Stars and Stripes

Have you see the Graphic Greetings line of stamps at Taylored Expressions? I love chalkboard/subway art style stamps, and Taylor has come up with some great ones. I think she may have one for just about every holiday! Independence Day is not a holiday that I would necessarily send out cards for, but I would definitely write a note to someone inside this card. Actually, I'm thinking it would be pretty cool to have a set of blank notecards designed around each of the holidays. Hmmm...maybe that should be my next card set. :-)

The design is another Viva la Verve sketch (my last one for this month's challenge--WooHoo! I got them all done!), and the paper is from Bo Bunny's Anthem Collection. The patterns mix really well. I used a retired Verve stamp set called Super Dad for the blue stars behind the Patriotic Graphic Greetings stamp, which is embossed in Red Tinsel--very glittery IRL. After die cutting some stars, I ran them through my Xyron then coated them in a coppery glitter. I love that they look so much like brown sugar. ;`) I left the inside completely clean--room for a nice, long personal note.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve May 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
The Paper Shelter Challenge #160: Make it Manly

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Be Happy

Happy Friday! I hope you are looking forward to a great weekend--I sure am! Tomorrow, I'm spending the entire day at Impressive Ideas, our fabulous stamp store here, and Sunday my DD is being baptized! Can't ask for better than that! :~) But, for now, I've got a fun card to share with you.

I used the Mojo Monday Sketch #340 for the layout, and Taylored Expressions stamps and dies for the balloons, clouds, and fishtail banner. The blue balloon was stamped with Danube Blue Memento ink, then I colored the flower doodles with a red Copic marker. The red outlines were made with a red Spica pen. The dark red balloon was paper pieced, then I traced the swirls with a black Spica pen. Finally, the orange balloon was colored with Copics and I covered it with yellow Stickles. You can't see it in the picture, but I used a stylus on the balloons to give them a puffy look, then when I adhered them to the card, I only put glue around the outside edge of the balloons and added a glob of Coll-All 3-D glue in the centers to make sure they stay puffed. HaHa! I made a funny! Stay puffed...Sta-Puft. Get it? I haven't thought about the marshmallow man in years! Back to business here, the tiny clouds were attached to the card with Coll-All glue also. I colored the sun with Copics and added some shine with a clear Wink of Stella pen, and the sentiment is from the same stamp set as the balloons. The seam binding was originally bright red, but I dyed it with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink to get that dark crimson color.

I used a Curved Borders One Spellbinders die to cut pieces from the scraps left over from the front of the card, and used them as an accent border on the inside of the card.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday Card Sketch Challenge #340

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Journey

613 Avenue Create Challenge #66: Anything Goes

Fresh Brewed April Month Long Choose Your Challenge

Paper Issues: Pocket Full of Sunshine

Challenges 4 Everybody #40: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Week!

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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You Go Girl!

Hello there! I hope you had a fantastic weekend! I am really enjoying the warmer weather. Yesterday I was even able to wear short sleeves outside without a jacket. It was great! Hard to believe we have a freeze warning for tonight, though. Weird weather lately, that's for sure. ;) I hope wherever you are, you are safe and warm--especially if you are in the path of Winter Storm Titan! But, you're not here for a discussion on the weather, are you? ;) So, on to my card...

I am an ardent admirer of a good CAS card. I love the flatness, the clean white space, and the simplicity. But, I think what really attracts me to them is the illusion that a CAS card is easy to design. I look at CAS cards and think, well, I can do that. And, yes, I could copy anyone's design, but coming up with my own CAS design is a whole 'nother ballgame! So, being one who can't pass up a good challenge, I have decided to make a conscious effort to make (or at least attempt to make) more CAS cards. 

For this CAS card, I used Taylored Expressions new stamp set, Doodle Alphabet. The letters are so fun and girly! Having a young DD, going through the ups and downs of growing up, I like to keep a stash of girly encouragement and congrats cards on hand, and this alphabet is perfect for that. I stamped the sentiment on the right side of the card and colored each letter in fun, funky colors, added subtle shading with a C1 Copic, then added a little sparkle with Stickles and my new Wink of Stella pen. The card looked ok with just the sentiment, but being new at the CAS game, I had to add a little something more, so I used 3 different flower-shaped Spellbinders dies and dry embossed them "randomly" in the white space, and added a big magenta rhinestone in the center of the largest one. I think I could have let it be at that point, but...naaahhh. It needed just one more thing. ;) So, I used two teeny tiny stamps out of Verve's Poppy Birthday stamp set to add "random" gray dots on the card. Then, I was able to call it done! I could easily make this card again in under 30 minutes, but this particular one took me about 5 hours, from conception to completion! I'm really pleased with the final result, though! Hope you are, too! :-)

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have yourself a CAS week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
CAS-ual Fridays  CFC129: Shades of Gray (2 shades of gray: C1 Copic & Pumice Stone Ink)
613 Avenue Create #61: Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #39: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Supplies: 

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It's Your Day...Smile!

I saw a pretty color palette today over at Designs by Dragonfly, and used it to make a birthday card for a friend.

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#327) for the card layout, and used a mix of stamps and dies from several different companies.

On the inside, I used a Sizzix diffuser when I embossed the white panel, to keep the center flat. Also, the yellow ink that I sponged inside the oval isn't nearly as vivid IRL as it is in the photo, but for the life of me, I couldn't get it toned down in the pic!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday #327
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Blues
613 Avenue Create: Anything Goes/Optional Theme: Party/Celebrate
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Supplies:

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Chalkboard Christmas JOY!

I hope you've been having a good week. I've been busy, and I'm sure you have been, too, so I won't keep you but a sec! :)

I used the Mojo Monday Sketch #322 for this Christmas card, and the cute stamp is from Taylored Expressions. I heat embossed it with white ep, then stamped over it with white pigment ink, for the chalkboard look.

The inside was decorated with scraps from the front of the card.

And, that's it for now. Betcha didn't think I could do it. ;) Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #322
Paper Issues: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
613 Avenue Create: Challenge #48: Anything Goes or Twist of Gift Packaging
Corrosive Challenge #188: Happy Holidays
Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Christmas Countdown

~Hugs,

 

Supplies Used:

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Merry & Bright Joy!

Hi Friends! I've got a Christams card to share with you tonight.


I used the Mojo Monday 261 sketch as my jumping-off-point. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in a mad rush very soon to make enough Christmas cards for this year, so I guess it's time to get busy.

The "Joy" and dove stamps are from Taylored Expressions. I first sponged Distress Ink inside the die, then stamped the dove in copper Colorbox ink. When I stamped the "Joy" sentiment, I stamped it three times, in red, green, and brown ink, offsetting the stamp just a little bit each time. Then, I stamped it one more time, with clear embossing ink and used clear embossing powder. It's subtle, but pretty, and looks a little like wax on top of the copper colored dove stamp.

The horizontal strip is a piece of scrap corrugated cardboard. I sprayed it with Dylusions Ink Spray, and, after drying, I added a little bit of Perfect Pearls Mist. Rather than cut the end of the strip into points, I chose to just tear it. 

You might notice that my velvet ribbon doesn't go all the way to the bottom of the card, like it does in the sketch. That was on purpose, because I didn't want to cover up the Merry & Bright text on the dp. 

I worked, for a long time, trying to get the red flower to look right in the photos, and this is as close as I could get. IRL, it is a very rich, but vivid cranberry color. This is more of that fab felt from My Favorite Things. I added some red Stickles to the edges of some of the petals, and gold Stickles to the center. It's hard to see the stick pin, but it's in the upper right corner. It's one I made myself. :)

I used Dylusions Ink Sprays to color the Splendid Circle die cut, which started out as white card stock. I added several festive colors of Stickles around the edge of the die cut, as well as gold Stickles around the perimeter of the stamped circle. 

I usually decorate the inside of my cards, but I haven't done that to this one yet. If I do, I'll edit this post and add a photo of it later. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday 261 (MOJO261)

Simon Says Stamp Celebrates World Card Making Day

Simon Says Stamp: Glimmer & Sparkle

52 Card Pickup: Week 40

Charisma Cardz Challenge #39: Badda Bing!

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge #226 (PWC226): Flowers!

 

Stamps: Christmas Blessings (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Lost & Found Christmas (My Mind's Eye); corrugated cardboard
Ink: Colorbox; Distress Ink; Memento; clear embossing ink
Dies: Splendid Circles, Std Circles Lg, Classic Scalloped Circles Lg (Spellbinders); Die-namics Royal Leaves, Die-namics Mini Royal Roses (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Clear embossing powder; Dylusions Ink Spray; Stickles; Perfect Pearls Mist; felt (My Favorite Things); pin; beads; foam dots; sewing thread; Glossy Accents; velvet ribbon; Distrezz-it-All
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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A Life Without Love

(If you are looking for my TMS post, click here.)

(Spouse Spoiler Alert: Hi Hubby...don't open this post until after Sept. 3!)

Hi Friends! How's the week treating you, so far? I think our 3rd grader may be on the road to recovery from her little crisis last week! Yaaayyy! Check that off my list of things to worry about. ;)

The card I have to share with you today is an anniversary card for my DH. We'll be celebrating our 13th anniversary next Monday! :) The card is a bit deceptive. It looks very simple, and I suppose it really is, but did it ever take a long time to figure out how I could make it come together!

I did some stitching, made a couple of flowers with my new MFT Die-namics, which I LOVE!, did some heat embossing and paper piercing, added a few die cuts, and wa-la, there you have it, right? Nope, not this time! First of all, I'm sure you can tell that the patterned vertical strip is a bookmark. The eyelet and twine at the top kind of give it away. Well, getting that sucker to stay put was a challenge, to say the least!

I started with the Week 4 Viva la Verve sketch. Quite simple, but unfortunately, for me, it has a lot of room to get crazy, which I tend to do when there are large spaces in a sketch. Amazingly, however, I didn't flip or turn the sketch--just left it as is. :D

Here's the same card with the bookmark removed. I wanted the card to look complete, even without the bookmark, so I cut a kraft strip, put a different sentiment on it, and did a little stamping and heat embossing to liven it up. The red leaves die cuts are actually much darker than in the photo, more of a deep cranberry color. I think I should have stamped the leaves in a darker color so they would stand out more. To assemble this, I had to first glue the small leaf die cut, then partially glue the largest leaf die cut. Only then could I glue the vertical strip, pulling the leaf over the edge of the strip and adhering it at the same time.  All the while, I had to make sure that the strip was going to be centered under the curved diecut at the bottom. (The Tennyson quote was created in Word, printed onto a transparency, and rubbed on).

I used the Parisian Edge punch to make the narrow scalloped strip behind the twill, and glued it onto a strip of kraft for stability, then adhered the twill over that. The curved die cut has a design heat embossed on it, and I glued it to the back of the twill strip before gluing the strip to the card. The strip is only glued to the card at the right edge and about 1-1/2" along the left edge, to leave room to slip the bookmark in later. I thought that would be sufficient to hold the bookmark in place. Hehehe.

For the bookmark, I cut one from patterned paper and another from kraft and glued them together to give it more structure. After stamping the sentiment and decorative stamps onto a kraft die cut, I paper pierced the edges and glued it to the front of the bookmark. I held the bookmark against the front of the card to position the "Love You" sentiment so that it doesn't show until it is removed from the card. I wanted something where the button is, because when the bookmark was inserted, that spot seemed kind of naked, but I was concerned about the thickness of a button on a bookmark (I'm a stickler for taking care of books, especially protecting the spines), but I tested it, and the button didn't seem to hurt the book at all, so I went with it. Then, I realized I had a problem I couldn't seem to solve.

No matter what I did, the bookmark wouldn't stay in place on the card. All the twill strip did was give the bookmark a place to pivot from. It kept falling to one side or the other and slipping down further than it was supposed to. Because I really wanted this card to be complete, with or without the bookmark, I needed a solution that was secure, but at the same time didn't alter the aesthetics of the card or the bookmark. 

So, here's what I came up with, and it works great! I used a Creative Page Tab die to cut a piece of plastic (the packaging the dies came in) to make a tab, folded it in half, and hot glued it to the back of the bookmark. The most difficult part was figuring out exactly where to put it, so that it held the bookmark at the correct height. Thank goodness the last thing I always do when making a card is to adhere everything as a whole to the card base, because when I glued the cs to the card base, I just made sure to leave an area unglued that was large enough for the tab to be able to slip in. So, now, the bookmark stays put, but can be removed, and even be put back with ease, and the tab is completely out of sight--even from the back of the card. As for using it as a bookmark, the tab could be left on and hooked over the top of the page, or it can be removed with a craft knife.

So, here's a photo of the entire card, together, but separate.

And, except for heat embossing the Happy Anniversary sentiment, I left the inside blank, so I can add my own personal message. I figured the front of this card was so sufficiently decorated, it didn't need much on the inside, anyway. ;)

So, that's it for me today! Thanks for stopping by today, and if you're in the path of Hurricane Issac, be safe. My prayers are with you!

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge: VLVAug2012 Week 4
ABC Challenge: V for Vanish (something hidden)
Basic Grey Challenge #75: Anything Goes (use something Basic Grey)
Cute Card Thursday #231: Bling It Up
Digi Doodle Challenge #122: Use Pearls (there's a pearl in one of my roses)
Moving Along With the Times: Shape Up-Anything but Square
Paper Play Challenge: Week 34--Sentiment as the main focus
The Poodles Parlour: Winged Things
Sentimental Sunday Challenge #117: Sewing or faux stitching
Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge #154: Use punches, dies, or shapes
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #178: Roses & Ribbons

~Hugs,


Stamps: Summer Afternoon (Taylored Expressions); Bloom & Grow (Verve); Avignon, Venice (7 Gypsies); Tag Lines, Wedded Bliss (Flourishes); Treasures (Shabby Chic)
Paper: Clippings, Little Black Dress (Basic Grey)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; clear embossing ink
Dies: Classy Label Die, Elegant Leaves Die (Verve); Mark Your Spot Bookmark Die (Taylored Expressions); Die-namics Royal Rose, Die-namics Mini Royal Roses (MFT Stamps); Labels Three, Creative Page Tabs (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Parisian Edge Punch (EK Success); glitter embossing powder (Zing); twill ribbon (Taylored Expressions); felt; pearl; eyelet; button; flower; twine; sewing thread; plastic scrap
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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TMS #150: Eiffel Tower Birthday

Hi Friends! It's time for the Tuesday Morning Sketches Judged Challenge, with a twist! Our sponsor for this challenge is Designed 2 Delight Digital Stamps. They have some really cute stamps. I didn't have one to use this time, but the rest of the team did, so be sure to visit the TMS blog to see how they used them.

Melissa gave us a fab sketch, and the "twist" is: Kraft, Black +1 (other color). I went with shades of lavender for my +1.

I turned the sketch vertically, added a gussied-up bow, and made the center panel a rectangle instead of an oval. Also, the corner triangles are embossed with silver glitter embossing powder. Can you see the sparkly Stickles dots around the Eiffel Tower? I was envisioning an evening sky, filled with stars.

Here's a close up of the bow. The metal flower came from a Michael's Christmas ornament kit, and I just added a jeweled brad to it.

I wanted more of the digital dp to show on the inside (check out the link below--it's a free dp!), so I made the sentiment layer fairly small, tilted it, and added another silver embossed image in the lower right corner. Here's a better few of that image:

The embossing powder was a little too chunky for the detailed image, which is actually a pocketwatch, so I stamped over the glitter with a black ink. In person, you can see the detail a little better, but not much, however, it's very sparkly, and looks very pretty in person.

I hope you'll join us this week. The judged challenge is always fun! So, head over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog, get yourself super inspired by the DT, and create something marvy! I can't wait to see your interpretation of the sketch and "twist!"

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday Challenge: Stitching

Paper Play Challenges '12 Week 23: Back to Kraft Basics

Pretty Little Ribbon Shop, June Challenge #11 (PLRS11): Lots of Layers

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #49 (RRR49): Flowers and Ribbon Theme

Through the Craft Room Door Challenge #27 (TTCRD27): Any Form of Distressing

Gingerloft Challenge GL42: Vintage

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Vintage Traveler (Our Craft Lounge); Daisy Bouquet (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Vintage Wallpaper--FREE Digi Paper (Lost & Taken)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Fleur de Lis Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Silver glitter embossing powder (Zing); seam binding (Hug Snug); metal flower; jeweled brad; Stickles; Enamel Accents; sewing thread; Distrezz-It-All
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Sweet Baby

For my Week 4 Our Craft Lounge April Artist of the Month post, click here.

Hi Friends! Hope you're having a great start for the week. The card I'm sharing with you today is a baby shower card. Four of my nieces are having babies before the end of the year, so I figured I better get busy making cards for them.

I don't know if the babies will be boys or girls, but I figured, out of four, at least one should be a girl, so I made this card pink.

I used the Viva la Verve April 2012 Week 4 sketch. Instead of the arrow shape, I went with scalloped ovals that look a bit like clouds.

I used Glossy Accents on the moon and Stickles on the stars.

Here's a look at the inside.

I'm going to try to make my posts a little shorter, so I won't go into how I made this card, but if you have any questions, please send me an email or post a comment and I'll get back to you quickly. Also, you will find links to some of the products I used at the end of this post.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve April 2012 Week 4
Color Throwdown #188
Crafty Friends Challenge #2: Use Two Die Cuts
Little Darlings Challenge #21: Pastels
Whimsy Stamps Challenge #35: Punches or Die Cuts

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Moon Baby digital stamp (Pink Gem Designs); Tiny Flowers & Tags (Flourishes); Summer Afternoon (Taylored Expressions); Blessings (Michaels)
Paper: Splendid (Authentique); Vellum
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Blossom Nestie; Big Scalloped Ovals Sm (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Diamond Edge Punch (EK Success); ribbon; rhinestones; Stickles; Glossy Accents
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Writer's Idea Box

Hello Friends! How's your week been? We had a good one here, and are looking forward to Spring Break next week. It looks like spring is finally here to stay, and aside from the usual seasonal allergies, I'm SO glad!

I recently subscribed to the Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit and Taylor has a special challenge each month, just for subscribers to use their kits. This month the theme is "Spring into Organization." I racked my brain for a good project for this challenge and was just about to give up when my daughter came to me with a request to make her an idea book for her writing. She is in second grade and loves to write stories, but she likes to draw a picture first, then write her story. She also likes to be organized about it. When I found this tutorial, I knew I had the perfect solution: a Writer's Idea Box!

Here's the box, all closed up. Except for the kraft cs, which I like to use for boxes because it's very thick and sturdy, the cardstock and dp are from the March Key Ingredients kit. The Echo Park brad on the flower is also from the kit. The white stamp on the box, as well as the typewriter, are from the Vintage Dreamer stamp set. The "Idea Box" alphabet is Curlz, by Sizzix.

I used the Daisy Heads Spellbinders dies and the McGill Starburst punch to make the flower. The brad is by Echo Park and was part of the March Key Ingredient kit.

When the lid is removed, the front falls open and the contents are revealed. The mini gel pens are from Michael's dollar bin. You could easily store crayons, color pencils, mini markers, or chalk there instead.

I used the Sky's the Limit stamp set for the inside of the front flap. I haven't put anything on either side of the center yet, but will probably put writing reminders there, such as "Use all your senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch," and "Ask questions: who, what, when, where, why."

Here's a look at what's inside the box.

My DD specifically asked for something that she could use to draw on, so I made her this mini clipboard.

Back View

I glued together two thick, sturdy pieces of chipboard, then covered the back with the same cs that the box is made from and covered the front with a piece of dp from the This & That pad by Echo Park that was in my March Key Ingredients Kit.

Front View

I used scraps to decorate a small binder clip, and the solid borders at the top of the clipboard are pieces of cs from the Kit, also. I sponged Distress Ink along the edges of the clipboard and the "dream" stamp is from the Vintage Dreamer stamp set.

For writing her ideas and stories, I made 3" x 4" mini books out of regular notebook paper. The paper and kraft cs was cut 6" x 4", folded in half, and stapled along the center. For the covers, I typed up some labels in Word, printed them on white cs, then cut them with a Labels One die. By having a place for a Book #, my DD can number her drawings so she'll be able to match them up with the correct book later. The flower stamp in the corner is from the In the Park stamp set. 

The little pocket at the front of the box will hold 3 of these books, but I made eleven, because eight more can be stored comfortably behind the mini clipboard. I sponged Distress Ink along the edges of each label, using several different colors. All the flowers were colored with Copics and no two were colored alike.

This sentiment, from the In the Park stamp set was so perfect for a Writer's Idea Box set.

Besides the Taylored Expressions March Key Ingredients Challenge, I'll also be entering this into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamps: Anything Goes

Lily Pad Flower Challenge

Lily Pad Virginia's View Challenge

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I appreciate each and every visitor and I love reading your comments! You all are the best!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: Vintage Dreamer, In the Park, Sky's the Limit (Taylored Expressions); Antique Typewriter Alphabet (Image Tree)
Paper: This & That (Echo Park); Pomegranate cs (Taylored Expressions); kraft cs
Ink: Colorbox; Memento; Distress Ink; Copic markers
Dies: Daisy Heads, Labels One (Spellbinders); Curlz Alphabet (Sizzix)
Accessories: Starburst punch (McGill); ribbon (Taylored Expressions); brad (Echo Park); copy paper; notebook paper; stapler; binder clip; chipboard; mini pens
Size: Box closed: 6" x 5" x 2"; mini book: 3" x 4"; mini clipboard: 4.25" x 5.5"

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