craft-o-rama

Flower birthday wishes

2011-07-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

Cute cards group four

2011-07-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last one in this series! But I still have another card lined up to share. Hopefully there will be more to follow!

Cute cards group three

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

One more to go!

Cute cards group two

2011-07-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Two more groups still to come!

Oh hai. I can haz cardz?

2011-06-30T21:34:00.001-07:00

Ummm...yeah. It's been a while. I've actually done some crafty things, just haven't had much time to post them. So I'm teeing up several posts tonight, for at least a week's worth of crafty goodness!
First up is a couple cards in a series. All were made with the same materials and method. First I started with these: loads of 1" squares punched from a paper series:

Then I adhered a grid of squares to a piece of cardstock and then broke out the ol' sewing machine! I played with the stitches and patterns. Then I grabbed the coordinating chipboard and diecut pieces, a few stamps, and some buttons and rhinestones and went to town!
Come back in a day or two to see the next group!

PTI Anniversary 2011 - Day One!

2011-02-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Papertrey Ink's anniversary spectacular! Day 1 brings an announcement of the new design team as well as a contest - post your favourite PTI card from the past year! I went through my cards, and I think this is my favourite.

It was first posted here. Of course it features two of my favourite sets: Enjoy the Ride and A Little Argyle!

The prize for the contest is a jaw-dropping $700 worth of PTI goodies. The list is almost too long to read! I think I would fall over and DIE if I won. I'm crossing my fingers!

Salt Dough Ornaments

2011-01-21T23:42:00.000-08:00

Yup, still haven't finished with Christmas! So my daughter made these salt dough ornaments at the end of LAST year's Christmas, and only got around to painting them in November/December of this year. I gave them a couple coats of Mod Podge, and then we added them to the tree!

I used the recipe here (love this website!)

More Christmas cards

2011-01-17T21:43:00.001-08:00

I made these cards for two of my crafty friends. I wanted to do something special and fun, so I tried the cracked glass technique using UTEE.

Here's a close-up:
And the inside:
Ink and stamps are PTI, ribbon is SU, paper is some that I won (and don't know who makes it!)

And I made a few more of those reindeer cards. It's hard to see, but the ink is Tsukineko Brilliance Ink, which has a lovely shine to it.
I have several more cards to share over the next few days - I've been crafting here and there over the last few months, just haven't had much time to upload the photos!

I've also found a new obsession, COPICS, and I have some projects to share with those too!

Bring on the tooth fairy!

2010-12-16T22:46:00.000-08:00

I promised my daughter we'd make a pillow to hold her teeth, now that number SIX is about to come out. Have I mentioned she's not yet five?

I "conveniently" forgot to remind her to put the first five teeth under her pillow, given that she gets a lot of treats and presents already, but everyone asks her what the tooth fairy has brought her, so this time she wouldn't be distracted :p

Anyway, she wanted an owl, and this is what we decided on. She picked the colours, I did the work ;)

I used the Pink Cat Studio Cuddles digital image (for paper piecing) that I received when PCS was first trying the electronic/hand-cut files. Do you remember this card and this layout? I didn't have a marker that worked well on the felt (and I wanted to work fast) so I printed out the shapes and quickly cut them out.

Then I spent the time embroidering the entire thing. This is only my second embroidery project - my daughter's stocking was the first!

I made a little pocket (to the right of the owl) to hold the tooth.

I used PTI felt for everything I could, and the cheap felt I had for the rest. Wow, the difference is AMAZING! PTI felt is so thick and sturdy. I wish I had more colours so I could have done the entire thing in their felt!

A couple quick tags

2010-12-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

My daughter and I made some Toblerone Shortbread cookies, and I made up these tags quickly to give some cookies as gifts. My daughter added the artwork on the green tag :)

A few cards

2010-12-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

I played teacher for some friends and came up with a few cards for everyone to make. These were my samples. Most supplies are PTI and SU. The reindeer card is The Cat's Pajamas.

Holiday Swap!

2010-12-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

I participated in a holiday swap over at the PTI forum. The suggested cost was $15, and we gave a list of things we like, things we covet, and things we love. My giver was Ally, and this is what I received in the mail today!

She packaged up Birthday Bash Sentiments, some of the fun leaf ribbon, a sweet jar of buttons, some rustic twine, and a yummy tin of Kisses! And check out her beautiful card - isn't it gorgeous?

Thanks so much Ally, I really love it!

I've already mailed off my gift, and I will post a photo as soon as I know she's opened it.

A Trio of Tags

2010-11-25T10:00:00.000-08:00

I made these for the November 2010 Papertrey Ink blog hop. The theme is tags! There's another reason I made these, about which you'll hear soon.

I used the PTI Tag Sale 1 die, and one of the PTI Limitless Layers dies. Also Background Basics: Christmas, one of my new favourite sets! I thought the pink, green, and grey was a fun colour scheme for Christmas.

Here's a look at the base of the tags, which I really like. I created a background out of different borders stamps from BB: Christmas.

All dies and stamps are PTI, ink, paper, and ribbon (except the pink, which is from Michael's) are SU.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crafting with friends...

2010-11-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

...is my favourite way to craft! My friend Renée was over with her daughter (Chloe's best friend) and while the little girls were painting, I convinced Renée to make a few cards! Now she doesn't like to admit it, but she's a very crafty girl (ask her to see the Advent calendar she made for her daughter!)

She used mostly PTI products, and this is what she made!

The first card also has stamps from Pink Cat Studio. Don't you LOVE those glittery snow drifts?

I think the first card here could be something sold at Ikea. And the last card is my favourite. I think I'm going to copy it myself!

Of course the girls couldn't stay away from the stamps, so they decorated envelopes:

I had a few pieces left over from another crafty night (photos from that coming soon!) so I made this today:

I just LOVE Background Basics: Christmas! That wee mouse is adorable.

Merry Little...Spring?

2010-11-10T22:04:00.001-08:00

I was very excited to purchase PTI's Merry Little Christmas. And the first card I made with it?

It's not yet winter, and I'm already looking forward to spring!

Don't you love the PTI Sunshine Impression Plate? And the scalloped border of felt? I used my favourite dotted flourish (from Holiday Button Bits) for the grass, and the sentiment is from Mini Scrapbook Series: Journaling Circle.

All supplies are PTI (except Chocolate Chip, Almost Amethyst, and Lovely Lilac inks.)

Mini Notecards

2010-10-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

See, I told you I'd post soon! I felt guilty after my last post, so I decided to do this one quickly.

I've also decided to make a change when listing the supplies in my projects. I'll point out tools/supplies of interest, but I won't be listing them all. I'm trying to spend less time on the computer and more time actually creating!

So I have made a few cards over the last several months, but not many. I preferred to enjoy the beautiful summer outside, and mostly ignored my poor crafts room.

Anyhoo, even with the recent heatwave this week, I'm determined to get back into the crafts room and make the most of all my supplies!

I started with something simple (I think I started making these cards in July, by the way!)

I had a set of embellishments that coordinated well with some SU notecards, so I basically just put the two together. I added some PTI stamps and dies, embossing/impressing, and came up with these.

These ones are fairly simple, just basically the store-bought embellishments stuck on the card. I also stamped the envelopes, using the PTI 2009 Anniversary set.
I decided to also make some of my own embellishments - the two below with butterflies (the other two are more store-bought ones.) The butterfly die is PTI, the scalloped circle is a Nestie. I used embroidery thread for the antennae. The PTI car die and stamp came in handy, as well as some simple circle Nesties:
When I was done, I decided to make a couple totebags to hold the cards. I just free-handed them, although I've done something similar before following a pattern, so these were fairly easy:
So, there you go! I have some more cards ready to be posted, part of a large set that I started making back in, oh, June or so!

Win some PTI!

2010-10-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Oh hi! Remember me? Uh, yeah, it's been awhile. Anyway, I have several cards to post, I just haven't had time to get them uploaded. Soon, I promise. And I still owe you guys some blog candy.

Anyway, until then, check out Moonlight Creations for your chance to win some blog candy!

Happy Days

2010-05-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

This card was created for Ted's Happily Ever Challenged #6 - which is likely the most unique challenge in which I've ever participated! Check out the challenge for the deets, but basically I had to use orange, dry embossing, colouring, and a vehicle.

Well, how perfectly perfect. I just happen to be on a car stamp kick! So yup, you guessed it, another Enjoy the Ride card! One of these days I'll try using another set and layout!

Anyhoo, pretty self-explanatory. It's hard to see, but I coloured the bumper, headlights, and windshield (and used the kissing technique on the body again - does that count as colouring?) I coated the headlights and windshield in Crystal Effects.

Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, A Little Argyle (PTI),
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: Enjoy the Ride car die , Woodgrain impression die(PTI), Cuttlebug (Provocraft), Crystal Effects, Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU), pencil crayons (Media)

Baby on Board

2010-05-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite cards in this series of "Enjoy the Ride."
I love how the arygle turned out, and the fun kissing technique on the car, and the bling. So happy with it!

Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, A Little Argyle (PTI),
Paper: Hawaiian Shores (PTI), Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Fresh Snow, Berry Sorbet, Hawaiian Shores (PTI)
Accessories: Enjoy the Ride car die (PTI), clear rhinestones (Kaiser)

Be Happy

2010-05-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hee. I told you I was in love!

This time I used Polka Dot Basics II for the background and the kissing. It's hard to see, but I also used the dotted argyle stamp to add some interest to the background.

Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, Polka Dot Basics II, A Little Argyle (PTI),
Paper: Hawaiian Shores (SU)
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Berry Sorbet, Ocean Tides, Fresh Snow (PTI)
Accessories: Enjoy the Ride car die (PTI), Dew Drops (Robn's Nest)

Just Moved

2010-05-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's another card using my new favourite sets! This time I didn't add any texture to the car body, but I did use Dew Drops for the headlights!
(for those on the PTI forum, you'll notice my Hawaiian Shores ink is still a bit temperamental - I did smoosh it, but the colour separated a bit again)
I really like how the inside turned out - especially the outline of the car in the corner.

Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, A Little Argyle (PTI),
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Berry Sorbet(PTI), Soft Sky, Green Galore (SU)
Accessories: Enjoy the Ride car die (PTI), Dew Drops (Robn's Nest)

Ooh, I've passed 20,000 hits on my blog!!! I'll have a little blog candy giveaway very soon.

Birthday Boy

2010-05-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

Another card using Enjoy the Ride. This time I added the new PTI Woodgrain impression plate!
With this card, I again "kissed" the car body with the woodgrain stamp. I also used clear dome stickers for the headlights (I wish I could remember where I got these! I have several sizes, these ones fit perfectly in the headlights.)

Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, Background Basics: Woodgrain (PTI),
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Sahara Sand, (SU), Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger)
Accessories: Enjoy the Ride car die, Woodgrain Impression Plate (PTI), clear dome stickers (unknown)

I'm in love

2010-05-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

With a stamp set (or three)! Papertrey Ink's April release included Enjoy the Ride, Background Basics: Woodgrain, and A Little Argyle. As soon as I unwrapped them, I was inspired! I created SEVEN cards in less than two days. Crazy, right?

Oh, and did I mention there's a matching PTI die for the CAR in Enjoy the Ride? Awesome, right???

So here are the first two. I made them at my aunt's house, and gave them to her, so I couldn't get a normal photo in my crafts room. Both use the same layout, just different colours.

Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, A Little Argyle, Background Basics: Woodgrain (PTI),
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Sahara Sand, Ruby Red, Bayou Blue (SU), Fresh Snow (PTI)
Accessories: Enjoy the Ride car die (PTI)

I knew as soon as I saw the woodgrain stamp set that I wanted to use it for "kissing." This is a super easy technique. Ink up a solid stamp (such as the body of the car) and then take a clean (un-inked) stamp and touch it to the inked stamp. This removes the ink from the solid stamp, and leaves the image of the un-inked stamp. Cool beans, eh?
Don't you LOVE the argyle? This stamp set is so much fun to use. I also edged both cards in white ink. Oh, and notice the wee license plate? The Enjoy the Ride stamp set includes a bunch of little sentiments to fit in the license plate, as well as larger sentiments that go along with them.

Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, A Little Argyle, Background Basics: Woodgrain (PTI),
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Sahara Sand, Pink Passion, Blue Bayou (SU), Fresh Snow (PTI)
Accessories: Enjoy the Ride car die (PTI)

I plan to post the other cards over this week, to spread them out a bit. I've been super busy at work, so I haven't been in my crafts room since Saturday!

ps. I'm closing in on 20,000 hits to my blog. Expect a wee bit of yummy candy when I do!

Fun project

2010-04-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't tried this yet, but I'm bookmarking it for future use. Great for a fun birthday party decoration! Modern Colourful Mobiles

(image from Project Wedding)

PTI April Blog Hop

2010-04-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

This month's PTI blog hop challenge was to use tissue paper. I decided to use a technique I taught my 4 year-old daughter, which is to just cut the tissue paper into small squares, crumple them up, and adhere them to the paper.I had the picture of a rainbow in my head, so that's what I came up with. I added a strip of cardstock (run through the Xyron to make it sticky) covered it with glitter, and then stamped a sweet sentiment with two colours. I had a brad that matched Hawaiian Shores ink, so I snapped off the prongs and stuck it on with Crystal Effects.

Speaking of my daughter, here's a tissue paper project she started a couple weeks ago. We took a sturdy box (originally had card supplies in it) and covered it in layers of Mod Podge and tissue paper squares. Several layers. We still need to put something on the top, likely "Chloe's Treasure Box", as that's what she's declared it to be.
Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (PTI),
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Hawaiian Shores (PTI), Dark Peony (Colorbox)
Accessories: glitter (SU), brad, tissue paper (unknown)

Age is a work of art

2010-04-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

This card is for the Papertrey Pals challenge #6 - to use flowers! That's an easy one :)

This card started with the large scalloped piece, which I was going to use for this card, but decided on a softer colour palette. Everything was based off of the colours and the bold stripes.

It's hard to see, but I popped up one end of the banner (under the "H") to give it lots of dimension.

And of course I had to decorate the inside of the card:

Stamps: Birthday Basics, Polka Dots Basics II, Forest Friends (PTI),
Paper: Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White cardstock, Summer Picnic DSP (SU)
Ink: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue (SU), Ripe Avocado (PTI)
Accessories: Polka Dot Basics II Impression Plate, Lg scalloped border die, blue button (PTI), butterfly (Making Memories), Cuttlebug (Provocraft), felt flowers (SU), brad (unknown)

From A to Z

2010-04-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

Just a fun card. I saw this idea on a card somewhere (a magazine?) Just the front part, though. The inside I came up with all on my own (although I'm sure I'm not the first!). Let's see if you can figure out what's on the inside by the end of this post (yes, there's a photo to show you).

Anyway, for this card I used some Basic Grey "Card Folders" die cut letters (given to me by a friend). They were punched out of a large sheet, so I had to sand the edge of each one to get rid of the little tabs where they were attached. I did some extra sanding here and there to distress them even more.

Then I stamped one of the text images from PTI's Text Style II in Blush Blossom (hard to see in the photo) to add more detail to the letters. I stamped the background with the SU Linen background stamp, also in Blush Blossom. Click the photo to see a larger version with more detail.
To make the "hi" letters really pop, I used some leftover stamp bits (as described in this post). Aside from the popped up message, notice anything else unique about the front of the card?

I'll give you a minute to go back and look.

...

...

...

Okay, time's up. Here's a photo of the inside of the card (did you guess what was there?)

Hold on, I'll wait while you go back and look at the front again. Did you notice that the 'u' was missing? Hee hee! I'm pretty proud of that one.

Stamps: Text Style II (PTI), Linen (SU), small alphabet (Studio G)
Paper: Card Folders letters (Basic Grey), yellow cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Blush Blossom, Pumpkin Pie (SU)
Accessories: none

Thanks for {owl} you do

2010-04-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

This card is for this week's SFYTT sketch as well as Ted's Mother's Day challenge (a card with no flowers or pink/purple). I wanted to use PTI stamps for this card (to better tie into Ted's challenge), but didn't have any that really worked.

The colour restrictions were easy - my mom LOVES green, so I went with an earthtones palette. I used a sheet of DSP from the Welcome Neighbor pad as my inspiration.

I even decorated the envelope to match!
And the inside of the card:

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Picture This, Kind & Caring Thoughts (SU)
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Summer Sun, Whisper White cardstock, Old Olive, Welcome Neighbor DSP (SU)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Summer Sun (SU)
Accessories: Scalloped Edge, Small Heart, Heart to Heart punches (SU)

Dreams come true

2010-04-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

I'm late, but this card is for Becky's Compose a Card #7. I broke out my new PTI black felt (so luxurious!) but had to wing the sandwich, as I snapped my C plate a couple days ago! I managed to cut out the felt circles, but it wasn't a clean cut with my improvised shims.

I used my favourite "matching thread" trick, which is to use a sliver of matching cardstock or paper to thread the buttons - in this case I used the patterned paper. Click on the photo for a close-up. It's hard to see, but I used one of the new PTI Impression plates on the patterned paper.

And here's the inside. I'm trying to dress the insides up a bit more, so this was fun:
Stamps: Birthday Basics, Text Style II (PTI), Pop Fashion (Pink Paislee)
Paper: Vintage Cream, Spring Rain (PTI), patterned paper (K&Company)
Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue (SU)
Accessories: Black felt, Polka Dot Basics II Impression Plate, Lg scalloped border die (PTI), corner rounder punch (EK Success), buttons (Making Memories), Cuttlebug (Provocraft), circle, scalloped circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)

My updated crafts room!

2010-04-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Yay, it's finally done! Before I share the photos, I thought I'd share my previous crafts desks/rooms.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of my first craft cabinet, which was a small Ikea computer desk that had a large desk surface that folded up to cover the opening. Not a helpful description, I know ;)

Anyway, this was my second desk (housed in the spare bedroom), including my ribbon storage (dowels and hanging on clips) and my12x12 paper holder made out of that wire cube shelving stuff. You'll notice in the photos below that I still use almost all of this stuff!

And here's the first version of my crafts room, in our new house. The peg board is one of my favourite items!

And finally, I'd like to introduce you to my updated crafts room. You can see some progression photos here and here. So, would you like a tour?

Here's the view from the door. Notice my nearly-constant companion Ginger insisted on being in the photo.

Starting just behind the door, my punches stored on Ikea Bygel rods. I have my flat/border punches in a Bygel basket. As you can see, I have lots of space for more punches. Yay!

ps. Little tip (from my friend Carrie) instead of attaching a row of Bygel rods to the wall, attach a piece of wood (MDF works well) and then install all the rods on that. Less holes in the wall. Oh well, lesson learned ;)

Below my punches is a short Billy shelf from Ikea (this width is discontinued), which stores all my SU and PTI stamps behind the doors, and my Cuttlebug and all dies/accessories above.
Here's my new desk. I've gone from an L-shaped desk to a shorter (but much wider) desk (Mikael from Ikea). Peg board and accessories are from Home Depot. I can't say enough about peg boards - love 'em!

Close up of my new ribbon storage. A Ribba picture ledge from Ikea. Ribbon ordered in rainbow (ROYGBIV). The small hutch unit on my desk came with the old L-shaped desk. I kept it because it's so useful! I forgot to take a photo, but the bottom basket on the far left holds all my adhesives - you can never have too many adhesive options ;)

There's even storage space under the desk! Wire cube shelves hold boxes of photos and other stuff. The drawer unit on the right holds paper scraps and memorabilia to be scrapped.

To the right of my desk: Making Memories organizer, shelves from Canadian Tire, my wire cube unit (now holds my stamp binder, paper trimmers, cutting mats, etc.)

Below I have a filing cabinet that houses my 8.5x11 cardstock, in rainbow order, of course. I've separated SU from PTI. There's also some felt hiding in there.

The bottom drawer has my insane sticker inventory (rarely used - oops?) and room for more paper ;)
On the wall beside, non-spooled ribbon hangs on paperclip clamps on a couple little hook racks (very old from Ikea). All my wee embellishments (eyelets, brads, flowers, etc) are in garage organizers from Canadian Tire. Both are organized in ROYGBIV order, of course ;) Below that are my old ribbon spool storage shelves, Bekvam from Ikea. They now hold Stickles and overflow ribbon spools.
A new addition to the room, the much loved Expedit unit. Thanks to some helpful Internet friendz, I was able to make my Cropper Hopper paper holders fit (by putting them in sideways.) Four Kassett boxes hold envelopes and other miscellaneous stuff. My scrapbook albums all fit in a single section (obviously I haven't been scrapbooking enough!) and the final three are for kid-related craft stuff.
Here's the sewing table-slash-overflow crafting area. You can see my card display above, Deka from Ikea.
Also in the room are Chloe's craft desk and her craft drawers. Here she's decoupaging a box with Mod Podge and tissue paper. Anything to keep her busy while I craft ;)

And finally, the HUGE storage closet that's full of miscellaneous junk and another drawer unit that holds gift wrap stuff, extra supplies (doubles of ribbon, tape, etc), and other things.
So, there it is, my updated crafts space. Hope you enjoyed the tour! For more craft storage ideas, check out the Crafty Storage blog (shameless plug, I'm a reporter on the team.) I recently posted about an amazing crafts room that is just SIXTEEN square feet. It's amazing!

A quick post: BLOG CANDY!

2010-03-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Stop by Kerin's blog and leave a comment for a chance to win some candy. Kerin has surpassed an amazing 300,000 hits on her blog!

Nuts about You

2010-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

A quick post. I'm sick, and did something to one of my knuckles while gardening over the weekend. It hurts to type/write/do anything with my left hand! :(

I made this card (before the hurt knuckle) with some new Papertrey Ink supplies.It features the new Hawaiian Shores colour (in this case, ink, felt, ribbon, and buttons) as well as one of their most versatile sets, Polka Dots Basics II (which I prefer over Polka Dots Basics I.)

Follow your heart

2010-03-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

I combined several stamp sets for this card. The sun is made up from the solid flower from Simply Said and the solid circle from Riveting. The "sidewalk" is the dotted flourish from Holiday Button Bits (I love that one image - and use it a lot!)
I thought it was cute to really make the sweet little house stand out, so I used different ink colours and also popped it up. With the little heart on the door, I knew which sentiment I wanted to use.

Don't you love those fun little clouds? I used the same image for the "bushes" around the houses.

ETA: I forgot to add that one of Nichole Heady's cards was my inspiration for this card.

Stamps: Good Neighbors, Whimsical Words, Simply Said , Riveting (SU), Holiday Button Bits (PTI)
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, Going Grey, Summer Sun (SU)
Accessories: none!

Birthday Wishes

2010-03-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

I know, shocking. I actually made something? And with no challenge, sketch, class, or anything?
I have finally completed the reorg of the crafts room, and also put away the last of my huge SU order. Then I challenged myself to actually USE something new. So I pulled out the huge and lovely Medallion background stamp. I wanted to emboss the sentiment to make it stand out more, but I was too lazy. Oops?

Stamps: Medallion, Kind and Caring Thoughts (SU)
Paper: Pixie Pink, Basic Black (SU)
Ink: Stickles (Ranger), rhinestone (Kaiser?)

ps. Photos of the crafts room to come soon.
pps. I made another card tonight, and will post it Thursday - need to spread out the love!

Still working on it

2010-03-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'm grumpy because my 12x12 paper holders (from Cropper Hopper) are TOO BIG for the new Expedit bookcase! (see photo #2 - one of the holders is immediately to the right of the bookcase) I bought it to store all my paper! Argh!!! I searched for photos of what people could fit in them, and I swear I saw one with the Cropper Hoppers in it. Now I have to decide if I want to buy another storage system, or trim these ones down (they're very thick plastic.)

Still busy...

2010-03-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

First I was away on a work trip, then volunteering at the Olympics (YAY CANADA!!!), now I'm dealing with this:
You can partially see the reason for the reorg - the new treadmill that now takes up half my crafts room! I'm moving things around, getting rid of some stuff, and hitting Ikea for more :D

I just cannot craft while in a messy room, so please bear with me for a few more days!

Told ya so...

2010-02-19T22:57:00.001-08:00

My stamp club pals laugh at me because I often don't finish my project during the club night. I usually want to size it for a photo or add something I have at home...or (let's be honest) I just talk too much and don't finish in time!

So tonight I swore I'd take this one home and complete it. And I did. And I even added extras to it (ribbon, stickles, scalloped trim border.) It's an "easel" card, which helps when you fill the treat cup with some goodies (which often makes it tip over!)
I also left the top of the green layer "un-stuck", so I can fill the cup just before Easter. The thought of jellybeans sitting in there for two months grosses me out. I'd rather use the nice airtight bag (in which they've been sitting for a couple years - they're still good!)

Anyhoo, I'm tired, so I'll give an abbreviated recipe. All supplies SU except the ribbon (Offray) and Stickles (Ranger.)

Here's another view, where you can see the easel part better:
I've got an Olympics shift tomorrow (and Sunday), but I hope to get back in the crafts room tomorrow night. I just put away my big SU order!!!

Sorry I've been MIA!

2010-02-18T22:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple weeks, and it won't be any better until after the Olympics are over. I'm volunteering, and still working my normal job, PLUS my daughter has been sick. Argh!

I hope to spend a wee bit of time in the crafts room this weekend, so hopefully I'll have something new to share then.

Love flowers

2010-02-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

This card is for the first Papertrey Pals challenge, which was to create a project with elements that start with P-A-L-S, or use the word "pals" somewhere on it, etc. I went with cardstock in:

Pretty in Pink
Apricot Appeal
Lovely Lilac
Soft Sky
(oh, and whisper white)
The card is based on this week's Mojo Monday sketch week #124.

I owe you the recipe on this one too, but highlights include Everyday Button Bits (PTI) and scallops (Spellbinders Nesties and SU edge punch.)

Stuck in the 80s

2010-02-05T23:09:00.000-08:00

This card is for the PTI anniversary celebration challenge: emboss resist. I was going for an 80s vibe, which the colours definitely give. The card didn't turn out like I saw it in my mind, but I don't have time to try again!The sentiment is from Tiffany Pastor's PTI birthday challenge image.

I know I'm behind in adding the recipes for the cards below, but I'm tired, and I still have work to do tonight! I'll get to them this weekend :)

Card #4

2010-02-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

Card #4 for Papertrey Ink's third anniversary celebration DAY TWO challenge!This card uses Niki Estes' birthday image.

Card #3

2010-02-03T00:58:00.000-08:00

Card #3 for Papertrey Ink's third anniversary celebration DAY TWO challenge!This card uses Heather Nichol's birthday image.

Card #2

2010-02-03T00:56:00.000-08:00

Card #2 for Papertrey Ink's third anniversary celebration DAY TWO challenge!
This card uses Dawn McVey's birthday image.

Card #1

2010-02-03T00:44:00.000-08:00

Card #1 for Papertrey Ink's third anniversary celebration DAY TWO challenge!

This card uses Melissa Bickford's birthday image.

ps. Will add details tomorrow, I stayed up much later than planned!

Enjoy the ride

2010-01-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

This card is for the January Papertrey Ink blog hop. This month's challenge was to create a card that is the "total package" - that is, not just decorating the outside, but also thinking about the inside (and even the back of the card!)
I really wanted to show the little birdie riding the bike, but if you're familiar with the stamp, you'll know that he usually faces the other way. One of the benefits of clear stamps is the ability to see where you're stamping. So I inked up each bit separately (feet, beak, tail) and stamped them where I wanted them. Thus the little guy is facing the right way!

And I'm sure you're asking - where on earth did she get thread for those buttons - it matches the cardstock PERFECTLY! Well folks, hold on to your hat. That's because it IS carstock! I sliced very thin strips with scissors, and threaded it through the buttons. Cool beans, huh?

For the background, I wanted the look of patterned paper stripes, but with some texture. So I cut strips of cardstock, added a length of ribbon, stamped the dotted flourish (from Holiday Button Bits) and also scored a line below the sentiment.

Here's a look at the inside - I think I spent more working on the inside than on the outside!
Using buttons on the inside would have added too much bulk, so I used paper instead! For the bike, I punched two circles from Ocean Tides and stamped with the star (from Tree Trimming Trio), then edged them in Ocean Tides ink to give the edges some definition. To give the idea that the bike is moving, I stamped the dotted flourish from Holiday Button Bits, also in Ocean Tides.

Even more stripes carry the front of the card to the inside. The larger bird has a paper circle body, I embossed it using a CB embossing folder. I also added a wing (also with stripes, keeping with the theme.)

Finally, even the back of the card got some love. Rather than my usual "handmade by" stamp, I used another of the Everyday Button Bits sentiments, "Sending smiles across the miles" and the same star. Sorry it's hard to see, click on the photo for a larger image.

Stamps: Everyday Button Bits, Holiday Button Bits, Tree Trimming Trio (PTI)
Paper: Ocean Tides, Berry Bliss (PTI), Confetti White (SU)
Ink: Ocean Tides, Berry Bliss (PTI)
Accessories: Berry Bliss ribbon, Ocean Tides buttons (PTI), 3/4", 1" circle punch (SU), Large rectangle Nesties (Spellbinders), Snowflakes embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), pink button (Making Memories)

Super exciting news!!!

2010-01-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

I hinted a few weeks ago about some exciting news, well here it is!I've joined the Crafty Storage team!!! Crafty Storage is a blog dedicated to discover and report on any type of crafty storage (hence the name!). You all know how much I love organization, so I was thrilled to join the team!

My first article is up on the blog: Where Shantaie Spends Her Days

My next article is already lined up, so I'll let you know when we post it. Otherwise, be sure to check out the blog, and let me know what you think!

LOL

2010-01-17T21:32:00.000-08:00

My friend came over to teach me how to decorate cakes using a piping bag and a star tip. We did a practice cake, then I did this one on my own. I'm going to take it into work tomorrow, where I'm sure all the computer geeks will appreciate it! ;)

Pink and brown cupcake

2010-01-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

And here's the last of my Pink Cat Studio paper piecing projects. I had so much fun creating these, I hope you enjoyed seeing them!

This was another of "quick print" project. I simply printed the colour reference file onto confetti white cardstock, cut it out, and glue it all together! I added some sparkle with Stickles, a fun ribbon, and some big glossy brads.

Stay tuned for some more exciting news - I can't wait to share it with you!

Sweet Brown Owl

2010-01-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

My second-two last Pink Cat Studio paper piecing project (for now!) This time I printed the Owl on a Branch image onto different papers, cut them out, and assembled. Oh, and I ran the belly and wings through the Cuttlebug, using the Swiss Dots folder. Don't you love his sweet little belly?

This layout is for Mojo Monday Week 121. It came together really quickly!
While putting it together, I decided to use one of the paper pieced leaves on the scalloped flower, which helped balance the card. I also used some of that scrumptious SU Alpine Originals felt ribbon. The stitching in the ribbon is off-white, so I coloured it with a marker (because it clashed with the bright white paper in the card.) Some SU rub-ons finished it off.

Owl on a Branch layout

2010-01-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

For this Pink Cat Studio paper piecing project, I went old-school. Um, for me, anyway, as I started out as a scrapper!

Like the Clown Owl card below, I used the simple option for this cute owl - I printed the colour reference sheet onto white carstock, cut it out, and glued it all together - easy peasy!

I looked for some photos that had a similar blue colour, and these ones (of Chloe's 11 month photos) were the best option. I used the blue and orange as my main colours, with a pop of green to match the leaves. A large SU rub-on adds some black details, and a wee blue scallop on the far right to balance the layout.

I have two more of these projects to share with you, so come by again soon :)

And here's the direct link to the Own on a Branch image.

Another Clown Owl card!

2010-01-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

And here's the next Pink Cat Studio paper piecing project. It's the Hootie Pie clown again!

Each paper piecing image comes with a few options, allowing you to print it on your choice of cardstock, print out the pieces and use them as templates, or print the coloured image directly, which is the quickest option. Don't forget they also come with the files for use with electronic cutters (if you have one.)

This time I went with the quickest option, and simply printed him out on white cardstock, using the colour scheme created by Melissa. Then I just cut out the pieces and glued it all together.

This card is based on the Smiles and Stamps SASSC47 sketch challenge.

Some more texture with Cuttlebug-embossed paper and a wee bit of ribbon. I used more of that happy birthday paper to make a banner, and then added a few dew drops.

And a bit of a preview. Here are the three images I worked with, all printed on white (or confetti white, in the case of the cupcake) cardstock. You'll see the projects with the blue owl and this cupcake tomorrow.

ps. Here's the direct link to the Hootie Pie clown image.

Cupcake Card

2010-01-10T10:50:00.001-08:00

Here's another Pink Cat Studio paper piecing project. This time it's a cupcake! This card is based on Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #55.

In this case, I printed the paper piecing image onto several different types of paper, both cardstock and patterned paper. Then I cut it out and pieced it together. I added some Stickles to the heart and scalloped border, and then applied a line of redline tape and covered it in glitter. An SU rub-on punched out with the modern label punch finishes the card.

A few tips about paper piecing:
- When cutting, turn the paper, not the scissors; you'll get smoother edges
- A glue pen is your friend for all those small pieces like the wee flower and band around the cupcake
- Add dimension in logical places (like here, where I popped up the icing)

Don't forget to check out the other examples on Melissa's blog. There's a free butterfly paper piecing image and a CONTEST for a $50 Pink Cat Studio gift certificate!!!

ps. Here's the direct link to the cupcake image.

Clown Owl Card

2010-01-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Melissa over at Pink Cat Studio asked for volunteers to try out a new venture: paper piecing projects! Melissa designed some of her super cute images into files that you can print out and cut by hand, or if you're lucky enough to have an electronic cutting system, you can input the files into the machine, and it cuts them for you!

I'm not lucky enough to have a machine, so I cut all my projects by hand :) Here's my first, the clown owl card:
The image from Melissa is meant to create a shaped card, so when you cut it out, you fold it in half, and you have the beginning of a really cute card! I printed the image onto yellow cardstock, and cut out the card base. The file also comes with separate feet, so I printed those out on orange carstock. Then I had fun dressing up my owl!

I didn't cut the flower on his hat very well, so I made my own with a pipe cleaner and a foam flower. I added some googley eyes and then printed a sentiment "belt" on my computer, repeating it several times for fun.

I have several other projects to share over the next couple days, but meanwhile, check out the other examples on Melissa's blog. There's even a free butterfly paper piecing image and a CONTEST for a $50 Pink Cat Studio gift certificate!!!
ps. Here's the direct link to the Clown Owl image, which includes the bonus shaped card image.

2009 in Review

2010-01-03T23:39:00.000-08:00

I have been busy in the crafts room, but can't share anything just yet. Stay tuned though, it's pretty cool!

I saw this idea on several other blogs, and thought I'd give it a go. Anyway, here's a quick review of 2009 on craft-o-rama:

January
February
March

April

May

June
July

August

September

October

November

December

And of course, a New Year's resolution: to continue with even more crafty-goodness this year (including more time with the sewing machine, and not just for paper!) to share with all of you.

If you're up for it, why not create a review of your own 2009? It doesn't have to be a project per month, even just your favourite projects from 2009 would be great! Post a comment with a link to your post, I'd love to see it!

Quick gift card holders

2009-12-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Chloe and I made these quickly on Christmas Eve (yes, I was doing last minute crafting!) She chose the papers/colours, so don't blame me for them ;)
The snowmen are made with various punches and scalloped nesties. His hat is one half of the SU designer label punch, with a word window punch brim.

The card base opens as normal, but on the front, if you undo the ribbon, you get this:
Cool, huh? I've seen this in a few places, but the awesome Heather did a video tutorial on them, which allowed me to pull these off in a very short time. Thanks Heather!

Stamps: none!
Paper: unknown
Ink: none!
Accessories: Word Window, Snowflake, Designer Label punches, Chit Chat rub-ons, Top Note die (SU), Large circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), embossing folders, CB (Provocraft), ribbon/googly eyes (unknown)

Merry Christmas, John and Yoko

2009-12-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

My aunt bought these pillow "armchairs" for my cousin and his girlfriend. They like to stay at home, usually just watching TV in their room, so we thought it would be funny to put "John" and "Yoko" on the pillows.

I found this inkjet friendly "Peel and Stick" cotton transfer paper, and used Microsoft Word to create the names (using WordArt and a downloaded font to make them funky). They came out great from the printer, then I used my mega curved rectangle Nesties to cut them out.Because the pillows are a microfibre material, I knew they wouldn't stick well, so I hand-stitched around the edges to ensure they'd stay on.

Stuffed stockings

2009-12-22T19:57:00.000-08:00

Chloe and I made these stocking "boxes" to hold some chocolates and gift cards for her daycare teachers. We used the Stocking Stuffer Timeless Template from PTI.
In case it isn't obvious, she chose the colours, I cut them out, she decorated them ;)Inside are some envelope gift card holders I made some time ago (last Christmas? the one before?) at a SU workshop. We also made some paper straw by crimping cardstock and slicing it into thin pieces, then crumpling it a bit.

Peaceful Wishes Mini-scrapbook

2009-12-21T23:23:00.000-08:00

I started this mini-scrapbook at Carrie's, but didn't put it all together until I got home. See Carrie and Leanne, I finished it!

The inside (the pages of which fold out) is meant to have photos. I'm not sure yet which I'll put in there...

This week's challenge at Our Creative Corner is to use snowflakes, which I managed to do in a few places - the die-cuts, stamps on the inside, and on the patterned paper.

All supplies are SU, except the bell (unknown!) and the embossing folders/Cuttlebug (Provocraft).

One sketch, one stamp, two cards

2009-12-13T22:05:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by the Mojo Monday sketch #116, and created these two cards, both using Holiday Button Bits (from PTI) and SU paper.

The first uses more "traditional" colours, and PTI buttons for the ornaments. Don't you LOVE that SU Alpine ribbon? I used my SU Mat Pack and paper piercer to create a border/corner element on the top (but it's hard to see in the photo)

Stamps: Holiday Button Bits (PTI)
Paper: Read Red, Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Merry Moments DSP (SU)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: Alpine ribbon, Mat Pack (SU), paper piercer (Making Memories), corner rounder punch (EK Success), buttons (PTI), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), CB (Provocraft)

The second uses some more modern/funky colours, and patterned paper for the ornaments.

Stamps: Holiday Button Bits (PTI)
Paper: Sahara Sand, Taken with Teal, Ruby Red cardstock, Holiday Lounge DSP (SU)
Ink: Sahara Sand, Ruby Red (SU)
Accessories: 1/2", 3/4", 1" circle punch (SU), corner rounder punch (EK Success), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), CB (Provocraft)

Fun with felt

2009-12-10T20:54:00.000-08:00

Oops, it's been a while! I've been so busy, I haven't had any time to craft.

I hope to get into the crafts room this weekend (I have to, if I want to send out handmade Christmas cards this year!), but until then, I thought I'd share something fun.

A few weeks ago, I was browsing through my favourite blogs, and found one that used Nesties to cut a scalloped square of felt (and as soon as I remember which blog, I'll link it here!). That inspired me to think of this:
Those are felt shapes cut with the SU Build-A-Bear dies. It was so easy to do, the felt cut perfectly, just as you would cut cardstock. My daughter and my friend's son were begging for more, so I ended up cutting many sets of clothes for them. What you see is just a selection of the outfits available ;) Chloe plays with them all the time, and I have visions of creating more, and also using other dies to cut more fun shapes.

I don't have the Build-A-Bear dies yet, but borrowed them from a friend. They're on my list though!

Holiday Wishes

2009-11-14T23:04:00.000-08:00

After the big PTI release party tonight, I was inspired to pull out my new Tree Trimming Trio stamp set. I was happy to also use some new SU patterned paper and the yummy Alpine ribbon.

Notice the sentiment? It's part of a larger one. Because the stamps are acrylic, you can bend them before putting them on the stamp block. So I curved the sentiment, inked up the first word, and stamped it (I had to use my Blender Pen to wipe off the ink on the neighbouring letters first). I did the same with the second word. I wish I could say that I measured it to fit perfectly in the wide oval punch, but that was pure chance. I was aiming for a circle punch, but I actually like it better with the oval!

Stamps: Tree Trimming Trio (PTI)
Paper: Read Red, Very Vanilla cardstock, Merry Moments DSP (SU), brown textured cardstock (Bazzil)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU), Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado (Palette)
Accessories: 1/2" circle punch, Wide Oval punch, Blender Pen, Alpine ribbon (SU), sewing machine (Janome)

ho ho ho!

2009-11-14T09:49:00.001-08:00

This card is based on the SASSC40 sketch over at Our Creative Corner.
The ink has a slight shimmer to it, which works well with the iridescent snowflake confetti behind the white snowflake brads (yes, I save everything) and the glittered ribbon.

Stamps: Hung up on the Holidays (SU)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red (SU), pp (ADT)
Ink: Black Noir (Palette), Thyme, Poppy, Chocolate Brilliance Dew Drops (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Scalloped Edge punch (SU), rub-on(Deja Views), snowflake brads/ribbon/snowflake confetti (unknown)

Old Fashioned Peace

2009-11-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

Scrap 'n Stamp's November Sketch Challenge #1.
Stamps: Silhouette Angel (Inkadinkado), Elegant Christmas (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand (SU), pp (Memory Block), sage cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Chocolate Brilliance Dew Drops (Tsukineko), Noir Black (Palette)
Accessories: Scribbles and Swirls Sizzlit (Sizzix), (Stickles (Ranger)

Wishing you...

2009-11-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

It's my brother's birthday today, so I needed a masculine card. I decided to use of two of my new Papertrey Ink stamp sets, plus Mojo Monday week 112.

It's hard to see, but both the blue and red strips have one of the small "ornament" stamps from Tree Trimming Trio in matching inks.
And the inside of the card - I'm trying to decorate the insides more. It's easy with the scrap bits left over from the front!

Stamps: Birthday Basics, Tree Trimming Trio (PTI)
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Soft Sky, Real Red, River Rock cardstock (SU), pp (American Crafts)
Ink: Soft Sky, Real Red, River Rock (SU), Pure Poppy (PTI), Noir Black (Palette)
Accessories: Photo Corner, 1 1/8" circle, 1 3/8" circle, Designer Label punches, River Rock ribbon(SU), 1 1/2" circle punch (Marvy), 1/8" circle punch (Fiskars), eyelet (Making Memories)

Button cards set

2009-11-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

I bought the Everyday Button Bits set from Papertrey Ink off of a friend, and I was inspired to create a little set of cards. They're super simple, but great for a little gift set. I used the little 3x3 Love Note cards as my base.
The last one is my favourite. Just brown and green, but so cute!

Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Confetti White, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Love Notes (SU)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Apricot Appeal, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Pretty in Pink, Groovy Guava (SU)
Accessories: Hemp Twine, Modern Label punch, Chocolate Chip marker (SU), embroidery thread (unknown), Buttons (Making Memories), decorative edge scissors (Fiskars)

More stamp club cards

2009-11-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

We were playing with watercolouring (pencils and crayons):

Most supplies are Stampin' Up, plus the Cuttlebug/folders, unknown ribbon/button.

I won from Pink Cat Studios!!!

2009-11-07T11:33:00.000-08:00

Eeek! I entered a contest on the Pink Cat Studio blog and was the random draw winner of three digital stamps! I've been curious to try them, but couldn't decide where to start. So this is perfect!

Here are the stamps I chose:
Polar Bear Present
Cowboy Billy
Cowboy Lily

And how easy - Melissa emailed me the images and I'm ready to go! No need to wait for shipping. Sweet! Now if only I didn't have to go out this afternoon - I'll have to wait until tonight to play with them ;)

Sing a Joyful Song!

2009-11-01T17:49:00.000-08:00

(whoops, hit post too early, here's the final post!)

This card is for Mojo week 110. I'm on a quest to stock up on Christmas cards, so here's the first of (hopefully) a bunch. I like what I did last year, which was to give out all different cards (that I had made over the months before) rather than a bunch of the same. That allowed me to try all sorts of designs and techniques, and then put the cards to good use!

Anyway, here's the card.I used the patterned paper and (green) cardstock that I won from Taylored Expressions last year. I'm not sure of the manufacturer for either. The ink is pearlescent, so has a slight shimmer (hard to see in the photo). Some gems and a wee bow with some twine finishes it off.

Stamps: Elegant Christmas (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla (SU), pp & green carstock (Taylored Expressions)
Ink: Thyme, Poppy, Chocolate Brilliance Dew Drops (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Ticket Corner punch, twine (SU), Ribbon (American Crafts), rhinestones (Kaiser), circle neties (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provocraft)

From the Library of...

2009-10-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

I put my Small Letter set from JustRite to good use.

SU Stamp-a-Stack Cards

2009-10-25T22:34:00.001-07:00

A few cards I made at my friend Carrie's place. She's my SU demo, and tempts me with all sorts of goodies. Almost all products are SU. It's hard to see on the last one, but the base Kraft layer is stamped with snowflakes in Versamark Dazzle. It's so gorgeous!

Baby Shower Card

2009-10-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

I had to make a "quick" baby shower card, and decided to use ssnotime #108 and Scrap 'n Stamp's Oct Sketch Challenge #2.

Not too sure about it, I knew which ribbon I wanted to use, so I grabbed the colours from there. Pretend the top ribbon is sewed on straight. Sigh.

Stamps: Cuddles and Tickles, Friendship Blooms (SU)
Paper: Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise, Kraft cardstock (SU), black textured cardstock (Bazzil)
Ink: Pink Passion (SU), Blue Lagoon Fluid Chalk Ink (ColorBox)
Accessories: Ribbon (Michael's), sewing machine (Janome)

happy B-day

2009-09-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been away from my crafts room for so long that I'm starting anew. I had to sit down and reacquaint myself with everything. Oh, and put away a few things I've bought over the last month!

Speaking of things I've bought...

I decided I'd jump in with a sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You, Kazan's sketch #36. Most of the supplies on this card are from the Explore kit by We R Memory Keepers.

Stamps: none
Paper: Really Rust cardstock (SU), patterned paper (We R Memory Keepers)
Ink: Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger)
Accessories: Spiral punch (SU), 2.5" & 3" circle punches (Marvy), stickers, ribbon (We R Memory Keepers), brads (Karen Foster), wavy-edged scissors (Provocraft)

I'm sure I've mentioned that my crafts room is a haven for my 3.5 year-old daughter. This is a card she made for her best friend's birthday. I helped with the layout and stamping, she took over after that. We added some Stickles as a last step (she wants to use my "sparkles" on everything!)

Where I've been...

2009-09-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Lots of scrapbooking to follow!

Vacation 2007

2009-09-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. Posts have been scarce lately. It's the end of summer, what can I say? Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things come fall.

And yes, I've finally scrapped some photos from our Feb 2007 trip to Mexico. The disappointing part? These are photos for my mother-in-law's album. I haven't even started ours yet. Whoops!

Anyway, I was inspired by this pail/shovel die cut that I have (and used on another page) so I ended up hand cutting all of the embellishments for this page, aside from the flip-flops and title (stickers).

All products are Creative Memories (oh, I forgot about the marker for the journalling, which is Marvy).

ETA: Since posting this, I realized that I forgot that I wanted to add something to the last page. So imagine that along the right side of the top photo is the caption "The original squishy-face" in the same blue marker as the journalling. I'm too lazy to take another photo.

Win one of THREE Basic Grey paper collections!

2009-09-05T10:43:00.001-07:00

Check out Craft Critique for all the details. But back off, they're mine!!!

celebrate U

2009-08-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

Still working on the Mojo Monday turns 100 sketches. I skipped ahead to day 7, because I knew right away what I wanted to do.
The smaller squares of DSP were easy to punch out with a 1" square punch, but my 1 1/4" square punch was too big for the Old Olive mats for each of them, so I just used my trimmer to get the right size.

Lots of distressing, including crumpling the main image and smoothing it back out (a bit). I also put my trusty dollar-store crimper to work on the image layers...when's the last time you used YOURS? ;)

Three large eyelets and some twine finish it off.

Stamps: All About U (SU)
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Blue Bayou cardstock, Spring BreakDSP (SU)
Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie (SU)
Accessories: Hemp twine (SU), 1" punch (EK Success), eyelets (Making Memories), crimper (dollar store)

Flowered Congratulations

2009-08-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Still on the Mojo Monday turns 100 train. This is day 3. I'm also still on the rub-ons kick, so I used a lot on this card.

I layered a bunch of brown and white rub-ons, but obviously the white ones didn't show up on the white paper. I stamped some small flowers in the two shades of blue, then sponged over the entire thing with the lighter blue (Soft Sky). I'm really happy with how it looks! I like the white border around each rub-on. It really defines them well.

Stamps: Eastern Blooms, French Script (SU)
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Sky cardstock, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky textured cardstock, Soft Sky DSP (SU), brown textured cardstock (Bazzil)
Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou (SU)
Accessories: Hidden Garden rub-ons, Scalloped Edge punch, sponge (SU), pearls (Kaiser)

I've also been decorating the inside of my cards lately, here's what I did for this one:
Ask me why I have a mirror image of the script-stamped/scalloped edge white piece cardstock that I used on the front of the card. Go ahead, ask me.

That's right, because I stamped it the wrong way the first time. It was supposed to go on the front of the card, so I needed the scallops to point to the right. But the text was upside-down. Oops!

Ask me what's on the back of the same piece. Yup, you guessed it. More script stamp, STILL upside down! Luckily I was able to use it on the inside.

I'm happy to say that this card is for an upcoming wedding. So I've managed to make a card for an occasion, an entire MONTH before I need it, rather than an hour before!

Happy Trails to You...

2009-08-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

...until we meet again.

Ugh. I've been singing that song (and all I really know is that part) for the last 1/2 hour, since I decided on the sentiment for this card:

The card is based off of Mojo Monday 100 (day 2). The sentiment I was originally going to use (from the Cosmo Cricket stamp set) was too long. Then I came up with an even better idea, and pulled out my JustRite 50pt font set. It barely fit, but I'm so glad it did!

I tried something different with the ribbon. I think I've seen something like this elsewhere, but I don't know if it's exactly the same (and of course I can't remember where). I'm sure I'm not the first to do it. Anyway, I used my Crop-o-Dile to punch three holes in a line, close together. Don't mind my scrap paper and ribbon.
Then, from the back of the cardstock, I pulled one end of the ribbon up through the first hole and then down through the last one (by-passing the middle one), leaving some slack.
Then I pulled the two ends (which were both sticking out of the back of the cardstock) up through the middle hole, and to the side.
Finally, adjust as needed and then tighten the whole thing.
And there you have it - a cool ribbon "knot", without a lot of bulk. And I got the ends to sit just how I wanted them! This works well with ribbon that is quite a bit bigger than the hole -- not like I did in my example, but like I did in my card. Then you don't see the holes when you pull it tight - or you can "fluff" it up a bit, to hide them.

The rest of the card is fairly obvious. I was happy to pull out (and use!) some of my Cosmo Cricket papers, the ones that match the stamp set, obviously. Finally, the ribbon just happened to work. It's actually SU Riding Hood Red, but matches very well with SU Ruby Red, and the reddish colour in the paper. Yay!

Stamps: Happy Camper (Cosmo Cricket), Times New Roman 50pt Font (JustRite)
Paper: Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Ruby Red cardstock (SU), Happy Camper DSP (Cosmo Cricket), kraft (unknown)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard (SU)
Accessories: Riding Hood Red ribbon, Scalloped Edge punch (SU), corner rounder punch (EK Success), Crop-o-Dile (W R Memory Keepers)

Thanks for all that you do

2009-08-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

This card was inspired by Mojo Monday Week 100 (day 1) and Color Throwdown #55.

I don't have the new in colours, so I substituted Summer Sun and Pixie Pink for Crushed Curry and Melon Mambo.
The main image and sentiment are rub-ons (see Carrie, I'm trying to use them!). I made the card slightly larger than normal (it's 6.5 x 4.5) to fit an envelope I already had. I also stamped on the envelope (you can see it under the card) and on the inside of the card (I lined it with white cardstock and a strip of the yellow).

Stamps: Eastern Blooms (SU)
Paper: Whipser White, Kraft, Pixie Pink, Summer Sun cardstock (SU), black cardstock (Bazzil)
Ink: Pixie Pink, Summer Sun (SU)
Accessories: Hidden Garden and Chit Chad rub-ons, Scalloped circle & 1 3/4" circle punch (SU), Scalloped circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Floral Screen embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), 1 1/2" circle punch (Marvy), paper piercer (Making Memories), Design Ruler (Tim Holtz), ribbon (unknown)

Tropical Birthday

2009-08-16T12:55:00.001-07:00

Two cards I made for my husband's birthday (the big 4-0!). Both made using Penguin Pants stamps - unfortunately they've recently gone out of business :(

Stamps: So Many Sayings (SU), Aloha Paradise (Penguin Pants Stamps)
Paper: Whipser White, Old Olive cardstock (SU)
Ink: Basic Brown, Close to Cocoa, So Saffron, More Mustard, Old Olive, Wild Wasabi, Tempting Turquoise, Blue Bayou (SU)
VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Word Window Punch, sponges, brad (SU), White Glaze pen (Sakura),VersaMark pen (Tsukineko), heat tool (Marvy Uchida), clear embossing powder (Ranger), 1 1/2" circle punch (Marvy)

Stamps: Aloha Paradise (Penguin Pants Stamps)
Paper: Whipser White, Wild Wasabi, River Rock cardstock, Groovy Guava textured cardstock (SU)
Ink: So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava, More Mustard (SU)
Accessories: Mega Curved Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), CB (Provocraft), lime ribbon (Michael's)

And even more blog candy!

2009-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

This time it's from Denise. She's giving away a big pile of goodies - check it out!

Holy blog candy, Batman!

2009-08-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Check out Bev's blog candy giveaway. It's H-U-G-E!!!

Congrats on 400K hits, Bev!

Shimmer flowers

2009-08-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here's another of those images from Jill. This time I used metallic chalks to give it a soft, shimmery look. The card is based off of Kazan's Sketch #32.
I distressed the edges of the white and green layers, and added a big knot to the ribbon.

Stamps: French Script (SU), not sure (from Jill)
Paper: Lavender Lace, Whipser White, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery cardstock (SU)
Ink: Pretty in Pink (SU), not sure (from Jill)
Accessories: Glimmer Chalks (Craf-T), Mega Curved Rectangle nesties (Spellbinders), Birds and Swirls embossing folder, Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), ribbon (unknown)

Remember me?

2009-08-07T21:31:00.001-07:00

Uh yeah. I'm still around. Haven't done much crafting, have you heard about the heatwave we had? Oh, and I'm at the tail-end of a two week vacation. And my garden is seriously neglected. So not much time in the crafts room!

Anyway, I was organizing the other day, and found some images that Jill had sent me waaaaay back when. And I coloured a couple of them, and even made a really simple card with one.

I couldn't decide on a sentiment, so I left it blank. But it will go just above the knot in the ribbon (and the two scored lines), to the left of the image panel.

Stamps: not sure (from Jill)
Paper: Old Olive, Whipser White, Basic Black cardstock, Old Olive DSP (SU)
Ink: not sure (from Jill)
Accessories: Old Olive ribbon, Metallic pencil crayons (SU), scoring blade (Fiskars), Mega Curved Rectangle nesties (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

Glitter, glitter, everywhere.

2009-07-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

Another card. This is for ssnotime95 (glitter) and Kazan's Sketch 30.

A very, very quick card. I used the glitter line technique again (shown to me by Leanne). It's simply a line of double-sided tape (use redline for the best results) with glitter. The stars are two-sided stickies as well.

Stamps: So Many Sayings (SU)
Paper: Soft Sky textured cardstock (SU), white (Bazzil), PP (Making Memories)
Ink: Lovely Lilac (SU)
Accessories: sticky stars (Confessions of a Ribbon Addict), glitter ()

Babies are Trouble

2009-07-11T00:10:00.000-07:00

This card is for Mojo Monday week 94 and Color Throwdown #50. I had to flip the sketch to work with the layout of the quote.

The quote makes me laugh. It's SO true!

My Real Red ink spot is driving me nuts. It doesn't dry, and then gets my fingers red (not good when you're working with white paper!)

Stamps: Cuddles & Tickles, Riveting (SU)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise cardstock, Wild Wasabi textured cardstock, East Coast Prep DSP (SU)
Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise (SU)
Accessories: red striped ribbon, Wide Oval Punch (SU), Cuttlebug, Argyle Swirls embossing folder (Provo Craft), mini brads (unknown), paper piercer (Making Memories), vellum quote (Flair Designs)

Brown Umbrella

2009-06-29T23:40:00.000-07:00

What? Two cards in one night? Yup, that's right! Scroll down for another card after this one.

This is for another sketch, this one from Mojo Monday #93.
Stamps: Blooming with Happiness, Simply Said (SU)
Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Berry Bliss DSP (SU)
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: white ribbon, Wide Oval Punch (SU), Cuttlebug, D'Vine Swirls embossing folder (Provo Craft), lg Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders) brads (unknown)

I debated whether I should add anyting to the umbrella, but in the end I left it nice and simple. Don't you love the handle on it? Makes me think Mary Poppins is going to float down with it from the sky.

I wasn't sure how to frame the sentiment. This was my first version:
I created the scallops beind it like this:
But in the end I went with the plain oval.I don't have a scalloped oval punch/Nesties, so I hand cut the brown layer.

Oh, and I don't have any rectangle Nesties, so I created a square by cutting out two scallops, and taping it back together:

Pretty Birthday

2009-06-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

This card is based on the OCC sketch challenge. I started with the patterned paper, and knew I wanted to use the Argyle embossing folder.
The layers are straight, I swear. The photo is just at a weird angle!

Paper: Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Certainly Celery cardstock (SU), pp (K&Company)
Ink: Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery(SU)
Accessories: Certainly Celery ribbon, blender pen (SU), Cuttlebug, Arglye embossing folder (Provo Craft), pearls (Kaiser), brads, flowers (unknown)

celebrate life!

2009-06-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Simple card. I had this rainbow idea floating around in my head, and when I saw a card on Jennifer McGuire's blog, I found the perfect background! (ps In case you can't figure it out, it's the card at the end of her post)

Stamps: So Many Sayings (SU)
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Only Orange, Yoyo Yellow, Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, Lovely Lilac cardstock (SU)
Ink: Tempting Turquoise (SU)
Accessories: Word Window punch (SU), Lg Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft)

Bright blue and orange

2009-06-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Another card for complementary colours week over at the Hero Arts blog. This time it's blue and orange.
I created the background paper by inking up the large stamp in orange, then wiping away bits and colouring them in with a turquoise marker. Then I spritzed the whole thing with water, to soften it a bit. I embossed it with the Swiss Dots folder for some texture.

After that, I was a bit lost, and tried several things before I settled on this simple layout. It's hard to see, but I scored two lines on the orange layer (between and below the two ribbons). The scallops looked a little plain, so I added some dots with my white Glaze pen.

Not my favourite card, but I tried :p

Stamps: DesignBlock: Stencil, Calligraphy Messages (Hero Arts)
Paper: Whisper White, Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise cardstock (SU)
Ink: Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise (SU)
Accessories: turquoise ribbon, Scalloped Edge punch, 1 1/4" & 1 1/2" circle punch (SU), Swiss Dots embossing folder, Cuttlebug (Provocraft), White Glaze Pen (Sakura)

Simple Wedding

2009-06-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

It's complementary colours week over at the Hero Arts blog, and this week the challenge is to create a card using complementary colours. I knew I wanted to try black and white, and also use the DesignBlock: Stencil background stamp that I won from Lisa!

I embossed the flowers stamp with clear powder, and the sentiment with black. This felt like a wedding card, so I did that simple bow-tie ribbon, along with some black gemstones. I saw the layout in the SU catty, and loved how simple it looks!

Stamps: DesignBlock: Stencil, Calligraphy Messages (Hero Arts)
Paper: Whisper White cardstock (SU)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: black ribbon, Scalloped Edge punch (SU), Black gemstones (Hero Arts), Clear and black embossing powder (Ranger)

Let the relaxation begin!

2009-06-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

We went to a retirement lunch at the last minute today, so I quickly whipped up this card. It is based on three challenges!

1. Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #9 Grass green, cream, black
2. Paper Popsicles Card Challenge #3 (masculine card, decorated on the inside)
3. Mojo Monday Week #90 sketch

I wanted the dotted circle thing (one of the trees from Trendy Trees) to be the sun on top, but also wanted to follow the colour scheme, so I just embossed with Versamark on the Very Vanilla paper.

As usual, I just eyed the tree trunk/tree boughs placement. Close enough! ;)

I love how it ended up looking like some sort of shield. Cooh, huh?

Stamps: Congrats, Trendy Trees (SU)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi (regular and textured) cardstock (SU), black (Bazzil)
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Basic Black (SU), VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: 1 1/8" circle punch, Top Note die (SU), Labels II Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), clear embossing powder (StampCraft), 1" circle punch (Marvy)

Monogrammed Wedding

2009-06-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hiya! Sorry I've been away, it's been a crazy month. First I was busy at work, then the trip to the UK, then I've been trying to keep up with our gardens (with no luck, there's too much to do!). The weather has been super hot, so I've been outside, rather than in my crafts room!

Anyway, I started cleaning it up tonight, and will have some new stuff to post soon!

Meanwhile, I made this card for a friend's wedding. The handmade paper and ribbon are from the wedding invite. I thought it would be nice to use them on the card (I got this idea from another friend, who did that for my wedding!)
I had this card made a while ago, but didn't want to post it until I gave it to them. Of course I forgot to bring it to the wedding, so it's in the mail now. I figure I'm safe ;)

The card is based off of this Paper Popsicles sketch and this Cuttlebug challenge. Both of which ended weeks ago, but I didn't want to post the card early. Oh well!

Stamps: Linen (SU), Curlzand Brayton fonts (JustRite)
Paper: Perfect Plum cardstock (SU), handmade (unknown)
Ink: Perfect Plum, Almost Amethyst (SU)
Accessories: Wide Oval punch (SU), D'Vine Swirls embossing folder, Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), pearls (Kaiser), ribbon/flowers (unknown)

I'm not here.

2009-05-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

Literally!

I'm about 4600 miles (7400 KM) from my crafts room right now. Hence the reason I haven't posted in a while.

I'm in the UK for work, and won't be back for another week. And I'm DYING to get in my crafts room! So hopefully I'll have something to post shortly after I return. I hate unpacking, so I'll just head straight to my paper and scissors! ;)

In the meantime, here are some more blog candy giveaways to keep you entertained!

All That Scraps is giving away a $25 gift certificate AND you get to see sneak peeks of the new Cuttlebug embossing folders!!!

Check out the updated Spritz from Shimmerz Paints. And a chance to win!

And even more blog candy

2009-05-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Jacqui is celebrating hitting 90K hits with some awesome blog candy. Hop on over and check it out!

Amazing blog candy

2009-05-12T15:49:00.000-07:00

Check it out! Debbie is celebrating her birthday in grand style, with an unbelievable blog candy giveaway!

Happy birthday Debbie!

Changed my mind...

2009-05-06T00:35:00.001-07:00

After my last post, I realized I really wanted to make a simple card.
The sketch is AMYRS66, and the colour combo is Raspberry Suite week 4 (although I'm late on that one).

Stamps: Trendy Trees, Lots of Thoughts
Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White cardstock (SU), textured brown cardstock (Bazzil)
Ink: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chit Chat rub-ons, Scalloped Edge punch, 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 3/4" circle punches (SU), Swiss Dots embossing folder, Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

If you're familiar with the Lots of Thoughts set, you'll notice that the "note of love" is missing the bottom sentiment ("Happily Ever After"), which doesn't go with my Mother's Day card. To remove it, I masked the stamp with tape, inked it up, and then removed the tape (sorry the photo is blurry!).

To round the edge of the other sentiment, I stuck one edge through a small circle punch.Finally, I just eyed the placement of the trunks for the trees. I was thinking about getting a Stamp-a-ma-jig (mostly for this set), but maybe I don't need it!

Hungry for something sweet?

2009-05-05T23:25:00.001-07:00

Check out all this blog candy!

Melanie is giving away a set of metallic papers from the Paper Temptress! (draw is weekend of May 9th)
Dawn is giving away one of her Damask Designs stamp sets!!! (hurry, draw is May 6th, 6pm CST)
Alex is giving away an awesome package of goodies (not sure of the draw date)

ps. I know, it's been a while. I'm working on a special project, hope to be finished soon. I'd like to get a card or two done in the meantime, we'll see.

My bump

2009-04-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this Pebbles paper, and found some embellishments that match perfectly!
The letters are actually stickers, but I left the backing on them and used dimensionals to pop them up. I did the same with the {braces}.

I love the focus on the one colour photograph, but having the black and white ones to fill out the page. Of course I added some journalling in my own handwriting, even though I don't like the way I write! It's definitely more personal than typing it out on the computer.

Obviously my inspiration came from the paper, and I knew I wanted to do a bit of blocking, using the paper and photos to define the majority of the space. The casual embellishments break-up all the lines, and keep it fun.

I love the time you can put into a scrapbook layout, especially because you know it's going to be kept for a long time, unlike a card, which you never know if the recipient will keep!

Stamps: none
Paper: cardstock (Bazzil), patterned paper (Pebbles)
Ink: none
Accessories: stickers (Pebbles), felt flowers, corduroy brads, flower brad, Pumpkin Pie marker (SU), letter stickers (Colorbok)

A Distressed Birthday

2009-04-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

I made this card for a crafty friend who loves distressing (I think she's secretly - or not so secretly - in love with Tim Holtz). The card was based on Jen's sketch (SFYTT).
I obviously need to work on my distressing technique, but I love how the card base turned out. I rubbed the edges in ink, but it was still too bare. I decided to run the whole thing through my crimper, but then it wouldn't lay flat. So then I ran it through my CB (no die or embossing folder, obviously) and it flattened it out just enough, without removing all the crimping!

Stamps: Times New Roman 50pt font (Just Right)
Paper: Kraft cardstock (SU), Pop Fashion pp (Pink Paislee)
Ink: Old Olive (SU)
Accessories: Hemp twine (SU), rhinestones (Kaiser), buttons (Making Memories), Curved Rectangles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), crimper(unknown - from a dollar store! )

While the sentiment looks like any other birthday stamp, it's actually a Just Rite 50pt font! I've been coveting their Rectangular Stamper Set, but have yet to give in. Then I looked at the way the actual letters are stored, and {ding} the lightbulb went off! The letters come on the actual mount needed for attaching them, and it's just bare rubber. I have the stamp blocks from the SU "So Many Sayings" set, and the rubber piece is a PERFECT fit! I just glued it on with some Crystal Effects, and ta-da!

Granted, it's not as long as the real one, but it will do for now. And it was F-R-E-E!

Finally, I meant to post about this with my Earth Day post, but forgot. You know the leftover rubber from SU stamps? Don't throw it away! If you gently peel off the rubber, you're left with a double-sided sticky piece of foam. Perfect for adding dimension on cards! The two rectangles on the card above are popped up using a couple pieces I snipped of the one below. Easy peasy!