Will Trade Sleep For Stamps

PTI Hearts Challenge

2012-02-11T17:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday to you all!
I'd like to share my project for Papertrey Ink's "Heart" Challenge today, to incorporate hearts into your project.
Luckily, I needed to make the treat buckets for La Princessa's teachers for Valentine's Day, so this was a perfect challenge for that.
Just forgive the dark photos, m'kay? I was running out of natural light by the time I was ready to photograph these, so....
Here they are:

These tags are heavily inspired by something I saw from Melissa Phillips the other day. I believe she had attached them to the fronts of glassine envelopes. When I saw them, I knew they would make just the most darling hanging tags.
I've been hoarding these two little buckets for ages (I think I picked them up at the Dollar Spot at Target). Inside are cellophane bags filled with heart shaped Dove chocolates. Ah, chocolate- happy sigh- :-).
I ran borders of the Filagree and Hearts border dies around the top edge of the bucket, and then tied my tag to the handle. Very simple, really, but still a handmade touch that I hope brings a smile to the face of my baby's teachers.
Supplies used:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- White, Hibiscus Burst
Patterned paper: Prima- Madeline Collection
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Tag-its #5, Love Lives Here, Heart Prints
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Pure Poppy, Autumn Rose, Raspberry Fizz
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Mat Stack 5, Layerz Mat Stack 5, Beautiful Blooms II #1, Love Lives Here, Christmas Poinsettias
Impression Plate: Papertrey Ink- Woodgrain
Buttons: Papertrey Ink- Classic Kraft vintage buttons
Felt: Papertrey Ink- Raspberry Fizz, Scarlet Jewel, Simply Chartreuse
Ribbon: various items from my stash
Pearls: K & Company
That's it for now, thanks for taking a peek.
Have a beautiful weekeend!

PTI Color Challenge

2012-02-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

Hi again, I did manage to make it back again today to share my project for Papertrey Ink's Color Challenge.
I had such a hard time choosing a color combo. Finally, I had to ask myself what cards I actually needed to make right away, and then my combo became clear.
I needed to make a Valentine's Day card for my sweet hubby, so I chose Heather Nichol's combo of Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Kraft, and Vintage Cream for my slightly non-traditional card. I think he'll appreciate the lack of pink and red, personally.
Here's my card:

I'm also glad I finally got the chance to ink up the Love and Marriage set. I just had to have that fabulous tree image, and it did not disappoint. The surprise favorite image, for me at least, was the couple silhouette in the heart. LOVE.IT.

Supplies used: (everything is from Papertrey Ink, except the patterned paper)

Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Kraft, Aqua Mist

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny- Welcome Home Collection

Stamps: Love and Marriage

Inks: Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate

Dies: Simple Circles border, Heart border, Heart Prints

Buttons: Spring Moss vintage buttons

Twine: Rustic Cream button twine

Thanks for stopping by; I hope you have a wonderful evening!

Maybe Next Time

2012-02-08T08:10:00.002-05:00

Hey there! It's my turn to host the challenge at the Papertrey Playhouse blog. This one couldn't be easier (except for maybe our egos)!
All you have to do is select a card or other project that you've submitted to a publication, but was not picked up.
For the March/ April 2012 issue of Paper Crafts magazine, I submitted two cards. I don't submit very often, (I think this was only my third time), 'cause my tender little heart doesn't do well with rejection, and it makes me lose my nerve. :-)
Here's my card that was not selected:

Here 'tis. Very simple to put together, but with loads of layers. This was inspired by some absolutely gorgeous baby bedding I saw somewhere.
The other card that I submitted? Well, you might just be seeing that one somewhere soon {wink}.
Supplies used: (everything is Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: White, True Black
Stamps: Damask Designs, Sweet Baby, Distressed Stripes
Ink: True Black
Dies: Sweet Baby
I hope you get the chance to play along with this challenge- remember, you don't even have to make anything new!

PTI Designer Image Challenge

2012-02-06T19:51:00.000-05:00

Hey there, I'm back one more time today.

I got the oppotunity to play along with the Designer Image challenge as part of Papertrey Ink's anniversary celebration, so I wanted to share my quick little card with you.

I chose Melissa Bickford's image. I don't know if it was the colors or the romantic feel, or what, but that image just jumped out at me, and I had to use it.

Here is my card:

I do love that color combo.

I stumbled across a sheet of My Mind's Eye paper that had similar colors, and a bit of a "lovey" feel to it, so I decided to use it. The pattern was a bit bold for the smallish focal image, so I attempted to tone it down a bit by placing a Coverplate: Quatrefoil cut from Simply Chartreuse cardstock over the patterned paper.

The mat for the "love" image was made using a Spellbinders Lacey Square die, cut from Hawaiian Shores cardstock. Then I have a simple border of Hawaiian Shores saddlestitch ribbon layered with the Heart Die border, cut from Raspberry Fizz cardstock.

A bit bolder (color combo wise) than my norm, but it was fun.

I'm looking forward to the next challenge, and hoping I get the chance to play along.

Be My CAS Valentine

2012-02-06T10:03:00.000-05:00

Hi there!
I'm going to keep this short and sweet today, as I am SO far behind, I may never dig out.
I'm sharing my project for the challenge at the Papertrey Playhouse blog, Clean and Simple, in which you could only use 3 decorative elements.
I needed to make the little treats that La Princessa will be taking for her class on Valentine's Day, and with 22 of them to make, you know they need to be simple.
I started with these adorable little lollipops:

These little guys were cute enough that I wanted them to be a part of the design itself. I removed the small chipboard heart, but left the red bow ('cause that was the twist tie that was actually holding the cellophane onto the lolly).

So I cut the covers from Papertrey Inks white cardstock, using the largest of the Spellbinders Labels Eight dies, and using the next smallest size die, cut the patterned paper layer from various Valentine themed paper from Papertrey Ink.
I adhered the patterned paper to the cardstock while everything was still flat' I've found the finished product cooperated better when you're folding the score lines if you do it that way.
I then cut through both layers, using a Spellbinders Classic Circle die, placing it so those cutie pie faces would show through.
One simple stamp from Papertrey Ink's Tremendous Treats: Valentine, punched holes to thread the red ribbon through, and 22 bows later, they were done.

Boxed and ready to go. La Princessa is happy with them, and that's good enough for me. :-)
There's still a couple of days before this current challenge ends, so if you have the chance, come play along with us.
Have a great day!

Papertrey Ink January Blog Hop- Favorite Project Challenge

2012-01-25T09:51:00.000-05:00

It's time for the first Papertrey Ink Blog Hop of 2012!
I'm a little excited about this, being the first one of the year and all, but mostly because I missed the last one. I know, right? They only happen once a month, you'd think I could come up with something....
So this challenge was to choose your favorite project from 2011, and share that (again, in some cases, I'm sure). Then, use that project as inspiration for a new project.
Here is my 2011 project:

This card was my entry for one of the Make It Monday challenges- "Heat Embossing".
I really loved the copper embossing on the Dark Chocolate cardstock, so I used that as the inspiration for today's project:

I also added some gold embossing on this one, just to liven things up a bit.
What's in it: (everything is PTI except the embossing powders)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate
Stamps: Rosie Posie, Harvest Berries, Tea for Two Additions (sentiment)
Ink: Dark Chocolate
Dies: Rosie Posie, Limitless Layers 1.75"
Impression Plate: Woodgrain
Ribbon: Dark Chocolate grograin
Embossing powder: Ranger- Copper, Superfine Gold
That's it; thanks for having a look. I'm off to check out everyone else's creations now. I hope you all have a fabulous day!

More Die Cut Negatives

2012-01-24T10:22:00.000-05:00

Hey again!
So, in my last post (for Papertrey Playhouse's Die Cut Negative challenge), I made a flower using the Bloom Builder 3 dies from a sheet of patterned paper. Well, that little sheet of paper with the flower shapes cut from it kept beckoning me, so I decided to make another card for the challenge.
Here it is:

Keeping the same basic color scheme and using more patterned paper from the same Prima pack, my main panel was simply the leftover piece that I cut my flowers from for my previous card.

Ya know, you could almost keep something like this going forever, 'cause now I have another negative where I cut the Happy Day frame....

This was a fun challenge, and I'm glad I got to play along, TWICE!

Come join us if you get the opportunity.

What's in it:

Cardstock: PTI- Stone Stone

Patterned paper: Prima- Madeline Collection

Stamps: PTI- Happy Day

Inks: PTI- Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate

Dies: PTI- Bloom Builder 3, Happy Day frame, Filagree border die; Spellbinders- Doodle Parts, Flourish Accent

Ribbon: PTI- Soft Stone grograin

Rhinestones: Martha Stewart

Don't forget about Papertrey Ink's Blog Hop tomorrow; hope you can make it!

Floral Birthday

2012-01-22T12:22:00.000-05:00

Hello everybody!
Long time no see, but I really needed that bit of downtime.
I'd like to share my project for the Die Cut Negative challenge at the Papertrey Playhouse blog.
The title of the challenge is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just get right to the card:

I'm really happy about the way the Happy Day frame stamp follows the curves of the Mat Stack 4 die, don't they look so "happy" together?
What's in it: (all supplies are Papertrey Ink, except the patterned paper)
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Hawaiian Shores
Patterned paper: Prima- Madeline Collection
Stamps: Happy Day, Rosie Posie
Inks: Versamark, Smokey Shadow
Dies: Layerz Mat Stack 4, Bloom Builders 3
Impression Plate: In Bloom
Button: Smokey Shadow vintage buttons
Other: embroidery floss
That's all for now; I've GOT to get cracking on my blog hop project.
I hope to see you there!

Tablet Test

2012-01-07T23:55:00.001-05:00

Just a test to see if content will publish correctly from my tablet.

Merry Christmas To All

2011-12-23T09:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, folks, one more post before I take a break for the holidays.
I debated sharing the card I made for my dad, but decided against it. I TOTALLY cased one of Maile Belle's cards from the October PTI release here. I couldn't help myself. When I saw Maile's card, it was so completely perfect for my dad. So anyway, have a look at Maile's beautiful card, and you'll pretty much see mine. The only thing I changed was the sentiment, and I made the pool of water a little larger.
So now, off to the rest of the cards...

This one is simple and to the point, and EASY to mail. Never thought I would use the Grunge Me set on a Christmas card, but I did....

Another one that could be mailed with no extra postage, but the light hitting all the spots of Diamond Stickles was quite lovely. I debossed the Kraft panel with the Tin Types Impression plate after stamping, and just hit all those circular indentions with a drop of Stickles- perfect placement every time.

This ended up being one of my favorite cards this year. I dunno, something about it just makes me happy. I'm still loving the Parisian Lace doily die as a wreath, too.
So, I'm headed back to the kitchen now; have to make some cookies for Santa, don't ya know?
I wish each and every one of you a happy, wonder filled Christmas, and blessings heaped upon you for the New Year.
See ya next year!

Getting Closer

2011-12-22T08:56:00.000-05:00

to Christmas! Are you all ready? Packages purchased, wrapped and hidden? How 'bout those Christmas treats- have you started your baking?
I just thought I would pop on here and share a couple more Christmas cards before the day gets away from me.
So, short and sweet; here we go:

Yes, I do love that Quatrefoil die- I think it's just gorgeous! The splotchiness on the tree was intentional, although I wish I'd had better control of it. I inked up the stamp, and very quickly (or should I say haphazardly) stamped it off once, making sure I didn't stamp off the entire image. That left more ink in places for a bit of "shading", if you will, on the stamped image.

I love the poinsettia dies cut from felt! I used the metal shim and did 4 passes through my Cuttlebug (two forward rolls, and two backward rolls). They were cut out so completely they literally fell out. I colored some adhesive backed pearls with a gold leaf pen.

This one was inspired by Lisa Johnson's water bottle tag here. I just couldn't resist those bright, happy colors and sweet little birdy.

Okay, that's it for today. I think I have three more that I'll try to show tomorrow, and then that will probably be it for me until after the New Year.
Now, I've got to finish getting ready. La Princessa is out of school for Winter Break, and it's been raining here the last three days, so she hasn't gotten to play outside. She NEEDS to burn off some energy, so we're headed to Monkey Joe's to let her run around to her heart's content. Did I mention there happens to be a Michael's just down the road from Monkey Joes? How convenient. {grin}

Little Goodies

2011-12-21T13:52:00.001-05:00

Hiya, long time no see! I'm sure you've all been just as busy as I have the last couple of weeks, so Thank You for taking the time to stop by.
I've got several Christmas themed projects that I've made, but just haven't had the time to post yet. In order for me to share everything before Christmas (no one wants to see Christmas stuff after Christmas, right?), I'll have to bombard you with multiple projects.
Today, I want to share some gift boxes and gift card packaging.
First up, a few simple gift card holders. The seed packet die from Papertrey Ink makes the perfect size holder that goes together in a flash, in case you're short on time.

I cut the Shape-up Series: Snowman from white cardstock and used the coordinating stamp set to give them a little more personality. The scarves are itty bitty scraps of felt; I cut in about 1/4" wide, and nearly went blind trying to add "fringe" to it. So very simple, but a cute little something for the young cousins.
Next, a couple more gift card holders, this time geared more for the adults.

I kept it super simple again, these did have to travel through the mail. I used the seed packet die again, and this time used the Limitless Layers 1 3/4" dies and 2011 Holiday Tags to dress it up a bit. The banner ends on each were cut using the Spellbinders Nested Pennants dies.

The next three photos are a gift box I made for my husband's grandmother (it contains a gift card, too, but I wanted the packaging to be more "special" for her). I TOTALLY got the idea for the stamping from Betsy Veldman, when the PTI DT did the Vintage Ornaments: Revisited post here. Her card was just SO gorgeous, and I fell in love with it, so here's what Betsy inspired:

I just love those colors together!

Thankfully, even my bow cooperated for this project. {grin}

I wanted to use a bell for the center of the bow, but the only bells I had were a shiny brass color, and didn't look right, so I smooshed it around on my Versamark pad and dipped it in the same white embossing powder that I used for the stamping. Ah, much better.
And finally, I have the gift boxes that I made for my daughter's teachers, and this time, not a gift card in sight.

I started out using the standard "pizza box" template. I really like the way the finished product looks with that one. However, it wasn't deep enough for what I was putting in the box; it's about 1" deep, and I needed 2", so I had to reconfigure the template.

Some gorgeous Graphic 45 paper, the Damask Snowflakes dies, Limitless Layers 1 3/4" dies, Wonderful Words: Holidays dies, and Holly Jolly dies, and I was in business.

Here's what inside the box- nah, it's not a "big" gift, but it's a "good" gift, right? My philosophy is that good chocolate should be enjoyed as often as possible, and I'm just tryin' to spread the message.
Okay, well, I hope you've enjoyed at least one of my little goodie offerings today- I've been spending TONS of time in the kitchen the last several days, but dear sweet Mr. Brown brought me a big honkin' box of PTI goodies today, and I'm going to kick back and play with my new toys.
Hopefully, I'll be able to share more Christmas cards tomorrow, so maybe I'll see you then.

We Can Build A Snowman

2011-12-07T11:15:00.001-05:00

There probably won't be much snowman building in my neck of the woods this winter, but that's okay with me. I'm one of those people that like to see snow WAY off in a field somewhere, but that's about it.
On the other hand, snowmen, are just SO stinkin' cute....
While we're on the subject of snowmen, this wonderful quilt caught my eye on Pinterest:

Is that not spectacular? I could just curl up under this and never come out.
I knew I had to re-create this beauty in paper, or at least attempt to re-create it. {grin}
Here is my card:

Yes, I did stitch between all those sweet little snowman faces, which was the most time consuming part of the card.
Want to make your own? Allow me to share a couple of tips-
Get out the Spellbinders Large Octagon and Large Classic Squares dies. Use the second smallest octagon and the smallest square. Twelve octagons happen to fit perfectly on a 3 3/4" x 5" pices of cardstock. The squares ALMOST fit perfectly between the octagon spaces- there is just the smallest bit of overlap, but if you use patterned paper (thinner than cardstock, ya know) you really won't be able to tell. You'll need 13 (if I counted correctly) squares, some of which you will be cutting in half diagonally for your triangles.
So there you go; I've done the math for you, go make a cutie patootie snowman card!
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream, Kraft, Simply Chartreuse
Patterned paper: Graphic 45- An ABC Primer (Jumping Joan)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Shape-up Snowman Accessories, In the Meadow
Ink: Papertrey Ink- True Black
Colored pencils: Prismacolor (carrot nose)
Dies: Spellbinders- Large Octagon, Large Classic Square, Labels Ten; Papertrey Ink- Pine Boughs, Holly Jolly
Fibers: Papertrey Ink- Dark Chocolate baker's twine, Rustic Cream button twine
Bells: Hobby Lobby
Other: Walnut Ink- Tsukineko
Thanks for visiting, and have a wonderful day!

Make It Monday- Ribbon Pleating

2011-12-01T07:23:00.000-05:00

Hello again!
It's time for another Make It Monday project, although mine always seem to get posted on Thursdays.
This week's challenge is ribbon pleating. I'll share a little something with you, the first time I attempted this technique (way back when?), I was less than pleased with the results. but us paper artists don't give up, do we? I had to give it another go, and this time I actually like the way it turned out.
Disclaimer: I visited Nichole's blog yesterday to check the number of entries for the challenge, and noticed that not only was there a ribbon pleated Christmas tree, it got a shout out! Honestly, I'm not trying to copy anyone's idea here. My tree was already finished, and I only needed to finish assembling the card. I'm chalking this up to "great minds think alike", and here is my card:

It's been awhile since I've used ribbon on a card- I think this one takes care of that. {grin}
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream, Fine Linen
Patterned paper: Papertrey Ink- Holiday Flourishes & Swirls
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Big & Bold Holiday Wishes
Ink: Versafine- Onyx Black
Punch: Punch Bunch?- star
Embossing powder: Ranger- Gold (Super Fine Detail)
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink- Spring Moss satin, Simply Chartreuse satin, Ripe Avocado satin, New Leaf satin, Pinefeather satin
Note: the tree base is a Spellbinders Nested Pennant.
Tons more to do today, so see you later!

Faux Mass Production

2011-11-30T08:25:00.001-05:00

Greetings!
It's my turn to host the challenge at the Papertrey Playhouse blog, so hold on to your hats and settle in, this is a long one.
As I stated on the Papertrey Playhouse post for the challenge, I do not like to mass produce cards; it's just not fun for me. I can manage about four cards before I start to get bored with the process, and it no longer feels like I'm being creative.
Something that helps me with that is what I referred to in the cheesy title- "faux" mass production.
Just take a basic layout and switch out a few items to change the overall feel of the card, without having to create a new layout each and every time. It proved to be a great timesaver for me, when I created the cards I'm about to show you. I don't mind doing cards in pairs, so that is what I did here, and ended up with eight cards in four styles from one design. Here they are:

So why don't you head over to the Papertrey Playhouse blog, and check out the challenge? We would LOVE to have you play along with us!
Materials used:
Traditional "Merry":
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- White, Blueberry Sky, New Leaf, Pure Poppy
Patterned paper: Papertrey Ink- Christmas Prints
Stamps: NONE
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Holly Jolly, Tag Sale #5, Damask Snowflakes, Doily Details, Wonderful Words: Holiday
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink- Pure Poppy Saddle Stitch
Glitter: Martha Stewart- Coarse Crystal
Pearls: K & Company (colored with R29 Copic)

Non-traditional "Merry":
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- White,Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Spring Moss, Hawaiian Shores
Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye- Alphabet Soup "Sunny Stripes"
Stamps: NONE
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Holly Jolly, Tag Sale #5, Damask Snowflakes, Doily Details, Wonderful Words: Holiday
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink- Hawaiian Shores Saddle Stitch
Glitter: Martha Stewart- Coarse Crystal
Pearls: K & Company (colored with RV17 Copic)

Rustic "Merry":
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream, Kraft, Spring Moss
Patterned paper: Fancypants Design- Beach Bum paper pad, Basic Grey- Wassail "Snow Dust"
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- In the Meadow ( snow flurries image used on tag)
Ink: Fresh Snow
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Tag Sale #5, Damask Snowflakes, Pine Boughs, Wonderful Words: Holiday
Twine: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream button twine
Impression plate: Papertrey Ink- Woodgrain
Buttons: Papertrey Ink- Scarlet Jewel, Simply Chartreuse

Vintage "Peace":
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream, Fine Linen
Patterned paper: Graphic 45- Christmas Emporium Collection "Happy Holidays"
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Background Basics: Sheet Music
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Tea Dye Duo- Chamomile
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Holly Jolly, Tag Sale #5, Damask Snowflake, Doily Details, Wonderful Words: Holiday
Felt: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream
Glitter: Martha Stewart (bottle says "Coarse Crystal", but these are extra large flakes); Diamond Dust
Pearls: K & Company (colored with E42 Copic)
Ribbon: Hug Snug seam binding (soaked about 30 minutes in a leftover cup of black coffee)

Whew! My fingers are tired now, and I'll bet your eyes are too!
Just remember to check out the challenge over at Papertrey Playhouse, if you get the chance.
Above all, I hope you have fun, no matter what!

Stocking Exchange Party

2011-11-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

Well, not really, but it sure does sound like fun, and I'm hoping one of these days to host one.
In the meantime, I'll just have to be happy with the invitation that I created for the current Papertrey Playhouse challenge, holiday invitations.
Just in case I ever will be mass-producing these, I wanted to keep it fairly simple.
Here it is:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- White, Pure Poppy, Kraft
Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye- I Believe (Wreaths)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Polka Dot Basics, Stocking Prints, 2008 Holiday Tags
Inks: Memento- London Fog (polka dots), Pure Poppy, True Black
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Tag Sale #3, Stocking, Limitless Layers 1 3/4"
Fibers: Papertrey Ink- Pure Poppy baker's twine
Marker: Sharpie- white paint pen
That's all for now; I think maybe we'll be doing a bit of Christmas shopping today- wish me luck.
Smooch!

Papertrey Ink November Blog Hop

2011-11-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

Hi! Happy Black Friday, and Happy Blog Hop Day, too!

Tough decision on which one of these two favorites of mine I wanted to do today, but alas, my darling hubby had to work today (he's my Black Friday shopping bud- my enforcer, if you will), so the choice was made for me.

We have a great inspiration photo to work with. Not too rustic, not too county, just a nice, warm, homey, traditional Christmas setting.

So I decided to go with the color combination and my perceived overall feel of this scene, and this is what I came up with:

So just in case you didn't have enough uses for the Parisian Lace Doily die, it makes one wicked cool wreath (in my humble opinion, of course).

I cut the Parisian Lace Doily from Simply Chartreuse, and the interior was cut using the scalloped circle from the Limitless Layers 1 3/4" set. I stamped the mistletoe looking image from Winterberry around the wreath in Versamark, and then heat embossed using clear embossing powder.

The patterned paper is some Bo Bunny paper that I discovered in my stash. I've had that paper so long, it's practically vintage, Ha!

The holly leaves are cut from Ripe Avocado using the Holly Jolly dies, and I stamped the pine bough images from Bells & Boughs on them using Versamark ink. The bells were cut from Vintage Cream and embossed with gold embossing powder. The bow was also cut from Vintage Cream, and stamped using Pure Poppy ink. (I am really those the bows from Bells & Boughs).

The sentiment banner is cut from Vintage Cream using one of the ribbon banner dies from Spellbinders, and the sentiment is stamped using the Year of Flowers: Poinsettias set and True Black ink.

Thanks for visiting, and enjoy the hop. I'm going to go check out everyone else's creations now!

Make It Monday- Layered Background with Sentiment Stamps

2011-11-23T10:35:00.000-05:00

Hello again!
I'm going to tell you Happy Thanksgiving today, 'cause I'm pretty sure I won't be posting anything tomorrow. I'm doing some prep work for tomorrow's feasting- my spiced cranberry sauce is finished and cooling, and after I leave you here, I'll be starting on the pumpkin cheesecake.
But first, I wanted to play along with this week's Make It Monday challenge- creating layered backgrounds using your sentiment stamps. That (for me) ended up not being as easy as it sounds, and certainly not as easy as Betsy made it look.
I gave it go, and here it is, one more Christmas card to check off my list- chip, chip, chippin' away...

I used sentiments from Peace Be Still, Winterberry, Bells & Boughs, and Holiday Tree. The adorable little tree is from Winterberry, and I used snowflakes from Snowflake Serenade and Winterberry. The snowflake background was stamped on Rustic Cream using the Chamomile ink from the Tea Dye Duo, and ended up being my favorite part of the card.
So that's it for me today; I wish you all the best, and I'm thankful you chose to give me a small part of your day by visiting.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Holidays

2011-11-18T13:24:00.001-05:00

Hi there! Happy Friday to all of you out in blogland.
If you're like me, you're knee deep in preparations for Thanksgiving (which is just next week, can you believe it?), and working on getting your holiday cards completed in your spare time. Spare time, yeah, I know, that's funny.
I've been quite busy with all sorts of things, but I've been missing out on challenges left and right. Today I'm sharing my project for two challenges, the Championing Award Medallions challenge at Moxie Fab World (to incorporate medallions), and the Make It Monday challenge at Papertrey Ink (Essential Glue Pad Tips).
I've fiddled with this card all morning, switching out the trees, because I did them first in Spring Moss ink before stamping them with the glue pad, and that color was just all wrong; I don't know what I was thinking. Then I was having a dickens of a time getting those flower stamens to cooperate, and I ripped a medallion while making them, so I had to make another. So, I really hope the recipient of this card appreciates my struggles- lol!
Here's the card:

In addition to stamping the trees with the Essential Glue Pad after stamping them in New Leaf ink, I also stamped the largest snowflake from In the Meadow with the glue pad. Gold glitter was applied to the snowflakes, and crystal glitter to the trees.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream, Scarlet Jewel
Patterned paper: Graphic 45- Christmas Emporium Collection (Santa Express and 'Tis the Season)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Trees with Trimmings, In the Meadow
Inks: Papertrey Ink- New Leaf, Dark Chocolate, True Black
Dies: Spellbinders- Classic Rectangle
Impression Plate- Papertrey Ink- Sheet Music
Glitter: Martha Stewart- Yellow Gold, Coarse Crystal
Other: flower stamens (from the floral department at Hobby Lobby and colored with a Copic marker); pom pom trim (purchased from fabric.com)
That's it for now; I hope you all have a splendid weekend.
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Brayer and Impression Plate Techniques

2011-10-27T12:29:00.000-04:00

Hi again; it's Thursday already- where has this week gone?
I'd like to share my Make It Monday project with you today. This week the challenge was to combine your impression plates with ink brayering.
Betsy's samples were out-of-this-world beautiful; it's tough to compete with something like that {smile}.
I couldn't resist testing this technique out on the Christmas tree die that was released last year. This is one of my favorite dies, and I have used it- A LOT.
I gotta tell 'ya, I'm also head over heels in love with In the Meadow and the companion dies- MAJOR SWOON! When I'm finished with this post, I think I'm going to go play with them some more.
So, now, here is my card:

Is the Mehndi Medallion the most beautiful impression plate, or what? Honestly, I don't remember using it until just now, though {so ashamed}.
What's in it: (everything is PTI, except the glittery bits)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Rustic White, Fine Linen, Kraft, Spring Moss
Stamps: In the Meadow
Inks: Fresh Snow, Spring Moss, New Leaf, Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate
Dies: Tree, In the Meadow, In the Meadow Silhouettes
Impression Plate: Mehndi Medallion
Glitter: Martha Stewart- Crystal (coarse)
Stickles: Diamond
That's it, I hope you like it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Smooch!

PTI October Blog Hop

2011-10-25T10:38:00.000-04:00

Hey, it's that wonderful time of the month again, Papertrey Ink's Blog Hop time!
I'll keep this short and sweet, 'cause you're going to have lots of hopping to do, I'm sure!
We had a beautiful inspiration photo to work with, an autumn inspired beauty.
So here is my project:

What's in it: (everything is from Ppaertrey Ink, except the patterned paper)
Cardstock: Orange Zest, Kraft, Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, Terracotta Tile, Pure Poppy, Scarlet Jewel, Dark Chocolate
Patterned paper: Graphic 45- Botanicabella
Stamps: Mixed Messages
Inks: Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate
Dies: Turning a New Leaf, Tiny Tags
Button: Dark Chocolate vintage button
Twine: Rustic Cream button twine

Have fun at the hop!
Smooch!

Season of Changes...

2011-10-22T13:02:00.000-04:00

... that's the title of the current challenge over at the Papertrey Playhouse blog. Victoria is our hostess and has issued the challenge to make a fall (or winter, if you just can't wait any longer) project.
I received my October release order from Papertrey Ink the day this challenge was posted, and you can't imagine the sheer torture not to create a winter (read: Christmas) card. I behaved myself and put together a birthday card for my brother in law, who has a birthday coming up in the next couple of weeks.

Well, now, that's fairly "autumn-y", don't 'ya think? Hopefully the BIL will like it.

Below is a close-up of the beaded leaf "vein". I just thought the leaf needed a little something, but didn't really feel like fighting with the little piece of felt and my sewing machine to add some machine stitching.

What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Ripe Avocado, Kraft
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny- Forever Fall Collection paper pack
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Botanical Silhouettes
Ink: Papertrey Ink- Dark Chocolate
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Leaf Prints
Felt: Papertrey Ink- Simply Chartreuse wool felt
Twine: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream button twine
Copper embellishments: from my stash ???
Other: Bronze Iris seed beads (from Fire Mountain Gems)
That is all from me for now; I have officially kicked off Christmas card-making season, and must get back to it.
I wish you all a beautiful ink filled weekend.
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Layered Mats and Frames

2011-10-19T10:50:00.000-04:00

Hello again, and I hope this Wednesday finds you well.
I'd like to share my project for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge; this week is Layered Mats and Frames. Ahh, now we're talking- a chance to pile on the layers!
I put together a simple Christmas card for this challenge- I think I may be able to mail this one without any extra postage.

My card base is Simply Chartreuse, and I used some of those delightful papers from the Sugar Plum paper pack that was released last year. I cut a Mat Stack 5 die from Pure Poppy, and a Mat Stack 1 die from some of the same patterned paper. Than I cut a Mat Stack 2 die from the center of the Mat Stack 1 die. I cut the circle from Limitless Layers 1 3/4" out of Fine Linen, and placed that in the center of the Mat Stack 1 & 2 frame. The flourishes on either end are from the Mat Stack 2 Collection stamps, and the "peace, love, joy" stamp is from 2009 Holiday Tags. I die cut the smaller snowflake from the Peace Be Still dies, sprinkled on some coarse glitter and topped it with a Simply Chartreuse button that was tied with Pure Poppy baker's twine.

That is all. {grin}

Gotta run now; working on my project for PTI's next blog hop; hope to see you there.

Smooch!

Halloween Mantel

2011-10-14T08:20:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Woo hoo!
I completely forgot to post the pics of our mantel and Halloween banner yesterday, so let's just take care of that:
Note: Just excuse the photos. I could not, for the life of me, get decent shots in the family room, just not enough good lighting...

Tee hee, I just love this witch!. I saw the photo on Pinterest somewhere, and naturally had to track her down. Originally, I wanted a big, dark, creepy mirror for the mantel, but until I find exactly what I'm looking for, these decals are just perfect! Oh, and there is one very FAR away shot of the banner. Difficult to photograph an entire banner at once, don't ya know?

See the candlesticks on the mantel? I found them on a clearance shelf at Lowes, of all places, and they were originally a dark blue. A few coats of paint, and some crackle medium, and you have some old, distressed candlesticks.

Again, I know it's not a great shot, but here you can see some of the layers on the individual banner pennants. I used that fabulous Apothecary Emporium paper from Echo Park. {love}

Lots of layers= a TON of fun!
I used Spellbinders dies for the pennants, PTI's Parisian Lace doily die, and the 1 3/4" Limitless Layers dies, as well as making some medallions.
I painted, distressed, and glittered each letter, and put everything on black tulle with black distressed buttons in between each section.
Thanks for taking a look, and have a wonderful weekend!
Don't forget tonight is Papertrey Ink's release party; I hope to see you there!
Smooch!

A Bit of Fall and Halloween Fun

2011-10-12T10:10:00.005-04:00

Happy Wednesday, or "Hump Day", whichever you prefer {smile}.
I've got a just a quick post to share a few fun things I've been up to; benn decorating the house for Halloween, don't 'ya know...
I've been spending A LOT (read- huge amounts of time) of time on Pinterest lately. There are so many fabulous ideas, and yeah, I've even managed to incorporate a few of them.
Up first, a glimpse of some glittered pumpkins; idea courtesy of a pin on Pinterest. Please excuse the horrendously blurry photo (not sure what happened), but at least you'll be able to get the idea. Get out those Martha Stewart glitters you've been hoarding!

I used Fire Opal, Sterling, and Onyx glitters. I didn't exactly follow the directions from the Pinterest link- what I did was:

I coated a pumpkin with spray adhesive, and then sprinkled on the glitter. After they looked the way I wanted them to, I coated them with some spray fixative. A little note on the glitter- it took almost 3 coats for the silver pumpkin to get good coverage, and 2 coats for the black. Even though it took so much silver glitter, I still only used about half of one of the 1.5 oz bottles. They are quite sparkly, and everyone here loves them, me included.

In the dining room, I just gave the place a bit of an autumn feel.

The centerpiece for the table:

No, I didn't make anything here. I just plopped down some ceramic and foam pumpkins, some autumn foliage and a little wooden bucket, but the colors are just beautiful.

On the sideboard (or buffet, or console or whatever you want to call that piece of furniture in the dining room that holds all that crystal and linen that you never use) hee-

We found these fun little gourds at the farmer's market, and thought they would fit in nicely in the dining room. Aside from the funky shapes and colors of all them, my favorites are the little stacked pumpkins- ain't they sweet?

Moving on to the front entry- This is the area all the little trick-or-treaters are going to see, so we needed to make it a little more fun.

The supremely warty pumpkin was also found at the farmer's market, and I'm just in love with the sparkly skull.

Another item from a pin on Pinterest were these delightful labels. I just printed them out on copy paper, and inked them a bit for some aging.I mod podged the back of the label and just smoothed it onto the bottle. After applying the labels, I added water to the bottles, and a bit of red food coloring, letting it run down the insides of the bottle(s) to up the creepy factor.
Please do click on the photo of the bottles to enlarge it. Harry Potter fans might get a kick out of the labels {wink}.
I'm not sure if you can see all the spiders scampering about, but they were a just a bag of plastic spider rings that I cut the ring part off.
So now you know I've been playing- I'm worse than a little kid at Halloween and Christmas, I tell 'ya, but now I've got to get back to work on the Christmas treat boxes for the kiddos in La Princessa's Kindergarten class.
Hopefully tomorrow I will be back to show you the mantel in the family room; more fun stuff there.
Smooch!

For My Son

2011-10-07T07:42:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday, and a BIG FAT Happy Birthday to La Princessa, who turns 6 today! Wow, I just don't know where all the time is going. {sigh}
I have one more little treat box to share with you today. My son, bless his heart,saw me making the boxes for my his sister's Kindergarten class, and wanted to know where his treat box was. Seriously? Did I mention he's 18? But 'ya know I love him, so I made him a quick little treat box.
Here 'tis:

I think that's the last thing I've got using Halloween Treats & Sweets. It does seem like I've been wearing that one out.
So all I did here was die cut the little box (and I don't think I mentioned before- I LOVE the shape of this one), stamp various sentiments from the same set onto the box with Versamark ink, and then stamp the face with True Black. A button, and some embroidery floss, and there it is.
NOW he wants it filled with candy!!! There is just no pleasing this kid, I'm telling you.
Gotta run, need to make some chicken stock and bake bread today.
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Custom Stamped Washi Tape

2011-10-05T11:25:00.001-04:00

Hey there! Happy Wednesday, and I hope your weather is as glorious as the weather here today. Sigh, just divine.
So, this week's Make It Monday challenge is Custom Stamped Washi Tape. I must confess to not being a huge fan of washi tape, just not my thing, KWIM?
This was a fun challenge, though, and a pretty cool technique. In hindsight, next time I will know that you don't want to use a super juicy stamp pad, and chooose a stamp pattern that is easy to line up.
So here is the funky little card I made. I will be giving this one to La Princessa for Halloween; I think she'll like it.

What's in it: (all PTI product)
Cardstock: Kraft
Stamps: Bitty Background Blocks, Halloween Treats & Sweets
Ink: Orange Zest, True Black
Other: 1/2" Scor-tape
I hope you all have a beautiful rest of the day, AND I hope you get some time to get crafty!
Smooch!

Boo!

2011-10-03T11:05:00.000-04:00

Hi, how are you? Did you have a good weekend? Me too!
Unfortunately, it's Monday again. Let's see if we can liven it up a bit.
Two or three weeks ago (or so), Echo Park had a little mini contest on their Facebook page, to use one of two paper packs, and post your creation on their fan page. One of the packs was Apothecary Emporium, and I honestly don't remember what the other was ('cause that's not the one I used). Here's my little altered frame using Apothecary Emporium papers and Papertrey Ink dies. You didn't really think I would be posting a project that didn't have at least one PTI item in there, did you?

Say hello to my wonderfully wacky hubs, too. He's such a good sport.
Gotta run now; I hope to be able to post a few more Halloween goodies in the upcoming days.
Smooch!

Papertrey Playhouse "Use It" Challenge

2011-09-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

"Happy" Monday to you (ugh, I just really don't like Mondays- it just seems like I can't make up for the ground I lost while slacking during the weekend).
Anywho, I'd like to share my project that I made for Papertrey Playhouse's Use It challenge, to use stamps that you've never used before. Boy, do I have some that fit that bill.
I finished the Halloween treat boxes for my daughter's Kindergarten class, but I still needed to make a couple of boxes for her teachers. I chose to use Background Basics: Chevron Stripes for a funky pumpkin. This set was released in APRIL, and yes, it was one of those "must have" sets, but until now, I had not inked it up. Scandalous.

Here's the little chevron pumpkins, made using the Favor It #6 die, Halloween Treats and Sweets (another set I hadn't used yet), a couple of burlap flowers made using the Beautiful Blooms II #1 dies, terracotta tile buttons, Rustic Cream button twine, Tiny Tags dies, and Tag-Its #7 (also an as yet unused set).
I forgot to fill them before taking the photo (doh!), but they've been filled with some Godiva Gem truffles (each box will hold 4 nicely).
That's all for now; gotta get back to the Monday grind...
Smooch!

Papertrey Ink September Blog Hop

2011-09-25T09:26:00.001-04:00

Hiya, and welcome!
I'm sharing my project for the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop today.
We had an oh so funky inspiration photo to work with this time- have a look.

It took me a few days to figure out what I was going to do; this just isn't my style.
The card I came up with still isn't my typical style, but I am at least, happy with the outcome. Clean and simple, and a tad mod:

What's in it: (everything is from Papertrey Ink, except the dies)
Cardstock: Enchanted Evening, Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold
Stamps: Grunge Me, Mixed Messages
Inks: Hawaiian Shores, True Black
Dies: Spellbinders- Classic Squares (small and large sets were used)
That's it, I'm off to see what everyone else designed this month. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Frosted Images

2011-09-23T10:13:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody!
I hope you're all well, and I'm so excited that is has actually been raining here the last couple of days. Seriously, I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to rain again....
Anywho, I need to make this brief, because I'm really behind on my to-do list. Today's card is for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge. This week is Frosted Images. Honestly, I wasn't too sure about this one, but once I did it, I liked it. Here it is:

I really wanted to see this effect in blue, and I really thought the dandelion-ish image from Botanical Silhouettes would work well for this technique, so there 'ya go. The button is kinda buggin' me; maybe I should have left it off? Might have to fix that...
What's in it: (everything is from PTI, except the embossing folder)
Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Spring Moss, Kraft
Stamps: Botanical Silhouettes
Inks: Fresh Snow, Spring Moss, Enchanted Evening
Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug- Victoria
Baker's twine: Enchanted Evening
Button: Enchanted Evening vintage buttons
That's it for me for now; here's hoping you all have incredible weekends!
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Creating Backgrounds with Non-background Stamps

2011-09-07T11:59:00.001-04:00

Hello fellow papercrafting addicts; hope this Wednesday is finding you well. The weather is unseasonably cool here right now, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I only hope it lasts, because I'm just not a 100 degree weather kind of girl.
I'd like to share my card for this week's Make It Monday challenge for Papertrey Ink on Nichole's blog, which is to create a background with stamps not usually used for backgrounds. Fun Stuff! I do this frequently, because I just love stamped backgrounds.

I am just in love with the Sweet Baby stamps; they're just so darn cute. I'm almost embarassed to admit, however, that this is the first time I've inked up the Tiny Treats: Birthday set. I'd been wanting to combine those sweet little animal images from the Tiny Treats set with the Sweet Baby set since I first laid eyes on the Sweet Baby set, so this seemed like the perfect time to do just that.

What's in it: (everything is from Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Simply Chartreuse, Enchanted Evening
Stamps: Sweet Baby, Tiny Treats: Birthday, Turning a New Leaf, Baby Button Bits (sentiment)
Inks: Simply Chartreuse, Enchanted Evening
Dies: Sweet Baby
Impression Plate: Animal Print
Ribbon: Enchanted Evening Swiss Dot
Twine: Rustic Cream button twine
Button: Enchanted Evening vintage buttons
So what are you waiting for? Grab your stamps, and make a background!
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Colored Pencils

2011-09-04T15:53:00.001-04:00

Hey, Happy Sunday to you all, and Happy Labor Day tomorrow, just in case I don't have a post for tomorrow.
I'd like to share my last minute entry for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge. This week the challenge is Colored Pencils.
I've got a bit of a confession to make on this one. I only had a set of watercolor pencils, and a little set of Crayola colored pencils that I haven't yet given to La Princessa, so I almost didn't participate in this challenge. However, my sweet hubby recently gifted me with a copy of Coloring Techniques for Card Makers, and I just happened to have a 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby, so I went to Hobby Lobby Thursday to check out the colored pencil selection. I left without any; I just wasn't comfortable investing in yet another set of coloring tools, considering how many $$ I've dropped on the Copics that I dearly love.
So, on Friday, that sweet hubby that I was telling you about, took me back to Hobby Lobby. He couldn't understand why I didn't buy any colored pencils when I went there to do just that. So I showed him the various sets of Prismacolor pencils. I picked up the set of 48, and they also had a little tearpad of rebate offers on Prismacolor products, good for $10, so I let him talk me into it.... until...... we walked by a display of easels that had a ginormous box of Prismacolors perched on one of the easels. My hubs? He says, and I quote, "Go big, or go home." Yeah, I walked out with that ginormous set of 120 Prismacolors!!! Yay me, and Yay enabling hubby!
So I got them home and then had to place them in color order, not sure why the manufacturer didn't do that, but anyway. Then I had to sharpen all 120 of them. Did I mention that somehow the power cord for my electric pencil sharpener must have been lost in the move last summer? I sharpened all those bad boys with the little sharpener that came in the set. Not a bad sharpener, mind you, it did a very nice job, but it was VERY time consuming.
All the above is why I'm just now getting a card posted. Oh, and the Prismacolors? Geez Louise, I don't know why I waited so long to get any; they color like a DREAM! Using the odorless mineral spirits and blending stumps, they blend beautifully, and the colors are rich and vibrant. I drew a little pumpkin on some scrap paper to get a feel for the pencils before starting my card, and I just could not believe how rich the colors are. They are every bit as vibrant as Copics, with no bleed through, in case you want to do a single layer card. So if you don't already have some of these, you have GOT to go get some, I'm just sayin.....
Here's the card:

Please do click on the photo to view this larger, I just couldn't be happier with my new pencils. I also tried to take advantage of some natural light for this card, NO PHOTO TENT! I don't remember the last time I took a photo of a card without it.
Thanks for listening to me drone on and on and on..... Ha!
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- White, Blueberry Sky
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny; Fancy Pants Design
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Boy Basics: Out of this World
Inks: Versafine- Onyx Black
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Rocket
Colored Pencils: Prismacolor Premiere {LOVE}
That's it for me (I think I need to go find something else to color!)
Smooch!

Jam Packaging Tutorial

2011-08-26T10:58:00.001-04:00

Okay, I'm back, and just bear with me; I've never posted a tutorial before.
This is the package that I used for my little jar of jam on yesterday's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop, and a couple of people had asked about the template, so I thought I would give this little tutorial a whirl.
Start with an 8" x 11" piece of cardstock, or whichever paper you prefer. Papertrey Ink's cardstock is a wonderful weight, and is sturdy enough for almost all of the packaging I make.
I wanted to get the most out of my sheet of paper, without using more than one sheet.

Score the 11" side of your cardstock at: 2 1/2", 5 1/4", 7 3/4" and 10 1/2". Of course you won't do this on your own project, but I've drawn a line on the score lines so you can see what it should look like.
The second photo is just a close-up of the score line points, for the more "visual" people. ; )

On the 8" side of the cardstock, score each end at 1 3/4". Too easy, right? Just score at 1 3/4", flip the cardstock around (not over, just around, and I'll explain why in a bit), and score again at 1 3/4".

On the 11 inch side, you'll want to clip the 1/2" strip of cardstock to where the points intersect, because this is going to be the flap where the box sides will connect. To reduce bulk, and make a smoother edge, clip the ends slightly at an angle.

Now for the fun part. Remember I told you not to flip your cardstock over when you were scoring the 8 inch side of the paper? That's because (to make it easier and neater) you'll want all your score lines to match. When you use a scoring tool (Scor-Pal, Martha Stewart board, or whatever), you'll notice on one side of your paper is an indention (what I call the "ditch"), and on the other, is a raised line (what I call the "speed bump"). If all your ditches are on the same side of the paper, your finished product will be much nicer.
I've colored in a bit of the "speed bump"- again for the visual people.

For cutting purposes, I like to have my cardstock with the speed bump side up, and clip on EACH side of that speed bump, all the way up to and through the intersecting speed bump. Doing this makes sure that your flaps and folds will always come together neatly.

Also, when cutting the score lines that are going to be your flaps, choose one side of the box to have angled flaps. In this case, since one side of box is 2 1/2", and the other is 2 3/4", I chose the 2 1/2" side to have the angled flaps. This is again, to make sure that everything fits together well, and reduces a bit of bulk at corners. Your angles certainly don't have to be perfect; they will be on the inside of your flap structure. I always just angle my scissors a bit and let it rip, or cut, I guess. Ha!

Up to this point, I have not attempted to fold any of the sides. In what experience I have, I find it much easier to do the preceding steps if everything is still flat.
So now that all my lines have been cut, I'm ready to burnish my edges with a bone folder. Actually, I think it's a plastic folder, do they really make any out of bone anymore? I digress...
Burnishing the edges of all your score lines makes for a nice crisp line on your project. Another thing I'd like to note is the direction of your fold. I believe everyone has their own opinion on this one, but I always do my folds speed bump in. That means the indention made when you scored the paper (the ditch) is to the outside of your project. If that's clear as mud, just look back at the first couple of photos where I used a pen to trace the indention, or the "ditch". you don't see the pen lines in the photo below because they are on what is going to be the outside of my box.

If you want to make the cut out window, you'll want to remember just a couple of things.
The box template is too wide to fit flat on a Cuttlebug. If you have the Grand Calibur, you might not have a problem with the width, but well, you see in the photo below what I'm using. Just fold the flaps over the die before stacking your sandwich, and you're good to go. I know everyone uses a different sandwich, so for those of you that stack your sandwich with your die facing upward, just remember to fold the flaps out of the way of the die.
The other thing is that the outside of the box is facing downward in this instance, so you might want to either use a new B plate (for Cuttlebug users, of course), or place a sheet of copy paper between the cutting plate and the cardstock.

One last thing before I end this incredibly LONG post (bet you'll never ask ME for any more instructions, huh?)- when you attach your sides and flaps together, make sure the adhesive is placed where it will be on the outermost side of the joining point. In this case, you'll see below on the little 1/2" flap that will join your box sides. Just pick up your box for a dry run to see where the points will join. By placing the adhesive, and by the way, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY recommend Scor-tape for packaging projects, it holds better than anything else I've ever tried, and where was I? Yes, by placing the adhesive on the outermost part of the join, you will have a much nicer, neater, more professional looking end result, with no sagging edges.

I hope this was of some help to you. If I left anything out, or you have a question about something, please feel free to send me an email.
I have to go do some laundry now. yay.

Same Tag challenge

2011-08-26T08:51:00.000-04:00

Hello, and Happy Friday (do the Friday dance with me)!
Today I'd like to share my project for the Papertrey Playhouse challenge "The Same Tag".
Recently, Krista (our sweet challenge hostess), sent the group a wonderful little package to use for this challenge. There was a lovely tag, and she was even thoughtful enough to include our favorite color on our respective tags. There was a doily and A LOT of die cut pieces. She told us to use the tag and whatever else we wanted, to see the different things we would each come up with using the same items. How cool is that? Such a great challenge.
So I went with a "more is more" approach to this one, because I wanted to use as many of those pretty die cuts as possible, but I still had three or four pieces left.
I seem to be getting on another packaging kick lately, too, so I designed a box to fit my tag and all it's yummy layers. I'm thinking a nice floral silk scarf would be a great thing to put in here (which means I get do more shopping- tee hee!)
Let me stop jabbering now, and show you what I came up with.

All of the pieces you see on here were in my happy envelope. There was also a sweet little card from Krista (she's such a doll!)

I stamped bits of Mehndi Medallion on diagonal corners of the tag, and on the bottom Larger Than Life diecut. I also stamped on the Mat Stack 3 diecut with one of the images from the coordinating stamp set. A teensy sentiment from Mixed Messages, and a bit of inking around the edges of everything to help with cohesiveness (is that a word?), and it was ready to be placed on my box.

Here's a bit of a close up for you.
In case anyone is interested, the box dimensions are 5" x 6 3/4" x 2" (it takes 2 sheets of 81/2 x 11 cardstock to do this).
Along those lines, and yeah, you had to read through this entire post to find this out- I had a couple of requests for the template I used for my Blog Hop project from yesterday. It wasn't a template, it was just another little box I designed, but if I get the chance today, I will put together the info for those of you that want to make your own little jam box.
You're probably exhausted after all this, so I will leave you alone now. Continue on with the rest of your day.
I hope you all have a most fabulous weekend; we will be waiting to see if the hurricane sends us any storms (we're in SC, but about 3 hours inland).
Smooch!

Papertrey Ink August Blog Hop

2011-08-25T09:47:00.001-04:00

Yes, can you believe it? It's already time for another PTI Blog Hop!
We have another beautiful photo for inspiration this month, and I just love it!

Look at all the gorgeous inspiration!
Okay, so I know you have oodles of blogs to visit, so I'll keep this brief.
The picnic theme really called out to me, and I had recently made several jars of fig jam (we picked the figs ourselves at a not-so-nearby organic farm), and needed a small thank you gift for someone, so all these things just kind of fell into place together, and here is my project:

No, the window isn't black, that's just the way the photo turned out. I actually used a piece of the acryclic sheet the PTI stamps come on to make my translucent window.

Is the newest Bloom Builder die set just "to die for" or what? I am COMPLETELY smitten with the flowers it produces. As a side note, I only used the two smallest sizes for this bloom, and cut three of each.

And of course, the homemade fig jam; so yummy if I do say so myself!
What's in it: (everything is from Papertrey Ink, except the itty bitty clothespin, and the oval dies)
Cardstock: Rustic White, Kraft, Raspberry Fizz, New Leaf
Stamps: Vintage Picnic, Polka Dot Basics, Turning a New Leaf
Inks: Versamark, Aqua Mist, Vintage Cream, Raspberry Fizz, New Leaf
Dies: Spellbinders- Classic and Scalloped Ovals; Picket Fence, Turning a New Leaf, Bloom Builders 3
Ribbon: Raspberry Fizz satin ribbon
Button: Fine Linen vintage button
Twine: Rustic Cream button twine
That's it! Thanks for stopping by, and I'm headed off to see what bits of loveliness everyone else came up with this month.
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Freestyle Copic Coloring

2011-08-24T15:18:00.000-04:00

Hiya everybody!
I just returned from picking La Princessa up from school; she's loving it so far- such a relief!
Today I want to share with you my project for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge.This week is Freestyle Copic Coloring. This ended up being more difficult for me than I had imagined...., but here it is:

What's in it: (Everything is from Papertrey Ink, except the Copics)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Orange Zest
Stamps: Tiny Tags, Sweet Baby
Inks: Versamark, Dark Chocolate
Dies: Sweet Baby, Tiny Tags, Heart Prints
Impression Plate: Animal Prints
Twine: Dark Chocolate baker's twine
That's it for now; see ya back here tomorrow for the PTI Blog Hop!
Smooch!

Autumn Birthday

2011-08-17T10:49:00.002-04:00

Hello, and Happy Wednesday!
It's very quiet in the house now, because La Princessa started school today!!! She was so excited, and barely gave her daddy and I a second glance as she burst into her classroom to get settled in.
So Mommy has a "to-do" list nine miles long, and it's time to start whittling away at it.
First up, this card is for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge to place a glitter strip around your die cut(s). Also, it is for the Papertrey Playhouse challenge to make a Fall or Halloween themed project.
Here's my fall themed birthday card with a stamped background and a bit of glitter around two of my die cuts.

What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Kraft, Rustic White, Dark Chocolate
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Leaf Prints, Polka Dot Basics, Text Boxed, Masculine Motifs (sentiment)
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Summer Sunrise, Terracotta Tile, Scarlet Jewel, Orange Zest, Dark Chocolate
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Leaf Prints, Sending You, Leafy Vine border
Twine: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream button twine
Glitter: Martha Stewart- Fire Opal, Brownstone
That's it for now; gotta see how much I can get done before time to pick La Princessa up from school.
Smooch!

Holiday Wishes

2011-07-31T08:00:00.002-04:00

Hello and Happy Sunday to you!
I'm back with my final post as the July guest designer at the Christmas Card Challenges blog; I hate that it's over, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to do this.
This challenge was a sketch challenge, and here is my card:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream, Kraft, Simply Chartreuse, Scarlet Jewel
Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- 2008 Holiday Tags, A Little Argyle
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Simply Chartreuse, True Black; Versamark
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Limitless Layers
Impression plate: Papertrey Ink- Tin Types
Border punch: Martha Stewart
Other: Ranger Glossy Accents

That's all for me today. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Smooch!

Christmas in July

2011-07-30T13:18:00.000-04:00

Hi! I hope you're all having a great weekend. It is BLAZING hot here, so I decided to take that opportunity to finish my project for the Christmas in July challenge at Papertrey Playhouse. If you've got a few moments to spare, head over and check out the details; we'd love to have you play along with us.
My sweet little La Princessa will start kindergarten in just a couple of weeks, so I thought I would get started on the treat boxes for her class Christmas party (if they still have those). I don't know yet how many children will be in her class, but I thought I could at least get started, and make a few here and there, so that I won't be so stressed out as the holidays get closer.
I kept my design relatively simple; you and know the little kiddos don't care so much about the boxes as they do about the treats that are inside.
I've got to tell you though, these ended up taking A LOT longer to put together than I planned, because when I stamped the adorable little images for my background(s); I couldn't help it, I just HAD to color them. So the background you see on the fronts of the boxes are also repeated on the back.
On to the treat boxes (still empty for now, of course):

So there's what I've completed so far; I hope you like them, and don't forget the Papertrey Playhouse challenge.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Spring Rain, Pure Poppy
Stamps: Tiny Treats: Christmas, Trees with Trimmings, Tiny Tags, Mixed Messages, 2010 Holiday Tags, Holiday Button Bits, Polka Dot Basics
Inks: Spring Rain, New Leaf, Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, True Black, Spring Moss
Dies: Favor It Box 2, Limitless Layers 1 3/4", Tiny Tags
Baker's Twine: New Leaf, Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate
Markers: Copic
Other: glitter- Martha Stewart; Liquid Applique; Stickles- Golden Rod
Have a great weekend; I'll be back tomorrow with my final card as July guest designer at the Christmas Card Challenges blog.
Smooch!

Brush the Cobwebs from Your Embellishment Drawer

2011-07-26T13:59:00.000-04:00

...that's the current challenge at Papertrey Playhouse (which I might add, ends today, so you need to hurry if you want to play along).
Better late than never, right? I had completely forgotten about the challenge, but there was certainly no shortage of items in my embellishment drawers to fit this challenge.
I've had this set of K & Company embellies for several years now, and the fibers used at the tops of the tags are probably a good decade old.
There were four large flower images left in the K & Company set, and four tags in Papertrey Ink's Tag Sale series, so I figured it was kismet and went with it.

So there they are, just a simple little hodgepodge tag set; something I'll be happy I have on hand the next time I need a tag for a gift.
I must also give a big thanks for Dana (the host of the challenge). Without her, these little embellies would probably still be gathering dust in the drawer.
Thanks, Dana!!! {giggle}
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream
Patterned paper: Papertrey Ink- Distressed Dots, Pacific Vineyards, Postmarks
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Delightful Doilies
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Simply Chartreuse, Smokey Shadow
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Sending You, Button Card Collection, Limitless Layers, Tag Sale #1, Tag Sale #2, Tag Sale #3, Tag Sale #4
Markers: Copic
Flowers and sentiments: K & Company- Addison collection
Fibers: unknown
Thanks for taking the time to have a look; why not take a bit more time and head over to Papertrey Playhouse with your entry?
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Coloring with White Ink

2011-07-26T09:42:00.000-04:00

Hiya, ladies (and gents, too!), I hope you are all well and happy today.
I finally got off my duff to play along with another Make It Monday challenge; it feels like it's been years since I've done one of these.
This week, the challenge is coloring with white ink, white pigment ink in particular, I do believe.
I've done this before with the stunning Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley set from Papertrey Ink, so I wanted to try a different stamp this time. I have such a fondness for the Year of Flowers series, I decided to utilize this technique on the Roses set this time. White roses sounded very much like a wedding card to me, so I created this simple "rustic elegance" (is that an oxymoron?) card to keep in my stash. It's neutral enough that it shouldn't clash with anyone's choice of wedding color, so here it is for your viewing pleasure and critique- tee hee!

If you look closely, or even enlarge the photo, you can see the sheet music impressed area on the far right side of the Kraft panel; it's subtle, but shows up well enough in real life.
As a side note, I colored the rose petals individually with a cotton swab, although after watching Heather's video, I'm going to have to find some of those teeny sponge sticks, as they look as though they would do a better job.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Kraft
Stamps: Year of Flowers: Roses
Inks: Fresh Snow, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate, Smokey Shadow
Impression Plate: Sheet Music
Ribbon: 1/4" white silk
Pearls: Hero Arts (colored with an E51 Copic marker)
Other: corner rounder punch from EK Success
That's it for now; have a fab day (and I really mean that!)!!!
Smooch!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 10

2011-07-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

I'm back with one last challenge for Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-faire that was held this past weekend in Cincinnati.
From the photos and stories, everyone had an amazing time; I'm just sorry I wasn't able to attend (maybe next time- you reading this, honey?)
This final challenge was to add a stamped focal point over a stamped background. Nichole's sample card was so lovely, I knew I wanted to do something using flowers and leaves as well as something I could easily pop in the mailbox without extra postage.
Here is my take on this challenge:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Simply Chartreuse
Stamps: Background Basics: Text Style, Turning a New Leaf, Beautiful Blooms II, Beautiful Blooms (sentiment)
Inks: Memento- Desert Sand; Papertrey Ink- Spring Moss, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate
Impression Plate: Vineyard
Button: Spring Moss
Twine: Dark Chocolate baker's twine

I am happy to say I managed to complete all 10 of the Stamp-a-faire challenges, and I think I shall take a break now. Tee hee!

Papertrey Ink July Blog Hop

2011-07-25T10:01:00.000-04:00

Well, it's the beginning of another week, and it's also time for the monthly Papertrey Ink's monthly blog hop!

We had a lovely inspiration photo this week, and there were so many inspiring elements to choose from, it took me quite a while to narrow down my choices. I decided to play with the colors and textures and a bit of the patterns from the photo. The colors were just so beautiful.

Meh, enough of the talking, you have tons more blogs to visit. Here's the card:

What's in it: (all supplies are from Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Kraft, Hawaiian Shores, Spring Moss, Orange Zest, Vellum
Stamps: In Bloom, Distressed Stripes (on the Hawaiian Shores panel), Delightful Doilies, Postmarks (on the Orange Zest panel), Bird Watching (on the Orange Zest panel), Everyday Button Bits (sentiment)
Inks: Fresh Snow, Spring Moss, Hawaiian Shores, True Black
Dies: Doily Details
Impression Plate: In Bloom
Twine: Rustic Cream button twine

Well, thanks for looking; have fun at the hop. I've got to go check on my rising bread dough, and then I'm off to see what everyone else came up with!
Smooch!

Christmas Card Challenges- Plaid

2011-07-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello again, everyone, and happy Sunday to you- I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!
I'm back today as guest designer over at the Christmas Card Challenges blog. This week the challenge is plaid. Hmmm.
My first thought was the traditional green and red Christmas plaid, so I started going through my stash of patterned paper. When I stumbled upon this little gem, the traditional color scheme flew right out the window.
Here it is, I hope you like:

I love this color!!!
I hope you get the chance to play along with the challenge this week. Making my Christmas cards slowly throughout the year certainly does lower my stress level when Christmas card season approaches!
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Aqua Mist
Patterned paper- daisy d's
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Trees with Trimmings, Big and Bold Holiday Wishes
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Aqua Mist, Smokey Shadow, Chamomile tea dye
Dies: Spellbinders- Labels Fourteen
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink- White silk, 1/4"
Rhinestones: unknown (pulled them from my stash; packaging had been removed)
I hope to see you again soon; enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Smooch!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 9

2011-07-23T23:14:00.000-04:00

Challenge 9 is to look at your stamps in a new way, turn them, rotate them at new angles and see if you can come up with anything unique.
I don't know how unique mine is, but I turned one of the scroll images from Mat Stack 2 Collection every which way to create my background, and I do believe this is my favorite card of today!

What's in it:
Cardstock: Kraft
Stamps: Mat Stack 2 Collection, Postmarks
Inks: Smokey Shadow
Other: pinking shears

Whew! I made it! Now I just need to link all of these up to their respective challenges, and I can call it a day. I'm exhausted, but it's been quite fun and very productive.
See you tomorrow!
Smooch!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 8

2011-07-23T23:09:00.000-04:00

Challenge 8 is to create a card with a shortened front cover, to allow you to place something decorative on the resulting "lip".

What's in it:
Cardstock: Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Kraft, Vintage Cream
Stamps: Background Basics: Sheet Music, Cupcake Collection
Inks: Fresh Snow,Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Dark Chocolate, Smokey Shadow
Dies: Cupcakes, Sending You
Impression Plate: Bookprint
Ribbon: Lavender Moon grograin
Other: Diamond Stickles
We're almost there, only one more to go!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 7

2011-07-23T23:04:00.000-04:00

Challenge 7 is to find a way to layer 2 or more sets in a creative way. I remember some months back, someone at the PTI Blog Hop added an image from Vintage Picnic on the teapot from Tea for Two. That's been in the back of my mind ever since, because I just thought it was such a wonderful idea.
I layered one of the teensy floral images from Postmarks on the teacup from Tea for Two additions for this one:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Rustic White, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores
Stamps: Tea for Two Additions, Tea for Two (sentiment), Background Basics: Text Style, Postmarks, Tiny Tags
Inks: Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Smokey Shadow
Dies: Teacup, Tiny Tags, Button Card Collection, Delightful Doilies
Impression Plate: Bookprint
Ribbon: Hawaiian Shores saddle stitch
Seriously, my hands really are starting to cramp; I'm glad I'm almost done!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 6

2011-07-23T22:56:00.000-04:00

Challenge 6 is to punch a notch somewhere on your card to wrap ribbon or twine (or whatever) around:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Fine Linen
Patterned paper: Pacific Vineyard
Stamps: Year of Flowers: Carnation
Inks: True Black, Dark Chocolate
Impression Plate: In Bloom
Twine: Rustic Cream button twine
Circle punch: EK Success (1/2")
Back in a bit, starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 5

2011-07-23T22:52:00.000-04:00

Challenge 5 is to create a custom "faux" border with your stamps.
I've ordered the delightful Background Basics: Vines (just ordered it this morning), but in the meantime, I wanted to see if I could come up with something similar on my own.
Taking a stripe image from Distressed Stripes and the smaller solid leaf image from Beautiful Blooms, I did make my own "vine" border. Yeah, I'm thinking I'll like the real vine stamp much better.

What's in it:
Cardstock: Harvest Gold, Simply Chartreuse
Stamps: Distressed Stripes, Beautiful Blooms, Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley (sentiment)
Inks: Spring Moss, Smokey Shadow
Dies: Turning a New Leaf, Beautiful Blooms II #3
Buttons: Ripe Avocado
Twine: Rustic Cream button twine
Other: burlap
Fingers.getting.tired.must.hurry. {tired giggle}

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 4

2011-07-23T22:44:00.000-04:00

Challenge 4 is the color combo of Simply Chartreuse, Ripe Avocado, Hawaiian Shores, and Enchanted Evening:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Rustic White, Ripe Avocado, Enchanted Evening
Stamps: Boy Basics: Frog Hop, Polka Dot Basics
Inks: Versafine- Onyx Black; Staz-On- Jet Black; Papertrey Ink- Hawaiian Shores
Dies: Spellbinders- Scalloped Square; Papertrey Ink- Frog Hop
Felt: Simply Chartreuse, Hawaiian Shores
Button: Enchanted Evening
Ribbon: Enchanted Evening Swiss Dot
Yes, I have more, and will be back in a bit with them!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 3

2011-07-23T22:39:00.000-04:00

Challenge 3 is to make a window card with material tied from the window around the side of the card:

What's in it: (you know it's all Papertrey Ink, so I'm going to stop saying it) : )
Cardstock: Rustic White, Kraft
Stamps: Round and Round (2009 anniversary set), Tiny Tags, Love Lives Here, Background Basics: Tin Types
Inks: Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss, Spring Rain, Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate
Dies: Tiny Tags, Mat Stack 1, Love Lives Here
Buttons: Lemon Tart
Twine: Pure Poppy baker's twine
More to follow, bear with me! Hee Hee!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 2

2011-07-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

Challenge #2 is the color combo of Raspberry Fizz and Smokey Shadow.

What's in it: (all supplies are from Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted)

Cardstock: Raspberry Fizz, Smokey Shadow, Kraft

Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Think Big Favorites #1

Inks: Versamark, Smokey Shadow

Dies: Dress Form, Doily Details, Edgers #1

Felt: Raspberry Fizz

Ribbon: True Black

Pearls: K & Company

Rhinestones: (from my stash- unknown source)

Sit tight, there's more!

PTI Stamp-a-faire Challenge 1

2011-07-23T22:26:00.000-04:00

Hold on to your hats, I'm about to post 9, count 'em 9 cards!
Given that I have so many to post, I'll keep the chat to a bare minimum and just show you the cards.
Today is Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-faire in Cincinnati. I, alas, did not get to attend. While I was still deliberating, they SOLD OUT of tickets! Wow! Challenges will be issued each hour, and will see how well I keep up.
The first challenge is patterned strips.

What's in it: (all products are from Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted)

Cardstock: Kraft, Orange Zest, White, Rustic Cream, Simply Chartreuse

Stamps: Think Big Favorites 3, Background Basics: Botanicals, Bitty Background Blocks

Inks: Versamark, Hawaiian Shores, Smokey Shadow

Dies: Turning a New Leaf, Doily Details, Button Card Collection, Beautiful Blooms II #3

Impression Plate: Woodgrain

Button: Hawaiian Shores

Pearl (shank button from my stash with the shank clipped off)

Back in a few!

Christmas Card Challenge- Faith

2011-07-17T08:00:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!
I'm back today with my third project as this month's guest designer on the Christmas Card Challenges blog.
I do hope you're able to find the time to play along with this challenge; got to have some Christmas cards for your stash, right?
So, the theme this week is Faith, and here is my card:

Since I wanted my embossed sentiment take center stage, I went with a very simple design, accented with a few special touches.
For the twinkling background, I ran my stamped panel through my Cuttlebug with Papertrey Ink's Tin Types Impression Plate, and then added Diamond Stickles to each of the circular impressions.
Also, I really wanted to wind some gold cord around my Kraft panel to brighten things up a bit, but I didn't have any. Naturally, I did what any of us crafty types would do, I made my own.
I dipped some embroidery floss in liquid gold leaf, and allowed it to dry overnight before using.
So, that's it for me today; again, I do hope you'll come join the challenge.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Kraft, Scarlet Jewel
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Snowflake Serenade, Fancy Flourishes, Background Basics: Christmas
Ink: Versamark; Papertrey Ink- Fresh Snow
Embossing powder: Filagree- White
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Peace Be Still
Felt: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream
Glitter: Stickles- Diamond
Enjoy what's left of the weekend; see you again soon.
Smooch!

Christmas Card Challenge- Paper Piecing

2011-07-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

Hello, everyone! I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend.
I'm back today to share my next guest designer project for the Christmas Card Challenge blog.
This week's challenge is Paper Piecing, and I decided on a very simple style, using non-traditional colors for this one.

I paper pieced the sweet little alphabet and stocking with some fun polka dot paper. Who doesn't love dots, right? I also added a "furry" little top to the stocking with some liquid applique. A little dry embossing, some rub-on stitching, and that's about it, just a fun little something.
Now, if you have a few moments, why not head over to the Christmas Card Challenge blog and have a look around? We'd love it if you join in on the challenge!

What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Kraft, Spring Moss, Hibiscus Burst
Patterned paper: Papertrey Ink- Bitty Dots
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Outline Alphabet, Stocking Prints
Ink: Papertrey Ink- Fresh Snow, Smokey Shadow
Embossing folder: Cuttlebug
Brads: Making Memories
Rub-ons: Doodlebug
I hope to chat with you again soon; enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Smooch!

Christmas Card Challenge- 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

2011-07-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

Well, hello there, long time no see. I decided to take a {long} card making vacation, but I'm back with a bit of news that's quite exciting for me.
I've been asked to be the guest designer this month on the Christmas Card Challenges blog. Honestly, at first I thought Steph sent the email to the wrong person, but she assured me that she intended it for me, so here I am!- giggle!
This week the challenge is to make a card with your interpretation of " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas". I chose a few lovely little tidbits and just had some fun with it. Here's my card:

I hope you're able to join in on this week's challenge. Head over to the Christmas Card Challenges blog for all the details.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Stamper's Select White, Pinefeather
Patterned paper: daisy d's; Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- 2008 Holiday Tags Collection, Background Basics: Christmas, Polka Dot Basics
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Fresh Snow, True Black
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Limitless Layers 1 3/4", Peace Be Still Collection
Felt: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream
Button: Papertrey Ink- Pure Poppy vintage buttons
Baker's Twine: Papertrey Ink- Pure Poppy
Glitter: Martha Stewart
That's it for me today; hope to see you again soon.
Smooch!

PTI April Blog Hop

2011-04-25T09:39:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo! This should brighten your Monday; it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly Blog Hop!
This month is all about the guys. As luck would have it, I needed to make a card for my son, as he is graduating from high school next month. Jeez, where does the time go?
So here is my total grunge fest of a card (please feel free to click on the images to view the grungy goodness up close):

I used My Hero My Dad, Grunge Me, Boy Basics: Rock On, and Boy Basics: Simple Circles, threw in some tattered stitching and distressed edges and there 'ya have it!
I hope you've enjoyed my project, and I can't wait to see what everyone else has come up with (just as soon as I get back from the grocery store).
What's in it: (all supplies are Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, Kraft
Stamps: My Hero My Dad, Grunge Me,Boy Basics: Rock On, Boy Basics: Simple Circles
Inks: Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate, Smokey Shadow
Dies: Seeing Stars, Rock On, Simple Circles Border
Hopefully, I will have another post tomorrow (those graduation announcements are FINALLY finished!)
Smooch!

Happy Birthday, Ted!

2011-04-11T15:37:00.000-04:00

Ugh, Monday again, let's make the best of it with a little celebration of sorts.
This card is for the Happily Ever Challenged challenge, bless Ted's heart, he does come up with the most interesting challenges. It has to be for a birthday, mainly purple and green, and have four of something on it.
Here 'tis:

There 'ya have it; that's mostly purple and green, right? I just couldn't resist that delicious doily. My "four of something" are gold clay roses that I made. The edges of just about everything are inked to give this a more vintage feel.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream, Simply Chartreuse, Royal Velvet
Stamps: Background Basics: Sheet Music, Turning a New Leaf, Delightful Dahlia
Inks: Versamark, Versafine- Onyx Black; Papertrey Ink- Dark Chocolate
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Limitless Layers 1.75", Turning a New Leaf, Parisian Lace Doily
Impression Plate: Papertrey Ink- Canvas/ Linen (Linen side used on the leaves)
Clay: Premo- Gold
I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day, I've got to get back to work on those graduation announcements (yes, I AM working on them)- Ha ha!
Smooch!

Joy

2011-04-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

Good morning to you! I hope the weather wherever you are is as beautiful as it is here today!
I thought I'd share my card with you this morning before I head outside to work in the yard.
This card is for the Christmas Card Challenges, to have stitching on your project.
So here's my card, with a bit of stitching:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream, Scarlet Jewel
Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye; Basic Grey
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Stocking Prints, Outline Alphabet
Inks: Versamark; Papertrey Ink- Dark Chocolate
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Stocking
Impression plate: Papertrey Ink- Woodgrain
Other: Goldenrod Stickles
That's it for now; there are peonies, lilies, and dianthus calling my name. I do SO love the smell of lilies!
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Heat Embossing

2011-04-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

Hello again, I'm sharing my card for the newest Papertrey Ink Make It Monday challenge with you today. Odd that it always seems to take me until Wednesday to get the Make It Monday project completed....
Moving on, this challenge is all about heat embossing (LOVE IT), so here's my card:

So I was thinking that copper embossing on Dark Chocolate would look just delicious- what do you think?
I made the ruffle around the Mat Stack 1 die by machine basting the Dark Chocolate grograin ribbon, and then gathering until it looked the way I wanted it. I did the flower by folding the same ribbon in half lengthwise and then basting and gathering it.
The coppery corsage pins were made by pressing and rolling the tips around on a really juicy Versamark pad, and then dipping them into the copper embossing powder and heating as usual.
Also, it might be a little difficult to see in the photo, but the frame around the Mat Stack die is also embossed.
Thanks for taking the time to have a look; see 'ya later!
Smooch!

Papertrey Playhouse What's Old is New Challenge

2011-04-05T12:22:00.000-04:00

Good early afternoon and Happy Tuesday to all of you out there in blogland!
I'm back inside today after the monster storm that ripped through last night, creating chilly temps here again today. At least it was glorious yesterday, and I was able to do some more work on the landscaping.
Today, I'm sharing my little project for the current challenge at the Papertrey Playhouse blog. Deb challenged us to create something with a stamp set that hasn't seen enough love recently, and I've got more than a few that fit the bill.
I haven't been able to play with my Button Boutique set nearly as much as I would like, and it has been AGES since I've inked up Little Lady, and quite a while since I've inked up Tea for Two and Tea for Two Additions.
I decided I wanted a ladybug button theme for my button cards, and created some chipboard backed diecut buttons using...... well, just have a look and you can see what I did:

Yes, I was having fun, why do you ask? Lol! I stitched each of the buttons on the cards with black embroidery floss, gently tying the floss on the backside of the card in case the buttons need to be removed at a later date (when I decide what I want to use these for)
So now that Little Lady, Tea for Two, Tea for Two Additions, and Button Boutique have seen some love, I've got to get back to work.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Little Lady, Tea for Two, Tea for Two Additions, Bitty Background Blocks, Button Boutique
Inks: Versafine- Onyx Black; Papertrey Ink- Lemon Tart, Pure Poppy
Markers: Copic
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Button Card, Buttoned Up #1, Buttoned Up #2, Tea for Two Collection, Teacup
I hope you have a glorious rest of the day- Stay warm, stay happy!
Smooch!

A Joyous Christmas

2011-04-01T09:24:00.000-04:00

Well, Happy April Fool's Day!
Do any of you have big plans for pranks today? I think this year, I'll just try to stay out of trouble.
I've got a card to share with you this morning; it's for the Christmas Card Challenges blog.
This week the challenge is NO STAMPING! What? This was definitely a challenge for me, as every idea I was coming up with involved stamps. I do make cards on occasion that don't have stamps, but I'm pretty sure this is my first Christmas card with no stamps.
So, anyway, a Google image search for "vintage Christmas", and I found this (and a several other) beautiful image to use on my card.

I love this Santa, is he cool, or what?
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Fine Linen, Ripe Avocado, Pinefeather
Patterned paper: K & Company- Life's Journey
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Button card
Punch: Martha Stewart
Marker: Copic (to color seam binding ribbon)
Glitter: Twinklets- Diamond Dust
Other: Seam binding, brass bells, burnt umber acrylic paint (to reduce the shine on the bells)
Well, I hope you all have a fantastic (and fun) day today- I hope to see you again soon.
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Ink Blending Techniques

2011-03-29T13:06:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody!
I've got my project for the most recent Make It Monday challenge at Papertrey Ink to share with you today.
This week is ink blending- SO much fun! I frequently blend inks to add dimension to panels and what not, but I'd never created an entire background like today's card. As I was thumbing through my stamp catalog and saw the sailboat image from Masculine Motifs, I knew exactly what I wanted to attempt, and here {he} is:

So I Googled images of sailboats at sunset, and attempted to recreate the look.
Hope you likey; I've got to get back to work now.
What's in it: (everything is from PTI)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Kraft
Stamps: Masculine Motifs
Inks: (hold on to your hats here)- Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Terracotta Tile, Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Ocean Tides, Enchanted Evening, Smokey Shadow, True Black, Dark Chocolate (used on the Kraft panel)
Impression Plate: Canvas/ Linen (canvas side used)
Rustic Cream Button Twine
Clear Embossing Powder
Later 'gators!
Smooch!

Easter Wishes

2011-03-28T15:09:00.000-04:00

Another Monday has rolled around, and I'm afraid today's weather is no better than the last couple of days. All this inside time has allowed me to get a few crafty things accomplished, though, so it's not a total loss.
Today I'd like to share my card for the Papertrey Pals challenge. Rebecca challenged us to an Easter theme.
I confess, I don't do much for Easter in the way of decorating or card making, but I did create a playful little card to give to La Princessa for Easter.

Yeah, I know, my eggs are not proportionate to my tree. That's because this is a jumbo Easter Egg tree. Ha Ha!
Thanks for looking, and if you have the chance, create an Easter project and link it up on the Papertrey Pals blog.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Simply Chartreuse
Patterned Papers: My Mind's Eye; Papertrey Ink- Bitty Dots in Spring Moss, Simply Chartreuse and Ripe Avocado, Bitty Box in Dark Chocolate
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Through the Trees; Hero Arts- Sending Happy Thoughts (eggs and bunny); Our Craft Lounge- Pea-nut Bunny (sentiment)
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, True Black
Markers: Copic
See 'ya again soon, hopefully!
Smooch!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop- Embroidery Floss!

2011-03-25T08:35:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FRIDAY, and it's Blog Hop time too! It doesn't get much better!
So, for this hop, the challenge was to use your embroidery floss in a creative way. I don't know about the creative part, I went for the classic use of embroidery floss here, to embroider.

I used three strands of Ecru floss for my embroidering. Across the top and bottom of the card, I used a classic backstitch. For a flowers, a basic running stitch was used to give the little ladies a bit more texture.
I made the felt flowers using Papertrey Ink's Large and Medium Scalloped Border dies. A one inch wide strip was all I used, and for the length, you only need five petals for the flower, so I was able to cut both medium flowers at once. Baste the straight edge of the felt, and then gather it together, it crinkles and curves beautifully on it's own. Once you have the petals arranged the way you want, just tack the two ends together in the center with a few small stitches. Very easy to do, and I just love the way they look.
What's in it:
Cardstock: PTI- Rustic White
Patterned paper: PTI- Distressed Dots, Pacific Vineyard
Stamps: PTI: Mixed Messages, Bitty Background Blocks (LOVE that set)
Inks: PTI- Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate
Dies: PTI- Large Scalloped Border, Medium Scalloped Border, Tag Sale #3, Button Card Collection
Die Cut: K & Company- Flora and Fauna
Pearls: Basic Grey
Embroidery Floss: DMC- Ecru
Other: Pinking shears; patterned paper swirl was cut from negative space of Bo Bunny chipboard swirls
I hope you all have a fabulous time at the Hop, and have a great weekend!
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Coloring on Colored Cardstock

2011-03-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday to you all, and can someone please tell me where my warm weather has gone? It's so beautiful the last few days; I've been spending tons of time tending to my landscaping. Today? Not so good- downright chilly even {sigh}.
Well, if I can't have the beautiful warm stuff outside, perhaps I can make do with a cheery little something, a bit on the tropical side.
This week's challenge at Papertrey Ink, which you may have guessed from my post title, is to color on colored cardstock, and I certainly had a lot of fun with this one!
Here 'tis!

I stamped flowers from Flower Garden in Fresh Snow ink onto my Sweet Blush cardstock, and then colored the centers with coordinating Copics, feathering the color outward. I didn't want to completely fill the petals with color, and I'm quite satisfied with the way these turned out. I outlined the flower images with a contrasting Copic color to make them pop a bit, and then added in a few dots with some Berry Sorbet ink and a white paint pen.
It felt very tropical to me, so I thought I'd give my card a little grass skirt of sorts, which I made by carefully wrapping embroidery floss (almost an entire skein was used) around a strip of cardstock around 1 1/4 inches wide. A couple of strips of Scor-Tape running down the center of the cardstock strip helped hold everything in place. After snipping across the ends of the floss, I trimmed the cardstock underneath so only the floss would show. Another cardstock strip (Sweet Blush) about 3/4 inch wide was stamped in Fresh Snow ink with the polka dot square from Bitty Background Blocks, and placed over the top of the fringe-y area. That was topped with a stamped image (and sentiment) from Mat Stack 4 Collection (stamped on Sweet Blush cardstock with Berry Sorbet ink). I added a little tail from some trimmed away fringe, and....it's done.
Now all I need is a Pina Colada- lol!
Enjoy the rest of your day; I hope it's warm wherever you are.
Don't forget Papertrey Ink's Blog Hop is tomorrow!!!!!
Smooch!

Wishing You Luck

2011-03-22T10:15:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, St. Patrick's Day is long gone, but I still needed to make my card for Ted's challenge at Happily Ever Crafter.
You were to make a card in honor of St. Patrick's Day, incorporating the colors of Ireland's flag, green, orange and white, AND incorporating a shamrock.
I fudged a little on the challenge, 'cause I'm a dork, and the idea that I had for the card wouldn't work if I completely followed the rules, so I may be disqualified (poo). I just had to do this little tongue in cheek approach, though, so if nothing else, maybe it will give you a little giggle.

I made a teeny card, measuring 3 3/4" square, so a not to overpower my tiny elements.
Please feel free to click on the image to get a better look.
So, I had no leprechaun stamp, no pot of gold stamp, no shamrock stamp. Can't let that get in the way, though, right?
The shamrock was easy enough. I just used one of the smallest hearts from Simple Valentine; it was the perfect size for what I wanted. The stem is a bit of a flower stamen of the Wishing You set. The Wishing You set was also used for the sentiment. The rainbow and the cloud are from Up, Up and Away. The grass is from Love Lives Here.
For the pot of gold, I used the witch's cauldron from Tiny Treats: Halloween, colored it and cut it out, cutting away the swirls and stars, and added the gold coins with the gold pen that is available at Papertrey Ink.
My leprechaun (remember, tongue in cheek, here) is the Santa from Tiny Treats: Christmas, that I colored and cut out, and added some Diamond Stickles to the top of his hat.
There it is, a wee bit of fun.
I'm headed back out to my flower beds now, which seems to be where I'm spending the majority of my time these days, and gosh, I'm loving this gorgeous weather.
See ya later!
Smooch!

Make it Monday- Impression Plate Tricks #1

2011-03-17T09:40:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you that celebrate.
Yes, I'm aware that it's Thursday, not Monday- Ha! I'm still playing catch up from sweet hubby being on vacation last week. Let me tell you, that was NOT a relaxing vacation, we spent the entire week working in, on, and around the house.
I did however, get a bright happy kitchen out of it. Some of you may remember I wanted to paint my kitchen Aqua Mist. Yep, we did it. Took my cardstock swatch to Lowe's and walked out with a luscious color called Tahiti Blue that is a "perfect" match. My cabinets and counters are white, in case you're wondering why on earth I would paint the walls this color. When it's complete, I hope to have a beach house/ coastal kind of feel to the room, and we're well on our way. Even my husband likes the color. We also replaced all the cabinet knobs with some fresh brushed nickel beauties (there were shiny gold ones there- EWW!), and put down one awesome huge round jute rug in the center of the floor. That will hold me until we actually replace the flooring, which is also white. Not sure what was running through the contractor's mind with an all white kitchen, but anywho. I'm currently shopping for more contemporary lighting, and perhaps when it's all said and done, I'll post some pics.
On to the task at hand now, though, before I just keep rambling.
The Make it Monday challenge this time is to only partially impress an area of your card. Hmm, I think I can do that, don't think I've ever tried it.
I wanted to use my In Bloom impression plate, because, um well, because I haven't used it yet! Unimaginable, I know. I puffy heart anything and everything In Bloom, such gorgeous images.
Here's what I came up with-

Ooh, those bitty background blocks are SO much fun. I was having so much fun with them, I cut and stamped a whole pile of them, 66 in fact, in various colors. Too cute, no?
So I impressed the edges of the Kraft panel, and scored a line inside the impression. I then swiped Fresh Snow ink along the edges, going deeper into the impressed portions. I just love the look of Fresh Snow ink on Kraft.
I'm also really enjoying the Pacific Vineyard patterned paper, and used some more of it here as my background.
The "flower bouquet" is made of a few flower stamens from a pack I found in the cake decorating aisle at Michaels, and since they were solid white, I colored them with Copics to make my little flowers. I tied them together with a bit of button twine, stamped my sentiment in Plum Pudding ink, and called it a day.
I hope you all have a fabulous day, but I really should get back to work now.
Laters!
Smooch!

It's Your Season Challenge

2011-03-16T08:37:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!
It's time for me to host the challenge on the Papertrey Playhouse blog.
It's all about representing your favorite season. That's a no brainer for me. My favorite season has always been spring; it's when everything comes alive again after a season of cold, drab grayness (can you tell Winter is my least favorite season?)
Beautiful colors start to pop out, the birds sing a happier song in the morning, and everything just seems fresher, cleaner, and like I mentioned above, more alive. Ahh, Spring.
So, here is the card I chose to make to represent Spring:

Happy, simple, fresh, I like it. I hope you will too, and don't forget to pop in on the Papertrey Playhouse blog and play along. We'd love to have you join in; the more the merrier.
What's in it: (everything is Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Vintage Cream
Stamps: Fancy Flourishes, Delightful Doilies, Delightful Dahlias (sentiment)
Inks: Lemon Tart, Ripe Avocado, True Black
Felt: Harvest Gold
Button: Orange Zest
Impression Plate: Tin Types
May you all have a beautiful day, no matter WHAT your favorite season is!
Smooch!

Papertrey Playhouse Second Chance Challenge

2011-03-15T10:48:00.000-04:00

You really have to be grateful for second chances; they just don't come along all that often. Second chances is the theme of the current challenge at the Papertrey Playhouse blog, to make a project from a previous challenge that you may have missed.
I was fortunate enough to have done all of them save one, and that is my project today- the treat container.
I don't recall the challenge specifying the treat container needed to be for someone else, so I did this one for me (it's all about me, don't ya know- Ha!)
So I started with this:

Such an adorable little container on its' own; it originally housed some quite tasty Brie (Mmm, I love Whole Foods). I loved the size and shape of this little gem, so of course I kept it for "the perfect project".

As soon as I began experimenting with different shapes for the top, I knew what I wanted to do.

Don't you just love the details on the Parisian Lace doily die? {happy sigh}
I made the flowers from Royal Velvet cardstock using Spellbinders Daisy Heads dies, and the patterned papers are from the Pacific Vineyard pack.

Here's the treat part. I'm using my treat container to hold a stack of pre-cut doilies. They fit perfectly! The fit couldn't have been any better if the container had been made just for them- I love it when that happens.
So- Happy "Whatever" to me- I've got a pretty new little container for my shelf.
What's in it: (all supplies are from Papertrey Ink except the flower dies)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Royal Velvet
Patterned paper: Pacific Vineyard
Dies: Parisian Lace doily die, Doily Details die; Spellbinders: Daisy Heads
You've got the rest of the day to play along with this particular challenge. There will be a new challenge tomorrow, and um, oh yeah, I'm the hostess for that one. Don't you just hate it when you're full of ideas for everything under the sun.... until you actually NEED to come up with one?
See you tomorrow!
Smooch!

Make a Wish

2011-03-04T12:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! It's gloomy and chilly here, but it's still...FRIDAY!!! {cue the music}
Soon it will be my husband's birthday, in five more days, in fact. He'll be- well, maybe I shouldn't say; he might not want everyone knowing how ~~old~~ young he is- Ha!
I love my hubby to pieces, just can't tell you how wonderful he is; truly he is my Prince Charming. {happy sigh}
Enough mushy, here's the card I made for him; no frills, very rustic- it's a MAN card, baby! (said in my best Austin Power voice). Maybe I should get out more-

I played with some burlap on this one; it takes a stamped image amazingly well, but it's very lint-y and made me very itchy, but it's something I've been wanting to try.
What's in it: (everything is PTI except the burlap that I purchased from fabric.com)
Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Kraft, Pinefeather
Stamps: Masculine Motifs, Think Big Sentiments #1
Inks: New Leaf, Dark Chocolate
Impression Plate: Woodgrain
Buttons: Pinefeather
Twine: Rustic button twine in Natural
Thanks for taking a look, and I hope you all have an incredibly joyful weekend.
Smooch!

Christmas Card Challenge- Punch It!

2011-03-03T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hi, it's me again. I'm back to show you a couple of cards for the Christmas Card Challenge.
I've already gotten behind, so I may have to make two at a time for a while to get caught back up. {sigh}
This week, in addition to making a Christmas card of course, we were to use punches of some sort on our cards.
I chose a border punch from EK Success that I really love.
Here they are:

Nothing very complicated- I'm thinking they might be suitable for mass production, as the stitching on them didn't really take that long.

I confess to being a bit disappointed with the blue card. I used PTI's Christmas Prints patterned paper, but it didn't really seem to be a perfect match for either Spring Rain or Blueberry Sky. I found that odd, since their papers usually go so perfectly together. At least New Leaf looks great with it.
What's in it: (everything is Papertrey Ink except the border punch, glitter, and the Versamark)
(red/green)
Cardstock: White, Pure Poppy
DP: Christmas Prints
Stamps: 2008 Holiday Tags
Inks: Versamark; Pure Poppy
Dies: Peace Be Still (snowflake), Mat Stack 4, Limitless Layers 1.75"
Border Punch: EK Success
Button: Pure Poppy
Glitter: Martha Stewart- coarse crystal
(blue/green)
Cardstock: White, Spring Rain, New Leaf
DP: Christmas Prints
Stamps: 2008 Holiday Tags, Mat Stack 1 Collection
Inks: Versamark; New Leaf
Dies: Peace Be Still, Mat Stack 1, Limitless Layers 1.75"
Border Punch: EK Success
Button: Blueberry Sky
Glitter: Martha Stewart- coarse glitter
That's it for now; I've got to get cracking on a birthday card for a special someone...

Make it Mondays- Fun Foam!

2011-03-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody, hope you're all doing fantastic on this slightly chilly but sunny Wednesday.
I've got a little something to share with you today- my entry for Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday challenge. This week the challenge is to die cut and/ or stamp with Fun Foam! How fun is that?
I've got to be honest, though, I've not crafted much with Fun Foam, as I've always considered it a child's medium. In fact, it was my daughter's stash that I raided to make my project, and since I did use her supplies, I figured it was the least I could do to make a little something for my sweet (read: rotten) La Princessa.

Who knew Fun Foam could look so cool? I die cut the Favor It Box 2 from some light pink Fun Foam, and added a bit of white mini pom pom trim and some itty bitty white satin ribbon. I die cut a Doily Details die from white cardstcok, and layered on some Fun Foam pieces cut from Delightful Dahlias and Buttoned Up #1 and #2. I also cut the larger leaf in the Delightful Dahlias die set with some Fun Foam and stamped into onto the doily die cut. I stamped directly on the Fun Foam buttons with some Fresh Snow ink, using images from Beautiful Blooms and Beautiful Blooms II.

Tucked inside the sweet little box are a couple of button cards, die cut from white Fun Foam. I again stamped directly onto the Fun Foam, this time using Plum Pudding and True Black inks, and images from Button Boutique. A little side note to you, the dye inks dried very quickly on the Fun Foam with no smudging, but the white pigment ink never did dry thoroughly.
I thought about stitching the buttons onto the card, but decided against it, since I'm pretty sure La Princessa will probably just dismantle the pieces for her own use anyway.

Lastly, while I was at it, I die cut a pile of buttons from Fun Foam for my little sweetie to use on her artwork (she's quite the collage artist- {grin}). Extra blue ones, since that's her favorite color.
Now I've got a bit of a clean up to do, it looks like a Fun Foam factory exploded in my happy place.
See ya later!
Smooch!

It's Blog Hop Time

2011-02-25T09:55:00.000-05:00

Wow, could this day get any better? The sun is shining, it's Friday, AND it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly Blog Hop! {bliss}
This month the theme is scallops. I love scallops, the curved lines and all the things you can do with them just fascinate me. Something else that fascinates me, and was the basis for my project, are roofs. I know, that sounds weird, but I'm captivated by the way shingles are applied; the overlapping layers, and potential design that can be created. A roof is the first thing I notice about a house, especially if it needs a new one- Ha!
So now that you know I'm certifiable, how's about I show you my card?

I started by making the little birdhouse by die cutting two squares of Kraft cardstock and trimming one of the squares in half to make the roof base. I then die cut two scalloped squares from Dark Chocolate cardstock and trimmed off the scalloped edges to make my roof. (Weird, right?- The card was designed around the roof, of all things). I added some Diamond Dust to the roof line edge for a bit of sparkle.
The base of the house was painted with Distress crackle paint. I die cut a little scalloped frame for my birds from Aqua Mist cardstock, and used the interior oval that I cut from Kraft and painted with white acrylic paint. A bit of stamping from Background Basics: Text Style in Dark Chocolate ink and the sweet birds from Love Birds in Scarlet Jewel ink. I painted the cardstock to assist with that "weathered" look for my stamping. I die cut the Tag Sale #2 tag from some My Mind's Eye paper and swiped some Fresh Snow ink around the edges to soften the color.
A bit of mini (and I do mean teeny tiny) pom pom trim was added to the tag as well as the three little roses I made. Betsy Veldman showed some ice resin roses on her blog recently, and also demonstrated a few of them made from polymer clay as well. As it so happens, I had some polymer clay and a rose mold on hand (I am a craft warehouse, I tell ya). I tinted some translucent clay with Sweet Blush ink, and some with Hibiscus Burst ink. I also tinted some pearl clay with Lemon Tart ink. They turned out nicely for what I wanted to do, and I had forgotten how much I liked to work with clay (might be seeing some more of that from me).
I overstamped some patterned paper from My Mind's Eye with the beautiful birdcage image and "Love" sentiment from Love Birds in Dark Chocolate ink. Under that is a layer of sheet music patterned paper from GCD Studios. If you look at the top right corner, you'll see a bit of vintage encyclopedia paper peeking out.
I finished the card off with a hand cut bit of Kraft cardstock that I again painted with white acrylic paint, stamped the sentiment from the Love Lives Here set in Dark Chocolate ink, and edged with some Platinum Stickles.
I hope you enjoyed my project- feel free to give an opinion; I AM a comment junkie.
Thanks for looking; I've got to see what everyone else came up with now.
Smooch!

Make it Monday- Glitter Strips

2011-02-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

Well, how did it get to be Wednesday already? This week is ZOOMING by.
I'd like to share my project for Papertrey Ink's Make it Monday series. This week is glitter strips using Scor-tape. {fun}
I chose a classic single strip of glitter to use on a small gift set. Clean and simple, with one big pop of color. (and yes, I cringed when I cut those flowers apart after spending hours coloring them- Ha!)
On to the photos, there are quite a few of them:

I stamped the double line image from the Library Ledger set to ground my glitter strip so it wouldn't look like it was floating into nothingness, and finished the cards with a sweet little sentiment from Everyday Button Bits.
The flowers (from the Delightful Dahlia set) were stamped in Onyx Black and embossed with clear embossing powder. This is my preferred method of stamping when coloring images, because it helps me stay inside the lines- the embossed lines act as a bit of a dam.
Well, that's it for now; I hear dirty laundry calling my name, and I can't find my ear plugs...
Smooch!

Bright Blooms

2011-02-22T11:23:00.000-05:00

Hello, and Happy Tuesday!
I'd like to share my card for the Papertrey Playhouse Color Inspiration Challenge with you today.
The color combo to use is:
Orange Zest
Hibiscus Burst
Raspberry Fizz
Dark Chocolate
Spring Moss or Simply Chartreuse (I chose Simply Chartreuse)
This is definitely a much bolder color combo than I would have chosen on my own, but I'm still pleased with the results, and I hope you will be too:

I was drawn to the stripes on the sleeves of the top that Dana's daughter is wearing (and such a sweetie she is), and they became the inspiration for the background I used. I stamped a random flower pattern in Versamark and heat embossed the flowers with clear embossing powder. The large flower was die cut using the Beautiful Blooms II #1 dies, stamped, and adhered together with foam tape for added dimension. I applied Glossy Accents to the center of the Orange Zest flower layer to tie in with the look of the clear embossing. The leaves were stamped in Versamark and cut by hand, and the sentiment is from Signature Series: Butterfly which was stamped in Versafine's Onyx Black and also cut out by hand.
All in all, it's a simple card, but packs quite a visual punch.
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Orange Zest, Simply Chartreuse, Dark Chocolate
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Beautiful Blooms II, Signature Series: Butterfly
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Fresh Snow; Versamark; Versafine- Onyx Black
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Jumbo ric rac border die, Beautiful Blooms II #1
Other: Glossy Accents; Clear embossing powder
Gotta run; working on my project for Papetrey Ink's next blog hop (so excited!)
Smooch!

Make it Mondays- Vellum Sentiment Strip

2011-02-17T11:06:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, right? I've actually had this ready to go for a couple of days; I just couldn't seem to get it posted....
The Make it Monday challenge at Papertrey Ink this week was to use a vellum sentiment strip. Cool. Or so I thought. I thought I had a large stash of vellum, but apparently I was wrong. I did evenutally find a piece large enough to use- whew! (Guess what's been added to my shopping cart at PTI?)
I wanted to use a purple shade, a nod to the newest color being released at Papertrey Ink- Royal Velvet. I am patiently waiting on my cardstock, ribbons, felt and buttons in this luscious new shade.
Here she is:

What's in it: (everything is Papertrey Ink, except the vellum, markers, and Staz-on)
Cardstock: Kraft, Plum Pudding
Stamps: Year of Flowers: Carnations, Delightful Dahlia
Inks: Dark Chocolate; Staz-on
Markers: Copic (V91, V95, V99, Y32)
Dies: Delightful Dahlia, Edgers #1
Impression Plate: Linen/ Canvas (linen side used)
Felt: Simply Chartreuse
Twine: Dark Chocolate baker's twine
That's it for me today; I've got to get back to work now.
Smooch!

10 Reasons Why

2011-02-16T09:58:00.000-05:00

Good morning to all of you sitting in front of a computer screen this morning (or reading this on your phone, too, I suppose). You might want to grab a snack, this is a l-o-n-g post.
I'm sharing my project for the Happily Ever Challenged tribute to Saint Valentine on Ted's blog. The challenge was to have a handwritten sentiment on both the outside and inside of your card. Yikes! Sometimes I have trouble reading my own handwriting, much less expect someone else to read it. {giggle}
So anyway, a couple of months ago, Papertrey Ink released THE most fabulous set of number dies. As soon as they started the sneak peeks with these babies, I got the idea for this project, and then Ted's challenge came along- destiny. : )
I created a little gift for my sweet hubby, who is by far the most amazing man.ever. It's a set of 10 teeny little 3 x 3 notes, listing 10 reasons why I love him, and a coordinating box to store them in. I'm showing you a few of the notes, both front and back, so you can see I followed the rules for handwritten sentiments- : ). I'm not posting all of them- one, you don't have all day to look at twenty something photos, and two, some of the messages are a little too personal to share (ya know, TMI). So I'm done yammering now, here come the pics:

What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream, Pure Poppy, Smokey Shadow, True Black
Patterned Papers: Papertrey Ink; My Mind's Eye, Crate Paper
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Mat Stack 1 Collection
Inks: Papertrey Ink- Pure Poppy, Smokey Shadow; Versamark
Dies: Papertrey Ink- By the Numbers, Limitless Layers; Spellbinders- Labels Two, Labels Five
Ribbon: Basic Grey
Decorative Staples: EK Success
Congrats to you if you made it to the end, and thank you for your patience.
Chad honey, I know you're reading this- I love you.
Smooch!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

Ah, the day to celebrate love. Amor, liebe, amour, amore, however you say it, it just gives me a big fat case of the warm fuzzies {giggle}.
I just thought I would share my "little bit of love" tablescape to say Happy Valentines' Day to all of you.

Nothing elegant here, just a playful little something, as I was completely smitten with the happy colors of the table runner.

You've simply got to have a few of the uber classic candy hearts on Valentine's Day; it's practically a requirement, even if you don't eat them, which I don't. I think they taste completely nasty, but they're too much fun not to include.

What would Valentine's Day be without some cupcakes? Strawberry cupcakes of course, with some fun happy sprinkles tossed at them.
So here's wishing you and yours a day filled with love, hugs and kisses.
Smooch!

Papertrey Ink Think Big Challenge

2011-02-12T19:01:00.002-05:00

The fun continues at Papertrey Ink with the "Think Big" challenge, to use something unexpectedly large on your project.
I was thinking about creating a huge flower, perhaps a rolled tulle flower. Then I remembered....
My sweet hubby came home from work one day and told me, "I found this at work today, and thought maybe you would like to use it for something". It was the biggest wooden button I've ever seen; I can't even imagine what kind of clothing article it might have come from.
So the happy ~~little~~ big button sat patiently in a bowl, waiting for me to decide on the perfect time to use it.
To give you an idea of how big the button is, I was going to frame it with PTI's Limitless Layers lacy circle die, but the button completely covered the die. I ended up using the third largest Lacey Circle die from Spellbinders.
Here it is:

I wanted to keep my palette very neutral to allow this beauty to take center stage. The button had a varnished finish, so I use a nail file block to sand away a good bit of the shine.

What's in it:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Rustic White, Fine Linen, Kraft

Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Polka Dot Basics, Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley (my absolute favorite from this series)

Inks: Papertrey Ink- Fresh Snow; Memento- Desert Sand, Rich Cocoa

Dies: Spellbinders- Lacey Circles

Flowers: Prima

Brad: Making Memories

Twine: Papertrey Ink- Rustic Cream Button Twine

I hope you're all having as much fun with these challenges as I am, and I'm positively giddy about the upcoming release, although I am going to mourn the total destruction of my bank account. : )

Hope to talk with you again soon!

Smooch!

Papertrey Ink Tag & Frame Challenge

2011-02-11T19:32:00.000-05:00

Ahhh, glorious Friday, welcome back. Welcome to all of you fellow blogeristas, I'm continuing with the fabulous challenges at Papertrey Ink. Today we were to create a tag incorporating a frame of some sort.
I was also working on a project for the Papertrey Playhouse challenge at the time, and the two happened to work together nicely, although I did take SERIOUS liberties with the sketch at Papertrey Playhouse. Let me show you my project, and then if you're interested, I'll tell you all the difficulties I had with this one.
First, is my tag attached to the card with a sweet little mini-clothespin. I chose to do this because the tag is only supposed to be on the card temporarily. The card (and tag) are for my MIL; she likes fridgie magnets, so I thought I would make her one with teeny pics of my handsome hubby and darling doll La Princessa.

Next, a shot of the card with the tag removed. The card is simple but sassy, perfect for my MIL (who I totally adore).

Finally, we have the tag. I used the Tag Sale #3 die to cut my tag, and I also cut one from a small sheet magnet that was stuck to the front of the phonebook (it was an ad featuring some random attorney-Ha!). I put that ad to good use. The Tag Sale die is incredible, and I love it. It even put the impression PERFECTLY on the magnet sheet. My frames were both cut from felt.

Now, for the difficulties: First, I had to rescue the tag from my cat. Silly me, I walked out of my craft room to go downstairs for lunch, and didn't close the door. My cat, ChaKa, decided to help himself to my tag. I found part of it in the guest room and part of it halfway down the stairs. So, right off the bat, I had a repair job to do. Then-
Originally, the tag was supposed to slip inside a pocket created in the patterned paper. I attached a round foam backed magnet to the back of the tag, and the magnet was WAY too thick to fit in there. Great. So I went ahead and finished the card, and figured I would just place the tag temporarily on the front of the card. That darn fat magnet got in the way again, and I couldn't get anything to work right. It was also too fat to fit inside the card without some serious smashing going on. Ack!
So I carefully removed the magnet from the back of the tag, and decided to cut the magnet sheet with the die (in hind sight of course, if I had used the sheet magnet first, I would have been able to place the tag inside the card pocket, but I'm a dork, so there). Well, that meant I had to remove the ribbon at the top of tag in order to attach the magnet tag to the back of the cardstock tag.
Finally, I got the thing finished with the help of the cute little clothespin. Whew!
Forgive my tirade, but I thought perhaps some of you might get a kick out it, 'ya know, in case you've had similar issues trying to get something to come together.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a FABULOUS day tomorrow!
Smooch!

Papertrey Ink Button Challenge

2011-02-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

Hello, and Happy Thursday!
I'd like to share with you my entry for PTI's Button Challenge, to use buttons in a creative way. What could be more creative (on their end, not mine- ha ha) than using the sets Papertrey Ink created to go with buttons. I love the "button bits" collection.
So here it is:

Using Blooming Button Bits, and a color combo of Rustic White, Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, and Scarlet Jewel, I decided to knock out another Mother's Day card.
I used the Tin Types Impression Plate on the Lemon Tart panel, and stamped a few leaf images from the Blooming Button Bits in Spring Moss ink (with my brand new ink refill- THANKS DEB!) on a Rustic White Lacey Circle from Spellbinders. I stamped two additional leaf images on Spring Moss cardstock using Versamark, and cut them out. The "flowers" are layered Lemon Tart and Scarlet Jewel buttons. I added a couple of borders cut from Spring Moss and Scarlet Jewel cardstock using the Victorian Lace border die, and plopped a happy Spring Moss Swiss Dot satin ribbon between them. I stamped the sentiment in Scarlet Jewel ink, and called it a day.
Thanks for looking!
Smooch!

PTI Color Challenge- Heather's Combo

2011-02-09T18:22:00.000-05:00

One last entry me for me on the Papertrey Ink Color Challenge. This time I'm using Heather Nichols' lovely colors, and decided to make a "man" card.
Here are Heather's colors:

Normally, I would invite you to click on the photo of my card if you wanted to take a closer look, but this time I am going to ask you to "please" click on the photo, so you can see the background stamping for the "sky". It's full of weathering and distressing and even some polka dot clouds (I've been wanting to do those, and yes, they were a pain in the rear), but anyway, I'll stop blabbering and let you look at the card.

I'm happy with the way this one turned out, and so I think I'll end on a high note and call it a day.
These challenges have been a blast, exhausting, but still a blast.
What's in it: (all PTI product, except the Desert Sand ink)
Cardstock: Kraft, Ripe Avocado, Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate
Stamps: Up, Up and Away, Text Boxed, Polka Dot Basics
Inks: Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate, Versamark; Memento- Desert Sand
Dies: Up, Up and Away
Impression Plate: Canvas/ Linen (canvas side used on the clouds)
Buttons: Dark Chocolate
Well, that's it- I hope you've enjoyed my little postings.
Are you as excited as I am about the previews for the upcoming release (they start tomorrow)?
See ya later!
Smooch!

PTI Color Challenge- Dawn's Combo

2011-02-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

For my second entry in Papertrey Ink's Color Challenge, I chose this oh so bold combo from Dawn McVey.

This combo just screams Dawn and her fearless color combinations, which made me decide to channel my inner Dawn- ha! So I grabbed my cardstock and a pile of dies and went to it! Oh, in case I haven't mentioned it, I really love the way the sheet music stamps look with polka dots- I'm pretty sure you'll be seeing more of that.

Here 'tis. My apologies for this photo- this leaning tower of love is what happens when I try to get in a hurry. Deadlines and all, you know.
What's in it: (everything is from Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Kraft, Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Background Basics: Sheet Music, Mat Stack 1 Collection, Scattered Showers, Love Lives Here
Inks: Versamark, Vintage Cream, Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate
Dies: Mat Stack 1, Mat Stack 5, Love Lives Here, Butterfly, Signature Series: Butterfly, Limitless Layers
Impression Plate: Woodgrain (on the Dark Chocolate panel- very difficult to see in the photo)
Felt: Raspberry Fizz
I'll be back a little later with one more- I think my brain will explode if I try to do any more than that today.
Smooch!

PTI Color Challenge- Lisa's Combo

2011-02-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

Oooh, a new challenge from Papertrey Ink!
Unless, you've been hiding under a rock the last few days, you know it's their (PTI's) anniversary celebration.
Fun challenges, AMAZING (and creative) prizes up for grabs; you really don't want to miss out on this.
For my first card, I chose the color combo that's the closest to my own favorite of Aqua Mist and Pure Poppy. I am SO going to paint my kitchen Aqua Mist this spring, yes I am.
Here is Lisa's palette (and her card)

Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, Kraft, Vintage Cream {sigh}- so dreamy together, don't you think?
So I thought I would give a little love to a dreamy stamp set, Love Lives Here.
Whaddya think?

That's about as CAS as it gets for me, folks, but I love this sweet happy little card. I hope you will too.
I'm going to get back to work now.
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Joy

2011-02-09T14:39:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you are well this fine day.
I'm back with another entry for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenge. I thought I would try this technique on a Christmas card- can't let myself get behind 'ya know. Tee hee!

I have to say, my embossing pen didn't work quite the way I wanted it to (I wasn't actually going to emboss the image, I just wanted a watermark type outline)- it looked a bit blue on the cardstock. That said, I kind of like the white embossing.
Short and sweet for this post, I've got TONS more projects to get done.
What's in it: (all PTI, except for the rhinestones)
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, Kraft
Stamps: Trees with Trimmings, Beautiful Blooms, Snowflake Serenade, Everyday Button Bits, 2010 Holiday Tags, Holiday Tree, Believe, Big & Bold Holiday Wishes, Background Basics: Christmas
Inks: Versamark; Fresh Snow, Ripe Avocado
Dies: Tree (used as a negative mask)
Twine: Pure Poppy Baker's Twine
Buttons: Pure Poppy, Simply Chartreuse
Rhinestones: Kaisercraft
Back in a bit with more; thanks for looking!

Make It Monday- Happy Birthday

2011-02-08T15:54:00.000-05:00

One more time today, peeps!
Here's the third card in my little set (not sure yet how big that "little" set is going to be).
The colors are quite a bit different than the last two, but I'm keeping the basic sketch the same so they will still be a cohesive set.
Don't forget to post your entry on Papertrey Ink's wall on Facebook HERE.

I tried to keep my "rainbow" background subtle on this so it wouldn't get in the way of the sentiments, but my technique on that needs some work- ha ha!
What's in it: (all PTI except the rhinestones and crepe paper) : )
Cardstock: White, Harvest Gold, Pure Poppy, Blueberry Sky, New Leaf, Plum Pudding
Stamps: Background Basics: Sheet Music, Vintage Picnic, Big Birthday Wishes, Delightful Dahlia, Beautiful Blooms, Butterfly Dreams, Masculine Motifs, Damask Designs, Butterfly Kisses, Flower Garden
Inks: Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, New Leaf, Enchanted Evening, Plum Pudding, True Black
Rhinestones: Bazzill
That's it for now. I've got to finish listening to PTI's podcast, and perhaps I'll add to my card set here.
Smooch!

Make It Monday- Thank You

2011-02-08T15:38:00.000-05:00

I'd like to share my second entry for PTI's Make It Monday (Go-To Sentiments) with you, which the second in my little gift set.
Don't forget to check them out on Facebook HERE.

What's in it: (all Papertrey Ink products)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Kraft
Stamps: Bird Watching, Background Basics: Woodgrain, Signature Series: Butterfly, Delightful Dahlia, Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley, Butterfly Dreams, Mat Stack 1 Collection, Mat Stack 3 Collection, Masculine Motifs
Inks: Fresh Snow, Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, True Black
Twine: Rustic Cream
Buttons: Pure Poppy
I have one more for today, the third card in this little set.
Back in a bit!

PTI's Make-It Monday: Go-To Sentiments

2011-02-08T15:22:00.000-05:00

Holy awesome challenges, Batman! Papertrey Ink is now going to have a weekly challenge in conjunction with a weekly technique video. Be.still.my.heart.
Check out their Facebook page HERE.
Something tells me I won't have time for many other challenges now that little gem has been unveiled.
The first video was all about sentiment collages. What a super way to use a lot of stamp sets in a small area. Now maybe I will be able to tell my husband that YES I HAVE used all of my stamp sets. : )
I decided to do a small set of cards that I'll probably give as a gift.
First up, "Congratulations":

The above mentioned husband (who is the most darling man in the world, btw) said this looked kind of masculine. Actually that's a good thing. I think this one would work well for a male or a female. It will fit in nicely with my set.
I'll be back in a bit with the second card.
What's in it: (Everything is from Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Blueberry Sky, Kraft
Stamps: Bird Watching, Background Basics: Woodgrain, Mat Stack 2 Collection, Delightful Dahlia, Love Birds, Masculine Motifs, Scattered Showers
Inks: Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate
Twine: Rustic Cream
Buttons: Blueberry Sky

PTI Tag Download Challenge- EVERYONE'S TAGS

2011-02-06T23:44:00.000-05:00

So this is my favorite, and it's the first thing I thought of as those happy little tags were churning out of my printer. Also, as luck would have it, I happened to pick up a package of foam backed magnets JUST yesterday.
So, I present to you a little something I made for myself.
I call it my Papertrey Ink 4th Anniversary Commemorative Magnet Set.

Now I can view all of these sweet little tags any time I want to, because they are making a happy home in my Sanctuary on a dry erase board that was never getting used.
I apologize for the glare of the flash, and the washed out photos. Any trace of natural light had long since disappeared by the time I finished all my projects, and I wanted to photograph the tags on the board.
I wanted to keep everything "round" since they are on display together, and the nine of them fit just perfectly on that board, if I do say so myself.
Well, that's it, that's all of my projects for this challenge.
If you managed to read all of them, you deserve a nap, you must be exhausted.
I've got to go link all of these up on Nichole's blog now, and then I think I might just have a little nap myself.
Smooch!

PTI Tag Download Challenge- Beth's Tag

2011-02-06T23:27:00.000-05:00

This one is my favorite of the six (the next post is my favorite of them all, BUT it's not a card), and it uses Beth Silaika's tag.

This one has a simple design overall, but it's the details that make the card in my opinion.
You like my little doily? I crocheted directly into the eyelet scallops of a Limitless Layers die, and it although it did take a little bit of time, it was pretty easy to do. Top it with a matching (and quick to crochet) little flower (I used the instructions Nichole posted on her blog some time back- sorry I didn't provide the link), and blam, a wee bit of romance.
What's in it:
Cardstock: PTI- Vintage Cream
DP: Crate Paper
Dies: Spellbinders- Classic Circle; PTI- Limitless Layers
Pearls: Basic Grey
Other: Bamboo crochet thread
Last one is coming up-
Smooch!

PTI Tag Download Challenge- Nichole's Tag

2011-02-06T23:19:00.000-05:00

Are you getting tired of reading posts yet? My fingers are getting tired of typing- Ha ha!
This card uses Nichole Heady's tag; I just love the colors on this one.

Fun, fun, fun colors- love them, yes I do!
What's in it:
Cardstock: PTI- White, Spring Rain
DP: PTI- Hawaiian Shores Bitty Dots
Dies: PTI- Mat Stack 4; Spellbinders- Classic Circles
Impression Plate: PTI- Woodgrain
Ribbon: PTI- Hawaiian Shores saddle stitch ribbon
Corner Rounder: EK Success
We're getting closer to the end now; bear with me.
Smooch!

PTI Tag Download Challenge- Alli's Tag

2011-02-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

I am using Alli Miles' tag for this card, and I wanted to put a bit of a "Victorian" spin on it. Meh. I like parts of it, but over all, I'm not too sure about it. You'll have to let me know what you think.
I did enjoy making the ruched ribbon, though, and I'm glad I finally got the chance to try it.

What's in it:
Cardstock: PTI- White, Aqua Mist
DP: SEI
Stamps: PTI- Mat Stack 1 Collection (flourishes), Mat Stack 2 Collection (sentiment)
Inks: PTI- Vintage Cream; Versafine- Onyx Black
Dies: PTI- Mat Stack 5, Limitless Layers; Spellbinders- Classic Circles, Labels Four
Markers: Copic
Impression Plate: PTI- Tin Type
Ribbon: PTI- Vintage Cream satin
Other: Ranger- Enamel Accents (flower center)
Stay tuned, another post follows-
Smooch!

PTI Tag Download Challenge- Heather's Tag

2011-02-06T22:40:00.000-05:00

Entry number three for me, using Heather Nichols' sweet little tag:

What's in it:
Cardstock: PTI- White, Vintage Cream, Spring Moss
Stamps: PTI- Turning A New Leaf
Ink: PTI- Fresh Snow
Dies: Spellbinders- Classic Circle
Border Punch: Fiskars
Impression Plate: PTI- Tin Type
Flower: Making Memories
Pearl: Martha Stewart
Corner Rounder: EK Success
More to come after a short break.
Smooch!

PTI Tag Download Challenge- Lisa's Tag

2011-02-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

Number two for the challenge, I am using Lisa Johnson's tag:

The little hearts were just too cute to pass up, so I did ONE MORE (and this is definitely the last one) Valentine's Day card.
What's in it:
Cardstock: PTI- White, Kraft, Pure Poppy
DP: PTI- Simple Valentine
Stamps: PTI- Simple Valentine (sentiment)
Inks: PTI- True Black
Dies: PTI- Tag Sale #3, Limitless Layers; Spellbinders- Classic Circle
Markers: Copic
White paint pen: Sharpie
Ribbon: PTI- Hibiscus Burst Bitty Dot satin
Rhinestone: Making Memories (colored with Copic marker)
Corner Rounder: EK Success
Back again in just a few-
Smooch!

PTI Tag Download Challenge- Tiffany's Tag

2011-02-06T22:29:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to more anniversary festivities, and be warned, I've been busy today.
This will be the first post of seven (yes, I said seven). That may be some sort of record for me, 'cause I am notoriously slow at making anything. That said, since there ARE six more posts to come your way tonight, I am going to keep these brief. Here is my card, using Tiffany Pastor's tag (please click on the pic for a closer look):

I thought those little swirls on the tag were kind of fun and funky, that's how I ended up with this.
What's in it:
Cardstock: PTI- Whtite, Raspberry Fizz, True Black
Stamps: PTI- Fancy Flourishes
Ink: Versafine- Onyx Black
Dies: Spellbinders- Classic Circle
Glitter: Martha Stewart- Tourmaline, Onyx
Rhinestones- Bazzill
Corner Rounder: EK Success
BRB!

PTI Customer Favorites

2011-02-05T20:15:00.000-05:00

Ooh, I'm so excited! It's time for anniversary festivities at Papertrey Ink, and I hope you'll join me in celebrating with them.
So the beautiful and beautifully talented Nichole Heady has asked us to post (or re-post) our favorite PTI project from the past year.
My favorite project was inspired by another lovely and wonderfully talented member of the Papertrey Ink Design Team, Betsy Veldman. I adore her use of color and the soft, romantic feel so many of her projects have.
Papertrey Inks floral images are some of my favorite EVER, and I'd like to share (again), my favorite project from this past year, that I originally posted in September (I think).

This card was one of those rare times when everything came together just as I hoped it would. Of course, looking back at it now, I see some areas that need improvement, like my coloring. I loved using these colors on this card, and the soft background stamping still makes me smile. I love the two pearl dangles that I sewed to the bow, I think pearls are one of the most beautiful gems out there, love them, love them.
So, all together now-
Happy Anniversary Papertrey Ink!
Smooch!

Sweets for the Sweet

2011-02-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

That's the theme of the current Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World.
I relaxed a bit with this card, and just PLAYED. I just wanted something sweet, simple, and FUN. So I didn't worry about perfect pleating on my medallion, or a ton of stitching or embellishments, just a little something that I hope will brighten someone's day.

Do you think the medallion kind of looks like a flattened cupcake liner? That just struck me as the photo was uploading- {giggle!}
What's in it:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink- Vintage Cream; Bazzill Basics- Pinkini, Precious, Bubblegum
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Cupcake Collection, Mat Stack 3 Collection, Background Basics: Hearts
Inks: Tsukineko- Versafine Onyx Black; Papertrey Ink- Raspberry Fizz
Dies: Papertrey Ink- Cupcakes, Mat Stack 3, Love Lives Here (itty bitty heart is from the center of the butterfly)
Glitter: Ranger- Diamond Stickles
Other: crepe paper
I've got to get back to cleaning now; I am COMPLETELY reorganizing my stamping sanctuary, and have been at it for the last two days. I'm hoping to finish up today, so wish me luck!
Smooch!

Are you interested in...

2011-02-01T11:58:00.000-05:00

a new challenge blog featuring inspiration photos as your muse, and you can create with any medium you choose?
Check it out HERE. It's set to go live on March 3rd, and sounds like it will be a lot of fun.
Did I mention there's blog candy?