Tah Dah!

Birthday Girl

2011-10-04T16:40:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm actually posting a card I made - felt so good to be working with this familiar canvas again :) This little cutie was created with the sketch over at CPS in mind, although I admit I took a few liberties with it. I stamped the little girl and added a touch of color with prismacolor pencils, rounded the corners and inked the edges, then added the sentiment and mounted it over the three background strips. I love the happy colors, and it's even nice & flat for mailing. Beauteous!

Girl image: Cornish Heritage Farms, sentiment PaperTrey, and paper BasicGrey Junebug

Feeling Fallish...

2011-10-02T10:29:00.005-04:00

I know it's been months since I've posted anything... I've been busy with so many other things, and quite frankly just hadn't been feeling particularly crafty. In the past week or two, though, I'd been missing the East Coast autumn, and decided I really wanted to make something "leafy." Anyway, last Sunday when I was watching the Eagles game I grabbed a pair of scissors and a mostly untouched Boxer pad and started cutting leaves - double thicknesses so I had 2 (mostly) matching shapes. I used some old brown variegated fiber (which I know has been around for at least 5 years) and then glued the leaves together with PVA bookbinding glue (chosen since it dries clear and remains flexible). I gave it about 10 minutes to dry - yes, I'm impatient - and then hung it around the kitchen entry. Thankfully I'd planned ahead and left the nails up from the Christmas garland ;) I love how it turned out, and I even used the scraps to make something else... will post about that later this week!

Clay Fun

2011-06-21T08:36:00.005-04:00

Polymer clay - something I was very familiar with due to my religious watching of the Carol Duvall show (I still have the VHS tape that was always loaded and ready in case I sensed that a good paper project was coming up :) - but I had never actually used it.

Well, our daughter saw these cute little animals in an issue of her American Girl magazine, and even big brother wanted to make one. They suggested using air dry clay, but I was afraid that they wouldn't hold up too well, so yesterday while running errands we procured a package of assorted color sculpey. And then, of course, the kids wanted to start making their animals before I'd even left the parking lot of the store - I convinced them to wait the ridiculously long time until after lunch...

I must say, they turned out amazingly well. The kids made all the shapes themselves (the bodies have a ball of aluminum foil inside) and I helped with fine tuning, attaching, etc. The pig is our daughter's, our son made the cat, and the dog and panda were made for some friends. They were hanging out with their long-lost Little Pet Shop cousins yesterday afternoon, and happily survived the rigorous hands-on attention. I predict more sculpey fun in our future!

Love Makes. Love Gives.

2011-06-16T14:04:00.005-04:00

I try to keep this more as my "crafty creations" blog, but obviously I share a lot of myself through these little endeavors. As I was going through my Google Reader line-up this morning, this post caught my attention.

Genesis 1:1 is one of my favorite verses: "In the beginning God created..." simply because it reminds me that the enjoyment I get from making stuff is a tiny (and very imperfect) reflection of God's character. He created our whole world just by speaking - except for man, when God reached down and actually took dirt and formed Himself. Talk about a play dough masterpiece!!

Anyway, it also reminded me that many times I have a hard time letting go of my little creations... After a project is completed, I want to keep it to myself rather than passing it along. But the creation is an expression of my very heart, and it needs to be shared.

Even when I'm not sure if it will be "properly" appreciated. But that's what love is. Giving without strings attached. Letting go without expectations. What a gift to give.

Striped Polka Dot Baby Card

2011-05-23T12:20:00.006-04:00

I really wanted to play along with this week's One-Layer challenge, which was to create a baby card inspired by one of these cakes. I was drawn to the striped diaper bag cake (10th photo down the page) and I have this new Hero Arts set, which happens to have a striped polka dot. How serendipitous! I originally was going for multi-colored dots, but the result was pretty abysmal. Actually, there was nothing pretty about it. I ended up just using the different colors in different dots, although there are a couple striped ones in the mix. I'm still not thrilled with the finished product, but I'd already spent waaaaay too long working on this "simple" card -- and I really need to get it mailed off to our friends who've announced they're expecting another little bundle o' joy! The sentiment is from Verve - love the versatility of this set.

Would anyone care to offer any design insights? Are the dots too close together? Are the pastel colors just too washed out? Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

Be Yourself

2011-05-11T10:48:00.000-04:00

Simple card to share today - the lovely lady is from an Inkadinkadoo inchie set, and the sentiment is Hero Arts.

White cardstock, two ink colors, layered onto a card base. Sometimes nothing more is needed...

My help comes from the Lord...

2011-05-09T13:47:00.001-04:00

I can't imagine that each of us hasn't been touched in some way between all the economic issues and the natural disasters sweeping the globe. We know a number of families who've experienced different degress of loss, and I sometimes struggle with what to say. I want to *do* something, but obviously I can't just sweep in and make everything better... I made this card to send to a friend who is going through some difficulties, but I found myself encouraged as well. No matter what is going on, HE is still in control, and HE will provide what we need.

Mountaing image: Cornish Heritage Farms, Sentiment: Wordsworth, Patterned Paper: 7gypsies

Tape Love

2011-05-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm definitely digging tape. This was the stuff* that got it all started (translation: putting in this order) but I realized I had never shared these 2 cards that I cranked out in about 15 minutes. I just stamped the sentiment (both from Hero Arts), layered on a bit of tape, added a flower to 1, and then rounded the corners for a finishing touch.

*I'm pretty sure I bought these as a set at HobLob last fall, but I can't remember the manufacturer or any other info. Sorry!

Teacher Appreciation

2011-05-06T09:45:00.006-04:00

Yes, it's teacher appreciation week... and the kids and I worked together to create a few little gifties for their teachers. The thing laying in front is a bookmark (more general info if you're interested here) - I got all the supplies from Hobby Lobby, and I used an acrylic key charm, along with a note saying, "You've been key in ___'s education." Yes, I do love me some bad puns ;) You can see more of that love at work with the eraser - I just wrapped some nice scrapbook paper around it, and added a printed label: "Make no mistake, we appreciate all you do!"

We also made little covered post-it note pads and embellished some pens with tiny punched flowers and glossy accents; I presented them in a clear glass mug (from the Dollar store) with a few marbles in it, basically making for a funky pen jar/somewhat floralish display. They're all inexpensive, fun, and went together pretty quickly - perfection!

Mailing Challenge

2011-04-27T08:14:00.000-04:00

Seeing as how I had everything out, I decided to go ahead and make another card (hooray!) and play along with Lisa's Make it + Mail it challenge. I just love the idea of her challenge, and have been wanting to make a little something for my hubby's grandma, so pulled a good ol' standard manila tag out of the stash and went to work... The sentiment is from smARTworks, and I went super simple with everything. The background paper (with FLOCKED dots!) is from Kaisercraft, and I layered on washi tape and a flower. Beauteous!

Now off to the mailbox.

Trusting...

2011-04-26T12:43:00.005-04:00

Another month, another project. Wow, this is getting to be a bad habit. Still here, still wanting to play with paper, but many different demands on my time...

I wanted to make something, and started looking around at sketches - is it just me, or are many of them ridiculously detailed?! Anyway, I stumbled onto one over at Get Sketchy and thought that the little strip would be a great excuse to play with my washi tape. I used the Devoted set (Ippity by Unity), which has a rather country-cutesy feel to it, but I do love the verse, and obviously the heart fit with the sketch! The peachish paper and the heart (yes, it's faintly patterned) are from the BasicGrey Capella pad, and I punched the corners of the panel, then inked it all up with pearlescent beige. The swirly background was created with a little template from my stash and bronze glimmer mist. I finished it off with this tape, and there are a couple small pearls right above it.

Ah, it feels good to get creative again...

New stuff!

2011-03-13T14:35:00.000-04:00

I'm still working on determining what supplies I truly love and are worth keeping around. As part of that process, I had decided I wouldn't buy anything new until I finished going through my stash. It's been months since I purchased anything crafty, which is a major deal for me.

But my resolve wavered... and these goodies from happytape arrived yesterday. I cannot wait to play!

All about Attitude

2011-03-06T22:26:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've joined in the Salt challenge, and when I was catching up on some blog reading this weekend I saw the latest theme: attitude.

Ouch.

Let's just say that I've really been struggling in this area lately... I'm finding myself frustrated, judgmental, apathetic, and showing other ugly 'tudes all too often. And I can't change this on my own. But God doesn't ask me to! My patient Father - who provides endurance and encouragement - will give me the proper attitude. I just have to ask. And be willing to let go of all the junk that I'm clinging to.

My little project is nothing fancy. I hand wrote Romans 15:5 on some BasicGrey Kioshi paper, and then doodled a bit with a fine black pen. I went around the edges with gesso, spritzed it with some pink glimmer mist, then matted it on black before pasting it into my journal. I chose the floral print to remind myself of the organic relationship - if I'm not in Him, I'm dying. I have to stay on the vine if I'm going to reflect even a glimmer of His magnificence.

Double Mojo

2011-02-03T10:14:00.007-05:00

I really liked this week's Mojo sketch, and thought it would be great for a Valentine's card. I decided to go with a 5x5 card base, and pulled out the Daisy D's Maybe Baby Valentine pad, which has a very cute, retro vibe. I trimmed out the little kissing booth heart from one of the pages, and then chose some of the lighter colored patterns to finish it off, including some pink to make a paper ruffle. I edged the heart with rock candy distress stickles for a bit of shine, and then stamped the little sentiment (from BasicGrey). Super cute if I do say so myself!

Since I already had everything out, I decided to make a second card for a friend who has a birthday coming up. The same basic routine for this card - this time the stamp is from Inkadinkado, and I used buttons to accentuate the curve. A little hint: if you want to use buttons, get them all laid out to make sure they fit before you start gluing them down :)

Hope you're all staying warm! It's even below freezing down here in semi-tropical South Texas, and my kiddos are home from school today, so I'm off to play games with them. Sounds perfect to me!!

I stamped, I stamped!!

2011-01-30T22:33:00.003-05:00

Yes, I'm thrilled to say that I managed to set aside some time this evening and play just a bit. Life continues to be filled with all sorts of craziness, and each time I think, "If I can just get through A, then I'll be able to get back to stamping." Of course, we're now up to approximately LL and the free time has yet to materialize ;)

I still have a number of papercrafting blogs in my Google Reader, and this week's sketch over at CPS caught my eye. I grabbed a little pad of vintage-y gorgeousness that has been calling out to me (Crate Paper 6x6 Restoration Collection pad), and played around. I trimmed the flower from one of the papers, and then hit it with some bronze glimmer mist to give it some sparkle. The sentiment is from Wordsworth, and I layered it all onto kraft cardstock and finished it off with some staples.

Oh, yes. I definitely must do more of this soon!

Simplifying

2010-11-16T14:48:00.005-05:00

Simple & intentional are big buzzwords right now. Our society seems obsessed with excess - whether it's accessories on a side table, clothes in our closet, activities for our children... Anyway, I know there's been all sorts of online chatter about paring down and doing/owning only what you truly love.

So where am I going with all that? Well, I find myself getting back to basics in many ways with my stamping. I have *SO* many inks, punches, embellishments, patterned papers that deciding what to actually use is a bit overwhelming. I'm on about round 34 of my supply purge (it's literally taken years to get to this point) - and if I don't love something, then it's gone. It doesn't matter if I saw tons of super-cute projects done with it, or if I spent too much on it - what DOES matter is whether it fits my style now and I'll actually use it. What a concept! I've also removed over half of the blogs from my reader. I cannot even tell you how much easier it is to avoid purchasing supplies when you are unaware they exist :) I can pretty much tell you that I'll love virtually anything from certain companies (Basic Grey for one!) but I'm working on putting a dent in all of the "old" stuff that I just had to have 3 years ago - then used 1/3 of a single sheet of paper before moving on to the latest & greatest.

Now that I've gotten all that rambling out of the way, howzabout I talk about the card? ;) I had this 7gypsies printed gaffer tape mixed in with some ribbon, and honestly had forgotten about it. I liked the fall colors, and wanted to make some quick cards for a few family members. I added the little sentiment from Daisy Bucket, then the little flower (which I now wish I'd left off, but oh, well! All the recipients will still be delighted!

Unusual Encouragement

2010-11-12T11:57:00.003-05:00

I know - not exactly my normal scripture verse & flower card :) I've had this fun household set from CHF (bummer that they've shut down!) and wanted to play around with it for quite some time... I have a friend who's going through a rough time, and I know without a doubt that she'll get a huge laugh over this. You have to know your audience, right?!

The card is pretty straightforward - I stamped the vacuum in blue, lightly colored it in with metallic pencils, and pieced the bag with some scrap paper I had on the desk. Added the sentiment, two square brads, and then rounded one corner just to add some interest.

AND I'm happy to say that it's already been mailed off... I'm telling you, this sending thing is quite addictive, LOL.

Simple Gratitude Journal

2010-11-10T11:15:00.003-05:00

I've dabbled with "thankful lists" in the past, and decided to keep a gratitude journal for the month of November. I'm writing down 10 things each day - 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening - and yes, sometimes it's kind of hard to come up with something. It has definitely made me more aware of the blessings that fill my life, both big and small. I've been jotting things down in this comp journal, and finally got around to prettying it up last night.

Nothing too fancy, but I like the final result. The paper was something I'd had in my stash for a long time; I loved the tin tile design, but it was too large for most of my projects... finally put it to good use! The letters are from a Tim Holtz grungeboard alpha pack, and I just colored them with Brilliance ink. I computer generated the verses, then just cut them apart and glued them down.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise;

Give thanks to Him and praise His name [Psalm 100:4]

I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness;

I will sing priases of the name of the Lord Most High [Psalm 7:17]

Hoping you, too, can find 10 things to be thankful for today!

Inspiration...

2010-11-02T15:21:00.003-04:00

Wow, long time no see! I truly didn't mean to drop out of the blogosphere (again!) but life has been a bit crazy. I somehow managed to hurt my knee on vacation this summer, so that has slowed me down in a major way; I actually have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon later this week, and will probably be having surgery soon. I also had some issues with my heart(thankfully all is well!), and although both of our kids are now in school, the carefree days that I had envisioned have yet to materialize.

On a side note, I am working very hard to get healthier, and losing weight is a big part of that. I'm attending a First Place for Health Bible study, and tracking food/activity with sparkpeople. The leader of the study is wonderful, and has been such an encouragement to me, which is why I made her this card. Nothing fancy - some repeat stamping and a very simple layout (flower image is from Wordsworth, and sentiment is Hero Arts, patterned paper from 7gypsies) - but I wanted to let her know how much she is appreciated. Hmmm... that's one thing that drew me into stamping all those years ago, but somehow I got caught up more in making stuff than actually sending it out. Let me tell you, it's awfully nice to spread some hand-crafted love :)

Anyway, I hope to be able to do more creative stuff in the months ahead, and will happily share as time allows!

Make your own happiness

2010-08-17T09:49:00.004-04:00

I just love this sentiment (from Hero Arts) - and I literally did just that when creating this card. I had fallen in love with the colors in Pink Paislee's Queen Bee line and had ordered the 6x6 pad several months ago; I dusted off my circle punches and just started playing. I cut some random curves to use on the card front, then just glued everything down and trimmed edges as necessary. Quick and rather cute, if I do say so myself ;)

A card, a card!!

2010-08-10T07:58:00.004-04:00

Be still my heart. I finally was able to make something -- it's like a second homecoming :)

I like the open, sketchy flowers that seem to be showing up everywhere these days, but refused to cave and buy another stamp set (and seriously, if you could see the current state of my space you would most assuredly agree!). But then I went to Wal-Mart for my usual household stop... and it turns out that they're clearing out most of their craft stuff. This set from Martha Stewart was marked down to $4, and I just couldn't resist. I stamped the flowers, sponged on a bit of color (no time-consuming coloring!) and then added some glittery accents with a Stardust pen. I added the sentiment (Hero Arts), rounded 2 corners, and glued it on a dark gray base. Done!

I promise to be back with more soon - I've missed my creative outlet!

Home!!

2010-07-25T01:46:00.003-04:00

Nothing like being away for a month to really make you appreciate your little piece of earth. And the craft stash :)

I need to catch up on stuff like laundry & mail sorting, but I *will* be making something soon.

MUST. GET. INKY.

In the meantime, here are two pics from our trip: 1 with the kids and I at the top of Beartooth Pass in Montana/ Wyoming (yes, I'm the crazy girl wearing capris in the snow!) and another of the kiddos by the creek that ran along our camp site. I miss the cool temperatures and mountains already...

Finally, a new post - and even a pic!

2010-07-18T22:11:00.003-04:00

I know it's been a LOOOOONG time since I actually shared anything - life has a way of getting incredibly busy, doesn't it?!

I ended up driving up to Montana and spending three weeks with family there; it was wonderful to catch up with them (not to mention avoiding S. Texas heat :) and I even managed to take a class at a local scrapbook store. We made this cute photo holder with acrylic overlays & heavyweight transparencies - I'm thinking that some family members may be receiving these as gifts... great way to present photos, plus they're super lightweight for shipping!

Anyway, I'm off & running again... hope to be back soon with some other creative goodies!

Checking In

2010-05-26T21:50:00.002-04:00

Hello - long time, no blog post. We've gone through an exceptionally crazy period - nonstop company (4 weeks and counting!), end of school year activities, violent stomach bugs, difficult church situation, new electronics, and a pile of other minor issues that still have a way of mounting up quickly...

Needless to say, I haven't had much time for stamping. I did sneak in a couple hours worth a few weekends ago, but haven't had a chance to photograph anything, much less post them. We finally have upgraded our computer and it's no longer turning itself off & on randomly, but we're still figuring some things out. For what it's worth, I am loving Windows 7 :)

Hope to "equalize" soon and snatch some creative time. Trust me, I need it. Until then...

Feeling Fresh

2010-04-09T13:30:00.008-04:00

I know I haven't been around much - life has been hectic, and unfortunately I haven't much time to stamp (waaaaaahh!). I did want to share this card I made for this month's smART-word challenge - fresh!

I love all the "blocky silhouette" images that I've been seeing lately, but the last thing I need is to buy more stamps... I have plenty already, so I can improvise, right?! Anyway, I pulled out these gorgeous flowers (from the Botanicals sheet), masked off a rectangle with sticky notes, stamped & embossed the image, then sponged the color on (a long-neglected SU ink)before removing the sticky notes. I love the final result, and it definitely feels fresh to me. The phrase is from the "Blessings" set (which can be found on the first sheet here, along with a lot of other great sentiments).

I also want to share my first run at this design, which didn't work out quite as I had envisioned. I sponged on Palette ink... and well, the resist didn't exactly work. I love using the hybrid ink, and had overlooked the fact that it can be used on non-porous surfaces! Oops! It's still a nice result, just much softer. I went ahead and finished the card out with a sentiment (from the same Botanicals sheet), but didn't like the way the phrase fell (which is also why I shifted the image portion to the right on the final card).

Well, I'm off and running again - hopefully you're now feeling reFRESHed and wanting to make a card of your own! You have until April 27 to post a link for a chance to win some lovely mother-themed images.

More Quickies

2010-03-25T09:50:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I had posted a number of cards that I'd made using scraps - I said that it was going to be a "go-to" layout for me, and here's proof that I wasn't kidding :)

I just love how quickly these come together. On this one, I used some Memory Box paper as the base, then layered on a sentiment and a punched strip. Another little tip: I cut a tiny strip of that sage cardstock to thread through the button rather than leaving it "naked."

On this card, I did add a bit of patterned paper along the spine to break things up a bit... The bottom of the peachy panel was also masked off and hit with glimmer mist - couldn't capture it in the photo, but I promise it's gorgeous. A trio of collage printed Prima flowers, a sentiment, and it's good to go.

Hope you're having a fabulous week ~ I probably won't be back until Monday or Tuesday as my son has early release from school these next 2 days, plus we'll be celebrating his birthday this weekend. Lots of things pulling me in all directions!

Happy Spring!

2010-03-22T09:59:00.005-04:00

As I was emptying the memory stick this weekend, I came across a few images that I had yet to share... and this seemed like a good springtime card :)

I pieced together some scraps of pale cardstock (just glued them down to some lightweight copy paper), then stamped the silhouette repeatedly to create the sense of movement. Isn't that a great image?! I was thinking about how kids can make virtually any situation fun, which is why I paired it up with this sentiment (also from smARTworks). It really is all about attitude!

Have a great day!

Simple Dragonfly

2010-03-21T14:19:00.000-04:00

Another simple card to share today... The dragonfly and sentiment are both from smARTworks. I stamped the images with versafine ink onto white cardstock, then painted the dragonfly wings with twinkling H2Os. After they were dry, I cut around the edges with an exacto knife and popped them up a bit - love that effect! It needed just a little something else, so I added some pierced lines. Beauteous!

Excited for you

2010-03-20T20:04:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's a second post! This card is for this week's 2S4Y sketch (with a fabulous prize up for grabs from Starving Artistamps, I must add!)

We've just learned that some good friends of ours are expecting another little blessing, so I wanted to make a card to celebrate the occasion. I used BasicGrey LilyKate papers - great baby colors and I tried to keep it mostly gender neutral. I stamped the sentiment (Verve) onto a Heidi Swapp resist piece, and then spritzed the whole thing with a couple colors of glimmer mist. I let it dry, and then traced around the resist area with a silver spica pen just to help it pop a bit more. I picked my patterns, cut a few strips, and layered everything up. Nothing phenomenal, but perfect for our friends!

Chocolate Sings

2010-03-20T17:32:00.002-04:00

I couldn't let another week go by without doing at least one challenge, so managed to get this card done for CPS Sketch #158. No patterned paper at all here. Remember those wheels that were so popular a few years ago? Well, these truffles were too cute to resist... but then I never actually used them. I dug out the handle and ink cartridge, rolled away, and then added some color with prismacolor pencils. The sentiment is from Hampton Art, and I accented it with some hardware. Yep, more hoarded goods being used :) Now I just have to pass it along to a friend (along with some chocolate, of course!!)

Happy Anniversary

2010-03-17T16:06:00.003-04:00

I truly didn't mean to disappear for a week, but things have been a bit crazy around our house. Our son is off for spring break -- as is pretty much all of Texas, it seems. Our niece is attending college in Dallas so drove down along with a few friends and we're playing host parents... It's been so much fun having them around! It's definitely bringing back some fun memories (which makes me feel young and carefree) but also making me realize I have definitely crossed over to the Mom side :) Yep, I'm old and I'm OK with that!! And then there's the fact that since we pretty much live in Spring Break party central (near South Padre) every place is busy, so even my mundane tasks like grocery shopping are taking much longer. Anyway, enough with the stories and on to a card!

I made this fun monochromatic card for this month's smART-word challenge (there's still a week left for you to play along!) The images are all from the Feathered Friends sheet. I really like the solid circle and oval that come with that set, and here I decided to ink it up with a couple different brilliance inks to set the tone for the card. I overstamped the leaf outline, added a sentiment, matted, and added a bit o' bling to balance out the design. I love these colors for anniversary cards - soft and romantic but not overly feminine.

Hope you're having a great week. Things should be calming down very soon and I'll be getting inky again...

It's all about the paper...

2010-03-10T20:57:00.002-05:00

A couple quick cards to share - basically I just took some beautiful paper, stamped a sentiment, and added minor embellishment. There are so many gorgeous papers on the market... problem is that I often buy them and then hoard them because they're so pretty - or I try to use them but can't decide how to handle the bold designs.

For the first card, I paired the Memory Box Paper with the fabulous sentiment from Wordsworth. I layered on a scrap of coordinating paper and a couple flowers. All done!

On the second one, I pulled out my BasicGrey 12x12 Periphery pack, and created the card base from one of the patterns (and love that the inside is still white!), and layered on one of the coordinating tags. I stamped the sentiment (Unity Birdie Inspiration), added a bit of bling to the "o" and glued on some dark lace (yet another thing I've been hoarding :)

Two cards done in less than twenty minutes. Love that!

Happy Mail Day

2010-03-08T15:31:00.001-05:00

WAHOO!!

Singing birds & Sunshine

2010-03-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

I shared a simple dragonfly card a couple weeks ago. Giddy from the success of actually managing a decent single layer card, I sat down with the smARTworks Vintage Variety plate and challenged myself to create a few more.

For this first one, I stamped the image with gray versafine ink and then added soft color with prismacolor pencils. Muted but not dull - another success!

I'm not as pleased with this second one, and would love some feedback on how you think I should spiff it up. It's small - only 4 1/4" square. I stamped the sun with gold brilliance ink (so in my defense, there is a lovely sheen IRL) and then added the wonderful quote from Helen Keller. Thoughts?

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!!

A song in the air...

2010-03-05T10:24:00.004-05:00

I picked up this Tim Holtz stamp when we were out in Arizona for Christmas. Let me tell you, it was hard to pick only one! ;) I inked it up with a variety of brilliance and versamagic petal points, and then added the sentiment (Studio G). I layered it with 7Gypsies paper, a dictionary page, and the cool printed flower. Love how quickly this came together!

Owls and some smARTworks news

2010-03-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

First off, a card to share. These cute owlies are from the Feathered Friends set - and don't you just love that sentiment?! I stamped the owls first, masked off their feet & then stamped the branch. I colored it all with prismacolor pencils, and then trimmed the panel, leaving a bit of the branches sticking out. I layered it with some old BasicGrey paper to finish it off.

And have you been over to the smARTworks site lately? BIG changes! Rather than individual sets, the images will now be sold in standard sheet increments (with an online shopping cart - hooray!). In the meantime,though, you can score some serious deals as the remaining "singles" are 50% off. You can check them out here.

Also, this month's smART-word has been posted - and we're going monochromatic. Make a card and link up here for a chance to win!

Wish!

2010-02-28T17:10:00.004-05:00

A triple-challenge card to share today! I started with the Inspirational Card Sketch, used maroon, pink & lemon yellow for the BasicGrey challenge, and used letter stickers for the Caardvarks "Stuck on You" challenge. Lots of fun, although very unusual for me since it has no stamping at all on it...

The papers are all from the BasicGrey Lemonade 6x6 pad. When I cut the rounded edge, I accented it with Versamagic Thatched Straw ink just to bring in a bit more yellow. The letters are from a Chatterbox kit that I keep shoving around on my shelf, and I accented the "i" with a pink gem. I'm actually sending this out as a belated birthday card, so will write something like, "I wish I'd been on the ball and gotten this sent earlier" inside :)

On a side note, did you see the awesome things that Jessica Witty did with letter stickers over on the PaperCrafts blog? Genius. Maybe I will actually use some more of these in the future!

Live The Moment

2010-02-27T11:05:00.003-05:00

Two cards in a row with lace and pink?! I'm shocking even myself!

I stamped the smARTworks' dragonfly image (Rossetti) onto a scrap of pink paper (BasicGrey Bittersweet) and roughed the edges up a bit. I layered it onto one of the prints and fiddled around with embellishments until settling on these flowers and a scrap of lace. I used Bazzill for the base (love that texture), and stamped a sentiment from To Life! to finish it off.

Time for me to live a few more moments straightening up my clutter :)

Fabulously Pink

2010-02-26T13:06:00.002-05:00

I wanted to make a fun card for my daughter, and started with the image from Unity (Treasure To Me). I colored it with prismacolors, added pearls for the necklace, and covered the bag with glossy accents - how swank! :) The sentiment is from Verve (So Happy). I pulled out some old BasicGrey paper (Phoebe, I think?) and then layered on a bit of lace.

Over the top girly - mission accomplished!

Shaby Chic Blessings

2010-02-23T09:51:00.006-05:00

I always adore Melissa Phillips' work - I love the way she incorporates so many elements, yet somehow it doesn't feel overdone. Anyway, I set out to make that type of card - and well, it was tough! I started by cutting the postcard from some patterned paper and then distressing the edges. I added the bird stamp (studio g) and the sentiment (Daisy Bucket), then played around with embellishments. I finally settled on a couple primas with buttons, a scrap of lace, a pin, and another page from that dictionary (as shown in my last post). The white card base was too stark, so I stamped a couple swirls just to break it up. Whew! I like the result, but you probably won't be seeing more like it a loooong time ;)

Quick reminder - you have just a couple more hours to join in the smART-word challenge. So throw some glitter on a card and win some stamps! (they're GOOOD ones - you can see them in the middle of this post)

Daisy Day

2010-02-21T21:25:00.004-05:00

This is another of the images that I just couldn't resist from Tuesday Morning... seriously, ninety-nine cents?! Anyway, it's from Inkadinkado, and I liked the sketchbook feel it had. I stamped it onto some dictionary paper that I'd gone over with white craft ink, and the bits of color were added with twinkling H2Os - so yes, it's much prettier in person. I was also quite happy with myself as I threw on one of those little hardware bits that I just couldn't resist a couple years ago... and yet the box still sits there, nearly full! Continuing to chip away at the stash...

Simple Joys & Happy Times

2010-02-17T11:29:00.006-05:00

Time to share my glittery contribution to this month's smART-word challenge... I started out by stamping the plant silhouette from the Cookie Botanicals Plate, and then added the lovely dragonfly from Rossetti. I filled the dragonfly in with 2 different types of stickles - distress rock candy for the wings, and tiara glitz for the body. Definitely an eye-catcher in person! The sentiment is from the latest "cookie" plate, Vintage Variety. I love the single-layer layout (which I'm always drawn to but have a hard time actually producing) - and hey, it could even work for a guy! :)

Using Scraps

2010-02-16T14:20:00.000-05:00

What is it with paper crafters and our inability to part with even the smallest scraps of paper? I've actually gotten much better at disposing of bits and pieces, but I still have a substantial stash... When I saw the card that Godelieve had made here, I was instantly inspired. What a fabulous way to use those little bits of paper! I guarantee this will become a "go-to" layout for me.

Stamp images are from a variety of companies - if you see something that you absolutely MUST know about, leave a comment and I'll get back to you with the deets

Fish'n you were here

2010-02-15T22:07:00.004-05:00

Time for another smARTworks Designer Challenge - this time featuring the Swimmin' set. After playing around with it a bit, I ended up using the fishbowl image and then coating the water portion with gem-tac (I was originally going to use glossy accents, but in this case wanted something a bit cloudier as opposed to the clear shine) Anyway, I then trimmed it out and layered it with some paper I stamped with the Accents #1 set; I pulled my blo-pens out of deep storage to add the orange splatters :)

So would you like to see more? Hop over to Susan's blog for a peek at what the other cookies did, plus a chance to win a set for yourself!

Vintage-y Love

2010-02-11T10:03:00.002-05:00

First off, I have to share a little story about this image. I've gotten to the point where I avoid purchasing wood-mounted stamps, simply because I don't want to store 'em. Guess I'm a bit of a snob now? :) Well, last month I went to Tuesday Morning to purchase a gift - and I just happened to go down their crafty aisle. They generally have a nice variety of items, but they're just not my style (or I already have it - sheesh!). Well, they had a small stack of Inkadinkado stamps for 99¢ each - and I ended up purchasing THREE. But seriously, who could resist this adorable couple?! I love the comfortable companionship that their pose conveys, and I decided to keep the card pretty simple so as not to detract from that. I colored them in with prismacolor pencils, then added a grungeboard flourish, prima flower (stamped and inked up), and a big epoxy brad with the word "loved." Definitely sweet.

Spreading some love

2010-02-10T14:00:00.005-05:00

A quick little project to share today. The hearts are Hero Arts (pieced with BasicGrey cupcake papers), and the layout is super simple. After assembling the card it looked a bit plain, so I added a few staples around the heart panel, and then two tiny red gems by the sentiment (from Unity). Fun and cute - perfect for a friend!

Valentine Kitty

2010-02-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and I used the CardPatterns sketch to make this cute little card. I stamped the kitty (from Barrow Buds) and then paper pieced it with BasicGrey Sugared papers. I punched a strip with a Martha Stewart scallop border punch along the top and bottom, and then used my Coluzzle to cut both the main panel and the layers. I pulled out the Combo Sentiments set to add "for you" down in the corner - perfect!

Bookworm Cutie

2010-02-08T14:09:00.001-05:00

I was able to go away this past weekend for a scrapbooking retreat - except I was the rebel of the bunch who didn't make a single layout, but instead cranked out cards :) I had purchased this adorable image, along with the coordinating sentiment, from Stamping Bella last year. I've been itching to play along with the BasicGrey challenges, so worked with the sketch. I used Euphoria papers so that I could play along with the Daring Cardmakers Amethyst challenge - they're offering up a fabulous prize from Craft Obsessions this time around!

I colored the main image with prismacolor pencils, and then played around with the different patterned papers and embellishments - ended up going with a grungeboard flourish, a few flowers, and a couple gems (which are rich & sparkly IRL)... I love to give books as gifts, so I'm all set for the next occasion!

Bird-Day Wishes

2010-02-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

I sat down this morning with the Mojo Monday sketch and the Feathered Friends set. I then proceeded to waste a good amount of time - and materials - trying to come up with a card... just not feelin' it today, I guess. Anyway, I was finally able to come up with this cutie. Don't you love that scalloped circle piece? I love that it's only 1 layer! Yep, that circle is also part of the stamp set, and it's a great building block. I punched it with the Marvy scalloped circle Marvy (pink one - can never remember whether it's mego or jumbo), and broke up the sentiment with the help of my trusty stamp-a-ma-jig. The bird portion was colored with prismacolor pencils, and the hat is topped with a bit of purple stickles just for fun. The card base is a printed card base (DCWV).

A bit of enabling: this stamp set is one of the full sheets o' rubber available from smARTworks, which means that it's 25% off this month. You're welcome ;)

Glittery {heart} Day

2010-02-01T11:04:00.006-05:00

Can't believe it's February already! And a new month means it's time for a new smART-word: glitter! You can see some great examples (and get details about playing along) here. Also, smARTworks is back up and running! Get caught up on the news here.

For my card, I started with a dictionary I picked up from the Dollar Store. I ripped out the page that included "love," then masked off that entry and painted over the remainder with white acrylic. I used the words from Combo Sentiments, and grabbed a punched heart that's been floating around in my scrap box. A coating of ruby red stickles definitely added some punch!

On a funny note, when I was looking at the photo, I suddenly started cracking up and my daughter came running in to see what was so funny... somehow I couldn't bring myself to explain that I was laughing at the word "booty" on my Valentine's card. I'm thinking that a bit more white paint may be needed before this gets mailed out :)

Just thinking...

2010-01-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

I'm realizing I have yet to post several of the last batch of cards for the smARTworks DT... This darling image is from the Happy Silhouettes sheet, and I wanted to keep the card pretty simple. After I stamped the initial image onto some speckled white paper, I colored in the water and then trimmed it out - definitely easy! I wanted to layer in some dark blue paper somehow, but couldn't find anything appropriate in my stash (shocking!)... stamps to the rescue! This is actually the same paper as the rest of the card, just repeatedly inked, stamped, and smudged. I used the swirly image from the set, which provides some nice texture. I used a variety of Brilliance inks, so it shimmers nicely, too. A bit of glue and a sentiment, and it was all done - simple can be very good!

Butterfly Moments

2010-01-30T07:02:00.001-05:00

Yet another card created with "buried treasure." I've had this butterfly set from Artistic Outpost for longer than I want to admit, and it finally met up with some ink... The card layout is from 2 Sketches 4 You.

I stamped the sentiment onto white cardstock, then did a simple wash over it with twinkling H2Os - love the effect! I framed it out with black (Martha Stewart border punch along the bottom), and accented it with a popped butterfly. I repeatedly stamped a strip of white with the same butterfly, and then layered it all with this orangey pink cardstock. Beauteous!

Deep Roots

2010-01-29T10:38:00.000-05:00

Another double challenge card to share today: Mojo Monday sketch and Stampin' Sisters in Christ theme. The challenge at SSIC was based on I Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. Based on that, we were to incorporate a bit of green into the card. I took the idea of a growing seed pretty literally, and paired it up with the stamp from MorningStar.

I dug into my stash of paper and pulled out the Blue Hill collection from Crate Paper. It had a variety of die-cuts included, and I thought the flowers worked well here. I accented the centers with a bit of mint ice stickles.

I pray that your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love! (Ephesians 3:17)

Spreading some ATC love...

2010-01-28T11:52:00.001-05:00

One of my friends is quite the artist, and has just recently been introduced to the world of Artist Trading Cards. It was her birthday last week, and I wanted to make her a couple friendship themed ATCs, and then I decided to kick it up a notch and make a little holder for them as well. I googled for a template, and ended up making my own (simple measurements and lots of scoring :) based on this design. I used heavyweight paper, and it's actually quite sturdy. I was originally going to just tuck the flap into the box, but I didn't like how it looked, so I started playing around with closures. I know I have some good BasicGrey magnets floating around here somewhere, but I couldn't find them, so I ended up pulling out a couple small ones that had come with a kids art set - they don't hold all that well, but it was sufficent.

For the ATCs, I used a variety of bits and papers I had floating around in my "pieces" box. Stamps: bra & coordinating saying from Crafty Secrets; coffee cup & 2 other sentiments from Cornish Heritage Farms; dragonfly from smARTworks. Paper & all embellishment for ATC box from K&Co Brenda Walton scrap pad.

Beautiful Things

2010-01-26T14:07:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to get back into my crafting groove and start participating in challenges again. The layout is from Card Patterns, and the blue/kraft/white combo is from the Colour Create Challenge.

I must admit that I interpreted the "layers" on the sketch pretty liberally. I created a mask with a border punch and some lightweight paper and then misted my card base with glimmer mist as a start. The stamps are from the Ornamental Beauty set (CHF) - I had purchased it quite awhile ago, but it was packed up and I just recently rediscovered it. I unearthed the fibery ribbon, too, and the giant button finished it off.

Here's to finding buried treasure :)

BYO Sunshine

2010-01-25T11:02:00.001-05:00

Just a fun little card to share... I love these stamps from Unity (Oct 09 Kit of the Month) but they had yet to be put to paper... and finally took a few minutes to rectify the situation :) I stamped the sun image first with pale yellow, then the sentiment with navy. I accented the sun with a prismacolor pencil and a glitter pen, then added a couple eyelets just for fun. I accented it with a scrap of paper (from BasicGrey 12x12 Lily Kate collection) and we're good to go.

And I just want to add that bringing sunshine is always good advice!

Sweet!

2010-01-24T14:31:00.000-05:00

We had a birthday party to attend yesterday, and I wanted to create something fun for the birthday girl. I pulled out the Mix Up of Cuteness set and some Basic Grey (Oh Baby - Girl) papers for this card. I colored the cupcake with prismacolor pencils, and the frosting is accented with Rock Candy stickles - I assure you it's very cute in person! The sentiment is from the same set, and it was perfect for the occasion... I'm already dreaming up some layouts with the other images from that set, so stay tuned :)

Ice in Texas?!

2010-01-23T11:53:00.001-05:00

As I'd mentioned a few weeks ago, the smART-word for January is ice. Now this is my first January in South Texas (after 14 years in Pennsylvania!) -- and I must admit that icy inspiration is lacking. Rather than bundling up in a warm sweater and sipping cocoa, I'm playing outside with my kids... but only after taking allergy pills and applying mosquito repellant. Crazy! Anyway, after many false starts, this is what I came up with.

I repeatedly stamped the branch image (everything is from the Botanicals plate) with blue & silver Brilliance inks for a frosty feel. Everything is pretty straightforward - the final touch was a couple "icy" rhinestones.

I do want to share one other card I made a couple years ago, using the Winter Days set. I love the icy look that the Dazzle Dust gives here. And hey, you can win this set for yourself by playing along with the challenge - you have until Tuesday night to post a link.

So in the meantime, stay warm and keep stamping :)

Tag! You're My Friend :)

2010-01-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

Can't believe it, but I'm back with a second post today!

I really liked the sketch over at Card Patterns this week, and when I saw that it featured a tag, I immediately started thinking about the 12x12 BasicGrey I have in my stash. I used the Phresh & Phunky pack for this card - no stamps whatsoever, and a minor dip into my embellishments for the twine & buttons. I chose the tag first, and lightened it up a bit with some white ink. I picked which papers I wanted to use for each element, and then started cutting. (I love that the paper is sturdy enough to be used as a card base, and I still have a white "innard") I used the coordinating letter stickers to spell out friend, and trimmed a piece of dotted paper to accent the bottom of the tag. Quick, and ready to pass along to a dear friend for Valentine's Day!

Sing!

2010-01-15T09:16:00.002-05:00

I had such grand plans for the past 2 weeks... but nothing went the way I had envisioned. Anyway, I am now stealing a few moments to share a card I made back in December with the Happy Silhouettes set. I wanted to do something fun with the bird, and decided to pull out a pad of softly colored vintage paper (K&Co) and play around. I stamped the bird onto one that had script all over it, then embossed and went over it with black ink. I layered it with some other papers, added a few punched flowers, and created a small tag for the sentiment (Alpha-02). Nothing fancy-schmancy, but I like the overall effect.

Here's hoping I can find some additional "fun crafty time" soon! :)

Catching Up

2010-01-04T09:35:00.002-05:00

Holy schnikees, it's 2010! We had a wonderful Christmas and are now trying to return to "normal." There are several matters that require my attention, but I promise to get back to crafting soon. I was able to visit Mystic Paper when we were out in AZ - creative bliss!! Amazing displays, plus drooling over product lines that I'd never seen in person. I could have spent an entire day wandering the shop (not to mention an awful lot of hubby's paycheck), but exercised a bit of self-restraint and walked out with only 1 small paper bag. Which still cost plenty, but I digress ;) Anyway, I do have a bunch of ideas swirling around in my head, plus some completed projects that I haven't managed to post. Here's hoping our computer cooperates with that plan we'll be ordering a new one this week - we've been having some very strange issues with this one, including turning itself on randomnly, and have come to the conclusion that our motherboard is deteriorating rapidly...

Anyway, I did want to say that the January Challenge is up - bring on the ice! Lots of room for interpretation on that one, and hopefully you can play along.

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Fun Christmas Cards

2009-12-12T17:16:00.008-05:00

I needed a couple simple cards for some neighbors, and I used the fun sketch over at Card Positioning Systems this week as my starting point. For the first one, I made the snowflake from some leftover faux mother-of-pearl paper (that I'd done with a grayish blue ink), and then after I'd cut it out I coated it with my son's favorite Crayola glitter glue. You can never have too much sparkle! I layered it with some paper (impulse buy from the Target dollar spot last week), and tied on a "hope" charm. The finished card is 5 1/2" square.

The second card is smaller - only 4 1/4" - and the colors were chosen by my daughter :) I liberated the hot pink foam circle from her art box, and then embellished it with an edge strip (doodlebug designs), tiny gems, and an actual ornament hanger. This was really fun to do, and I'm thinking that the kids and I will make some more of these for the teachers, friends, etc. I used a Martha Stewart edge punch for the ornament topper (just clipped out a tiny piece) and the turquoise layer. I couldn't make 2 cards in a row without any stamping whatsoever, so I stamped JOY with the Alpha-02 set.

Don't know if I'm going to find any more "creative time" in the weeks ahead - we're hitting the road for Christmas this year, and there's still a lot I need to get done. If I don't make it back to the blog, I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday!!

Getting Lovey-Dovey

2009-12-10T20:27:00.004-05:00

I know that Christmas is looming large on the horizon, but Valentine's isn't all that far off, right? Anyway, that's the excuse I'm offering for this card :)

I used this week's layout from Card Patterns - fun layout to combine patterned papers. The images are from smARTworks' Happy Silhouettes and the paper is from Memory Box. Everything is pretty straightforward - I made the card base from dark purple cardstock, which you see right below the ribbon. I really love the sentiment: Forever. For always. No matter what. Definitely going to use that for my hubby's card this year (he won't be receiving this particular one!)

Hope you're having a great week!

Christmas Blessings

2009-12-09T21:45:00.004-05:00

Well, things are back to semi-normal around here and I wanted to share this card I made for the Christmas challenge. When I sat down to create something, I wanted to keep it simple so it could be mass-produced, and also flat to minimize mailing costs. In other words: practical for the craziness of the Christmas season :)

I started with the holly label from Addy Keepers Fancy, and then added a greeting from Little Things. I colored in the holly with prismacolor pencils, and then went around the frame with stickles - simple but very pretty! Matted the panel with black, and scored around the edge on the red layer just to add a bit more interest.

Have you been busy making Christmas cards? You have until Dec 22 to post a link over at the smART-Word challenge. Hope you can join in the fun!

December!

2009-12-01T10:45:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's December already - 2009 has been a hectic year for us, and the months have definitely flown by. Between family visiting and sickness I haven't had much stamping time these past couple weeks... and well, even if I *did* have projects to share, we're currently having technical difficulties with our computer so no photos right now. Hope to get those issues resolved in the next couple days, though, and look for fresh inspiration next week.

In the meantime, be sure to swing over to the smART-word challenge for some cute ideas. The word of the month is Christmas, and we'd love to have you create a little something and play along with us!

Fannie Mae

2009-11-21T09:40:00.006-05:00

No, I'm not talking about mortgages - today is the reveal for the challenge from smARTworks featuring the Victorian lady herself!

The images in this set are elegant and exquisitely detailed. As I was playing around with it, I often felt my ideas came off looking too busy due to those details... and then inspiration struck! She has a strong profile, and I decided to create a silhouette by simply coloring her in. I think I've finally discovered a coloring technique I'm good at :) Anyway, with the blacked-out image, the card came together much more easily, and I finished it off with the sentiment (partially inked, from Together).

I used gray Versafine ink and a black Prismacolor pencil on this - and I think it's kind of neat that when you tilt the card just right you can actually still see the details underneath.

So would you like to see what the other smART cookies made? You can see all the creations here. And be sure to click over to Susan's blog, too, for a chance to win a set of your very own.

Merry Snowman

2009-11-20T22:53:00.002-05:00

I haven't had much time to stamp this week, but I did manage to make this for the Card Patterns sketch challenge. And yes, I did take some liberties with the layout again, but the little snowguy looked awfully bored when he was all symmetrical :)

The stamps are from Unity (October store kit), and I used Brilliance inks. The snowflake die-cuts & brads are from Making Memories. Sorry about the lousy shot - it's late and this is the best it's going to get for now...

You're A Blessing

2009-11-16T11:19:00.000-05:00

For this month's smART-word challenge of gratitude, I initially sat down to make a simple "thank you" card, but after pondering it a bit more, I pulled out this sentiment from the Frames set. I wanted to send a card to a new friend who has really encouraged me, and telling her what a blessing she has been more fully expressed my gratitude.

I used printed papers from Making Memories, but found I wanted some soft color to balance things - so I stamped the flourish from Happy Silhouettes onto some pale yellow cardstock. I stapled a snippet of ribbon and added a few gems to finish it off.

So how would you express gratitude? You have until November 24 to play along with us here.

Card Patterns, Round 2

2009-11-14T08:06:00.004-05:00

I was really unsatisfied with my other version of the Card Patterns sketch, so I decided to take another crack at it. I even managed to use fall colors - tough when it's still in the mid 80s every day and I'm surrounded by lush plants...

Anyway, I used the great papers from Making Memories, and "blocked" them on an ivory card. The lovely sentiment is by Wordsworth, and I thought it went well with the pear paper. I used rick rack and a couple buttons from my stash to finish it. And while I still tweaked the sketch a bit, at least it's recognizable this time :)

smARTworks Info

2009-11-13T08:22:00.006-05:00

It's new release time - and I can't wait to get my hands on this rubber! There are some gorgeous sets designed by Dina (shown here), Christmas images, and as always, fabulous sentiments. Click on over to the online catty and check them all out for yourself, starting at page 179.

And I've also just realized that I've neglected to mention this month's smART-word: gratitude.

You have until November 24 to create a card of your own - hope you can play along!

Small Pleasures

2009-11-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

It's been a few days since I posted - we (meaning me and my not-quite-so-enthusiastic-but-loves-me-very-much hubby) decided to tackle the laundry hallway. Let's just say things didn't go quite as we'd anticipated... but then do home improvement projects ever work out that way?! :)

I managed to get this little card done earlier this week, and am finally getting it posted. I wanted to make something for the Moxie Fab Plum challenge using the sketch from Card Patterns - and, well, it didn't turn out quite as I planned, but I still like the result! I stamped the sweet image (from Happy Silhouettes) with versamark eggplant ink, and also used that for the sentiment (partially inked image from the same set). I paired it with the cute Crate Papers, but ended up leaving the top right panel from the sketch off completely, as it just looked too choppy... and well, when I dove into my ribbon box, the dark purple grosgrain that I'm absolutely certain I own was nowhere to be found, so I resorted to the sheer white stuff. I did add the 3 brads - but again, not according to the sketch. Do you see a trend here?

Hoo boy -- off to see what else I can "improvise" on today!

Just dreaming...

2009-11-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

As I've gotten settled into this house, I've had fun pulling out many of my supplies that have been packed away for months - and this card uses quite a few of those things! I started by stamping everything (smARTworks Cloud Dancer) onto some speckled white cardstock, then painted the scene with twinkling H2Os. I stitched the panel to the card base, and then accented the clouds with some fine glitter.

Off to rediscover more treasures... and possibly do some dreaming :)

Quilted Die Cuts

2009-11-06T08:36:00.000-05:00

One more card for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge, based on this week's sketch at CPS. The verse is from the Christian Sympathy set (Clear Dol lar Stamps) and I paired it with this "quilted" piece I had made a couple weekends ago at a library class, but it had yet to find a home. I know the CPS sketch features circles, but I really like the interest that the shape provides here.

Below you'll find the 2 cards that I made using the same quilted technique - punch squares from patterned paper and adhere to standard copy paper, then die cut. These panels were also dry embossed (with the CB paisley folder), and I accented it with some ink on the left card. Fun and easy! The sentiments are from Unity (praying for you) and a*muse (relax...)

The strength of my heart...

2009-11-05T09:41:00.001-05:00

I always find the posts over at Stampin Sisters in Christ so encouraging, and this week's challenge was no exception: a reminder that God is always with us, even when it may not feel like it... it's so easy to rely on our own strength, and treat God as a last resort. But whatever our shortcomings may be, He is faithful - the one and only thing in life that is truly dependable. What a blessing!

Anyway, as I was reading through the post, my thoughts went to this verse (Psalm 73:26) - we fail even ourselves, but God is the "strength of my heart." Isn't that a wonderful phrase? I ended up using the layout from the Card Patterns sketch, but did adjust the circle just a bit to fit the verse. I used a variety of bits and pieces for embellishments, but it still has a clean, simple feel to it. I think I may end up playing around with this layout a bit more to create a few masculine cards - just need to lose the flower and lace :) Hope you all have a fabulous day - and remember, God *IS* with you!!

Bless You

2009-11-04T12:46:00.003-05:00

Just a quick card to share today, made for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch. The oval die with the sweet birds was from a Making Memories pack, and the only stamping on the entire card is the small sentiment (Wordsworth). Everything else, from the card base (4" square) to the embellishments, was just piled on my desk. I think that's a sign it's time to do some cleaning up!

Finding Beauty

2009-11-01T15:09:00.004-05:00

I've had this image colored for months and finally got it made into a card this past week. It's colored with a mix of metallic and prismacolor pencils; you can see a hint of the lustre on the moth wings and the eyelids (which look a bit creepy in this pic, but I promise are much nicer IRL! :) I highlighted the word forever with a yellow pencil, which helps it pop from the background. The card front is scored 1 1/4" from the fold, and then I added the ribbon and glued the spine, so the open part is 4 1/4" square.

images: smARTworks Daydream Collage, and the saying is from Tennyson/Emerson/Keats.

Count Your Blessings

2009-10-30T09:29:00.001-04:00

Another sketchy card to share today, this one based on the challenge over at Card Patterns. I decided I wanted to challenge myself even more and use only stuff that was piled up in the "this is too good to toss" box. I ended up using some scraps of BasicGrey paper and accented it with a flower and button. I wanted to make another card for the challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ and encourage thankfulness, so used this sentiment from printworks.

I can't say it's my best work ever, but I have a weird sense of satisfaction from actually using some of my junk pile, plus I know that my Grandma will love it regardless :)

White Thanks

2009-10-29T13:00:00.004-04:00

Well, here's the result of 3 of the challenges I wanted to participate in this week: Mercy's Tuesday Sketch, Stampin' Sisters in Christ: Thankfulness, and Color Create Challenge: White.

The main sentiment is from Impression Obsession, and it's stamped with versamagic sage - I needed 1 color with the white, and I thought this was worked pretty well. The panel underneath was embossed with a Sizzix folder, and then I made the "ruffle" with some Making Memories paper (which admittedly does have a soft print on it). I pulled out some velvet rickrack that I honestly don't even remember purchasing, but it really fit the design nicely.

I know it has a wedding vibe to it with the color scheme and all, but I can think of plenty other "thankful" times that it would work well, too!

Custom "White" Board

2009-10-28T15:05:00.004-04:00

A couple weekends ago, I was able to attend another crafty class at our local library, and this time around we created personalized white boards using a standard 8x10 frame. Now I've used the acrylic frames for dry-erase projects, but never thought of glass... but how cool is this?!

My frame definitely has a shabby chic vibe to it, mostly due to the K&Co papers I used. There's also a diecut initial (covered with rock candy stickles!), flower cut from an old book, lace, and ribbon. For the main "white" panel the paper I wanted to use was a bit too dark, so I brushed on some Making Memories white pearl scrapbook glaze to mellow it out a bit. Perfect!

Best of all - now I have a place to jot down all of those challenges I want to participate in. Check back later this week to see whether I pulled it off :)

Happy Birthday, Susan!!

2009-10-26T09:28:00.001-04:00

Today just happens to be the birthday of a very special lady - Susan, the owner of smARTworks! In honor of this event, each of us from the design team will be sharing the birthday card we made for her. Fun!!

I used these great printed papers from Making Memories, and "jazzed up" the striped design with a swirl (Stella) and butterfly (Botanicals "Cookie" Plate). The happy is from Combo Sentiments, and I went over it with Rock Candy distress stickles so it's rich and sparkley. A bit of twine and a few buttons provide some more texture.

Click over to see creations from Giovana, Dina, Donelda & Donna - and please take a moment to wish Susan a very happy birthday, too!

My card layout is from a sketch I'd made while blog-surfing, but I neglected to note where it was from. If you recognize it, let me know!

Fall Creations

2009-10-25T13:02:00.001-04:00

As I'd previously mentioned, I'm really missing the fall colors down here in TX, so I ended up whipping up a whole batch of fall cards to console myself :) The first card was this "Thinking of You" number - the leaves are from Revel, and the sentiment is from Thinking Trio. On this one, I used a kraft rame that I'd die cut but never used, layered it up with a few more colors of cardstock, and accented the corners with some gems.

For the remaining cards, I took a "One Sheet Wonder" approach. It's been a long time since I've done that, and I'd forgotten how much fun it could be. I limited myself to a couple colors of cardstock and a box of metal embellishments from We R Memory Keepers just to keep things simple.

I used a variety of sentiments - the "Happy Fall" is from Little Say, the memories quote is from Faux Van Gogh #1, and "Blessings to You" is from Opportunity Trio.

So there you have it - my little ode to autum despite the 90 degree temperatures! :) And finally, one last reminder that you still have until tomorrow night to post a fall card of your own for the smART-word challenge.

Gettin' Sketchy

2009-10-24T15:38:00.005-04:00

As much as I love stamping, sometimes it's just fun to sit down and play with paper. I really liked the simple layout over at Card Positioning Systems this week, and I needed to make a card for my SIL's upcoming milestone b-day, so I pulled out a K&Co pad that with a vintage feel that I knew she'd love. Everything is pretty simple here - a few rounded corners, edges hit with some ink to make them pop, and a couple pearls. The sentiment is from Cloud 9 Design.

While I had everything out, I did end up making just one more card :) I just got a package from Unity Stamps yesterday, and I couldn't resist inking up this tree. There are some cute little flowers already on it, but I covered them all with these little primas, and then accented them with some glitz stickles. The sentiment is from Verve.

Back tomorrow with a few more fall cards!

Joys Abound

2009-10-21T12:10:00.003-04:00

I stamped while watching TV last night (anyone else a fan of NCIS?)... I had several challenges I wanted to incorporate in this card, and I must admit that I'm thrilled with the end result!

First, the challenges: Caardvarks Tall Order, Card Patterns Sketch, and Joanne B's Buttony Bow. Check, check, and check! I started by creating the patterned paper that I used along the side - I love that flourished botanical image from Happy Silhouettes, and I stamped it with 2 Brilliance inks so it's very rich looking. I didn't want to use a plain old circle, so I traced the scalloped shape from a large die cut I had in my stash, and then inked up the edges. I stamped the sentiment (from the same set) onto a scrap of cardstock, and then went to work on the bow. A word of advice - don't try this with single sided ribbon! I made it work, but it involved a lot of fiddling. I do love how it turned out with the button and twine, though.

And look, no pink or lavender in sight :)

Think Pink?

2009-10-20T13:06:00.003-04:00

Well, I did put that other paper pad away, but I still ended up making a few more cards with pink... I was trying to make a card for someone in particular and was having *NO* success whatsoever, so I ended up just playing around and this is what I came up with. All the paper is from Making Memories (Sabrina collection), with a few accents from the GCD Paris Nights pad.

On the first card, I stamped the crown (Kings) with Brilliance Lightning Black and then added the sentiment (Happy Silhouettes). I added a couple rhinestones to the crown, but everything else is pretty straightforward. This would be a great card for a guy if it weren't for the color! The second card was created with the Iris Bloom set, and the tab with the word is actually the piece that was left after I trimmed the sentiment panel - just couldn't bear to throw it away! The strip right above that is paper folded to create a ruffly effect, but unfortunately that detail didn't photograph well.

Off an running again - will be back at some point this week to share more. I've had a sick daughter and life in general is still pretty crazy, so I'm not promising anything :)

Card for Bekah - Spina Bifida Awareness Month

2009-10-15T11:49:00.007-04:00

The past few years, I've been amazed at how many pink products companies roll out in October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month - but did you know that October is also Spina Bifida Awareness month? One of my bloggy friends, Giovana, is marking the occasion with a card drive for a sweet little girl. You can read all about it here.

I really wanted to make her a card, and I still had all the stuff from the past couple projects sitting on my workspace, so... I started out with the Mojo Monday sketch (and ended up taking some liberties with it! :) I wanted to use another adorable layered flower with a button (Making Memories), but couldn't help thinking that it was sort of a shame to just "waste" it as a card embellishment - but wait, I know I have some barrettes in my stash! I added a bit of tulle behind the flower to give it just a bit more substance, then stitched it all onto the base. Cute, cute, cute if I do say so myself! I attached it to the card with a couple glue dots so it can easily be removed. The sentiment is from Daisy Bucket Designs (#5151) and the printed papers are all Memory Box Sprout. And on that note, I really think it's time to put those papers away and move onto some other colors!!

Joy Enough...

2009-10-14T14:14:00.002-04:00

No specific challenge with today's card - just some plain ol' stampy fun! :) The images are from the Happy Silhouettes sheet, and I used Brilliance Lightning Black ink for it all so there's some rich shimmer. For the base of the card, I adhered strips of paper (Memory Box Sprout) that I had left from my last project - great way to break up the plain cardstock base. I rounded the corners and "grubbed" up the edges a bit with two different brown inks, and then pulled out an old Making Memories embellishment jar to create the layered flower with the button.

On a side note, these stamps are not available for purchase, but can only be "earned" with smART bucks... and you can earn 1 by playing along with us over at the smART Word blog. There's still plenty of time to make a fall card!!

Growing...

2009-10-09T13:28:00.004-04:00

I always love the challenges over at Salt, and seeing the artistic interpretations that each team member creates. This time around, the theme was growth, and I just knew I had to make something! Since we've moved, I've found myself stretched in many ways - relocating 2,000 miles definitely took me out of my comfort zone and forced me to take a hard look at myself. Was I truly relying on God to meet my needs, or was I more often turning to friends, and then putting the matter to prayer as the next step? Also, was I stepping out in faith, sharing the Lord, or being content in my happy little box?

Anyway, I made this piece as something of a souvenir of this transitional time - as well as a reminder to not grow so content as to stagnate. I also wanted to make another example of the "earth rejoicing" for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge - and I'd say those trees look pretty joyful! The verse is from smARTworks' Walk Trio "That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossions 1:10) The papers are all from Memory Box (Sprout), and I mounted it onto some plain cardstock so the finished size is 5x7. The tree image is from Unity, and I paper pieced it, as well as doing a bit of coloring with pc pencils. Oh, and can I add that I love that the trees have hearts on them - because that's exactly the fruit I want to bear: a heart for HIM. I had picked up the clip frame from the Target Dollar Spot eons ago, and was so glad to actually use it :) After I put it all together, it needed something else, and after digging through my stash I came up with these fabulous corners (glimmer chips from Tattered Angels).

And now that it's all done, it will be residing on the bathroom counter, where it will serve as a good daily reminder. Plus it looks way nicer than all my other junk :)

Beautiful Sunset

2009-10-07T16:36:00.003-04:00

This week's challenge over at Stampin' Sisters in Christ was to somehow show the earth rejoicing - and since moving to South TX, every time I see a palm tree outlined against a sunset sky, I can't help but think of Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Anyway, I tried to capture some of that glory in this card!

The layout is adapted from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. I stamped the palm silhouette (TAC) then created the "sunset" with prismacolor pencils - trust me when I say that God does a much better job! :) I masked off the circle on the card base, and stamped with a swirl (smARTworks) then went over it with a couple different Brilliance inks. I stamped the verse(Unity) and added some gems for sparkle.

Pretty simple card, and I might just have to mail it to my folks in Montana (where they had snow this weekend!) - just to give them a hint of what they'll discover when they come down to visit over Thanksgiving...

Merci

2009-10-06T22:46:00.002-04:00

The Daring Cardmakers challenge this week was folding, and when I saw the sketch over at Card Patterns, I immediately was envisioning this combination... finally had some time to actually create it!

The papers are all Making Memories Chloe's Closet, and I simply cut the little flower strip from one of the papers. I love the look of the folded paper - gotta remember to do that again! The layer with the rounded corners is stamped with CHF's ledger block (faint, but I promise it's there!), and the sentiment is Printworks.

New Challenge - Fall

2009-10-01T13:44:00.003-04:00

You may have noticed that the smARTworks Design Team hasn't had a "Tea Party" in awhile... well, we've changed things up and have launched a new challenge! You can find all the details over at the smART word blog - but the basic gist is to create a card inspired by the word fall. Pretty easy, right?!
Now that we're in South TX, I'm missing the beautiful fall colors, so decided to recreate them here. I randomly inked up the leaf image from Revel with a variety of Brilliance inks (love those little Dew Drop pads!) to create the background, and the sentiment is from Wave Good-Bye. The spine of the card was scored, glued, punched, and laced up, so the part that opens is 4 1/4" square. And you see that lovely leaf embellishment? Well, that was liberated from my kids' craft stash (leaf craft kits from Oriental Trading). The hazards of having a craft crazed mother - nothing is safe! :)

In My Prayers

2009-09-30T12:37:00.005-04:00

I made this card for the challenge over at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. It was such a great idea, and as I was reading, this phrase from Daisy Trio #1 immediately came to mind. I ended up pairing it with the heart flowers (Autumn Leaves Stampology) and some Cosmo Cricket paper. I added the little doodles to the flowers to pick up the detail in the paper, and then tied on a fluffy bow and threw on some pearls to jazz it up a bit more. (Click on the card to enlarge it and see the details) And it's already in the mailbox, ready to encourage a friend that I know is going through a tough time.

I'll be back tomorrow with a fun new challenge that we're kicking off with smARTworks. See you then!!

Coffee Encouragement

2009-09-29T14:09:00.004-04:00

Today's card is based on the sketch over at Card Patterns. Definitely a fun layout, and I thought it went well with the Mug Trio set. The mug was done with versamagic wheat, versamagic pink petunia, and then brilliance pearlescent orchid as the last layer - had to end with some shimmer! ;) I created the "coffee" with a colored pencil, and then went over it with glossy accents. The papers are BasicGrey Sugared, and I think the ruffled brown ribbon is May Arts. I promise this is cuter IRL than it looks here; I took a ton of pics, but just couldn't capture the richness of the pinks. Anyway, I'm already planning to package up some coffee and biscotti and pass this along to a friend for a little pick-me-up!

Flight of Fancy

2009-09-24T14:27:00.007-04:00

Don't you just love it when a card comes together just as you've imagined it?! It seldom works like that for me - I start out in one direction, but then I end up in a totally different place (not that it's a bad thing, but still...)

Anyway, I wanted to play along with a couple challenges this week, namely the sketch over at Mojo Monday, and the "Shaby Chic" theme over at Daring Cardmakers. I wanted to use the Cloud Dancer set, and I was also thinking that the focal diamond would be a great way to incorporate a bookmark (always fun to have a giftie built right into the card!). I started by creating the bookmark* then stamped the darling fairy, colored her, and accented the wings with a glitter pen. I mounted the bookmark to the other square by gluing only the bottom of white square (roughly the size of the bookmark) to the patterned piece, and then slipping the bookmark over it.

The papers are all from the BasicGrey Wisteria pad, and the lace was something I've had in my stash for years (I remember using this to accent a mop doll I made for my Mom back in junior high!) I strayed a bit from the Mojo sketch by only using the lace as opposed to scalloped layers, but I didn't want to detract from the main panel. A few flowers and pearls, and it was done!

One other comment - after this was all completed, I managed to smear a tiny bit of ink onto the bookmark. I wasn't about to start over, but I didn't want to glue anything onto it, either (wanted to keep it flat for use in a book). I covered the smudge with a white gel pen, and then proceeded to do a bit of tiny swirly doodling all over the background around the girl. I then did the exact same thing with a pale colored pencil just to break up the white a bit more. What started as a mistake ended up being a design element!

*I know there are a couple different ways to make these - I simply started with a square piece of cardstock, then found the center on one side and brought the two edges together to create a folded point (so it sort of looked like a little house at that point), and then trimmed off the excess. Thanks to Sandy, our local stamping librarian, for reminding me about these!

Simple Recipe Card

2009-09-22T10:31:00.002-04:00

When I first started stamping, one of the things that really drew me to it was the way that I could "jazz up" simple everyday items. And that's exactly what I did today!

I went to a little gathering last week and took this pumpkin dip to share; I've now been asked for the recipe, and after writing it out, it looked awfully sparse. Stamps to the rescue! I grabbed this swirly image from Little Bits #2 and added a simple border. Much better!

And if you're looking for a quick, tasty treat to share, then I definitely recommend this pumpkin dip!

Birthday Time

2009-09-18T15:21:00.001-04:00

It's my Dad's birthday this week, and of course I couldn't send him a store-bought card!! I decided I wanted to go with a time theme, so I pulled out the Time Flies and Gifts sets. I had a scrap of this faux mother-of-pearl paper that I'd made quite some time ago (click h ere for a tutorial), and with the beige ink on it, I thought it worked pretty well for a masculine card. I layered it up with blue (his favorite color), did some light shading around the clock, and added a couple brads for good measure. Of course I know I can't begin to compete with the pictures his grandkids drew, but I think he'll like it :)

Shine!

2009-09-17T15:08:00.002-04:00

I made this card to send to our niece, who is a freshman in college, just to let her know that she's in our thoughts and prayers. She's a loooooong way from home, and doing great, but there are always bumps along the way...

Card is pretty straightforward: images are from Unity, and the paper is BasicGrey Wisteria. The lamp is paper pieced, and I accented the "danglies" with a stardust pen. Rounded the corners, tied on some ribbon, and popped it into the mailbox!

Piggy Dreams

2009-09-15T09:49:00.003-04:00

For this cookie challenge, each of us was given the set Piggy Dreams to work with. After playing around with it a bit, I decided that rather than going for a standard card, I was going to go for an altered clipboard. A friend had given me this small board with the alpha paper already adhered, and I'd been "saving" it for just the right project. I used papers from the BasicGrey porcelain line for the project because I liked the way the pink tones worked with the little piggy. I started by stamping the pig onto some soft pink, then trimmed it out. Added some shimmer to the wings for good measure. Next was the sentiment, and then another print for the base. I also added a couple buttons just for balance.

As I was making this clipboard, I was thinking of all the different ways it could be used - I think it would be great to use as a "message station" with a pad of post-it notes and a pen tied onto the clip, hanging on the inside of a cabinet door. Or perhaps a place to store business cards, or mailing labels and stamps, or... Well, you get the idea! It's small size makes it portable so it would work well for kids, too.

Pop on over to the smARTsite to see check out what the other cookies made, and enter at In the Works for a chance to win a set for yourself!

"Bee" is for Baby

2009-09-14T11:01:00.008-04:00

A pregnancy card on Friday and a baby card on Monday... how's that for fast?! Sorry, but my sense of humor can be a bit odd at times :)

Seriously, though, this card is for a different friend who just had a darling baby boy. No traditional baby stuff for her, though - she's not the bootie, bottle, etc. type - so I grabbed this cute bee (TAC) and came up with this little number. I stamped the bee, did a bit of piercing, then wrote the sentiment (inside says, "to say congrats and wish you all the best!"). I used an orange card base, and used 2 large circle punches to do the fun background. I do love how it turned out, and will definitely be using that technique again. After I had it all assembled, I decided it needed just a little something, so I coated the wings with new Rock Candy distress stickles - love the shimmer of this stuff (without obscuring colors or being overly sparkley!)

Have a great Monday, and I'll be back tomorrow to share the latest round from the smART Cookie challenge!

Bun in the Oven

2009-09-11T12:04:00.004-04:00

I made this little 4 1/4" square card for some friends that we just learned will be welcoming another little bundle of joy. The silhouette and sentiment are both from Studio G (one of those little $1 impulse buys!), and the paper is Jenni Bowlin. Fun, quick, and sure to make the expectant mommy smile!

Everything Beautiful

2009-09-10T11:14:00.011-04:00

There was another great sketch at the Mojo Blog this week, and once again I made a "scrappy" card. The verse is from Unity Stamps and the paper is all from the BasicGrey Lemonade line. I did add a few pearls (Kaisercraft) just to give the main panel a bit of dimension, but aside from that, all I did was stamp, cut, and paste.

I really loved this sketch, and I decided to make a second card, but took it in a very different direction: no printed papers, and a fall palette. I pulled out the Botanicals "Cookie" Plate from smARTworks and stamped the leafy image repeatedly with sepia Versafine and champagne Versamark Dazzle inks (which frankly isn't all that "dazzling" but the subtle shimmer works well here). I stamped the small sprig image onto the dark green panel along the bottom also using the champagne ink. For the three strips, I rounded the upper edges and then laid them flush with the lower panel. The brown strip looked a bit too stark, but a Martha Stewart edge punch took care of that.

So there you have it - 1 sketch, 2 completely different cards! :)