Tiny Houndstooth Christmas Trees

I love seeing possibilities - beyond the obvious - in stamp sets.  Take Whimsical Banners by Inspired By Stamping, for example.

It's a set with cute little flags and banners, and one day, an aha moment:  little trees!  A strip of brown cardstock became tree trunks.

Red Liquid Pearls were all the decoration these little guys needed.

Love the different sentiment from Christmas Greetings by IBS.  It's not one you usually see on holiday cards.

Thanks for dropping in today!  :-)

Stamps: Whimsical Banners, Christmas Greetings - IBS Paper: white - PTI; Close to Cocoa - SU  Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko; Always Artichoke, Old Olive - SU Accessories & Tools: Ruby Red Liquid Pearls - Ranger; Romantic Rectangles die - Spellbinders; pearls - Queen & Co.

Time For Change

A friend of mine asked if I could make a card for her niece, who recently got engaged.  As always, when I receive a custom order, I ask about the recipient's style, fave colors, or any other tips that help me get a feel for that person.

The young lady and her fiance got engaged surrounded by nature, overlooking a lake.  Sounds dreamy, doesn't it?  She also favors purple, so this idea sprang into my mind:

The "Happily Ever After" paper from DCWV's Once Upon A Time stack sat waiting for the right occasion.  Those pretty butterflies came off a Mother's Day card from Hallmark.  They were attached to clear fishing line and meant to be a decoration.  I hung them for months in my window, but when autumn came, these little 'flies said they wanted to grace my cards instead.

We all know butterflies are the "Poster Children" for change and metamorphosis.  Change is happening in my life right now, pointing me in a positive, well-deserved direction.  I stepped down from my design team recently, to make more time for family, church, job hunting, and creating cards for sale.  You'll still see plenty of posts here on my blog, so I hope you'll hang in there with me.  :-)

Paper: Lovely Lilac, Whisper White - SU; Once Upon A Time patterned paper - DCWV Ink: white opaque, Walnut Stain - Ranger Accessories & Tools: Oval die - Spellbinders; butterflies - removed from store-bought card; Floral Frame embossing folder - Sizzix; Elegant Scrollwork die - Memory Box; corner rounder punch - Fiskars

Yellow Roses, Because I'm Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends, and hello to the rest of the world!  Today, I'm revisiting a couple of sets that came out earlier this month at Inspired By Stamping on this non-traditional Thanksgiving card.  

The November release featured so many lovely vintage images and digital papers, my romantic heart was in heaven!  On an already-beautiful digi paper, I stamped a bird from Vintage Pieces alongside a yellow rose.  They look like they belong together!  At the bottom right corner, I adhered two stamped, trimmed banners from Garden Seed Packets  and topped them with pearls.

The punched-out blue butterfly is part of the Vintage Digital Printables pack.  I raised it up on a foam sticker.   I joined together elements from Just Because Sentiments, which is one of the things I love about this set.

Enjoy the time spent with family this holiday, and if you shop on Black Friday, good luck!!

Apple Of My Eye

I love apples!  Especially Honeycrisp and Pink Lady.  What's your favorite kind?

Who couldn't love an apple with an adorable face?  Lawn Fawn's My Silly Valentine guy makes me smile.

This card is a publication reject.  :(  Guess I can give it away now to someone special!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your day!

Stamps: My Silly Valentine - Lawn Fawn Paper: white - PTI Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko Fibers: white satin ribbon Accessories & Tools: Copic markers; Scallop Dot punch - Martha Stewart

Wedding Hearts

Black, white and red weddings never seem to go out of style.

When I was in my 20s, I was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding, and these were her colors.  The bridesmaids wore custom-made (by the bride herself) short red satin dresses, with big, wide-brimmed black hats, black stockings, black shoes and long black gloves.  Definitely the most dramatic wedding I've ever been in!

You know how there are so many shades of black?  Well, you can see several here on this one card.  Not a good match, now that I see it in a photo.  There are mini rhinestones around the Inspired By Stamping Fancy Circle frame and Verve Best Wishes sentiment.

Version 2:   I like the satin ribbon much better, but the glitter on this heart is less red, more toned down.

Hard to see, but there are silver Liquid Pearls around this framed sentiment.

Answer to a question asked by reader Paulette Manion:
Paulette asked how I get my Liquid Pearls formed in a very rounded way, instead of tipped like the frosting on a cupcake.  I am ashamed to say I do not know how to put into words my 'technique', which has a lot to do with the pressure of squeezing on the bottle, and knowing when to pull the bottle away from the paper.  Instead, I found this excerpt from a blog that may help answer the question:

Working with Liquid Pearls

Always make Liquid Pearls the last step in your projects because of the long drying time (at least 1-2 hours, more if you apply it thickly). I can’t tell you how many projects I have ruined due to impatience.

Liquid Pearls has a tendency to apply to paper in a pointy cone shape when you separate the product from the applicator tip. To prevent the pointy look of the Liquid Pearls when it flows from the nozzle, apply then gently flick the back of the paper until the Liquid Pearls is rounded. Try this on copy paper first as you need the right pressure. Make sure to hold the paper evenly as well; if it is tilted the Liquid Pearls will move in the direction of tilt.

Control the size of the dot/thickness of your line by squeezing the bottle: the more you squeeze the greater the flow. Always start on copy paper – sometimes a thick glob of the Liquid Pearls comes out at first. To avoid my bonehead move that I do ALL THE TIME, throw away that darn copy paper or cover it with another sheet of paper. I always end up ruining the back of my card by placing it on copy paper that has the slow to dry Liquid Pearls on it. @$*&(*% AHHH every time!

A final tip to remember is that the applicator tip can become clogged. This is easily fixed by inserting a pin down the tip carefully and wiggling it around (not too much as you can stretch/tear the tip easily). Usually I can just pull the dried Liquid Pearls straight out of the tip with my fingers – it has an elastic quality that holds together when you pull it out.

I hope this helps!

Stamps: Best Wishes - Verve; Fancy Circles - Inspired By Stamping Paper: (stripe) Harper's Boutique - The Paper Studio; (damask) Best of Damask - My Mind's Eye; white - PTI Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: sheer/stripe black ribbon - Offray; black satin ribbon - Michaels Accessories & Tools: Garnet glitter - Martha Stewart; dark red glitter - Creative Impressions; Heart to Heart punch - SU; silver Liquid Pearls - Ranger; pearls - Queen & Co.

Sweet 16

Hello!  It's my turn to share an Inspired By Stamping creation with you, and I have just the thing.  Well, I'm a little ahead of the game, and not trying to rush time, but I've got a Sweet 16 birthday card all prepared for my daughter...for next year.  I was playing around with my stamps, and thought this was a "sweet" combination.

I stamped 'sweet' from Cross Stitch, and used a '1' and a '6' from Fancy Alphabet to make the sentiment.  There are doilies on here, too, from Delicate Doilies -- a set that still captures my heart.

The cupcake paper is so cute, and really makes this a sweet Sweet 16.

That's it for me!  Thanks for coming by, and I'll see you soon.

Mr. & Mrs.

Hello there!  Had to make some wedding cards for the shop recently, and this is one I delivered over the weekend.  Keeping this post short on words, but here are the pics:

Thanks for coming by!  Hope you are well today.  :-)

Stamps: Best Wishes - Hero Arts Paper: white - PTI; damask - Best of Damask/My Mind's Eye; stripe - Harper's Boutique (?) - The Paper Studio; cereal box chipboard Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko Fibers: black rosette ribbon - American Crafts Accessories & Tools: Full Heart, Heart-to-Heart punches - SU; red glitter - Creative Inspirations

Beautiful Violette

Hello everyone!  A vintage, shabby chic vibe was in me on the day I created this card.  It also gave me a chance to ink up a new-to-me (and now discontinued) Pink Paislee set, London Market.

A sweet, lacy design from Vintage Blue (Glitz Designs) was stamped along the bottom of the striped patterned paper (My Mind's Eye).  The apothecary jar and label are from Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity set.

I stamped various images from London Market:  a crown and a flourished label.  On a white scrap, a banner and the word 'beautiful' from the same set were stamped, trimmed, then added to the card base.

Life is still running full-steam ahead here in various ways, and I'm trying desperately to keep up with it.  My mom told me that Dr. Oz did a segment on an herbal remedy called Passionflower that helps with anxiety.  I bought the tincture form at my grocery store recently, and am going to give it a try.  ;)  I'll let you know if it is worthwhile.

Thanks for dropping in today!



Stamps: London Market Vintage Impressions - Pink Paislee; Olde Curiosity - Graphic 45; Vintage Blue - Glitz Designs Paper: Lost & Found - My Mind's Eye; white - PTI Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Crumb Cake - SU Fibers: white seam binding - Hug Snug; vintage cotton thread Accessories & Tools: pearls - Queen & Co., button from stash; doily - Wilton; Copic markers

Birthday Hop For Joanna

The Inspired By Stamping Design Team has gathered together to surprise our friend and owner of IBS,  Joanna Munster!  It's her birthday today, and we've put together a little hop full of good wishes for her, and invite you to come along.

My card uses Delicate Doilies II and Fancy Circles for the sentiment.

My card inspiration:  Joanna lives in Australia and sees the most amazing, interesting wildlife.  She shares photos of insects and animals on Facebook and Instagram and sometimes on her blog.  I chose glittery butterfly paper and stickers that give a nod to the creatures Joanna shares with the world.

Thanks for coming by today!

A 'Colleen Bow' Tutorial

Last week I was featured for Whoo Hoo Wednesday on the  Inspired By Stamping blog but was only allowed to show you a sneak peek of my project here.  Now, I can share the whole thing with you!  

Hello there!  Today, I'm showing you "How To Make A Colleen Bow."  There's no great magic trick, but I'd love to share my technique with you anyway.  ;-)

First, get your card base ready.  I used two patterns from the Vintage Digital Paper pack.  Sigh!  Love them.

Seam binding is my favorite ribbon for making my 'special brand' of bow.  It's very flexible and soft and drapes well.  Cut enough ribbon to go around the front of your card and begin to tie a bow, then STOP.   Set it aside.

Cut another length of ribbon (I used approximately 8-10") and make a bow using the Bunny Ears method.  Make two loops.....

Action shot here!  Sorry for the blur.  The camera was set on a timer.  Fold one loop over the other, and pull through the resulting hole.

Tighten the loops and adjust each one until they are a length you like.  Now, take this bow over to your card and......

....lay it on top of the half-tied bow.  Hold the Bunny Ear bow in place until you can grab the ends from the half-tied bow.

Finish tying that first bow, right on top of the Bunny Ears bow.

The tails are pretty long at this point, and will need trimming.

The four tails are visible best in this photo below.  Trim each one as needed, and place a small dab of craft glue under the bow's center to adhere to card base.

Here's the finished bow, on a Christmas card.

Because the papers and colors are so non-traditional for Christmas, I added some snowflakes -- with pearls -- to make it feel more festive.  Snowflakes and roses?  Sure, why not!

For my sentiment panel:  on a piece of white cardstock, I stamped a frame from Festive Frames in kraft ink, then laid a Fancy Labels 2 die over top of it.  Pink Gingham Washi Tape helped hold my die in place while I ran it through my Big Shot.

The sentiment is also from Festive Frames.  I used shiny gold foil cardstock with the next largest die to create a panel behind it.  Love how that turned out!

And that's it!  Thanks for your visit!