CAS-ual friday - the black & white of it.

In honor of penguin awareness day (who knew there was such a thing!), the challenge over at CAS-ual Fridays is to create a black & white card.  Oh, the restraint I've had to show.

I started out with a sheet of PTI's guidelines grid cardstock, and stamped the frame from "button boutique" where I wanted it.  I then stamped it again on some post-it paper, cut it out and put it down over-top.  While my framed area was "protected," I stamped a pattern-pieces background (SU) all around.  Thank you, stamp-a-ma-jig.  I've almost forgotten what's it like to use red rubber :)

When I removed the mask (always a ta-da moment!) I then stamped the sentiment (from "button boutique") and threaded a juicy black button with some black and white twine for some extra fun.

Thanks for popping by!

another wedding card.

I don't have much chatter for you this morning - something about the first day back from vacation, back to being alone with the 3 kids for the first time in 2 weeks... it's all I can do to catch my breath!

This is the 3rd card I made for my cousin Julie's wedding - less a week to go for her big day!  My sister has claimed this one for her own :)

I dusted the box of some of my SU stamps - time to give them some love as well... I stamped the "ornate blossom" image onto some cream cardstock and clear embossed it.  I then layered a hero arts text background, and an old SU background stamp called "sanded" over the top.  The embossed image "resists" any ink you lay over it - I love this technique!  I then went to town with a few colors of distress inks, until I was happy with how it looked.

Hope you like it as much as I do!

Vintage circus banner!

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Thanks for looking!

vintage circus party hats.

In honor of the Gallery Idol competition (the top 5 are unveiling their "party trios" today), I thought I would share my own set of party decorations!

I made a banner, party hats, and cake decorations for a vintage circus 1st birthday party.

I'm sharing the party hat cuteness with you today:

I took my cue from the party invite - sepia tones, with different browns and black, and pops of deep red... I made the hat base out of kraft cardstock and added a rim of fringed cherry cardstock to the bottom.  For each child, I cut a frame with SU's new embossing folder (absolutely love it!) and stamped each child's name and an image from my last-new-SU-set: under the big top (I pretty much used this party as an excuse to order it!) When I thought of vintage circus, I envisioned painting the images with only tiny pops of color... and lot of distress inks - I'm so happy it all came together.  The black star on the top was stamped with PTI's newsprint background.

the man of the hour, complete with a bow-tie and suspenders!

that's my hat!

Come back tomorrow and check out the vintage circus banner!  Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, did you check out my child's mop?  It is taking on a life of its own... and nearing afro proportions.  We've taken to calling Maia our little "who" from whoville... it sticks straight up in the mornings - hee hee!  The hat is actually taming the mane a bit...

from all of us!

I had a gum graft yesterday afternoon.  Not usually the kind of information you share on a crafty blog, I know, but since I'm on a liquid diet for the first 2 days, I'm finding myself with so much more free time... surprising, but true ;)  So, I whipped up a cute little card with my 2nd new SU set, "furry folk."  They're so cute, right?  I love them holding hands and being all adorable.

When I stamped them out, all in brown, I thought they looked yummy.  Like all the chocolate I couldn't eat.  So I started thinking picnic, and stamped myself a red-gingham banner (PTI).  I really wanted a sentiment that would make sense with all these cuties in a row, but didn't have one.  So I made my own.  With the best alpha set I have: lawn fawn's "smitty's abcs."  The frame image is from PTI ("fillable frame 10"), and was stamped with fresh snow ink.

Like I said, I have lots of free time.  Non-munchy, ultra-crafty time.  I may have created more than one card...

monogrammed.

For no good reason, other than I just got some brand-new SU stamps, I made myself a little set of monogrammed cards.

Each one of the cards started out with a kraft base, and a layer of SU's baja breeze cardstock.

Black ink, white-sponged and roughed-up edges, and a single rhinestone on each card - these elements tie it all together.

I also used lawn fawn's quinn's abcs for my letter "e".

That's about it - a set of simple cards just for me!  Thanks for looking!

card #2 for week #3.

I really do love these colors together!  I couldn't help but put together another card.

It's so easy when you have most of the elements already created (I have a pile of stuff that didn't work out from other cards or were just extras - so handy for crafting in a pinch!)  The only thing I stamped especially for this card is the leaf image.  I colored the stamp with my SU creamy caramel marker and it gave me this soft, dewy look that I rather like.  Oh, and I stamped on top of the music background with the hero arts envelope pattern again.  I can't promise I'll stop using it anytime soon.  It's so subtle, you hardly notice it - but something's missing without it.

Have a great day!

Card camp - week 2!

New colors, new card!

I honestly didn't know what to do with this batch when I started.  I mean - 2 different greens?  Yellow, orange AND red?  Huh.  Florals would work, but then...

these little sweeties were just lying around... begging me to ink them up again... I stamped them on different scraps of scrapbook papers in the red, orange and yellow colors and used 2 different green-colored markers to color the leaves.  I knew I wanted to cram as many birdies as I could on the branches, so some of them got longer legs - cute, huh? hee hee.

Then I went a little crazy on the sewing machine and made a whimsical border for the notebook page.  The rest of the card I kept pretty simple - an xl embossed scallop border, and a musical background for my base layer - to bring back the sunshine-y yellow that I love so much!

Thanks for looking!

supplies
stamps: little bitty bird (PTI), music wheel (SU!)
ink: memento black, daffodil delight (SU!), pear pizzazz marker, garden green marker (both SU!)
paper: whisper white, real red, crumb cake (all SU!)
other: scallop border, notebook page die (both PTI), embossing folder (SU!)

Congrats on your graduation!

I was asked to make a few graduation cards... this one's for a high-school girl.  I'm thinking this teenage girl (who's apparently more "grown-up" than I am... word-for-word, that's what I was told by my friend... ha!) will appreciate the quirkiness of these little russian dolls :)  Wouldn't this card also be perfect for a congratulations to a newly-pregnant friend?  hee hee.

The main images are from a retired SU set, "my matryoshka".  I first inked up the dolls in fresh snow ink and repeatedly stamped them to cover my kraft card base.  Then, I die-cut a few xl ric-rac strips in brown felt (it needed the bulk of a few strips, I thought!)  For my focal point, PTI's mat-stack 4 set provided the perfect opening for my sentiment, and left a spot for my main gal...

It's a simple card, but I love it!  

MIM - reverse masking

I love this week's technique!  Masking, and reverse masking are the most fun and versatile techniques, in my humble crafty opinion.  Here, I used reverse masking to create those soft, billowy clouds.  I die-cut the clouds onto a post-it note, and used the negative space to sponge in bashful blue ink, as well as SU's "A to Z" stamp.

I know a slew of mommies-to-be expecting little boys - I'm a-thinkin' this card will serve me well in the next few months :)

Thanks for looking!

MAN week, part 2.

Yesterday, I shared the card I made for my own daddy.  Today, something I whipped up for my baby-daddy...

See him in the truck?  hee hee.  I was cracking myself up whilst sticking his tiny head in there...  I'm such a nerd like that - you know people who breathlessly laugh at their own jokes, and everyone else just laughs at them because they're cracking themselves up?  Yeah, that's me.  Pathetic, I know.  

The vanilla focal point mat was covered with "text-style II" and then I grabbed every vehicle stamp I own (see PTI's tiny treats: birthday truck near the bottom?  it's so cute!) and randomly stamped them around.  I stamped the main truck (from SU's "loads of love") onto patterned paper and snipped it out, including making room for popping in the big daddy's head.  A silver brad handle added just the right amount of man-bling.

Tomorrow, I'll share some father's day decorations!  Stay tuned...

MIM - sympathy.

Sympathy cards are hard enough to send out, let alone create.  It's a fine balance between somber, elegant, and uplifting at the same time.  When I saw that the PTI: MIM challenge was sympathy cards, I decided to add to my stash... I figure that when you NEED a sympathy card is probably not the best time to be creating one... you know?

I have never tried the "emboss-resist" technique before, but gave it a whirl here.  The clear-embossed florals (from PTI's "larger than life") "resist" the ink that I sponged and stamped on top - so cool!  The bird is from SU's "notably ornate" set, and was "kissed" with PTI's "text-style II".

birthday drive-by.

I know I said I would do an "elegant" card next, but ummm.... baby steps, m'kay?  There are no googly-eyes on this card, and only a mildly punny sentiment.  I would like to think I'm moving in the right direction :)

I stamped the truck (from SU's loads of love set) onto some Basic Grey designer paper.  The gifts got stamped on the other side of the same paper.  I love paper-piecing as an alternative to coloring the images sometimes - it gives such a different look!

The background was stamped with the Hero Arts clouds background stamp, and I softened it a bit by sponging some blue ink around the edges.  The grass was created by snipping a fringe all along a strip of Old Olive paper.  The whole thing was foam-mounted onto some Kraft paper.  I stamped SU's A to Z onto the kraft base, so it could peek through the "hole" I punch out of the cloud layer.  The "driving by" sentiment was tucked into the curves of the car.  Thought it looked smart that way.

On a completely unrelated note, do any of you moms with little ones ever get embarrassed by your kids?  Not when they're babies and throwing a tantrum.  That happens to all of us (I hope).  I mean, I took my 2 older ones to a birthday party and my usually too-cute-for-words 4 year old was yelling at some other little boy with his hands on his hips:  "you just don't do that!  that's not nice and don't ever do that again!"  The boy (who is older and much bigger than Thomas, which I think only makes it more ridiculous) was just standing there with his arms up in the air, all "what did I do?  what did I do?"  HA.  And that was just one of many off-putting moments for me.  So please, make me feel better by sharing your own story.  Or advice.  Or contempt for the fact that I was really embarrassed by my own son :)

Happy weekend!

sew blessed...

it's not a typo.

it's the cheesiest pun ever.  I live for this stuff.  My hubby recently asked me why I gravitate towards the cornier stamp-sayings... it's inexplicable, really.  All I know is that pun on the page = smile on this gal's face.

I missed a few episodes of PTI's MIM, but I thought I'd catch this one under the wire.  The challenge is to selectively ink up only part of a stamp.  I didn't have any stamps that read: sew blessed to call you friend (and why is that?  why would you offer a sewing set without including a few winners like that line? hee) so I made my own.  The s-e-w is from PTI's simple alphabet set, and the "blessed to call you friend" normally has a regular s-o in front of it.  After inking up the set, I used my finger (most people use a baby wipe, but I was too lazy to walk across the room...) to wipe off the s-o from the sentiment.  And thereby, a new, punnier sentiment is born.

In other news, the rest of the stamps are SU.  I stamped the dress-forms in versamark ink and stamped and cut out the measuring tape and the spool.  I wrapped some embroidery floss around the spool to give it some interest.  A little pin stuck through there finished it off... don't let your kids touch this card... the embroidery floss looks touchably soft, but that pin... let's just say I didn't blunt the sharp edge.

Hope your weekend is all blue skies and sunshine!

woodland party hats

Party-season is almost at its end over at casa Muni... and it's bittersweet, I won't lie.  I'll be happy to have my living room look grown-up again - without pirates, ballerinas and woodland creatures...  but at the same time, there's something magical about being a kid - and I've really enjoyed creating and celebrating these once-in-a-lifetime events.

Also adding to the nostalgia is that fact that my baby will be 1 tomorrow.  O.N.E.  I can't believe it.  The year has, at the same time, flown by and lasted forever.  The sleepless nights, the ng tube, the gagging and vomiting - those things won't be missed.  But first smiles, toothless grins, and tiny little toes?  I'm on the verge of tears over it...

Her first birthday party will be something special for us.  The celebration of our last baby turning 1, and a survival party of sorts.  I have the rest of this upcoming week to craft and plan to my heart's content, so here's a first sneak-peak at what I've made.

Homemade party hats!  I had fun with these, but they were more trouble than I initially thought when I dreamed them up.  I found a party-hat template online (there are tons of them to be googled), and just cut them out.  I stamped them with PTI's woodgrain stamps and distressed the whole thing.  The mat-stack 4 shape got a gingham imprint.  The sweet little deer (same one as from this card) was stamped and cut out (the long way - I wish there was a matching die for this little darling!)  A strip of green card-stock was fringed and fashioned into grass under the deer's feet.  hooves.  whatev.

The final, fun touch?

Soft, red-yarn pom-poms.  I love them!  If anyone is interested in how I made them, leave me a comment and I'll post a tutorial tomorrow... it's seriously easy and addictive.  I'm thinking a little garland of poms would be so cute.

Thanks for looking!

baby blossoms

I love making my own scrapbook designer paper - so fun!  And also, economical!  I really didn't use many supplies on this project: just card-stock and ink...

If you want to create your own patterned paper, remember this tip:  stamp your larger elements first, then go back in and "fill in the blanks."  I stamped the roses first, and then filled in the spaces between with even smaller blossoms and sprigs.  Another tip is: layer!  I added a layer of - what is it, exactly?  a Moroccan motif? - overtop to unify all of the elements.

The rest of the card was purposely kept super-simple, so that I could show off my baby blossoms designer paper.  100% homemade, baby!




Supply list (all PTI, unless otherwise noted)
stamps: baby blossoms (SU), mat stack 3, background basics: retro, background basics: gingham
ink: (all SU) daffodil delight, bashful blue, pink pirouette, blushing bride, pear pizazz, peach parfait, mellow moss, memento tuxedo black
paper: bashful blue, mellow moss, whisper white (all SU)

woodland frame of mind...

I think I'm in a woodland state of mind this weekend...  Slowly and steadily, things are being created for all of our upcoming birthday parties.  I got a bit tired of all the pink ballerina stuff and turned my attentions to woodland deer and all things gingham.

I don't think I'll be sending out invitations for little Maia's party - only our families will be in attendance - but if I were to make one, this is what it would look like.  So much easier to create one card than to produce 10 of the same design, lol!

Does it not set the tone for a woodland party?  I love the little twine bow in the deer's head.  My girly touch.

Thanks for looking!

Supply list  (PTI, unless otherwise noted)
stamps:  way to go, kiddo!, big birthday wishes, background basics: woodgrain, bacground basics: gingham, forest friends (SU)
papers:  kraft, vintage cream
inks:  antique linen distress ink, memento brown, old olive (SU), fresh snow
misc:  double-ended banner die, 2.5 inch circle die, copics, by the numbers dies, vintage trinket brads (SU)

PTI blog hop: embroidery floss!

2 days ago, I was trying out different ideas, hoping one of them would translate into a ballerina invite or favor for Sofia's upcoming party.  No luck there (she informed me the color scheme wasn't to her liking - pink and hot pink are apparently the way to go), but then I remembered that it was almost blog hop time!  And lucky me, the piece used embroidery floss :)  The challenge this month is to be creative with floss - I don't know how creative this is (it's straight-up stitching), but at least I can join in the fun.  I actually love this card.  Maybe because I'm getting into the girly-ballerina-thing that Sofia's so excited about, but adding tutus to anything is fun times.  And I know it's an old trick, but it was the first time I used my copics to color the clear rhinestones - how about that?  Instant project match!  Love it.

Hope you enjoyed my creation!  Can't wait to have a quiet tea and check out the other projects :)

stamps: sew suite (SU), fancy flourishes, signature greetings (PTI)
dies: edgers #1, eyelet border (PTI)
papers:  basic grey, whisper white, blushing bride (SU)
misc: clear rhinestones, grey felt, pink tulle, copics

You're a peach! (no, really - you are!)

Did ya miss me?  Probably not, lol.  We packed up our crazy family and went to Vermont for a few days of spring break.  Apparently, 3 other families we know had the same idea :)  Our kids had the time of their lives with other little friends in the hotel pool (and when you are 5 and 3 yrs old, there is nothing more fun as swimming in the hotel pool - it's a fact.  Let's not talk about the 10 month old who freaks out over everything... water included.)  We even ran into Sofia's school principal - in her sweats, feeling around for her morning coffee at the breakfast bar... hilarious.

We went to Michaels (I usually schedule trips around where the nearest Michaels can be found, since it doesn't exist in Montreal,) but it turns out I have been tainted.  Way too spoiled by PTI and SU stuff to appreciate much of anything there.  I ended up raiding the dollar bin for the kids so they could stamp in the hotel after their baby sister went to bed.  I thieved one of their new stamps for this card - I thought it was pretty cute!  I stamped it 3 separate times:  once on the notebook die cut, and 2 other times on post-it notes.  I created a mask for the peach and for the leaf out of these post-its, so that I could stamp a pattern inside without adding extra layers to the card.  Here's a close-up shot:

See?  No extra layers.  And by the way, thanks for reading my blog.  You're a peach. xoxo.