Playful Buttons

From Adriel:

The color scheme for this card along with the style of the DSP makes for a playful-looking Christmas card. The glittery red polka dots, a shimmery snowflake, a tiny little sentiment... so many fun details. The buttons just complete the card and add to the playful and whimsy look. I'm not a big "pink" person, but I love the pink on this card! This is definitely a departure from the more traditional holiday cards, but it's a ton of fun and I love it! I finished off the inside with white cardstock and more of that fun glittery red polka dot paper! Very merry, as the sentiment suggests.

You can find this card in our Etsy shop right now. We're slowly adding more holiday items, so come by again to see what's new!

This & That Thursday

From Adriel:

Okay, I'm not proud of what I have to show you today. I spent the entire afternoon yesterday working on this and it turned out terrible in my opinion. But it's something to share with you and it fits into a couple of challenges. Perhaps you can give me some suggestions on what I could have done different! Anyway, onto yesterday's disaster project!

This project is for the Our Creative Corner: Break Out the Buttons challenge, the Pals Paper Arts Flower-theme challenge, and our very own Two Happy Stampers Color Challenge #3.

I made a tote for 3-1/4" x 4-7/8" note cards (basically fits into a 3-1/2" x 5" envelope). I used the directions for the tote from Procrastistamper... I just changed the measurements a bit to fit a smaller card. Sorry, don't have the measurements in front of me at the moment, but I may share them at a later time. The tote itself is very cute and I like the design a lot, so the afternoon wasn't completely wasted.

I did a bunch of stuff to the front of the tote that I'm not proud of. I like my shabby flower, but it just doesn't seem to go. The ribbon was fun to do! =)

I also made 5 notecards to go in the tote that I'm not proud of. HAHA! Well, it's good to be humbled. =)

I hope you enjoyed my attempt at being creative! Hopefully my creative juices will get going a little better soon. =) Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day! =)

BTW, our color challenge is looking a bit lonely at the moment... we'd love to have you play along with us! Our challenge is open for the entire month of April, so you still have plenty of time! Check out the details HERE!

Wowzer! Wednesday

Hi to all of you! How are you doing today?

Our Wowzer! Wednesday focus today is on simple cards

that still give that "Wowzer!" factor!

We're featuring work from 4 wonderful card makers today,

so let's get started with the wowing! =)

Here we go!

First up is this beautiful card by Renee. She used a combination of patterned paper and a stamped background along with a punched border and a simple, yet stunning, stamped flower focal point. She added a build-a-brad and a die-cut element to add a little "extra" to this card. In addition, her color combo is a departure from the ordinary and it a total Wowzer!! You can visit Renee HERE for a complete list of supplies and to give her a wave! =)

Next is this lovely and calming card from Julie Davison. Julie does such a great job keeping things simple and yet turning out lovely work. This card is no exception. She stuck with one stamp set primarily (except for the sentiment) and used it in a variety of ways. The rounded corners on the panels, the multi-colored floral image and the silver brads give the "extra" that make you forget that this card is simple. Love it! You can visit Julie HERE for a complete list of supplies and let her know her card is beautiful! =)

Our next Wowzer! pick is this bright and fun card from Nancy Riley. She kept things simple using designer paper and die-cuts as the main basis of this card, but she added the "extra" by using an eye-catching color combo and a fun button in the middle! It's perfect for the winter blues! =) You can visit Nancy HERE for a complete list of supplies and to say hi!

And last, but not least this week, is this sweet card from Vicki. The simple layout of the card is taken from simple to "wowzer!" with a few "extras" that are very easy to add, but they make such a difference! The ribbon, the embossed cardstock, the butterflies and the addition of the silver pearls on the butterflies all combine to make a lovely card. You can visit Vicki HERE for a complete list of supplies and to say something sweet! =)

We hope you've been inspired today with these cards. Next time your simple card looks a little too simple for your tastes, try adding one or more of the elements we saw in today's cards. A little ribbon, a button, a die cut element, or some embossing can make all the difference!

Have a wonderful day today and stay creatively inspired! =)

Shabby Valentine Flowers

From Adriel:

We've been having fun making some Valentine items for our shop and classes. The new Valentine paper in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini catalog (can't remember the name of the paper) is so much fun, with one side of the paper having glitter on it! So much fun! =)

I made these shabby flowers and thought they would be great on some Valentine gift tags. I made a tutorial for these shabby flowers awhile ago and you can find it HERE if you want to make some yourself! Have fun! =)

A Valentine...

From Heidi...I have been using my Christmas break to look at different "how to" blogs and having a bunch of fun! There is so much inspiration out there...I just need more time!! I came across a fun tutorial on how to make your own paper buttons. (Sorry, I will have to go back and find the blog that has the tutorial so that I can pass it on.) I tried it out and made this Valentine card with a layout I used for a Christmas card I made.
Basically the buttons are made with 4 layers of punched cardstock adhered together, and then a punched DS paper or stamped CS layer\ adhered on top. Lightly sand the edges, punch buttonholes (I used my Cropadile), and then add a nice layer of Crystal Effects to the top. Allow plenty of time for the Crystal Effects to dry... I learned that the hard way and messed up a button :-( That's it! Thanks for letting me share!