I stamped, I stamped!!

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!

Shaby Chic Blessings

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)

Vintage-y Love

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.

Fannie Mae

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.

Custom "White" Board

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 :)

Some fanciness with a side of rambling

I have one last "Fancy Lady" to share - the main image is from In Fashion, and the sentiment is from Hats. The lovely patterned papers are from SEI; the main panel has gold foil accents and it is oh-so-elegant in person. I re-aligned the sentiment using my stamp-a-ma-jig, punched it with the SU label punch, then embellished it with a punched circle, a rectangle, and some tiny black gems. Loverly!

On a side note, you've probably noticed that I'm posting much less frequently these days... Our family has been dealing with all sorts of things these past couple month, and my stamping has had to take a back burner. Between school, illnesses of family and friends, church, and general day to day stuff (we still need to eat and wear clean clothes!) I haven't been able to "get inky" much at all. It doesn't look like the schedule is going to be clearing up any time soon, either - we'll be moving to South Texas this summer for hubby's job, so we've begun the process of packing/purging/fixing up to ready the house for sale. I'm not about to put is all aside for six months, though - I need my paper therapy!! ;) So thanks for hanging with me!

Tea Party!

I'm so happy that the smART Cookies' Tea Party has started back up again, and Dina provided a sketch for the first party. My card is pretty simple, as our son just started kindergarten yesterday; our daughter is really missing her playmate, so she's requiring extra mommy time.

I created this card using the Keepsakes set, plus the script from One Smile on the background panel. I had a hard time getting a good photo of this card, and finally just had to accept that this was as good as it was gonna get :) The buttons along the side are stamped with pearlescent crimson brilliance ink, embossed with Faith's Transcendence ep, then lightly spritzed with suede glimmer mist. I also used glimmer mist on the background panel so it wasn't so obnoxiously white.


Susan, Dina and Giovana will be posting their creations throughout the day, and we'd love to have you play along as well. Just leave a comment so we can check it out! And if you upload to SCS, please use keyword SCPT1.

Have a great day!

The Melody of Life

I've always loved vintage images, and while I've been stamping for several years now, it's only in the past 2-3 that I've started playing around with this particular style. This is my first finished creation with smARTworks' Ooh La La set - I love the "sophistication" of the women in this set, and I know that the music will be handy for collage work. I started with a piece of 2 sided paper (My Mind's Eye); I trimmed the printed side down for the larger layer, then used the reverse for the focal panel. I stamped the music (with SU Sahara Sand), and then the lovely lady and the sentiment (black versafine). I then inked up the edges (distress mahogany), layered on some satin ribbon and ivory trim, and then added the metal corner (We R Memory Keepers).

As I was photographing the card, my 5 YO commented that the girl's hair looked kinda funny; I then told him that this was how ladies used to wear their hair a long time ago. He then wanted to know if I used to have mine that. Gotta love kids and their questions! (BTW, the answer is no!! :)

More Flower Power

Well, I had more stamped copy paper left from that layered flower, so when I saw the challenge at LilyBean's Paperie, I knew I wanted to play along. We were to create a card using red, green, black and cream - but not for Christmas; make a flower; and include trim. So here goes...

I took the plain white paper stamped with script (smARTworks One Smile), and inked it up to make it "creamier." I hand cut the layers, and then edged each with red ink. I used an ivory button for the center (yes, I even sewed it!) and incorporated a bit of green with the leaves. I used papers from the BasicGrey Figgy Pudding collection, but the red print on the base was stark white, so more ink and a few spritzes of gold glimmer mist. I inked the edges with black, added a sentiment (Hero Arts) to the red panel, then layered on some lace trim that was floating around in my drawer. Quite simple (and not all that different from yesterday's card), but I think the the recipient will still be appreciative. (Finished card measures 4x6)

Lace and Distress Ink

I haven't taken much time lately to play with my stamps and inks, but I did throw together this quick card. I started with some printed papers (7gypsies), crinkled them and layered on some distress inks. The lovely lady (Art by Moonlight) was stamped awhile ago, and I finally added a bit of color and trimmed the panel. I do wish I'd been more careful when I swiped it with more distress ink - I love the effect but don't care for her dirty face :) I finished it off with some stitched ribbon, lace, and a prima flower.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Colorized Girls

Well, this is going to be my last "One Smile" card for awhile. I have just recently started to really use my Prismacolor pencils, and I decided to have fun with them on this card. I was going for the vintage, hand-tinted photo look. (And why is that every one of those photos seems to have robin's egg blue in it somewhere?!) Anyway, I had fun coloring it in, and then roughed up the edges, attached a fancy paper clip, and mounted it onto some BasicGrey paper. BTW, the cool script on the background is another image from the set. I'm telling you, it is a great set full of potential!!

OK, off to the more mundane tasks that require my attention. Have a great weekend!

One Smile...

I think by now everyone is aware that I really like the One Smile set from smARTworks - and I just realized that I have two more cards that I never shared! This one uses the sentiment that comes with the image (thus the name of the set). This time I paired it with some BasicGrey papers I found at the bottom of my paper stash (Black Tie line). I also did a little something special with the girls themselves; I've had microscope slides and metal tape for over a year now, but I had yet to actually use any of it. But these darling girls were deemed worthy of the fancy treatment :) I need to practice a bit more with the metal tape (it's really hard to get everything smooth), but it's not bad for a first try. The final touch was a bit of ribbon and a tiny buckle - which makes me think of a belt over a plaid skirt.

Gotta run - I'll post the second one sometime this weekend.

Vintage Birthday

One of my dearest friends happens to be turning 30 in a few days, and her hubby is throwing a surprise party for her this evening. She loves all things vintage (her house is absolutely gorgeous - all decorated with garage sale finds that I would totally pass by but she sees the potential!) so I wanted to use some more of the K&Co Classic paper, but I hadn't decided exactly what to do. I saw this week's sketch challenge on splitcoast (SC144) and I had my starting point.

The hardest part was choosing which patterns to use - I finally settled on this paisley as the focal point, then layered it with several others. The final touch was the buttons. I wouldn't normally think to do this, but I had my button tin out (from the teeny little one on the flower in my "joy" frame) so I played around a bit. Love the result, although not exactly practical if you're planning to mail the card. But this one will be lovingly hand delivered, so it's all good!!

(sentiment from SU Small Sayings set)

Paisley Prayer

I pulled out another sheet of the vintage K&Co paper (used for the anniversary card) to make this one. I paired it with the lovely sentiment (Rosebud) and decided to use blue accents. I pulled out some wide blue organdy ribbon (retired SU), but it didn't look quite right. I hit it with my heat gun to get it to crinkle a bit, but got carried away in one area and actually burned a tiny hole. Hmmm... I kind like the effect! Well, I then melted the whole length for a lacey look - or perhaps just vintage moth-eaten :)

Scrappy Anniversary Card

This card is all about beautifully patterned papers. These are all from a K&Co pad (Classic K) filled with vintage prints. I selected these three, then added the sentiment (Verses) with Jumbo Java versamagic ink. I love the saying - they have some great ones for anniversaries. The final touch was two primas, secured with a sparkling brad.

Quick but quite lovely!!