CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 138: Krafty Bouquets

It's Friday, peeps!  I don't know about you, but this week has been a L.O.N.G. one and I sure am glad the weekend is almost here.  What else makes it great?  It's time for another CAS-ual Fridays challenge!

As you can see, this month's theme is Krafty Bouquets.  Grab your kraft paper, twine and flowers for this one!  The possibilities are endless!

Here is the card I made:

For this card, I decided to go the non-traditional floral route.  I used the heart note stamp from the Love Notes set along with the hearts from the Heart Board Fri-Dies set to create a simple flower.  I layered watered down Worn Lipstick distress ink on watercolor paper to get a textured look, then die cut it and used the four smallest hearts for the flower.  The heart note stamp was stamped using Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint distress ink.  I used strawberry stripe twine to finish off the card.

Here is a close up of the flower:

That is it for today!  I hope you will play along with this month's challenge and I can't wait to see what you create!

Until next time...

Little Tangles Challenge #42

Hello again!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!  I am back today with a card I made for this week's Little Tangles Challenge. 

Here is the card I made:

I. Love. This card!  I used a stencil I made with my Silhouette and applied Worn Lipstick and Peacock Feathers distress ink in varying shades.  It looks like confetti falling from the sky.  So fun!  Next, I 2nd generation stamped the balloons, cut them out, then covered them with glossy accents.  Seriously.  Glossy accents takes forever to dry!!  The last time I used it (some three or so years ago), I was an avid scrapbooker and it took me hours to complete one layout.  So I could apply it at the beginning of the project and be done with it at the end.  Now that I prefer card making, I was SO antsy waiting for these balloons to dry.  It killed me that I had to leave them overnight to dry (I was making this at 10pm).  That might seem so bizarre, but I make cards because they are quick and (mostly) brainless.  Scrapbook layouts gave me headaches.  Cards clear my head.  Glossy Accents is of the devil.  Just kidding.  But man, doesn't it make those balloons shine??

I love how this card turned out.  I stamped the sentiment using some seriously yummy silver embossing powder that I found at my local stamp shop.  This stuff melts like butter and it is SO shiny!  This picture doesn't do it justice at all. 

That is it for today!  I am so glad you stopped by to take a look!

Until next time...

Mama Elephant and Me Challenge

Happy half-way point!  Today I am back with a card that I created for the Mama Elephant and Me Challenge blog.  This is a new one for me, so I'm excited to be playing along! 

Here is the inspiration photo:

And here is my card:

This card was a challenge for me, but I am happy with the way it turned out.  I am kind of loving the sequins here.  I didn't have any fun, orange sequins, so I took a small flower stamp, stamped it with orange ink, then covered it with a clear sequin.  That works just as well, if you ask me!

Here is a close up of the sequins:

That is all for today!  I'll be back tomorrow to share more.  Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Card Concept Challenge #14

Hello again!  Today I am playing along with a challenge that I just recently stumbled upon.  It's called The Card Concept challenge.  Here is the color swatch: 

And here is the card I made:

 

This card was so quick and easy to make.  I used my Avery Elle Aim High stamp set, plus a few arrows from other random sets.  I stamped the sentiment and various arrows, then threw on some enamel dots and twine.  See?  Easy!  I love how it turned out!  

That is all I have for today!  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!  

Until next time...  

Fusion Card Challenge {Red, White and Blue}

As the title says, last night I played along with this week's Fusion Card Challenge.  Ok, so this card isn't red, white and blue, but pink is close to red and there's white...so it's close, right?  :)

Here is the sketch I used:

 
And here is the card I made:

I think this card turned out so fun!  I masked off the triangle and then used one of the stamps from Avery Elle's Woodgrain & More stamp set.  I love this pattern!! The sentiment is from Avery Elle's Handwritten Notes set and I used Picked Raspberry and Spun Sugar distress inks.  Throw on some coordinating Trendy Twine and some Doodlebug sprinkles and this card is done!  Easy peasy!  Oh, the chipboard shape is from the MME's Cut & Paste Adorbs buttons.

Here is a close up of all of the details:

That is all for now!  Until next time...

National Scrapbooking Day 2014

As you may or may not know, this past Saturday, May 3rd, was National Scrapbooking Day.  Now since I haven't really scrapped since January, I pretty much had to force myself to sit down and make a layout.  Since scrapbooking has never come easy for me, I had to find a sketch to work off of first.

Here is the sketch I used:

 

And this is what I made:

I think it turned out pretty cute for the most part.  It seems a little plain to me.  But for this being the second layout I have made in 7 months, I'll take it! 

That is all for now!  Until next time...

Sequin Shaker Blog Hop!

 
Happy Monday, friends!  Today I decided to play along with the Pretty Pink Posh Sequin Shaker Blog Hop and try a technique that I have never really tried before (with much success, anyway).  Shaker cards!  After watching the tutorial that Paulina from Pretty Pink Posh put together, I was inspired to give it a go.

This is what I came up with:

 

I wanted to make this a hip mother-to-be card, so I used the silhouette of a cute preggie and made a frame for the front of the card.  I wrapped the twine around the frame piece before securing the whole thing to the acetate.  I used some foam strip tape to life up the frame, added the stamped sentiment and some sequins, then put the frame on top of the card.  It was so fast and easy!  I just might have a new addiction.  (Shaker cards and sequins!  Oh my!)

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!  Until next time...

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #90

I hope you all have started playing along with this month's Ribbon Carousel Challenge.  If not, there's still plenty of time to join in.  Be sure to link up your project to be in the running for a set of wooden spools filled to the brim with some amazing seam binding, baker's twine and May Art's ribbon!

With this month's challenge being to use washi tape, I wanted to use it in a way that was new to myself.  I mean, this blog does have "novice" in the title...even if some of you have been kind enough to tell me I don't belong in that category anymore.  :)  I consider myself a novice because I'm always learning, always trying new things.  And that is certainly the case for this challenge.

Here is my card:

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the feather shapes. First,I measured out the area that was going to contain the feathers (because I'm a planner like that), then covered the area with washi tape.  I put the paper on my cutting mat and let the Cameo do it's thing. 

I used some charcoal chalk ink to ink the edges of the feathers to make them more defined, then I tied them with baker's twine and put them on my card.  I added the sentiment and some enamel dots to finish it off and am really happy with the finished card.  It turned out the way I saw it in my head...I like it when that happens.  :)

That's it from me today!  I can't wait to see what you create!  Until next time...

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #89

Hello, hello!  I'm glad to be back today with my very first official post as a member of the Ribbon Carousel Challenge crew! 

I decided to make a get well card because I seem to make a ton of love-themed and birthday cards.  Plus, I wanted another excuse to pull out my Paper Smooches Healthy Vibes stamp set.  :)  Here is my card:

 
To make this card super authentic, I used the corner of a tissue to fill the tissue box.  I have used tissue paper for this in the past as well.  

Be sure to play along with us!  The winner will receive 10 wooden spools filled with your choice of seam binding, baker's twine or May Arts ribbon.  Awesome prize, right?  So link up for your chance to win! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time...

Happy 2014 Friends!

With the new year comes a new resolution:  KEEP THIS BLOG UPDATED!  While I haven't posted very much, I HAVE been making things and even photographing them.  I just haven't been sitting down to show you all what I have been working on.  That's a bummer and I am going to work on it.  Promise.

One thing that should help me get back into the posting game is this little tidbit...I've been chosen to be on the Ribbon Carousel Challenge Blog Design Team!  I am so super excited about working with such an amazingly talented group of women!  I can't wait to get started! 

I will be back in a few days with my first post, so for now I will leave you with this cute card I made. 

I love the cards I've been seeing with objects inside of the mason jars, so I thought I would take a stab at it.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  (And it certainly can't hurt that I used all of my favorite color combos.  :) )

I'll be back soon to share more, friends!  Hope your 2014 is off to a great start!  Until next time...

ATC Swap

I recently participated in an ATC swap with some crafty friends.  The challenge was to create something that represented you or showed your favorite theme, color, etc.  This is what I made:

I tend to scrap a bit shabby chic, as I've mentioned on my blog before.  I created a card a while ago that looked very similar to my ATCs.  I loved that card so much that I never ended up sending it to the person I made it for.  (hehe)  I thought I'd shrink the idea and turn it into an ATC.


I used paper from the 6x6 My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose Hazel collection pad that I've been hoarding for years.  That collection has to be one of my favorites.  It works well with my shabby chic style.  

The only thing I would have changed would have been to leave off the stamping, which says "a little {hello}."  First, I stamped it in a too-light brown that ended up blending with the paper too much.  Then, after I white washed the wood grain with acrylic paint, I ended up stamping the sentiment again with a blue ink.  Next time, I'm ditching the stamping all together.

Have you ever participated in an ATC swap before?  This is the fourth one I've participated in.  I generally don't like doing them because I always seem to choose tedious designs that have a lot of steps or just generally take forever, but I always like the outcome.  Maybe that's why I keep doing them.  Kind of like how a woman forgets the pain of childbirth the second she meets her child.  Yeah, I feel the same way about ATCs.  :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Until next time...

Occasions...

Happy Friday!  I've been promising new stuff for a while now so I figured it was high time I got my rear in gear and show off some of what I have been working on lately.  It seems like I have had to make a lot of occasion cards lately, for specific birthdays, weddings, etc.

This first card was made for a friend of mine who just celebrated the big 4-0.  She looks amazing and not a day over 30, so I wanted her to know that she makes 40 look amazing.  Here's what I came up with:

    
I thought the card turned out fun and sassy, just like my friend.  I printed the sentiment on a piece of kraft paper, then used my Silhouette to cut out the 40.  Added some washi tape and it was done!  Super fun and easy!

The next card I made is for a wedding that we are going to later this month.  My husband's cousin is getting married and I've been around long enough to remember when she was in her teens.  To be a bit floored that she is now old enough to get married (I'm not old, right?!?), is an understatement.  Here is what I made for her:

 
I decided to go simple with this card.  I used the potty people stamp from Amy Tangerine's Hey There set and then punched a red heart to put over the heart image.  Then I used Lawn Fawn's Sally's ABC's to write the sentiment.  I added red burlap twine and a red button and that's it!  Another fast and easy card.

I made this last card for my Dad, who recently celebrated turning 67 years young.  My Dad is the greatest, and I don't just say that because I'm his daughter.  :)  Here is the card I made for him:

Excuse the crappy picture.  It was snowing (?!?) the day I took it.

I used some My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose papers and some My Thoughts Exactly stamps.  It's been a while since I expressed my love for Pinterest, so I thought I would show you the inspiration for this card:

Sometimes I am lost without inspiration, so Pinterest definitely pulls me out of my creative rut when all I'm seeing is an empty thought bubble above my head.  Especially on days like May 3rd...when it was SNOWING for Pete's sake!  I still can't get over that one.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed taking a look at my cards today!  I'll be back with more soon!

Until next time...

Pinspired Challenge #4

 I thought I would sneak in between my Growing in Unity posts to play along with this week's Pinspired Challenge!  I am sad to say that this is only my first entry, but luckily they are only on week 4, so I'm not too far behind!  :) 

 Here is the inspiration picture:

And here is my interpretation:

I decided to play off the wood grain background and use some papers from Basic Grey's Life of the Party collection, which all have wood grain on them.  Then I used the brightly colored stickers from Basic Grey's Shine On collection to jazz the card up a bit. 

Thank you for taking a look at my card!  Until next time...

Growing In Unity, Day Four

Welcome back to Day Four of my Growing In Unity week!  Every day this week I have been showing off a project I completed using Unity Stamps.  Make sure to leave me a comment because you will be entered to win your choice of 2 Itty Bitty stamp sets at the end of the week!  Sweet!

Here is the card I created for today's post:

This card is simple, yet elegant.  I put the "Thank You" sentiment from the Blossom Stackers stamp set on the inside of the card to keep the front from looking any more busy than it might be.  I also used the flower stamp from the Born an Original (Authentique Itty Bitty) set.   The twine is from the Twinery, in Pink Sorbet and Honeydew, and the paper is from Authentique.

That's all for today!  Make sure you check back tomorrow and comment for your last chance to win!  Until next time... 
 

Life happens...

So much for posting cards everyday, right?!  Oy.  Life happened in big ways the past two weeks.  First, my biggie came down with the 6 year old version of RSV, with a fever and horrible cough for a week.  Then I was sick with a massive head cold all weekend.  THEN my 3.5 year old had a fever/cold for a couple days.  I was about to sit down and start a new post on Friday when I heard the news about what happened in Connecticut.  It just didn't seem right to be posting Christmas cards when so many people's lives had just changed forever.  I just wanted to spend the day holding my girls forever.  It's sad that it takes such extreme situations to make us realize how blessed we are, but when we do, it hits us hard.  I spent the weekend soaking up as much of my girlies as I could and now I am ready to share some more projects with you.

This is a card and travel coffee mug set that I made for one of my preschooler's teachers:

I love how they both turned out, but man alive was it hard to get the piece of paper into the mug!!  After all of that work I put into making it look nice, I didn't even take the thickness of the paper into account when I was trying to stuff it into the mug.  Sheesh!

Anyway, that's what I have for now.  I'll be back soon with more.  Until then...