absolutely loved this card when I saw it and knew I had to make it. I changed the colors as it is for my nephew, but everything else is copied. Thank you for your inspiration Kim!

Happy Halloween!! Have a spooktacular day!

Dino-mite Birthday

2011-10-27T06:22:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Whipper Snapper Paper: Basic Grey archaic, early espresso, crumb cake, xpress it white Ink: Memento: rich cocoa, early espresso, crumb cake Accessories: copic markers, cuttlebug funky circles, pinking sheers

My nephew turns 7 on Halloween, and as he gets older it gets harder to make a card for him. I hope he is "in" to dinosaurs. A couple of details about the card...I wanted to duplicate the rough circles on the patterened paper, so I cut out a circle from my Cuttlebug funky circles to make the frame. And I stamped a dinosaur skull under the sentiment. I stamped off on a piece of paper before stamping it.

That's all for now! Have a great day!!

Happy Birthday!

2011-10-25T06:27:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Paper: SU brights cardstock, white, and black glitter paper Accessories: Quickutz candle die cut and Sizzix Happy Birthday die cut

What a fun CAS sketch over at SCS, and I was able to use some of my die cuts! I cut strips of paper for the candles, and then used the flame of the Quickutz die cut. To add some sparkle I used a black glitter paper for the sentiment. Thanks for looking!

Featured Stamper

2011-10-23T00:06:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Paper: early espresso, pear pizzazz, more mustard, ivory, spice cake dp Accessories: Tim Holtz leaf die cut, brads, Offray ribbon

This week's featured stamper is Deborah. What a fantastic gallery! I chose this card to case. I changed the orientation of the card, I used a smaller die cut, and added a brad to the ribbon. This was a fun card to case, and I was able to use my spice cake paper that I just love! Thanks for stopping by!

Too Cute To Be A Witch

2011-10-20T06:27:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Whipper Snapper Paper: Bazzill green, black, white, and lavendar cardstock Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: black pearl, oval nestabilties, copic markers, Martha Stewart spider web border punch, corner chomper

Isn't that image just the cutest? I have had it awhile and never used it, and I even had a matching sentiment. I used the Fall to Layout sketch for the layout, and everything fell into place. I love CAS cards!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Halloween Cupcake Style

2011-10-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: teeny tiny wishes, build a cupcake Paper: black, white, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pie designer series paper Ink: Memento: tuxedo black and tangelo Accessories: Cuttlebug spiderweb embossing folder, Martha Stewart spiderweb border punch and bat punch, 3/8 inch white grosgrain ribbon, black ribbon?, SU scallop rectangle die cut

It was a super busy week at school so I didn't get any stamping time in, so I was anxious to get some stamps inked up this weekend. Dawn was the featured stamper this week, I really like her style and had a hard time choosing just one card. I decided on this one, and I decided to turn it into a Halloween card. I also noticed that the CAS challenge was to use cupcakes! How perfect. I kept the layout the same, I added a border punch and ribbon to the focal strip, and I added embossing to the base. This was a fun card to make! I made two more Halloween cards that I will be sharing this week as well. Have a super week!

You Color My World

2011-10-09T21:25:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Verve and Imaginence Paper: kraft and red Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: white dmc floss, copic markers, liquid applique, needle, crystal effects

Well friends, I'm not sure where my mojo went but I have lost it. I tried to make a card today, but all I have on my desk are cut up pieces of paper.... So I searched through my pictures and found this card that I hadn't posted. I colored the rainbow with copic markers and added crystal effects to brighten up the colors, and added dimension to the cloud with liquid applique. I remember looking at my DMC floss, and trying to match up the colors. I was ready to head to Joann when I remembered I used copic markers to color my rainbow....so I used copic markers to color my white DMC floss to match the card.

I hope you all have a fantastic week, and I will continue to search for my mojo and hopefully be back soon with a new creation! :)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-05T06:34:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous Paper: lucky limeade, black Ink: Memento tuxedo black and london fog, craft white Accessories: Sizzix Tim Holtz tree and spider web embossing folders, Martha Stewart owl punch, googly eyes, foam blending tool

This is going to be short and sweet to day, I should be heading out the door! :) I made this for the featured stamper challenge on SCS. I had a lot of fun using my embossing folders on this one!

Thanks for stopping by!

Boo!

2011-10-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Whipper Snapper Paper: black cardstock, pattern paper? Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: Martha Stewart Halloween doily, Marvy tag punch, cropodile, copic markers, May Arts ribbon, black twine, pop dots, corner chomper

I couldn't resist the CAS sketch challenge this week on SCS. I had purchased these Martha Halloween doilies and that was the first thing I thought of when I saw the sketch. For the stamped image I colored some accents with copic markers, and I stamped the Boo a second time, cut it out, and popped it up to add some dimension. For the tag, I punched out two of the Marvy tags and adhered them together. I placed my focal image over the seam.

That's all for now! Have a super week!

It's Boo Time!

2011-10-01T09:45:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Whipper Snapper, SU Teeny Tiny Wishes Paper: orand and black cardstock, x press it blending cardstock Ink: tuxedo black, versamark Accessories: white embossing powder, copic markers, ek success border punch, calendar case

Happy October everyone! For my calendar this month I had fun coloring with my copic markers. If you would like to see a tutorial on how I make these calendars please click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Trick or Treat

2011-09-25T17:37:00.000-05:00

Stamps: Holiday Best Paper: ivory, soft suede, more mustard Ink: soft suede, versamagic pumpkin spice Accessories: Sizzix embossing folder, foam blending tool, twine

It's been too long since I have posted! Hopefully I will be able to get into more of a routine so I am able to post more cards while I am working. This week's featured stamper is bensarmom and I chose this card to case. I made the following changes: I used an embossing folder as the focal image, I changed the orientation, and instead of coloring my image I distressed it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Featured Stamper Challenge

2011-09-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Inspired by Nature Paper: First Edition Specialty Paper, Not Quite Navy, Black Ink: Versamark Accessories: Black fine detail black embossing powder, black sheer ribbon

This week on SCS the featured stamper is Lisa Lynn Wright. I chose to case this card. I made the following changes: I stamped onto designer paper, I left off of the sentiment, and I changed the colors. I really like how the flowers look embossed on the designer paper. This was a fun card to make.

I survived our first day of school! We'll see how the kiddos do tomorrow, I better get to bed so I am ready for them! :)

Thanks for stopping by.

A CAS Challenge turned into a Bookmark...

2011-09-05T18:29:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Studio G dollar stamps Paper: black, white, and crumb cake cardstock, Marjolaine Basic Grey, red glitter paper Ink: Memento tuxedo black, crumb cake Accessories: scallop oval punch, oval punch, scallop circle punch, 1 1/2 inch and 1 3/8 inch circle punch, font: Garamond, copic markers, sponge dauber, glitter glue, rhinestones, Tim Holtz gingerbread die cut (I used the bow for the shoes) and glossy accents

So the CAS challenge this week was to use shoes. I thought it would be fun to make some bookmarks, can you do this for a challenge? Not sure, but I did anyway. I like how they turned out. They are so cute with their little feet sticking out when they are in a book. I think I'll give one to my niece, she loves to read.

Back to work for me tomorrow, wish me luck! 5:00 A.M. is going to come so fast I'm afraid..

Thanks for stopping by!

Featured Stamper Challenge

2011-09-04T13:50:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous, Flourishes Paper: ivory Ink: Versamark Accessories: gold embossing powder, rhinestone

Today the featured stamper on SCS is Chrissy. I chose to case this card in her gallery. I liked the simple design and the gold accents. I picked up this stamp at a rummage this summer, I thought it was really cute. And perfect for this challenge. I didn't color my image, I changed the card base to ivory, and I left off the star accent since there was on my stamped image.

I really liked the gold accents on Chrissy's card, and wanted to include them on mine. I went looking in my cardstock for some in gold metallic, but I didn't have any. Then I traced a border using a gold pen, but the gold pen and my embossing powder didn't match. Finally, I remembered that Gina K. had a video tutorial where she used the embossing powder to create a metallic edge. So Gina K. saved the day on this card. Thanks Gina!

Thanks for stopping by!

Let the School Year Begin...

2011-09-02T12:58:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Accessories: Computer generated calendar, quickutz crayon die cut, computer generated lines for the crayon box, cardstock, font for calendar CK journaling, calendar case

It's time to get back to work for me, and start the countdown 'til next summer! To get back into the school frame of mind I made my September calendar into a crayon box. I used Microsoft word to create the triangle and lines of the crayon box and printed it onto my cardstock with my calendar. I have recieved some inquiries about how I make my calendars so I am going to post a quick little tutorial here. First I computer generate the calendar in a text box (size 2.13x3.5) on Microsoft Word, and print it out onto computer paper.

Then I take double sided removable tape and put it on top of the printed calendar.

I cut a piece of cardstock 2 1/8 x 3 1/2 and put it on top of the removable tape.

Then before I print the calendar I go edit my text box to remove the border. I do this so if I don't line up my cardstock correctly the lines of the text box are not printed on my final project.

Here is what is looks like printed:

And peeled off of the removable tape.

From here you can decorate the calendar.

I have been trying to find a way to share the calendar that I created online, but haven't been successful. If you know of a way for me to do this I would love for you to share. Until then send me an email and I can email you any of the calendars I have created.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful long Labor Day weekend!

Last Card for the CAS Summer Design Team

2011-08-28T21:05:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Paper: kraft and white Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing border, SU fancy flower punch, button, twine, Score Buddy

I can't believe that my time on the CAS design team is coming to an end. It has been so fun, and I have enjoyed every minute of it!

Our last challenge is a color challenge: a kraft based card using primary colors. I picked out some fun primary colored ribbons (and a couple more fun bright colors) and let them do the work on this card. I added a layer of white to make the card pop a bit. This was a fun card to make. It would be a great way to use up some ribbon scraps.

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you can participate in this week's CAS challenge over at SCS!

Hot, Hot, Hot...

2011-08-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Dollar Acrylic Stamp Set Paper: green unknown, white X press it, Recollections green gingham Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: copic markers, SU scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, SU word window punch, SU modern label punch, CB swiss dots embossing folder, dimensionals

It is time for another CAS challenge at SCS, this week the challenge is an inspiration word: hot. So I remembered I bought this cute dollar acrylic set from Michaels and thought woo hoo, I get to use it! My 10 year wedding anniversary is coming up in November so I might just have to save this one for my hubby! The layout for this card was inspired by an old Taylored Expressions sketch, that works great for all of those small image stamps we have.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you can play along with the challenge.

Where Did July Go????

2011-08-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous Paper: SU riding hood red, blue cs unknown, white Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: Martha star punch, SU scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, clear gems, red gems, I colored the blue gems with a copic markers, calendar case

Wow, where is our summer going?! I missed July, and now we are halfway through August! Before you know it I'll be back into my busy school routine. We have gotten a lot of projects done this summer which is probably why it seems like summer is flying by, but it is great to have accomplished so much. During the school year I I don't have a lot of extra time, and if I do I of course want to spend it stamping! :)

For the July calendar I used the positive and negative space of a Martha Stewart star punch. I punched the star punch, then cut it out with the 1 3/8 inch circle punch. I matted it onto a starburst that I made using the SU scallop punch. I punched out the scallop circle, attached it to a post it note, and I lined it up in the scallop circle again inside the punch turning it so the points of the scallops were in the center of my scallops and I punched it. This created a nice starburst look. I added lots of gems, and the red stars are from the MS punch as well.

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous, Amuse Paper: X press it white and pink scraps Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: SU scallop border punch, copic markers, stamp a ma jig, calendar case

Isn't that bumblebee just adorable?! Stampendous really makes cute bee stamps! For the sentiment I stamped each line separate because it was too long to fit onto the calendar. So I relied heavily on my stamp a ma jig for this. I would hold my breath each time I stamped a line hoping I applied even pressure because I already had my calendar printed and image colored! It was my lucky day I got it on the first try.

Well I'm caught up with my calendars, and have made a few more so I am ready as those months creep up on me! :) Thanks for stopping by!

CAS Thinking of You

2011-08-19T20:36:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments Paper: early espresso, ivory, k and company dp Ink: early espresso, Tim Holtz tattered rose distress ink Accessories: SU designer frame embossing folder, satin ribbon, foam blending tool, eclipse tape, self adhesive pearls

This is the second sample I made for the CAS challenge this week: using a partial image. I chose to use a partial image inside my SU designer frame embossing folder. To do this I first created a mask using my eclipse tape. I punched out an extra large oval, placed it on the card where I wanted the frame, and used my stamp a ma jig to stamp my image and sentiment. Then I inked up my foam blending tool with tattered rose and distressed the inside of the oval. When I had the focal image to my liking I removed the mask, and it was time to emboss the frame. I placed the embossing folder over my image and embossed the frame, you can see the my mat stack here. Then I added more distress ink to the rest of the top of the card, added the dp and ribbon, and I was done.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Birthday Wishes

2011-08-19T08:28:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Amuse Paper: Basic Grey, white and blue cs Ink: Colorbox: robin's egg Accessories: American Crafts ribbon, scallop oval punch, oval punch, desginer frame embossing folder, garden flower embossing folder, gems, chalks

Where did the week go?? It seems like I just posted this card on SCS for our CAS challenge, and it has taken me until now to get the details posted here! I guess life got busy.

I wanted to share how I did the embossing on this card. I want to say that I used tips from the following websites to get my results: Created By You and Stamp and Scrap with Frenchie: Link 1 and Link 2. I have a Cuttlebug so I had to experiment with different sandwiches to make this technique work.

This is the sandwich I used:

A, C, Folder, chipboard

The chipboard measurements:

For the chipboard pieces I glued two pieces of chipboard together and the thickness worked for me. Depending on your Cuttlebug you may have to adjust this.

For embossing the frame without leaving the marks of the folder:

2 1/8x 2 3/4

For embossing inside the frame 1 15/16 x 1 6/16

For the oval, I punched out two extra large ovals and glued them together.

So to do the double embossed image:
First emboss the designer frame using the 2 1/8 x 2 3/4 inch chipboard mat.

Then chose your embossing folder that you want inside of the frame.

Place it over the embossed frame and line it up so you can see the image in the frame through your embossing folder.

Take 1 15/16 x 1 6/16 piece of chipboard and place it over where you want the embossing. (This was the part that took a few tries for me. Initially I centered the chipboard over the embossed frame opening. When I did that the embossing went on the already embossed frame. So I moved my chipboard closer to the right hand corner (because there was blank space there on the embossing folder I used.) By doing this it gave enough pressure to emboss the image inside of the frame. This part will depend on the image you chose for the center of your frame. If there is a lot of detail you may have to make a smaller piece of chipboard.

I hope all of this made sense. I may add some pictures later to help.

Thanks for stopping by!

First Christmas Card of the Season!

2011-08-07T21:40:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Beautiful Season Paper: GKD ivory Ink: tuxedo black Accessories: colored pencils, gamasol, sheer ribbon

Well...I painted my scrap room...lime green! The color is called jalepeno jelly! :) I am having a love/hate relationship with the color right now. Although after a couple of days it is turning more into a love relationship! It is bright but so fun! I'm working on curtains and a new computer desk to finish it off. I'll have to post some pictures when it is done.

I had to get things put together enough to make my CAS sample for the week. This week the inspiration is one of the cards from my gallery. I changed it up and added some ribbon and raised my sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

Oops I Forgot....

2011-07-31T22:16:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Happiest of Birthdays Paper: Bazzill ocean breeze, crumb cake, white Ink: crumb cake Accessories: fancy fan letterpress, lace ribbon border punch, foam blending tool, scallop border punch, dmc floss, Tim Holtz paper distressing tool

...your birthday! This week's CAS challenge is to make a belated birthday card. I definately could use a few of these! I also made this card using the FTL151 sketch, and a couple of Dare To Get Dirty challenges for fan club members over at SCS!

I had fun distressing on this card! It's not something I do too often, but when I get going it is hard to stop! I started inking up the embossed layer, and then I got out my distressing tool and distressed the edge of my embossed layer. Then I thought I'd distress the banner! Then I thought I better put the tool away! :)

It's been a busy week, I didn't have much time for cardmaking. My summer is coming to an end faster than I want it to, and I am trying to get all of the "projects" done that I had wanted to. We'll see if I get some cardmaking in this week. I want to paint my crafty room....we'll see! :)

CAS Tag Style

2011-07-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: vintage labels Paper: white, gkd yellow, medium tempting tanzanite colormates Ink: memento tuxedo black Accessories: victoria cb embossing folder, cb tag embossing die cut, baker's twine, white satin ribbon

Another week of CAS fun is upon us. This week the challenge is to use tags on your card. You can see my yellow tag on this one, does the yellow stand out too much??!! Part of me wants to remake it, die cutting the tag in white and adding a blue border?! Sometimes it is hard for me to get out of my comfort zone! I like the yellow and blue color combo which aren't colors I usually use, so I better just step away from the card! :) Hope you can join us in the challenge over at SCS, I would love to see your creations!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fantastic week!

Still Lovin' This Designer Frame

2011-07-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: perfect punches Paper: white, pear pizzazz, light yellow bazzill, jillibean patterned paper Ink: early espresso Accessories: early espresso taffeta ribbon, classic scallop and plain oval nestabilities, extra large oval punch, textured impressions designer frames

I just had to try this embossed frame with the oval nestabilities, and I have to say I am pleased with the results. I cut out the frame with the plain oval and then matted it with the scallop oval. Then I remembered that I had the perfect punches set and it had the happy birthday sentiment that works with the extra large oval punch. So I had my focal point done. I had the fall to layout sketch on my desk and decided to work with it. I used 3 strands of ribbon in place of the panel behind the focal image, and I used scallops as a mat rather than a border. What a fun sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You

2011-07-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: triple treat flower, posy punch, petite pairs Paper: crumb cake and white Ink: riding hood red, pink pirouette, pear pizzazz, early espresso Accessories: fancy flower punch, 5 petal flower punch, 1/2 inch circle punch, pear pizzazz ribbon, rhinestone

How cute is this new flower?! I love that you can use punches to create all of the layers, I don't have a lot of patience when I have to cut out a stamped image. The size of this square card is 4.25x4.25. Thanks for stopping by!

Some New Goodies

2011-07-19T23:33:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Petite Pairs Paper: white cardstock Ink: cherry cobbler Accessories: su wide oval punch, designer frame set embossing folders, cherry cobbler ribbon, prima flower, brad, swiss dots embossing folder

Guess who got their Stampin' Up order today??!!! So I had to take some time to enjoy a few of my new toys. This card uses the new SU designer frame embossing folders. I have to say I LOVE these! The wide oval punch works great with this frame. I was also looking at my nestabilities dies and it looks like the scallop and plain ovals will coordinate with this as well. I am anxious to try this.

I embossed the frame, stamped my sentiment, and punched it out with the wide oval punch. I added a flower to the sentiment and adhered it to the center of the frame. I embossed the bottom of the card, and added some cherry cobbler ribbon.

Stay tuned I made another card today...

CAS Summery Drinks

2011-07-17T20:52:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Penny Black and GKD Paper: pink and white cardstock and Basic Grey lemonade stand 6x6 paper pad Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: copic markers, 1 1/4 inch scallop circle punch, 1 inch circle punch, 1/4 inch lime green grosgrain ribbon, corner rounder

This week's CAS challenge over SCS is an inspiration challenge using this picture of a delicious summer drink! For my card I used the colors pink and green, and made my drink a cosmopolitan instead of a hurricane. That's all for now. I'm pretty tired out after a fun week of visiting with my niece and nephew, and ending it with the baptism of another niece. I'm off to hold the couch down 'til bed! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Baptism Card

2011-07-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: none Paper: white Ink: none Accessories: su border punch, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 inch punch, score buddy, offray ribbon, filigree brad

My niece is getting baptized on Sunday, and my husband and I are the Godparents. So I decided to make one of these gown cards. I had been browsing SCS for some ideas and I thought they were all really sweet, and simple. I needed simplicity as well as I didn't have much time to make the card. I think it is cute!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

CAS Sketch Challenge

2011-07-10T22:00:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Gina K Paper: colormates: light, medium, dark, and deep coral Ink: soft suede Accessories: american crafts ribbon, fiskars hummingbird punch, paper piercer, corner chomper, provocraft large scallop scissors

I can't believe a week has passed already, it is time for another CAS challenge! This sketch challenge is based on Debbie's card. I decided to make it monochromatic. I broke out my scallop scissors for this, because I wasn't having any luck finding a border punch I wanted to use. I found my hummingbird punch that I had forgotten I bought (I have been updating my binder) and really wanted to use it. I pierced an eye on the hummingbird. And I corner chomped the corners to coordinate with the scallops at the bottom. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you can participate in our challenge this week!

Two More Cards

2011-07-07T09:12:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: stampendous Paper: GKD white Ink: tuxedo black Accessories: CB embossing border, su word window and label punch, computer generated sentiment, and copic markers

This card just makes me smile. The image is just too darn cute! I colored him with copic markers, and made his arms and legs yellow, and hat, gloves, and shoes blue for the Brewers! This hot dog is all ready for the sausage race! :) Anywho! This card was for the challenge of: grillin'/picnic theme. For the sentiment I printed it out on the computer and punched it out. I ran piece of cardstock through my zyron and then punched out the label behind the sentiment, and then glittered it up with blue glitter. The embossing was done using Susan's embossing idea which you can see here. She uses the positive and negative of the embossing folder. SO COOL! Thanks Susan for the inspiration!

Supplies: Stamps: Amuse Paper: white, crumb cake, pink, light green, chocolate chip Ink: early espresso Accessories: square lattice embossing folder, martha stewart ice cream cone punch, su chocolate chip ribbon, su cupcake punch for the cherry, corner rounder, white gel pen

Another fun card! This was for the challenge to use four of something on the 4th of July. So I used four scoops of ice cream! I think everything is pretty cut and dry on this one. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Oh What Fun!

2011-07-05T16:37:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a fun day yesterday was with all of the CAS challenges for the Fourth of July. I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday, it was a hot and sunny day here! We enjoyed our new patio! We were grillin' and chillin' yesterday! We deserve it after all of that work! :) I lifted every single one of those 130 blocks...more than once! It was a long day, but it is so wonderful! We expanded quite a bit and now we can actually fit enough lawn chairs for visitors! :) And soon we will be getting a gas grill which will sit next to the door to the garage.

On to the cards...

Supplies: Stamps: Lockhart and Stampendous Paper: red white and blue cardstock Ink: tuxedo black Accessories: corner rounder, swiss dots cuttlebug folder, martha stewart ribbon, small gem, crystal effects, nestabilities, copic markers, dimensionals.

I will be sharing my cards that I made for the challenges throughout the week. I ended up making 12 cards in one day?! What a mess I had (I just finished cleaning up the mess today!) This card was for an inspiration challenge, picture at the left. Details that are hard to see in the picture are the tiny gem in the center of the star. And I used crystal effects on the cherry.

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous Paper: not quite navy, real red, white Ink: tuxedo black Accessories: sizzix flag die cut, star gem, tiny red gems, white gel pen, smal star punch, twine, gingham ribbon.

This card was for the challenge flag fun. You could chose any flag for inspiration. I chose our flag as you can see, I think this is the first time I've used this die cut! I knew I was saving it for a reason! :) On the tag I colored in the stars with a white gel pen and then added tiny red gems in the center of each star. I also colored my twine with a copic marker to get it to match my card.

That's all for now! You have a couple more days to play along with the challenges! Remember you have the opportunity to become a CAS guest designer if you participate! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Are You Ready?

2011-07-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Bliss Paper: white cardstock Ink: tuxedo black and old olive Accessories: fancy fan letterpress, pearl

Tomorrow is going to be filled with some very fun CAS challenges on SCS to celebrate the 4th of July! There will be 2 challenges every hour, and if you participate you have the opportunity to earn a guest designer spot!! Be sure to check out the fun!!

My card is for the sketch challenge that starts out the festivities created by MissBoo! I was able to try out my new fancy fan letterpress plate. LOVE IT! I couldn't find a sandwich for the cuttlebug so I kept trying until I could find one! I used: B,B, letterpressplate facing up, cardstock spritzed with rubbing alcohol, rubber mat, sizzix crease pad (I cut mine to make it fit in the CB), B, B. It is a strange sandwich, but it worked!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I will have lots of samples to show you from all of our challenges tomorrow! Stay tuned, and Have a Happy 4th of July!

Sparkly Cupcake

2011-06-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Create a Cupcake Paper: white and red glitter paper Ink: archival ink: black Accessories: swiss dot embossing folder, glitter sheer black ribbon, prickly pear scallop circle die cut, cupcake punch, dimensionals

I'm Back! I survived even with the week filled with rain. I managed to take a day trip further north and hit some fantastic scrapbook/stamping stores. What a fun day that was! :)

The clean and simple challenge this week is to use red, black, and white. I started with a white base, and added a white layer that I partially embossed with the swiss dots embossing folder. I used the stamp a ma jig to stamp my sentiment in the corner, added the ribbon and attached it to the card base. For the focal image I used one of my new die cuts I bought up north with red glitter paper. Then adhered a 1 3/4 inch circle on top. I stamped the cupcake liner in black and punched it out with the cupcake punch. For the frosting I added glitter, and a punched a glittery cherry for the top of the cupcake.

Hope you can play along with the challenge this week! I hope to get some more stamping time in this week. We'll see...we're having a pallet of patio blocks delivered tomorrow! I'm so excited!

Have a great week!

CAS Tall and Thin Challenge

2011-06-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Amuse, SU A to Z Ink: early espresso Paper: kraft, early espresso, tangerine tango Accessories: SU Bigz Beautiful Butterflies, Sizzix Basic Grey Flourish #3 die cut, dark brown twine, self adhesive gems, foam blending tool

Time for another CAS challenge: Tall and Thin Cards! I used some fun die cuts on this card. I overlapped the flourish so it went off of the edge and I cut it off to meet the lines of the card. I stamped the butterfly with the a to z stamp and used the foam blending tool to distress the edges.

I'm off to the cabin with the in-laws this week. I wasn't able to get any extra posts prepared, but when I get back I'll get makin' some cards! I just got a Stampin' Up order and I have been playing with the fancy fan letterpress! Oh my I love it! So I will make a card with it when I get back!

Have a fantastic week!

CAS Sketch

2011-06-12T22:24:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: papertrey mixed messages Ink: old olive Paper: kraft, old olive, white, memory box Accessories: sewing machine, button, dmc floss, avery jewelry tag

It is time for another CAS challenge. This week it is a sketch challenge based on Jennie's card. When I looked at her card I thought of a quilt. So I wanted to created a card with that look to it. I'll have to send it to my husband's grandma. She is a quilter... maybe I won't my sewing lines aren't too straight! LOL! Hope you can give the challenge a try this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

More "Hoppiness"

2011-06-07T22:50:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Punches: SU wide oval punch, large oval punch, boho blossoms, 3/4 inch circle, 1/2 inch circle Cuttlebug embossing folder ek success small circle punch Paper: old olive, pear pizzazz, early espresso, white Ink: old olive

I was checking out my favorite blogs today and Laurie posted the most adorable frog! She linked it up to a video tutorial and I just had to make one. The little guy goes together really quickly, and now I just want to make more!

Thanks for "hopping" by!

Time To Get Hoppy

2011-06-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous Ink: memento tuxedo black Paper: GKD white Accessories: googly eyes, sewing machine, martha tag punch, sentiment computer generated CK journaling, American Crafts ribbon, thin twine, cuttlebug fly die cut, dimensionals, copic markers

Supplies: Stamps: Just Rite Paper: GKD white Ink: memento tuxedo black Accessories: copic markers, liquid applique

Guess what?! I did it!! I made it on the summer CAS design team on SCS! WAHOOOO! I will be working with Jen (MissBoo) Challenge Hostess and Denise (resqbarbie) Challenge Co-Hostess, and Jennie (mocjen) & Debbie (mom2n2) on the design team. I'm so excited to be working with these talented gals! Our first challenge is: A Play on Words: Ex. Have a Hoppy Birthday. So I stuck with this example and made two cards. The first being the hoppy frog. I brought out the sewing machine for this one, and stitched his hopping trail. I colored the frog with copics, added some googly eyes, and popped him up. For the tag, I computer generated the sentiment and added a fly die cut from Cuttlebug.

The second card is inspired by my beer loving husband. We even have a "Beer Fridge" in the basement! He enjoys really hoppy beer...it is an acquired taste (that I don't know if I will ever acquire?!) So that is where the beer card was inspired from. I have a Quickutz die that I could have used, but wanted to do a one layer card. I drew the glass of beer and colored it in with copics, and added liquid applique for the foam. I dug deep for my Just Rite stamps and stamped the sentiment.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and if you have some time come play along with the challenge! I would love to see your cards!

Welcome June

2011-06-01T21:53:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous Paper: colormates light and medium awesome aqua, su yellow, white Ink: memento tuxedo black Accessories: queen and co white brads, baker's twine, sizzix sun die cut, 1 1/4 inch circle punch, copic markers

Summer is almost here...our weather here has been crazy! Cool, then 90 degrees, cool, then 90 degrees. So we'll see what Mother Nature's plan is as we get closer to summer.

Can you tell I had some scraps left over and stamps to put away from a recent card?! HA! I have to admit it was convenient having all of the supplies at hand. Although I did have to go digging for the sizzix die cut!
Not much to explain on this, pretty simple project. As I was making this calendar I was trying to think of what I am going to do with them as the month is complete. I think I am going to start a little scrapbook using these calendars. I thought I could journal the highlights of the month. No pictures or anything just a small 6x6 or 8x8 album. Now that I said it, I better do it! :)
Thanks for stopping by!

CAS Guest Designer

2011-05-29T21:00:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Elements of Style Paper: Papertrey ivory Ink: SU soft suede and crumb cake, Tim Holtz distress ink tattered rose Accessories: dimensionals, Ranger foam blending tool, dauber, stamp-a-ma-jig, satin ivory ribbon, K&Company pearl brad

This is my card for my guest designer spot on the SCS CAS Design Team. Our challenge this week is to use folded or scrunchy ribbon. I had just made a card with scrunchy ribbon, so I opted for the folded technique.
My card base is ivory and I started by sponging around the edge of the card in crumb cake. Then I stamped my focal image in soft suede. I daubed on some pink ink onto the flowers of the image, and stamped and cut out the bird in the same pink. I stamped the sentiment in soft suede using my stamp-a-ma-jig, and adhered my bird using dimensionals. For the ribbon I didn’t have ribbon that matched so….I made my own. I started with ivory ribbon then sponged crumb cake ink directly onto the ribbon, then tattered rose, then crumb cake again. The result perfectly matched ribbon! :) I haven’t had a lot of practice with the folded ribbon technique so I took some time to get that down. Then I wanted to add a pearl brad so I adjusted my ribbon again. I don’t do a lot of “distressed” cards but this was fun. I will have to do more! If you have some time, come and play along with the CAS challenge this week. :)
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy Summer!

2011-05-27T14:21:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Gina K sentiment Paper: GKD white, su red, yellow, and green, scrap of grey, sandpaper Ink: versamagic purple hydrangea, su cherry cobbler edging on sand pail, pear pizzazz for edging on umbrella, memento dandelion for edging on shovel Accessories: cuttlekids diecuts, 1/2 inch circle punch, small star a sizzix sizzlit

Guess what?! I made it to the final round for the CAS summer design team. For this round we had an inspiration picture:

When I saw the picture I had no idea what I was going to do. I knew I wanted to stay with the "Beach Party" theme. So I was paging through my binder (I have stamped, die cut, and punched all of my supplies in an embarrassingly huge binder) I saw the set of beachy Cuttlekids die cuts and the wheels started turning. Since the image was a set of "sand toys" I thought sandcastles, sand, and sand toys! That's when I decided to dig around for some sandpaper! I love the texture it adds to the card (just like the texure rollers add texture to the sand). The bowl in the image has a raised star in it, so I added a raised star on the sand pail. And I used the colors of the sand toys on my sand toys, and a splash of purple for the sentiment. I kept the base white because I really like the contrast with the bright colors, just like in the picture.

Now the hard part is to wait. Entries are due Tuesday and the reveal is Thursday night.

Summer by the Sea

2011-05-24T21:59:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Summer By the Sea, Sincere Salutations Paper: watercolor paper Ink: stazon black and early espresso Accessories: Twinkling H20’s: golden opal, dreamsicle, chestnut brown, and fire and ice, ribbon?

So many of the CAS’ers over at SCS must have busy summers planned, only 13 people tried out?! All of us made it to the second round, and our challenge is to use the colors: peach, sand, and dark brown. I wanted to stick with the beach theme, and broke out my Summer by the Sea set. Colored it in with twinkling h2o’s , added a sentiment, and a ribbon and presto! I was done. I’ll find out Thursday if I made it to the next round…
Thanks for stopping by!

Wahoo, It's Summer Vacation!

2011-05-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous Ink: memento tuxedo black, versamark Paper: light and medium aqua and white Accessories: ek success border punch, 1/4 inch white grosgrain ribbon, detail white embossing powder, su scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, dimensionals

It is my official first day of summer vacation! Let the cardmaking, gardening, and lounging (thanks to my husband for buying me a couple anti-gravity lounge chairs for my birthday) begin! So for my first card of the season I made a card for the CAS design team for the summer session. I missed the challenges last time, but was able to receive a guest designer spot for the week of May 30th. The theme of the challenges is beach and we also had to pop up an image or part of an image. I popped up the scalloped circle to add dimension to this card. I also used the Fall to Layout sketch of the week for the layout of this card. Thanks for stopping by!

Thinking of You

2011-05-13T14:43:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: sincere salutations Ink: crumb cake and soft suede Paper: crumb cake, vanilla Accessories: framed tulip embossing folder, fun flowers bigz l die, circle punches, swiss dot embossing folder, beachfront ribbon

It’s been awhile, and when I tried to post Blogger was not working properly! It’s the end of the school year for me next week and I have be CRAZY busy trying to wrap things up. Therefore, not enough time to make cards! I whipped this together quickly after receiving a Stampin’ Up order. I was going for the shabby chic look on this CAS card. So I crumpled up a piece of cream paper and then die cut it. Then I added some crumb cake ink to distress it. I continued the distress look by sponging on crumb cake ink on the embossed frame tulip border.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope to be posting more soon!

Featured Stamper

2011-05-08T10:28:00.002-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Elements of Style Paper: White Ink: cherry cobbler Accessories: white satin ribbon, beautiful butterflies die cut, dmc floss, framed tulips embossing folder, bow easy

This week the featured stamper is Jo, reddyisco. This is a new gallery for me, she makes beautiful cards! This is the card I chose to case, I love the simplicity of it. I made the following changes. I made it a one layer card, I stamped on my die cut and added dmc floss for the body and antennaes, and I used a different embossing folder. This was a fun and quick card to case! This card is also for the SUO Challenge site, to use butterflies.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms out there, and especially to mine! She is a great gal! My love of crafting, cooking, gardening, and of course shopping have all come from the experiences that she has provided for me! Thanks Mom, you’re the best!
Thanks for stopping by!

May Calendar

2011-05-01T20:40:00.001-05:00

Stamps: Judith Paper: cardstock from scraps Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: dotted scallop ribbon trim border punch, circle punches, copic markers, modern label punch, eyelets

A month has passed by already, I can't believe it! These little calendars are just too fun to make. My inspiration for this calendar was that it is my birthday month! So thought I would select one of my favorite images. I love turtle stamps they are soo cute, and this is one of my favorite turtle images. I added the border strip at the bottom of the image, and allowed the circle to extend off of the calendar base. I also had to extended the modern label punch by cutting it into two pieces.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

A Sketch, A Challenge, A Mother's Day Card

2011-04-26T19:53:00.006-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Well Scripted Paper: crumb cake, chocolate chip, white, pear pizzazz, riding hood red, daffodil delight, pink pirouette Ink: soft suede Accessories: little leaves die cut, floral fusion die cut, itty bitty shapes punch pack, dotted scallop ribbon border punch, rhinestones, twine, buttons latte

I've been working on this card a few days. I had everything punched out and was having fun moving around the die cuts until I found the arrangement that I liked. I used the sketch from the Clean and Simple Blog, FTL137, for this card. I also combined the "Rules of Three" CAS challenge on SCS. I used the three flowers, and before I added the itty bitty flower in the center of the flowers there were three layers to each flower. But I couldn't resist adding the fourth! Thanks for stopping by!

Fun Embossing Tip!

2011-04-22T05:55:00.004-05:00

So I went shopping the other day at Joann and found the Cuttlebug All In One Embossing folder system. I was shocked, because I don't remember hearing about this new product and Joann had it in stock?! So I picked up the base and the thank you set, thinking how cool is this?! Being able to design your own embossing panels... But low and behold when we got it home the end result was disappointing. Every single time I ran it through there were creases next to the movable embossing plates. sigh...

I went on SCS and the Cricut Community forums for some tips and trick and tried different papers, mat stacks, even Kleenex! No luck. I was so frustrated I went that same night and returned it. Anywho, I was checking out the forums again today, and Lynn Phelps over at SCS posted that she spritzes her paper with rubbing alcohol because it works great to smooth out creases when embossing and gives a nice deep texture when using texture plates! (So at this point I was a little disappointed I returned the CB plates, because I wasn't able to try it out with the new product.) But I was totally excited about the texture plates! So this morning I filled up my spritzer with rubbing alcohol and ran it through, and WOW! What a difference. I took some pictures to show you the results.
Here is my mister and SU texture plate.

First I spritzed it, it only stays wet a short while and the paper curls a little bit.

In my Cuttlebug I layered the A plate, texture plate, then the wet paper (spritzed side down, don't know if that matters but that was how I did it)

Then I added the Sizzix rubber mat.

Then two shims that came with my Sizzix crease pad, but you could use cardstock or chipboard. Depending on your machine you may not need to use a shim at all.

On top I put the purple Sizzix plate, and ran it through the Cuttlebug.

And here is the end result. The alcohol spritzed one is on the left. On the right I followed the same mat stack without spritzing the paper. You can see that the texture is much deeper on the spritzed paper. I am thrilled with these results. I didn't always use the texture plates, because it was hard to see the design. Now I will be using them more frequently!

Thank you Lynne!

Favorite Peep!

2011-04-21T06:24:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Paper: crumb cake, patterned paper?, light yellow, brown Accessories: lifestyles (formerly quickutz) die cut, su ribbon, computer generated sentiment, 1/2 inch circle punch (to add brown behind the bunny, paper piercer

Is that die cut the cutest ever?! I had to make a card with it! I made this for my nephew which is why I chose the green and blue striped paper. And he truly is one of my favorite "Peeps." He is growing up way too fast though!

Thanks for stopping by!

New Embossing Folder

2011-04-19T20:19:00.007-05:00

Supplies: Paper: chocolate chip, white, and melon mambo Accessories: flower garden and square lattice embossing folders, chocolate chip ribbon, corner rounder

Well I am on Spring Break from school, and I have been LAZY! I think the only reason I made a card today was because I got my Stampin' Up order today. Not sure what has gotten into me. It certainly doesn't help that we are in the middle of a snow storm here is WI! I think I need to move! ENOUGH snow already! Anywho! I used the CAS challenge from SCS for this card. It was a sketch challenge. I love the new embossing folder from SU's summer mini coming out soon, it is larger than I had expected, but I know I'll be having some fun with it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Embossing the Top Portion of Your Card Base

2011-04-16T19:09:00.005-05:00

I have had a few inquiries about how I embossed the top portion of my card base on this card. I am a visual person so I took a few pictures to show how I did this. First line up your score line with the embossing folder edge to be sure that the embossing goes all the way to the top of your card.

Here it is with the embossing folder closed. Mine looks a little off, it was hard to hold and take a picture.

Place your top plate only over where you want it to emboss. It may be helpful to mark on your embossing folder how far down you want the embossing to be on your card.

Run it through the die cut machine.

And the top portion is embossed.

Happy Stamping!

Happy Easter

2011-04-11T06:20:00.003-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Whipper Snapper, Stampendous Ink: Memento tuxedo black Paper: blushing bride and white Accessories: rectangle nestabilities, cuttlebug flower, 7/8 inch circle punch, hero arts flower gem, copic markers, sizzix embossing folder, blushing bride ribbon

I don't know about you guys but the weather was like summer here yesterday, 80 degrees and humid! My husband washed the cars and I sprayed out the garage! Then we had some pretty wicked storms in the evening. Today it is back to 50-60 degrees and dreary, typical for a Wisconsin Spring day. So I only had enough time to finish up this card. I colored the image a few days ago, and finally put it together yesterday. I used the sketch from SCS, so it all fell together pretty quickly once I decided to not use patterned paper! I still have a few more Easter cards to make I better get going Easter isn't that far away!! Have a great week, if I have some time I'll be able to post again, otherwise it probably won't be until the weekend when Spring Break begins for us! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

April Calendar

2011-04-07T05:46:00.000-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Stampendous and Printworks Paper: light yellow, lavendar, and white cardstock Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: copic markers, 1/8" satin lavendar ribbon, ek success border punch, Martha Stewart anywhere drill hole punch, Marvy scallop oval punch, ek success whale of a punch circle, paper piercer, calendar case

So a few posts ago I mentioned I went to a scrapbook store when we had our taxes done. While I was there they had these cute little calendar cases, and mini calendars made up that were just adorable! I computer generated the calendar, added a little chocolate bunny clip art under Easter Day, and printed it on light yellow cardstock. I punched out the bottom lavendar portion and stamped Happy Easter using my stamp a ma jig. I colored my focal image with copic markers, punched it out with my circle punch, and layered it with the scallop circle that I pierced. I wanted to add some ribbon so I used the stay put bow to attach some tiny lavendar ribbon. This was a fun project to make. The completed calendar measures about 2 1/8 x 3 1/2. I will have to start thinking about May!

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Featured Stamper Card

2011-04-05T06:17:00.001-05:00

Supplies: Stamps:Sweet Summer, So Happy for You Paper: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, White Ink: Black Accessories: Blushing Bride ribbon, eyelet border punch, dimensionals, self adhesive pearls, copic markers

I made another card for the featured stamper challenge. This time I chose this card to case. I made the following changes: color scheme, stamps, added ribbon, and added a punched border. Click here to see how I embossed the top portion of the card base. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Iris Birthday Card

2011-04-03T15:10:00.003-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Vintage Labels, Paper Parachute Ink: Staz On Black, Old Olive Paper: Black Onyx, Old Olive, purple from stash, white Accessories: Spellbinders, Cuttlebug die cut, SU decorative label punch, 3/4 x 15/16 oval punch, SU square lattice embossing folder, gems, prismacolor pencils, gamasol

I can't believe it has been a week since my last post, well actually I guess I can! What a crazy week it was! Hopefully next week will allow for some stamping time! This week on SCS the featured stamper is Irene, DandI93. This card caught my eye, because my Mom just borrowed me this iris stamp that she picked up at a rummage! I have been wanting to use it and Irene's card gave me the inspiration. The changes I made to the card are: added embossing to the green and purple panels, I used a different spellbinders die cut, and I changed the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Punchy Birthday Card

2011-03-26T15:51:00.005-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Create a Cupcake Paper: kraft, cherry cobbler, pear pizzazz, white, Jillibean Soup: Chilled Strawberry Soup, DCWV spring self adhesive paper pack Ink: crumb cake, antique linen distress ink Accessories: SU: cupcake punch, oval punch, scalloped oval punch, square lattice embossing folder, top note die cut, itty bitty punches, filigree brads Nestabilities classic ovals and scallop ovals, leftover Christmas ribbon, self adhesive gems

I used a ton of punches on this card! How fun, and what a mess I made on my desk. This was going to be a cupcake card, but when I went to punch a piece of the cupcake out of a scrap of cherry cobbler that I had used the die cut top note with, I thought that it would be super cute to have that as a "cloth" liner to a basket that I have seen people making with the cupcake punch! Maybe somebody already discovered this and if they have kudos to them! But I was all about the basket then! I embossed the bottom with the square lattice folder to create the basket weave texture, and used the oval punch to make some stems. The flowers were also punched using the itty bitty punches. I was going to use a border punch, but thought the top note would tie it all together. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hippity Hoppity Easter's On It's Way...

2011-03-23T19:41:00.008-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: PSX, Studio G Paper: Paper Company; light yellow, crumb cake, white Ink: crumb cake Accessories: tulip embossing folder, nestabilities circles and lacey circles, offray ribbon

I don't know about you but sometimes an idea for a card comes at a strange time. I was getting ready for bed last night and I was thinking about the SCS CAS sketch challenge this week. And all of a sudden I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Unfortunately it was too late to make the card, so I worked on it a bit before work so I wouldn't lose my idea! I got home tonight and finished it up. I wish all of my cards would come together so quickly!

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Wishes

2011-03-21T21:16:00.008-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Wings of Friendship and Sincere Salutations Ink: Pink Pirouette and Pear Pizzazz Paper: White Cardstock Accessories: Sizzix Birds and Wreath embossing folder, eclipse tape

We went to get our taxes done this weekend and there is a wonderful little scrapbook store close by. I had to stop. They always have tons of Cuttlebug, Sizzix, cool stamps, etc. I picked up the Birds and Wreath embossing folder set that I used on this card. I created a mask so I could stamp just on the inside of the embossed image. I used my stamp a ma jig for the placement and presto! The card was done. I love it when the embossing folder does all of the work! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Lots of Squares Sketch

2011-03-20T16:51:00.011-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: GK Spring Mix and Framed Flowers Ink: Memento Rhubarb Stalk and Tuxedo Black Paper: white and burgundy cardstock Accessories: SU bitty flower punch and scallop square punch, Martha Stewart flourish anywhere punch, scallop square punch, eyelet, cropodile, pop dots, grosgrain ribbon

The sketch on Stamp TV has lots of squares! I wasn't going to attempt it because I thought what in the world am I going to do with this to make it CAS. I don't know if this is CAS or not, but I used a ton of my punches which is always good. I have soo many! I started by punching the anywhere flourish punch. I thought it looks spectacular just like that...but I had to add three more squares! I noticed there was a scallop square look to the center of the flourish so I punched out three of those. Then I needed to add something to the center of those punched squares. I used the Martha scallop square and SU itty bitty flower punch to dress up the side squares, and added a sentiment to the third square on the right. There was a lot of white space in the center so I added some thin grosgrain ribbon. This was something that I never would have attempted on my own, but I kinda like it. I think it looks like a patchwork quilt. Thanks for looking!

Exploring New Colors

2011-03-15T20:43:00.015-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Hero Arts Today and Always Cling Stamp Ink: Memento Dandelion and London Fog markers Paper: House of 3: Trellis, Bazzill Flintstone and Coconut Swirl, yellow was from scraps Accessories: SU scallop edge punch, pewter pearl gems, Janome sewing machine, Offray pewter ribbon, slot punch, Rectangle Nestabilities

I just love sketch challenges. I don't have a lot of time to stamp, and sketches give me that first stepping stone to get my card started. I am able to find stamps, embellishments, etc. that will work for the sketch and off I go! This is SC323.

So I went a little bit out of my comfort zone for color on this one, but I saw the paper at Archiver's and thought I would give it a try! I really like this color combo! Thankfully the paper was double sided, and that worked out great for this challenge! I also broke out the sewing machine!! I needed to do something to jazz up the seams of this card, and I even had some grey thread! It was meant to be! I did some practice runs, and went for it! I love the look of sewing on a card! If I was able to keep my machine out, and remember how to wind bobbins, and all of the other steps to get ready to use the machine, I would probably use it more often! :) I also wanted to try something different to embellish the focal sentiment. I have been seeing the double layer border punched edges on cards, so I thought that would be fun to try. Glad I did! Sometimes it is hard to step out of my comfort zone, but it is fun to try new things too! Thanks for stopping by!

Featured Stamper Challenge

2011-03-14T06:28:00.006-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: Amuse: Chrysanthemum Papertrey: Text Style Background Basics GKD: Spring Mix Set Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: GKD white and black Accessories: Copic Markers: Y17 YR16 YR18 YG63 YG67 YG95 Prismacolor Coldstone Making Memories rhinestone brad, gingham ribbon, nestabilities

The featured stamper this week is Bfinlay, she has a gorgeous gallery! I didn't have to go far into her gallery to find this beauty! Had to case it! I made the following changes: ribbon sheer to gingham, background text to script, colors.

I also recieved notice that I did get a guest designer spot for the CAS challenges on SCS, I'll let you know when my week is coming up! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Hoppy Birthday

2011-03-13T17:16:00.008-05:00

Supplies: Stamps: SU Unfroggetable Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Color Box: Sky Blue, SU Old Olive Paper: DCWV, blue, white, green, yellow, light blue, and orange cardstock Accessories: Cuttlebug frog, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, nestabilities, paper piercer, sponge, Offray ribbon, googly eyes, gems

I made this card for the Stamp TV sketch of the week. I turned the sketch to make it work with the frog die cut. I sponged on blue ink for the water, stamped my sentiment using my stamp a ma jig, and then added some punched butterflies. I also added some gems for some sparkle, and googly eyes to embellish the frog die cut. I sponged on the Old Olive ink around the die cut to add some color to the frog as well. Thanks so much for "hopping" by!

Another Try

2011-03-08T11:06:00.006-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Hampton Arts and Memory Box Ink: Perfect Plumeria Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: white and black Accessories: nestabilities, grosgrain ribbon, self adhesive gems

As I was posting my card yesterday I noticed there is another challenge to be a guest CAS designer over as SCS. It was to turn a stamped image into 4 panels. So this is my take on the challenge. I stamped the image, cut it out with a square nestabilties, then cut it into four pieces. I matted it on black, and used an embossed only label nestabilities for the frame. I stamped the sentiment and it has a cute little butterfly on the side of the stamp, how perfect?! So I stamped a few of those too and added some gems. Lastly, I added some ribbon. We'll see how it goes with the challenge. Thanks for looking.

Happy Easter

2011-03-07T16:45:00.005-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: egg I think it is technique tuesday??, sentiment stampendous Ink: Versamagic pink Paper: SU pink, bazzill coconut white, green patterned paper my mind's eye, SU crumb cake for the bunny Accessories: SU punch, martha border and bunny punch, puff ball, twine, sizzix embossing folder

I made this card for two challenges. The first challenge was the current fall to layout sketch from the Clean and Simple Blog. I also stumbled upon a guest designer challenge for the clean and simple challenges on SCS. I totally missed the designer challenges, so I thought I'd try out for the guest designer. The challenge was to use a silhouette stamp. So I stamped my egg silhouette to make a background. For the ribbon panel I used Martha's grass border punch and added some thin twine in place of ribbon. I also added a bunny punched out of crumb cake and added a nice puffy white cottontail to him. I stamped the sentiment punched it out with the SU punch and adhered it behind my "grass." Lastly, I embossed the card front using a sizzix embossing folder and adhered all of my pieces onto the card front.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp TV Sketch

2011-03-06T19:34:00.004-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Spring Mix Stamp TV kit Paper: ivory and lavender Ink: Versamagic Pretty Petunia and TPC Graphite Accessories: square nestabilities, offray grey satin ribbon, twine

I made this card using the Stamp TV sketch of the week. I embossed the squares using nestabilties, stamped the butterflies in the squares using post it notes as masks, and lastly added slots using the making memories slot tool to add my ribbon treatment. I tied a bow onto the bottom of the ribbon with some thin twine. Thanks for stopping by!

Another Featured Stamper Card

2011-02-28T18:14:00.003-06:00

Stamps: Dollar Stamp Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Craft White Accessories: Cuttlebug Victoria Embossing Folder and Offray Sherry Ribbon

I just had to make this card, cased from the Featured Stamper CorieFoster's card. As I was trying to fall asleep last night I was planning it out in my head. So this morning before work I threw all together. My in-laws anniversary is coming up in May so this will be for them. It's nice to be able to get a jump start on some of the cards I need. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Featured Stamper

2011-02-27T17:14:00.006-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Elements of Style, GKD Spring Mix STV kit, Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: Black Onyx and White Accessories: Stamp a ma jig

This week the featured stamper is CorieFoster, check out her gallery here. I cased this card from her gallery. I changed the ivory to white, I did not emboss the panels, and I added some green to the focal panel. This card will be for my husband's cousin who is getting married this summer, she is having a shower coming up in April.

Thanks for looking!

CAS Make Your Background

2011-02-24T19:19:00.006-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Whipper Snapper and Gina K Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: Gina K. Accessories: Classic Oval Nestabilities, chalk

I made this for the CAS challenge at SCS to make your own background. I simply stamped the flower all of a 4x5.25 piece of paper, swiped on a little chalk to add some color, cut out an oval in the center, and popped it up on my card base using pop dots. I stamped the sentiment and cut it out using a nestabilities die cut and attached it to the base.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sending Smiles Across The Miles

2011-02-20T16:44:00.008-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: GKD Spring Mix Set Paper: GKD white, Making Memories 6x6 paper pad Chloe Ink: Memento tuxedo black Accessories: copic markers, making memories daisy brad, petite oval nestabilities, circle nestabilities, we r memory keepers scallop corner chomper

What a busy week, the full moon had the children in my class at a new level of busy! I was exhausted at the end of the day...not even enough energy to make a card. Thank goodness for the weekend! I decided to do a sketch challenge to get back into the swing of things. This sketch is from Stamp TV, a nice CAS design!

Off to make a few more cards so I can post more often this week! Hope wherever you are, you are not getting the blizzard we are.... It was so nice to see the grass again and have some warmer temperatures.

Have a great week!

The All Day CAS Card

2011-02-13T17:11:00.005-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Happy Heart Day Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: White, Racy Raspberry Accessories: Circle and Scalloped Square Nestabilities, KI Memories ribbon, Cuttlebug Embossing Border, Copic Markers

Oh my Goodness! I have not been able to make a card to save my life! I get started and nothing... I try something and I don't like it.... ugh! So this card took me all day to do and it is so simple. I would have thrown in the towel but I should have mailed this three days ago! So I stuck it out! I guess it is part of crafting to lose your mojo, I'm hoping mine returns soon. After completing this card I think it is on the mend.

I included a close up of the border at the bottom because it was hard to see it on the main card picture. I often forget about these fun borders. Glad I found them today.

That's all for now, hope everyone had a fun weekend! And I hear the weather is going to be warmer next week, after our very cold temperatures last week! Yeah!!!

CAS Valentine

2011-02-07T06:11:00.003-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Happy Heart Day and Dollar Stamp for sentiment Paper: white and cherry splash Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Rhubarb Stalk, and Summer Sky, SU Pear Pizzazz Accessories: Copic Markers, a sponge, SU heart embosslit and heart punch

First off I have to give a shout out to the Pack for winning the Super Bowl! It was a great game!! O.K. onto the card, I found this image a bit challenging to work with. I made two different cards and wasn’t happy with them, but then I added the sponging around the image and I had better luck! I kept it simple since the image was so large. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

CAS Lovely As a Tree

2011-02-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Lovely As a Tree, Birthday Paper: Ivory and Crumb Cake Ink: Early Espresso and Crumb Cake Accessories: Gingham ribbon, nestabilities, brads, thin twine

My father-in-law's birthday coming up so I made another masculine card. I cased myself for this card, you can see the card I cased here. Thanks for stopping by, I'm off to the dentist!

Embedded Embossing

2011-02-02T21:33:00.007-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Lovely As a Tree Paper: Brown, Green, Ivory Ink: Soft Suede Accessories: Sizzix embossing folder, su leaf die cut, twill ribbon

What a cool technique! My Mom emailed me this morning with examples of this technique and I had to try it out! I didn't have the SU embossing folder everyone was using but I thought the Sizzix folder I had was similar enough for the effect. I die cut the su leaf die cut and glued them to a brown cardstock panel. Then I ran the whole thing through my cuttlebug using the Sizzix embossing folder. I flattens everything out so it appears to be one layer! Cool! It's a fun way to dress up a CAS card! Thanks MOM for sending me the link!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Heart Day!

2011-01-31T06:25:00.003-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Happy Heart Day Paper: Bo Bunny, Brown, Green, White Cardstock Ink: Early Espresso, Memento Tuxedo Black Accessories: Copic Markers, Decorative Label Punch, Heart Border Punch, Word Window Punch, Slot Punch, glitter brads, Nestabilities label, gingham ribbon, brown thin twine

I like to make special Valentines for my nieces and nephew. This one is for my nephew! I used the SCS sketch challenge 317 for the layout of the card. This is not my usual CAS card, and I made such a mess making it! But it was fun layering and adding embellishments! I will post again to show you how to make the frame of the sentiment. I used the decorative label punch. Well it is off to work I go! Have a great day!

Fall to Layout

2011-01-27T06:06:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: SU Paper: Basic Grey, ivory, and brown Ink: memento rich cocoa

Accessories: ek success border punch

I made this card awhile ago and forgot to post it. I used a sketch from the Clean and Simple blog. I like the layout a lot. I wasn't sure how the stamped images would look on the patterned paper, but I think they stand their own fairly well. Thanks so much for looking! Have a great day!

CAS Fluttering Flourish Card

2011-01-24T20:30:00.007-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: GKD Paper: GKD and Hobby Lobby Ink: Versamagic Purple Hydrangea

Accessories: ticket punch, cb embossing border, SU butterfly embosslit, white dmc floss

I was able to go into work later today because the children had off of school, so I actually made this card before school! What a great way to start out a day, if only I could do this everyday! I guess I'll have to wait for summer to do that! I made this for the CAS challenge on SCS, to use flourishes on your CAS card. I found a butterfly already die cut with a flourish on it, and then I was going through my embossing folders and found a flourish embossing border that I could use as well. I partially embossed it and popped up the butterfly at the top. I added my sentiment and ticket punched the corners, and I was done.

I didn't have too much stamping time this weekend. I ended up finally taking down our Christmas tree?!?! And cooking meals ahead since it is going to be a busy week ahead. And I had to watch the Packer game! Go Pack Go! So excited we're headed to the SuperBowl! But I should have another post this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Die cuts and punches oh my!

2011-01-20T06:06:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps SU Paper: white, cherry cobbler, early espresso Ink: early espresso Accessories: swiss dots embossing folder, mover and shaper heart, su heart embosslit, heart punch, button embosslit, dmc floss, su border punch, word window punch, modern label punch and mover and shaper

Don't you love punches and die cuts??!! I think I may be a little obssessed with them myself! I had fun using them on this card! The card is folded like a gatefold card but horizontal. The heart is adhered at the bottom and helps keep the card closed.

Thanks for looking!

Embossed Valentine

2011-01-17T21:05:00.004-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Hero Arts and SU French Script Paper: black, cherry cobbler, ivory Ink: TPC graphite, black and cherry cobbler markers Accessories: top note die cut, sizzix flourish heart embossing folder, wright's ribbon, gem

It's time for some Valentine's! Michael's had some super cute new Sizzix embossing folders. My Mom discovered that the flourish folder fit inside the top note die cut, so I took her idea and used it to make this card. When using the embossing folder it was a pretty tight fit to get it centered on the top note die cut. I stumbled upon this link by Tim Holtz and made a cut in my embossing folder to allow me to center the flourish on the top note die. Next, I took Mary's punch concept and used it with the top note die cut. I also used her scrunchy ribbon technique for my ribbon treatment. To finish off the card I embossed the heart and cut it out in red and adhered it to the flourish and added a gem in the center.

Better get going, off to work!

A Day in the Snow

2011-01-10T21:41:00.007-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Tags Til Christmas, Northern Hearts Ink: Crumb Cake, versamagic night sky, white craft ink Paper: white, crumb cake, and navy blue from scraps Accessories: two tags die cut, 1 3/8 and 1 1/4 inch circle punch, scallop border punch, glitter, northern flurry embossing folder, navy blue grograin ribbon, tim holtz applicator used to apply white craft ink on embossed snowflakes.

The CAS challenge this week was the theme of "A Day in the Snow." Ugh, I don't know about you but once Christmas is done, I could do without the white stuff! But, if the flakes must keep falling, we may as well make snowmen! They are just too darn cute! So that is how this card began, I found a snowman I wanted to use, and picked out some of my new goodies from my Stampin' Up order that I received today, and presto, a snowy card was made! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Two Challenges in One

2011-01-09T16:19:00.007-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: GKD Spring Mix Ink: Versamagic Oasis Green, SU Pear Pizzazz, TPC Graphite Paper: Papertrey Ivory, K & Company Poppyseed Designer Mat Pad Accessories: CB Stylized Flower Embossing Folder, Nestabilities labels and classic ovals, Hero Arts envelope liner and flower gems, dimensionals

I combined the Featured Stamper and Just Us Girls Challenges this week. The featured stamper is UKJem and I decided to case this card: May Flowers. And the Just Us Girls Challenge was to use Gina K stamps, decorate your envelope, and make a liner for your envelope.

I started by choosing a paper to line my envelope with. This set my color scheme. Then I chose the GKD Spring Mix stamp set to work with. I decided to used the butterflies in place of the handmade flowers on UKJem's card. I also chose the stylized flower embossing folder because butterflies enjoy flying around flowers. The last change to the card was I chose a different labels nestabilities. I must have chosen a larger oval because I would have had to use a huge label to match UKJem's. So I switched it up to fit on my card. I loved all of the white on white cards UKJem had in her gallery, this was so fun to make!

For the envelope part of the challenge, I remembered I bought a Hero Arts envelope liner template! So I dug it out and used it. I really like the decorative edge it gives. I also rounded the corners to the envelope, and stamped some butterflies on the front of the envelope.

Thanks for looking!

CAS Kissing Technique

2011-01-03T21:31:00.006-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Ornate Blossom, Memory Box sentiment, paisley background cornish heritage farms Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso Paper: GKD white, brown? Accessories: ribbon, labels 16 nestabilities, circle nestabilities, pop dots

Why is it that some cards take hours and some 20 minutes? Like yesterday I spent all afternoon working on the Valentine card, and today 20 minutes on this one! I guess somedays are just more creative than others! :) This card is for the CAS challenge on SCS to use the kissing technique. I have to say this is the first time doing this technique, I was familiar with it but never gave it a go. So happy I did, how cool does that image look?! It turns your stamp into something completely different! So cool!

Well I best get myself ready for bed, the kiddos tired me out today and we are field tripping to the library tomorrow!

Valentine Wishes Featured Stamper

2011-01-03T05:32:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Savvy, Ink: versamark, Paper: white and red, Accessories: heart nestabilities, sizzix embossing folder, gems, dmc floss, su border punch, white detail embossing powder, plaid ribbon

It's time for a Featured Stamper challenge! The featured stamper this week is White Rock Mama. She has a wonderful gallery. I chose this card to case.
I didn’t change much of the original because I love the card just the way it is. I didn’t have any of the tiny ribbon so I used DMC floss, I used a different embossing folder on the heart, and I added a sentiment instead of the pearls in the bottom right hand corner.

It’s back to work today! I better get going! I might need an extra Diet Coke today!!!
Have a great day!

Pop Up Tent Card

2010-12-31T15:15:00.029-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Savvy Paper: Ivory, cherry cobbler Ink: cherry cobbler Accessories: Nestabilities: scalloped and plain circles, paper piercer, Martha studded heart and border punch, satin black ribbon, dimensionals.

I don't know if there is a name for this type of card. I was thinking it would be Pop Up Tent Card? I was looking for a tutorial because I know I have seen one somewhere! Well after searching and searching, I decided to make another card and make a picture tutorial for you. If you have any questions please feel free to email me!

Start out by cutting your cardstock to 3.75x6.5. You can make your base any size you want as long as it fits in your envelope. Next, lightly draw a line at 3.5 inches. This isn’t the center because I will be adding a border punch at the bottom to make up the difference. If you do not want to add a border at the bottom, make the base longer and draw a line in the middle.

Next select the nestabilities die that you would like to pop up. This will be the largest of the frame. So if you have a focal image selected already, make sure that your image and any desired layers will fit inside this shape.
Place the A plate, B plate, paper, die facing down *lining up the center of the die with the line you drew*, C plate *the C plate should only cover the half of the die that you want cut*. The placement of the C plate is essential for the success of this card. I placed it on the shorter side of my card, lining it up with the edge of the C plate with the line previously drawn. If your sides are equal you can choose either side. In either situation you are only covering half of your die cut with the C plate so it only cuts half of the die cut.
You’ll notice in my picture that my C plate is off to the right, this placement allowed me to have more control when running it through the cuttlebug. When I ran it through the other way I had a hard time getting it to catch to run through the cuttlebug. It also didn’t leave any unwanted marks on the paper that sometimes happens when using only part of the cutting plates.

You can see that only half of the die cut was cut, and now it is time to add some score lines so you can fold the card. With the longer side of the card base on the left, line up the card base on the edge of the score-pal. Score the card edges at the 3.5 inch mark on the score-pal. If you chose a different card size simply score it in the middle.

This is what your card will look like when it is folded. Time to embellish!

I added a scalloped circle in cherry cobbler. I punched out Martha’s studded heart punch and then cut out and embossed it using a circle nestabilities die. I popped it up on the red scalloped circle using dimensionals. I added a heart border at the bottom, added a scrunchy ribbon, stamped the sentiment, and added some piercing.

When I opened the card this is what it looked like. To make it look more polished and to hide my ribbon ends, I punched out another border lined it up with the front, and attached it.

Now it looks like this!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Have a great day!

CAS Thank You

2010-12-30T22:20:00.004-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Just Believe, Ink: Black and Cherry Cobbler, Paper: kraft, very vanilla, and cherry cobbler Accessories: Ribbon Victoria, su border punch, dimensionals

So I received an email the other day regarding a contest for new demonstrators. The contest is to create a card using only supplies from your starter kit! I love challenges and contests so I created this card. I stamped the frame on kraft in black ink. Then I stamped the sentiment in cherry cobbler, cut it out, and popped it up over the frame. At the top I edged it with the border punch, added some score lines, and added some ribbon. Lastly, I rounded the corners at the base.
That’s all for now, we’ll see if I am selected there are quite a few entries….

Marvelous Mocha Mix

2010-12-28T09:08:00.000-06:00

Paper: red and white cardstock, Accessories: su scallop circle and snowflake punch, circle punch, gem, grograin ribbon, twine

I gave these jars of Marvelous Mocha Mix to the coffee drinkers at work. I’m not sure where the recipe came from, probably a Taste of Home magazine or cookbook. I also found the cute lids for the mason jars at Walmart. Here is the recipe:

Marvelous Mocha Mix:
1 c. Nestle chocolate milk mix
1 c. powdered nondairy creamer
2/3 c. instant coffee granules
½ c. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Combine all ingredients; mix well. Store in an airtight container. To make 1 serving: Add 4-6 tsp. mix to ¾ c. boiling water, and stir until dissolved.
Makes 3 c. mix.

Have a great day!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Holder

2010-12-27T06:07:00.000-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Papertrey mixed messages, Ink: versamagic red brick, Paper: Imaginisce, mauve, and white cardstock, Accessories: 1 1/4 inches scallop circle punch, 1 and 7/8 inch circle punches, su border punch, modern label punch, white grosgrain ribbon

These Ghirardelli holders hold one Ghirardelli chocolate square. The directions can be found here: Ghirardell Square Holder. I put the sentiment on the left on some and on the right on some, depending on the open space of the patterned paper. These are cute, quick, and easy! Give 'em a try!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ghirardelli Box

2010-12-26T11:08:00.007-06:00

Supplies: Stamps: Papertrey Mixed Messages, Paper: Deep Mostly Mauve colormates, imaginisce Snowy Jo, white, Ink: versamagic red brick, Accessories: Scallop circle punch 1 1/4, circle punches 1 inches and 7/8 inch, su border punch

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, ours was nice. I have a few projects to share that I made for my coworkers. The first is a box of Ghirardelli chocolates. Here is a video tutorial that I followed from Splitcoast Stampers. The boxes fit 3 of the Ghirardelli chocolates. Stay tuned over the next few days I have two more projects to share.

Have a great day!