Ellie Valentine

This is another card I made for the recent mini VSN challenges. I need to get busy on some Valentines for the kids in my life so I used the challenge to help do that. The challenge called for using something old, something new, someting borrowed and something blue. I used magic mesh for my something old (it is really old!), my Copics for something new, the stamp set as my something borrowed, since I borrowed it from a friend!, and my the ballet blue paper as my something blue. It's a pretty simple card, but I think it turned out cute!
Supplies:
Stamps: Have a heart
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics
Paper: ballet blue, real red, going gray, neenah classic crest white
Accessories: magic mesh, eyelets, red Stickles

Craft candy topper

I made this bag topper recently for the mini VSN challenges on Splitcoast. The challenge called for making a bag topper for some Valentine's Day candy, but I didn't have the right candy at the time. So I made some "craft candy" instead, and filled my bag with Primas! The topper is made of several layers of large circles folded in half and the letters were cut out with my Cuttlebug. It was pretty fast and fun to put together!
Supplies:
Paper: real red, whisper white, patterns dp
Accessories: CM circle cutters, Olivia Cuttlebug alphabet, ribbon

On my mind

Do you ever get a card idea stuck in your mind at a time when you're unable to get to the craft table right away to create it? That's what happened to me with this card. This idea for a white and kraft card, with a touch of celery green, has been in my mind for days! I finally had a chance to make it over the weekend. Phew! I am really pleased with how it turned out! The image is embossed with white EP on craft paper and popped up on dimensionals. The ribbon is wrapped around the two layers underneath the image and secured with some hemp twine and a cool button that's been in my stash for ages. The button has etched dots in it, a perfect mirror for the polka dots in the patterned paper.

Woven love

I had a chance last weekend to play in a few of the challenges for the mini VSN. This was for my friend Diane's challenge to use scraps to weave an element for you card. I chose a scrap of Christine Adolph paper that had been in my stash for ages and created an open weave pattern as a background on my card. I colored the sentiment with Copics and outlined the heart with an atyou Spica glitter pen in gold. I also colored a chipboard heart with Copics and sprayed it with iridescent gold Glimmer mist before layering it over a Prima. I really like how this card came out!
Supplies:
Stamps: For a friend
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copics
Paper: basic black, pink passion, Neenah classic crest white, Christine Adolph dp
Accessories: Prima flower, chipboard heart, glimmer mist, atyou spica glitter pen

Irises around the house

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to play along with the dirty girls for their monthly challenges in Splitcoast, so I thought I would try this month. The theme for the January gallery is "Around the House," and the central idea is to take inspiration from things found in your home. There's no doubt that I love irises. They are perhaps my favorite flower. I have iris prints, pictures, paintings, dishes and more around my house. One of my favorite iris pieces, though, is a stained glass piece of a large purpled bearded iris. I used that piece for my inspiration. I used the sparkly stained glass window technique - cutting a circle out of acetate, then stamping the iris image in stazon. On the back side of the image, I used some crystal effects to add gliter, than layered that on a white circle and a scalloped circle. It is a nice effect!
Supplies:
Stamps: Penny Black iris, linen background (SU)
Ink: Stazon in olive and purple
Paper: eggplant, olive, neenah classic crest white, acetate
Accessories: ribbon, glitter, crystal effects, nestabilities, Cuttlebug swiss dots

Birthday sketch

I made this card using Taylor's sketch for the week. You can see her sketch and learn more about her challenge and anniversary celebration HERE! I struggled with this card; I'm not sure I ultimately achieved what I saw in my mind, but overall I think it works. I needed a card for an upcoming birthday and I had a scrap of this KI Memories lace overlay in my stash, so I started with those two things in mind. I thought the overlay was a nice swap out for the scallops in Taylor's sketch. I also used Primas in lieu of the buttons she had on her sketch. The image was inked in amethyst and then I thumped a lovely lilac marker over it. I would have used eggplant, except I don't an eggplant marker! This was fun sketch, and definitely stretched me out of my comfort zone. Thanks Taylor, and congrats on a year of cupcake challenges!
Supplies:
Stamps: Upsy daisy
Ink: amethyst, eggplant, lilac marker (SU)
Paper: eggplant, amethyst, whisper white, prints dp, KI lace overlay
Accessories: ribbon, primas, dew drops, CM oval cutter

Making Memories

I've been spending my Sunday morning following some of the happenings at CHA in Anaheim, particularly the Making Memories blog where they are posting live updates and video streams, and having regular giveaways! Check it out here: http://makingmemories.typepad.com/makingmemories/

Mirrored birthday

I was lucky enough to win some goodies during Sharon Johnson's blog party in December. One of the things I won was a package of fabulous mirrored paper from Marco Paper. This picture does not do that paper justice. It is so shiny and fabulous! I needed to build up my stash of birthday cards, so I pulled out a sheet of the purple paper and ran it through my Cuttlebug. I embossed the birthday cake in silver embossing powder and added a row of beads underneath using a line of ric-rac shaped sticky strip. It was fun trying to figure out how to showcase the fabulous paper. Hopefully I did it justice! And thanks, Sharon, for the goodies! I love them!
Supplies:
Stamps: Birthday whimsy (SU)
Ink: Versamark
Paper: basic black, silver, Mirri purple
Accessories: Cuttlebug, SU beads, ribbon, sticky strip, embossing powder

Springtime wishes

I started this card as part of the Splitcoaststampers New Year's Eve stamping challenges, but never finished it. I am sending it to a friend who recently made a big move and I wanted it to be happy and cheerful. I stamped some Unity Fanciful Dots images on squares, then topped them with these darling Imaginisce flowers I received for Christmas. I added some brads (covered in Stickles for extra bling) and tied a ribbon around the piece like a package. More Fanciful Dots are stamped on the long panel on the left side.
Supplies:
Stamps: Unity Fanciful Dots, SU Sincere Salutations
Ink: Cool Caribbean, barely banana, pretty in pink, gable green
Paper: neenah classic crest white, barely banana, cool caribbean, pretty in pink
Accessories: Martha Stewart ribbon, Marcella K brads, Imaginisce flowers, Stickles

Drive time!

I have a good friend whose little boy is turning two this week, so I had to make him a birthday card. I don't have many kid stamps, so I borrowed this set from a friend (no idea the name, but I know it's a retired SU set!) I went simple and colorful, since he is a two-year old boy! I also added the sentiment from Loads of Love, since it seemed to fit with my cars and trucks. This was a fast and easy card - sometimes I forget how easy this hobby really can be!
Supplies:
Stamps: Loads of Love, car/truck set from SU
Ink: green galore, glorious green, tempting turquoise, brilliant blue
Paper: tempting turquoise, green galore, brilliant blue
Accessories: Creative Memories circle cutter

Simple snowy elegance

I've been inspired lately by Sharon Johnson's simple elegance, and I tried to recreate it in this card! It's kind of a combination of her last couple of Stamp Simply challenges; one was to make a winter card and one was to make a thank you. My sister loves teal and she loves snow, so I made this as a thank you for her for the Christmas goodies she gave me. Thanks, Sharon, for the inspiration!
Supplies:
Stamps: Snow-swirled, Sincere Salutations (both SU)
Ink: taken with teal, sage shadow
Paper: neenah classic crest white, taken with teal, sage shadow
Accessories: ribbon (May Arts), Kaiser Craft pearls

Friday night scraplings

VSN is underway over on Splitcoast, and it was kicked off with a mini Friday night Flirtation challenge tonight. The challenge called for making a scrapling, which is a long narrow card usually made from the scrap created when you trim a 4.25 by 5.5-inch card to a 4.25 inch square. My scraplings measure 4.25 by 1.25. I used scraps of Sweet Always designer paper to decorate them, added some flowers and ribbon and scraps, and they were ready to go. These are going in some packages that are hitting the mail tomorrow. More VSN challenges are planned all day on Saturday. You can find all the details HERE!
Supplies:
Stamps: All Year Cheer
Ink: regal rose
Paper: pretty in pink, white, Sweet Always
Accessories: scallop edge punch, ribbon, Imaginisce flowers, rhinestone brads

Two times two!

My cousin has the most adorable pair of twin daughters. They are turning two in just a few weeks, so I wanted to make them birthday cards. I used this butterfly stamp (It's a retired SU set, but I can't remember the name) that I borrowed from a friend and paired it with the yummy Sweet Always DP. I cut out some 2's using my Cuttlebug and added some ribbons and bling. I varied the papers, ribbons and layouts slightly because even though the twins are identical, I figured they don't need everything they receive to be exactly the same!
Supplies:
Stamps: SU
Ink: pumpkin pie
Paper: pumpkin pie, pink pirhouette, pretty in pink, regal rose, sweet always, neenah classic crest white
Accessories: MAMBI bling, CM circle cutters, Cuttlebug and Olivia alphabet, ribbon

Tim Holtz inspired tags

I don't know how many of you followed Tim Holtz' 12 tags of Christmas on his blog in December, but I checked in every day to see what he would come up with. I was totally inspired to buy some tags, pull out my alcohol and distress inks and play along. I actually made the backgrounds of these tags before the holidays, but never finished them until after Christmas. I think they will make nice bookmarks for my crafty friends who are also readers.
For the red background, I inked up a craft sheet with some distress ink and spritzed it, then swiped the tag over it. I then used alcohol inks for the deeper colors and speckled some metallic gold mixative over the top. The green one is just alcohol inks with silver mixative (got a little carried away with the silver!). I finished them both up with some stamps from Tim Holtz' line at Stampers Anonymous. I used Archival ink for good coverage over the alcohol and distress inks.
Thanks Tim, for the inspiration!
Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous
Ink: archival black, distress mahogany and antique linen, alcohol inks
Paper: tags
Accessories: mister, craft sheet, toothbrush for speckling, sponges, alcohol ink applicator, ribbon

Apple cupcake

Sorry for the absence all week. January's gotten off to a rough start! The sad thing is I've actually been doing a fair amount of crafting, but I just hadn't gotten the stuff photographed or uploaded. That should change this week, I am trying to get a jump on things today!
Today's card is something new, actually, I just made it this morning. It's for Jen del Muro's card drive/weekly sketch challenge/blog candy giveaways. She's having a card drive with some fabulous blog candy prizes; all you have to do is send a card in and post on her blog. You can find all the details HERE! The drive and contest run through Jan. 31.
This week she's having another contest as part of her weekly sketch and one card qualifies for both contests! Details on the sketch challenge are HERE! So this is my card for both contests. I also organized my card stash this weekend and will be sending a few others from my stash along with it.
I used some scraps of this lovely Washington Apple designer paper for my card. I love the colors in this paper, and I have a special affinity for its name; I happen to be related to some people in the Washington Apple business! Anyway, I used some Creative Memories circle punches to punch out flowers from the DP for the embellishments and colored the image with Copic markers. I also had to add a little bling! Thanks again everyone for reading and for your patience with me lately. I really do appreciate it!
Supplies:
Stamps: Whipper snapper cupcake, SU sentiment
Ink: real red, Memento tuxedo black, Copic markers
Paper: saffron, riding hood red, bashful blue, pumpkin pie, neenah classic crest white, Washington Apple
Accessories: bling, CM circle punches, dimensionals, scallop edge punch.

Dressed in red

My mom loves red and she's a bit of a clothes horse, though she probably wouldn't admit it! When I sat down to make her a set of cards for Christmas, I knew that I could make something really fun if I used Retro Boutique by Rupa Shevde for Gina K Designs and used red as my dominant color. Here's the packaged set, boxed in a Papertrey clear box and tied with a ribbon and a pretty red purse tag on the front.
Here are three of the cards. I stuck with a color scheme of red, black, white and silver or gray, and I used some real red patterns designer paper from SU on several of the cards. They all have touches of bling - rhinestones or silver gem dots from Gina K.
You can click on the pictures to see the cards in better detail. I knew they were a hit when my mom and aunt decided they were too pretty to use and ought to be framed instead! That made my Christmas morning!
Supplies:
Stamps: Retro Boutique Gina K Designs
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, Copic markers
Paper: real red, basic gray, basic black, neenah classic crest white, silver, real red prints DP
Accessories: ribbon, rhinestones, silver gems, metal buckle, Cuttlebug, ticket punch, CM oval cutter, Nestabilities, scallop punch, embossing powder and versamark, tag punches, Papertrey clear card box

Carol's cards

I made a couple of sets of cards for Christmas gifts this year and they were a big hit. This first set was for my Aunt Carol. She loves blue, and I figured she could use some winter thank you cards, so put this set together for her. There are two each of the three designs, for a total of six cards. I used night of navy, ballet blue and bashful blue to stamp the snowflakes and then added some glitter dots from Gina K to the large snowflakes for a bit of sparkle.
I packaged the set of six cards in a clear Papertrey cardbox, adding some more ribobn and a little tag. Six cards and envies seem to be the perfect fit for these boxes, and the boxes really add a nice touch when giving cards as gifts.
Supplies:
Stamps: Snow swirled, all holidays
Paper: neenah classic crest white, night of navy
Ink: night of navy, ballet blue, bashful blue
Accessories: ribbon, glitter dots, tag punches, ribbon

Frogs and friends

I needed to make a special thank you card for some good friends who really helped me out a lot over the holidays. It's for a couple, so I didn't want it to be too girly. And I knew I wanted to use this sentiment from the retired set Sage Advice - I love this stamp and I suspect I will have this set forever because of it! I paired the sentiment with some creatures from Unfrogettable and layered them on a top note die cut sent to me by my friend Patty. I cut the images out using my Creative Memories circle cutter, colored the images with SU markers and then covered them in Stardust Stickles.
Supplies:
Stamps: Unfrogettable, Sage Advice
Ink: Stazon black, brilliant blue, SU bold bright markers
Paper: brilliant blue, whisper white, gable green, tempting turquoise, misc. patterned paper
Accessories: ric rac, stickles, top note die, CM circle cutter, googlie eyes

New Year's gratitude

I pulled out my Unity Gratitude=Joy stamps during my New Year's Eve stamp-a-thon. I need to build up my stash of thank you cards, and these stamps are great for that. The first card was for a challenge to make a monochrome card, and a I also used a sketch from my friend Katherine's sketch challenge. This card went together fast with the help of the patterns designer paper.
This challenge was to make an Asian influenced card - one of my favorite styles! I pulled out some scraps of Kimono dp, a coin charm I picked up at a LSS and another stamp from the Unity set and I was good to go! I colored the image with Copics and added some sparkle with a Spica glitter pen in gold.
Supplies:
Stamps: Unity gratitude=joy
Ink: artichoke, moss, memento tuxedo black, Copics
Paper: Moss, artichoke, prints dp, neenah classic crest white, pink passion, real red, tempting turquoise, Kimono dp
Accessories: eyelets, ribbon, coin, Spica pen

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and wonderful New Year's Eve. I stayed in this year - I'm recovering from a cold I developed while on vacation and all my party invitations required quite a drive, so I opted for a fun night of stamping and chatting from home! It worked out quite well as Taylor/stagccva organized a New Year's Eve stamping party on SCS. I managed five cards between the time I got home from work and midnight my time! I was a little rusty from not stamping in more than two weeks, but I got in a bit of a groove eventually! The card above was for the "Ring in the New" times two challenge - to use stamps from two different sets, only two colors of cardstock, two each of two different embellishments, two patterned papers and things that are new to you. My twos were stamps from Fanciful dots by Unity and the All Holidays SU sets; regal rose and vanilla cardstocks; patterned papers from the Sweet Always and Au Chocolat DP packs; two ribbons and two dew drops. The ribbons are both new - they were part of gifts I received from stamping friends. This was also my first time using Fanciful Dots.
That's all for now - I hope to have an actual New Year's card for you later today using my one and only New Year's stamp! Happy 2009!
Supplies:
Stamps: All holidays, SU; Fanciful dots, Unity
Ink: chocolate chip
Paper: Regal rose, vanilla, Sweet Always, Au chocolat
Accessories: dew drops, ribbons from imaginisce and Martha Stewart