Pretty in Pink

Wow, it's been a busy couple of days! We found out yesterday that our baby has pneumonia... and we must say, he's been a trooper! He's a tough little bird, just like his brother :)

However, during some downtime today, I took the opportunity to make a card for two challenges; Freshly Made Sketches and Pals Paper Arts.

Thanks so much

The fun sketch came from Freshly Made Sketches, and the lovely colours came from Pals Paper Arts. I'm multi-tasking today, by combining the two.

 

Thanks for stopping by - Hope to see you again soon :)

-Tara

xox

Woven Thank You

Just had an awesome phone conversation with one of my besties - 151 minutes and 14 seconds. It felt like I was back in highschool again. Even though it's almost 2am, I feel refreshed after talking to her :)

I've got a fun little card to show you, featuring some products from a brand new product suite that will be debuting in the 2012-2013 Annual Catalogue. Exciting, eh?!

Thank You 

Fun sketch came courtesy of Pals Paper Arts! Been way too long since I took on one of their challenges! It was the perfect sketch to pull out the sneak peek product for! I love the DSP so much that I couldn't decide on only one design, so I weaved them together for double the pleasure ;)

There will be more sneak peeks of this set coming up! So y'all come back now, ya hear?!

-Tara

xox

PPA Pick and a new challenge!

Some exciting news this morning! My entry into the Pals Paper Arts challenge was selected as one of the PPA Picks! I'm very honoured to have been one of the three selected winners :)

I'm looking forward to taking part in the sketch challenge, which will be revealed on Thursday. Why don't you play along too!

In other news, I tried my hand a few "new" things that I'd like to share. I wanted to participate in the SUO Challenge (Stampin' Up! Only), and they urged us to use a technique that is either new, or one that you seldom use. I decided to do both!

The new technique is the Iris Folding technique, which I've had my 'eye' (hahaha...) on for quite some time. There are many great tutorials on youtube, like this one, and this one. This is another technique borrowed from quilting.  Now, I have to admit, I made a few mistakes and I'm not 100% happy with the final product, but I think it was a good first go at it. I think the next time I try it, I'll use a more basic shape... using the "H" and "J" leave little room for the 'shutter' pattern to be visible.


The second 'technique' isn't so much a technique, but it's still something I do very little of - scrapbooking. I really wanted to get this picture of Hunter and Jackson with Santa someplace so I could bring it out each year - I chose to do it 8 x 10 to fit a nice frame I already had laying around! In the photo, Hunter is 3 and Jackson is 3 months :)

Materials used:
Cardstock:  Marina Mist, Whisper White, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso
Paper: Letters to Santa DSP
Stamps: Winter Post, Petite Pairs
Inks: Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red
Embellishments: Old Olive grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Dotted Scallop Border punch, Decorative Label punch, Top Note die, Curly Label punch, Postage Stamp punch, Big Shot, 3/16" Corner Round punch

Can't Stamp the Rain facebook page is only 22 fans from having a draw! Go on over and "like" it to be entered :)

Until next time - Happy Stamping!

-Tara

Happy New Year!

Ok... so I'm a bit late with my "New Year" greeting! But I do sincerely hope that each of you ended 2011 on a high note that will last you well into 2012!

In my last post, I mentioned how instead of a New Year's resolution to change something, I've decided to make a list of the things I am happy with now, and continue to put effort and love into those things. I think that if you're going to change something in your life, you aren't going to wait for New Year's to do it - and if you do wait for New Year's to do it, it might not have been that important in the first place.

Before I get to my list though, I have a little something to show you! Yesterday was a glorious day for me - Not only was it my birthday, but the 2012 Occasions Mini went live!! I would give you all a minute to rejoice, but since I'm a day late in my announcement, many of you have already been rejoicing! In which case, I'll give you a minute to keep rejoicing... Ready? Ok...

The challenge over at Pals Paper Arts this week was a lovely monochromatic colour palette, which I really dig.

Sadly, I thought I was supposed to be working with Night of Navy, when in fact Not Quite Navy was the colour of choice. Obviously, I was 'not quite' thinking!

Nevertheless, I bring you the following!

Thank You

 (PPA126)

I so desperately needed to make a card featuring some of the gorgeous new products from the Occasions Mini! Framelits, ribbon, stamp sets... yum!

Let me get onto the rest of this New Year's thing before I write anything else. I'm rather verbose, and we could be here all day...

2011 Awesomeness that's going to continue in 2012 (AKA - The things I won't change):

1. Our family dynamic: I don't know how it happened, but we have something amazing going on here! The birth of our son Jackson in September has only added to the warmth and comfort of this home. Our oldest son, Hunter, is incredible with him, and it brings us such joy to watch them.
2. My love of stamping and giving myself the time to do it: I don't know what I'd do without stamping. As soon as I have some free time (read: naptime), I slip away to my little corner and get lost in colour. It's a therapy beyond any other I've come across thus far in my 28... wait... 29 (!!) years.
3. "Pizza Night": For those of you who have made a resolution to become healthier this year, I applaud you. Realistically, I should have done the same. And I will get to very soon ;) But no matter how many vegetables I vow to eat, and how much exercise I commit to doing, I will not give up this little gem. It pleases me.
4. Sending cards "just because": Having a mother out of town gives me a great excuse to mail "just because" cards. How many have I sent, you ask? 1. Maybe 2... Not acceptable! We are going to one a month this year. Mom, if you're reading this, we'll mail them on the 15th of each month ;)
5. Our TV-free home: We donated our TV to the Salvation Army awhile ago. Not because we think they're evil, or we have anything against them, we just don't have enough room in our family living space to accommodate one! That, and we could never find anything to watch anyways. Some people think we're crazy and ask what we do in our spare time. Turns out, we have very little of that anyways :P Do I ever miss it? Of course! Particularly Bob Ross reruns and Divine Design.

See, told you I was verbose ;)

How about one more sneak peek from the Occasions Mini and Sale-a-Bration which is coming up so soon! Those gorgeous brads, that irresistibly vintage paper, and the oh-so-delicate ribbon are all from the sale-a-bration event. Excited?!

Until next time - Happy Stamping! :)

-Tara

P.S. Card materials for "Thank You" are as follows:

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Paper: Night of Navy DSP

Stamps: Apothecary Art, Curly Cute, Mixed Bunch

Inks: Baja Breeze, Night of Navy

Tools: Framelits dies, Dotted Scallop Border punch, Pleated Satin ribbon, Scallop Circle punch

Push your supplies to the max!

It's been a lazy Sunday in the (Murphy)Bourgoin household today (typing that reminds me that I really need to get on to changing my name official...). If someone has a little extra "get up and go" they can lend me, I'd be ever so grateful ;)


On a lazy, rainy Sunday, what would be better than creating a card or two? Think about it. I'll wait. NOTHING! Nothing is better than making a card or two - except if one of those cards is made with your three year old!

First, my entry into the Pals Paper Arts challenge. It feels like it's been forever sinced I've played along there, and I just couldn't resist their awesome, clean sketch. And thanks to the wonderful tutorial by Mary Fish, I was able to add something new to my card - a scrunched up strip of ribbon. Yummy.

Mr. & Mrs. 

(PPA120)

For this card, I wanted to push the products to the max!

1. Punch it out. Again, and again, and again!:
The 1 3/4" Scallop Punch is so versatile. You can cut it up, crumple it up, punch it up, and it still has more life! I punched out 5 scallop circles from the Bravo Burgundy DSP and layered them (3 of one side, 2 of the other) to make this flower. A little manipulating, sponging and (eek) squishing, you can create a a gorgeous 3D accent for your card. The centre of the flower is a little knot of satin ribbon!


2. Don't be afraid to PULL!:
As I mentioned, this tutorial from Mary Fish reminds us to never stop thinking about ways to get the most out of your supplies. There are so many great things you can do with ribbon, but I love this messy, yet controlled, look. Watch the video and try it on your next card - you will be so happy you did :) Use this technique with the 5/8" Satin Ribbon - any colour that matches your project!


The supplies I used for this card were:
Cardstock: River Rock, Pink Pirouette
Paper: Bravo Burgundy DSP
Stamps: Aviary, Petite Pairs
Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Pink Pirouette
Embellishments: Whisper White Satin Ribbon
Tools: Dotted Scallop Border punch, Corner Rounder

Until next time - Happy Stamping :)

-Tara

P.S. This was the fun I had with my boy :) He did such a great job and did most of the work himself. He makes a mama proud!!

For his grandma, that lives a couple provinces away. I helped him tie the bow, align the papers and stamp the baskets on the balloon. But I think he did a pretty great job!!

Here for you

This week for Pals Paper Arts challenge, I kept it simple again! I love monochromatic cards - and I especially love them when they are brown.

One of the many things I love about Stampin' Up! is how easy it is to coordinate. While still maintaining creative license, you can create a seamless, congruent card thanks to their endless attention to detail.

I needed a clean, simple, masculine card for someone who is going through a hard time.

I'm Here For You

(PPA118)

For this card, I needed to to be sincere and masculine.
1. It's all in the colour! Looking for masculine Designer Series Paper? Look no further than the Well Worn series. I adore this paper for a vintage look, or for masculine cards. It's earthy tones makes it perfect for a natural, neutral card.

2. Frame it! For this card, I used the Decorative Label punch as a frame. Although it wasn't framing anything in particular, it really draws your eye to the DSP and doesn't distract from the sentiment. 

The supplies I used for this card were:
Cardstock: River Rock (108640),  Soft Suede (115318),
Paper: Well Worn Designer Series Paper (122359)
Stamps: Petite Pairs (W122495, C122497)
Ink: Early Espresso (119670)
Tools: Decorative Label punch (120907), 3/16" Corner punch (119871), Dimensionals (104430)

Hope to see you soon - Until next time, happy stamping :)

-Tara

Keeping it Simple

Today, I participated in the Pals Paper Arts challenge. This week was to use ribbon on a CAS (Clean and Simple) card. I was super excited! I love the new ruffled ribbon in this year's In Colors, particularly the richness of the Island Indigo.

Love You

(PPA117)

For this card, I wanted to keep it simple!
1. Use an embellishment as a focal point: In this card, I used the ruffled ribbon as my main focal point. The single sheet of DSP added some visual interest, and the simple sentiment was used as not to draw away from the ribbon.

2. Try a monochromatic card! An easy way to make a monochromatic card without leaving it look too "plain" is to use a neutral but 'coloured' cardstock. In this case, River Rock. The Island Indigo jumps off the card, but the contrast isn't as strong as if I had used a white background.

 

The supplies I used for this card were:
Cardstock: Island Indigo (122923), River Rock (108640), Very Vanilla (101650)
Paper: Timeless Portraits Designer Series Paper (122352)
Stamps: Short & Sweet (W115060)
Ink: Island Indigo (122937)
Embellishments: Ruffled Ribbon - Island Indigo (122974)
Tools: Decorative Label punch (120907), Dimensionals (104430)


Thanks for stopping by - Until next time, happy stamping :)

-Tara