Cuttlebugged Christmas

This is based on Mojo Monday #65. I wanted to use a bunch of new stuff, so I incorporated what I could. I also wanted to use the Treetops cut & emboss kit, which I bought MONTHS ago, and haven't used for a single Christmas card this year. Whoops?

The little charm is using PolyShrink! I LOVE this stuff, and can't wait to use it more. I punched out the circle, punched a 3/16" hole, stamped the "snowflake" in StazOn, and used my heat gun to shrink it. Man, that's fun! It looks like it's going to fold up and not work, but just be patient. There are some good tips on the Lucky Squirrel website. I attached it with a silver jump ring.

The rest of the card is fairly obvious. I used my new Nesties for the large circles. It's hard to see, but the white circle is embossed with Swiss Dots.

Stamps: Cute Converse, In the Spotlight (SU)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Blue Bayou cardstock, Soft Sky textured cardstock (SU)
Ink: Blue Bayou (SU), Timber Brown StazOn (Tsukineko)
Accessories: White ribbon, 1 1/4" circle punch, Word Window punch (SU), Large & Small standard circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Swiss Dots & Snowflakes embossing folder, Treetops cut & emboss kit, Cuttlebug (Provocraft), dew drops (The Robin's Nest), jump ring (Blue Moon Beads), PolyShrink (Lucky Squirrel), Heat tool (Marvy Uchida), Crop-o-dile (We R Memory Keepers)

Whoops!

I had some background image issues earlier. It should be fixed now!

New toys!

Sorry I haven't been posting, I've been so busy these last few days! Thankfully I picked up some inspiration yesterday:

Yep, I've got Nesties! The classic circles and scalloped circles, in small and large. Also the Curlz kit from JustRite and Dew Drops! Um, and a bunch more stuff, actually, which you will see over the next few days ;)

Birthday Wishes

This card is for the Pink Cat Studio challenge #2 over at PCP. The challenge was to create a project that:

- is 6x6
- uses thee groups of three items (i.e. stamps, ribbon, paper)
- uses Tempting Turquoise, Pixie Pink or Pink Passion, and Silver OR Old Olive, Night of Navy, and Ruby Red, and Kraft OR Lavender Lace, Perfect Plum, and Gray

I started with the silver paper, and used the swirly tree from Limitless Limbs, which I though would make a great flourish! I stamped it in VersaMark, and embossed with silver glitter gloss.

I stamped Lily in StazOn on SU watercolor paper, and used my ink pads and blender pen to colour her in. I made a mask to stamp her wings and the flourishes (from the same tree).

To make her wings nice and shimmery, I used Making Memories glitter paint. Prima flowers, lots of stickles, rhinestones, and some paper piercing finished off the card.

My three groups of three are: three flowers, three rhinestones, and three punches.

Stamps: Dress Up Lily, Limitless Limbs (Pink Cat Studio), For a Friend (SU)
Paper: Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise cardstock, Watercolor paper (SU), silver paper (unknown)
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion (SU), StazOn, VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Ticket corner & wide oval punch, blender pen (SU), Stickles (Ranger), flowers (Prima), rhinestones (Kaiser), glitter paint, paper piercer (Making Memories), silver glitter gloss embossing powder (unknown)

Blog candy from the Craft Cave!

Check out Chelle's blog for some yummy candy! She's celebrating over 1500 hits, and is giving away THREE stamp sets, paper, ribbon, embellishments, and more!

ps. I do have a card to share, but it needs to dry, and I need to go to sleep (it's almost 2am)! I'll post it tomorrow :)

Pink Joy & Cheer

A quick card for Color Throwdown #22. This week the colours are: pink, green, and black! I couldn't resist the Cuttlebug smoosh ;)

Stamps: So Many Scallops (SU)
Paper: Gable Green, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Pink Passion, Basic Black, Gable Green (SU)
Accessories: Scallop, 1 1/4", 1" punches, Joy & Cheer CB embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), rhinestone (Kaiser)

Lily Decorates

I made this card for the 12 days of Christmas challenge on PCP. This is for the ninth day (nine ladies dancing), where we had to make a card with a girl on it.I used a mix of Limitless Limbs and Dress Up Lily. I had been thinking about this card for a few days, and it turned out just how I pictured it!

I stamped all the little pieces on a piece of scrap cardstock, and cut them out. For the presents and ornaments, I also stamped them on the main image, so I wouldn't have to cut out the ribbon. Most are popped up a bit, to add lots of dimension.

Does the tree stand look familiar? It's the crown from Dress up Lily! I stamped it, cut off the three points, and drew a line to make the bottom.

I created the scalloped mat using this tutorial on SCS (thanks again carley!). A little bit of Stickles (of course!) and a wee sentiment finishes it off.

Stamps: Dress Up Lily, Limitless Limbs (Pink Cat Studio), Cute Converse (SU)
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White cardstock (SU)
Ink: Glorious Green, Basic Black, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: Real Red, black journalling markers, Scalloped Edge & Word Window punch (SU), Stickles (Ranger), pencil crayons (Media)

'Tis the Season

Inspired by this sketch from Cat's Creations, as well as the black and white challenge on PCP, I came up with this card. As you can see, I'm into embossing lately. I smooshed the chipboard ornament onto my VersaMark pad, and dumped embossing powder over the whole thing.

I didn't like the black background showing through the cut-out bit of the ornament, so I backed it with a piece of silver paper, which I also used for the sentiment.

I also embossed the mat around the sentiment and the "snowflakes" in the background. Lots of Stickles (of course!) and a rub-on finish it off.


Stamps: In the Spotlight (SU)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White (SU), silver (unknown)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: chipboard ornament (Melissa Frances), sparkle brads (Making Memories), rub-on (Deja View), black embossing powder, Stickles (Ranger), corner rounder punch (EK Success), silver cording (Market Special Crafts), silver pearl embossing powder (unknown)

A Holiday Hello

You MUST check out this recipe on Julie's blog, Paper Pleasing Ideas. Yum, yum, yum! I'm definitely making some this year.

So anyway, I've got a card in the works, but it involves a lot of trimming, so I put it aside for a bit, and threw this together (I'm an instant gratification kinda gal).
I stamped the poinsettia with VersaMark, and then dumped on Heat and Stick powder and heated it up. It makes a kind of glue so that you can add glitter (and it will stick). I sprinkled red glitter in the middle, and then (what I thought was) bronze glitter on the leaves. I stamped the sentiment in VersaMark, and covered with black embossing powder. Then I just heated the whole thing.

So it turns out I have bronze embossing powder, NOT bronze glitter. Oh well, it still worked.

TIP: After you load your stamp with VersaMark, load it with an ink that matches your embossing powder (so stamp in VersaMark, then immediately stamp in your ink - the VersaMark won't damage your ink pad, and you'll have a coloured sticky image!). That way, once you emboss it, if you miss a few tiny spots, you won't be able to see them! I did NOT do that here (for the sentiment) and I wish I did.

To finish it off, I edged the panel with a metallic leafing pen, and mounted it on a white cardstock base. It almost looks like a single layer card!

Stamps: Elegant Christmas (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Heat and Stick powder (SU), Copper Leafing Pen (Krylon), black embossing powder (Ranger), red glitter, bronze embossing powder (unknown)

Merry & Bright

This card is for SCS sketch challenge SC204. I wanted to use my newly trimmed Dress Up Lily set, and decided to use a few images from Limitless Limbs as well!

I stamped the two snowflakes from Limitless Limbs, and then used my Swiss Dots embossing folder to add texture. I coloured Lily with my SU markers, except for her skin, for which I used a Watercolor Wonder Crayon and my blender pen.

I stamped her gift once on the main image, and then again on a scrap of white. I also stamped the hat on the scrap of white. I cut both out, but cut the ribbon off of the gift (I'm crazy enough to try to cut it out!). They're popped up on the image - you can see how I lined it up so the ribbon from the gift underneath shows up.

Lots of glitter and Stickles (including on her flower belt), of course, as well as some tiny gemstones for her earrings!

To get the dots of Stickles around the oval fairly even, I first dotted at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock. Then I just dotted the middle between each of those points, and then the middle of those as well. I find this technique works quite well to evenly space borders.

Stamps: Dress Up Lily, Limitless Limbs (Pink Cat Studio)
Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White cardstock (SU)
Ink: Old Olive, Real Red (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive, Real Red, Barely Banana, black journalling markers, Real Red, Old Olive ribbon, Wide Oval punch, Dazzling Diamonds, Pretty in Pink Watercolor Wonder crayon, blender pen (SU), Swiss Dots embossing folder, Cuttlebug (Provocraft), Stickles (Ranger), rhinestone (Hero Arts), rub-on (Deja Views)

Some yummy blog candy

Check out Tamiko's blog - she's celebrating her 1000th hit!

No card today

But I was busy in the crafts room! Remember how I was waiting for the magical Kai scissors to arrive? Well they did. And I'm happy to report, it is true. They do cut like butta! And they made short work of my Dress Up Lily set, from Pink Cat Studio. I was planning on making a quick card with my new stamps (aren't they adorable?):

Unfortunately, I decided to put on a movie as I worked, and chose The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I kept stopping to watch the funny bits. Which for me, is just about the entire movie. So here it is, 1:05am, and I haven't started the card!

So, I hope to do at least two cards tomorrow, to make up for it ;)

And even more blog candy...

Check out The Lucky Clucker (hah, love the name!) for some super sweet blog candy. Bonnie is celebrating her blogaversary, even though she's a wee bit late in doing so ;)

ps. This is my third post today, so if you're here to see some actual crafts, skip down a couple posts, or just click here.

Shimmerz Paints blog candy!!!

Wanna win five jars of Shimmerz/Blingz? Well too bad, cause I'm gonna win 'em! ;)

Haha. Seriously though, be sure to check out the Shimmerz blog for details. Good luck!

Wishing You Peace (and a tip)

I made this card based off of the sketch for TCP Tuesday (TCPTues35), which is hosted by Leigh O'Brien this week (check out her adorable card for the challenge!).

I started by choosing the square scalloped punch, as I wanted this to be a quick card (wishful thinking). Then I chose the stamp, which is the cute dove from Elegant Christmas. I decided to use the polka dot ribbon, which helped me choose my colours. Not a combination I'd normally go with, but I kinda like it! (By the way, I really like how Green Galore and Tempting Turquoise look together - nice, hey?)

I made my own background paper using the flourish/snowflakes stamps from the same set, stamping each image twice, without reinking in between, to get a variation in the colours.

For the green panel, I inked the sentiment first with Versamark, then with Green Galore ink. I used just Versamark for the snowflakes, and embossed them all with clear EP.

Here's another angle, to see all the embossing.Stamps: Elegant Christmas (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Real Red, Green Galore, Temping Turquoise, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise (SU), Versamark
Accessories: scalloped edge punch (SU), Stickles, clear embossing powder (Ranger) square scalloped punch (Marvy), corner rounder punch (EK Success), ribbon (Michael's), brad

And here's my tip for the day. If you make a card, and add lots of Stickles, don't leave it on your desk, right where your arm will brush up against it, and smear half of the Stickles. Yes, I am speaking from experience. The ONLY thing that saved me from a major meltdown was the fact that when wet, Stickles can be wiped off, without leaving a trace behind. I managed to wipe off all the smeared dots, and replace them. Whew!

Happy Winter

Another quick card. I used Sheryl's layout from this card.

I decided to add the scalloped border, just because I can. I finally caved and ordered the SU scalloped edge punch (about which I was complaining in yesterday's post). A big thanks to Carley for pointing out this tutorial on SCS, which I obviously couldn't find the other night :p

Stamps: Happy Winter
Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla cardstock, River Rock textured cardstock, Dashing DSP (SU)
Ink: Old Olive, Real Red, River Rock (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive, Real Red markers, Real Red ribbon, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" circle punches, scalloped edge punch (SU)

Don't wanna grow up!

I made this card with The Cat's Pajamas stamps I won on PCP. When I received them, I couldn't wait to play with them, so I wanted to make a quick card. I thought I'd try TCPTUES34, which is a challenge by Toni, but I messed up. It was supposed to be a CAKE image, and I used a cupcake. Um. They're like mini-cakes, right? ;)

I say wanted, because it took me an hour to realize that I have no way to create a scalloped rectangle. I have a small scalloped square punch, and I have the SU scalloped edge punch, and even scalloped decorative scissors, but no way to make a large mat for my stamped image. So after I post this, I'm off to search for the best price on Nesties!

Stamps: Smells Like Cake (The Cat's Pajamas)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Jersey Shore DSP (SU)
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi, Brilliant Blue (SU)
Accessories: Wide oval punch, blender pen, Pumpkin Pie ribbon (SU), Stickles (Ranger)

Oh, and here's the participants in JJSC04:
Emily Kate
Carrie

Leanne says she's going to try it, but so far...nothing...Get to it girlie!

Wanna win some Copics?

Check out Debbie's blog for a chance to win some sweet blog candy, including SEVENTEEN Copic markers!!!!! She's celebrating over 10,000 hits to her blog. Congrats Debbie!

A sketch and a card

Have you noticed all the dry embossed lines on cards lately? Usually done with a ScorPal, but easily replicated with a scoring blade on a paper trimmer.

I was thinking of how to use them, and came up with this sketch, which is JJSC04. The lighter grey is for the layers. The darkest grey is the card base. The two skinny lines are meant to be score lines, but don't have to be.So taking that sketch, and wanting to use my new brayer, I came up with this:
Of course, I couldn't easily capture the score lines. Click on the photo to see them close-up.

I created the main image using glossy paper. I stamped on it with the circle/dot stamps using Versamark, and then brayered my ink (from my spectrum pad) right on top. I let it sit for a few seconds, then buffed with a paper towel. The ink doesn't stick to the Versamark!

I found the funky blue pom-pom fibre in my stash, and decided I HAD to use it. See Leanne, I am using stuff, instead of hoarding it!

I'd love for you to give the sketch a try. If you do, please leave me a comment with a link to it!

Stamps: Polkadots and Paisley (SU), Circle and Dots (Inkadinkado)
Paper: glossy paper (Ranger), white and blue cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Soft Sky (SU), Blue Lagoon Fluid Chalk (ColorBox), Hydrangea spectrum pad (Ranger Big & Juicy)
Accessories: Wide oval punch (SU), corner punch (EK Success), trimmer (Fiskars), fibre (unknown)

Trying to get back into it...

Yes, I'm still not feeling crafty. Instead I've been working on finishing my crafts room (almost done!) and of course I'll take a bunch of photos to show it off :)

Meanwhile, I thought some retail therapy would help find my mojo. I recently purchased Limitless Limbs and Dress up Lily from Pink Cat Studio. The stamps arrived TWO days after I ordered, so I mounted them on EZMount, but quickly discovered that my knock-off Kai scissors just won't cut it (literally). So I found a local online store that stocks Kai. I also ended up with some other goodies in my shopping card. Shhh.....

The store also carries Nestabilities, and I was SO tempted to buy some! I can't quite decided which ones to get, so I held off...for now...

I'm trying to decide between Labels Two, Curved Rectangle, and the full set of ovals.

So, do you have any nesties? If so, which? What do you think of them?

If you don't have any, which ones would you like to get (if any)?

Searching for my mojo

I seem to have lost my mojo. Have you seen it? I sat at my desk tonight, searching for some inspiration. It came in the form of a sweet little card, which I found on Debbie's blog, Thinking Inking. I decided to make a couple Christmas cards, as I'm planning on making a bunch of different ones this year, instead of mass-producing a bunch of the same. Oh, and I'm way behind.

Apparently my Real Red ink pad (which is a Stampin' Spot) decided to turn into a craft pad. Because it would NOT dry. I ruined two stamped images before I realized the issue. Even this image has a little tiny smear, if you look closely. So don't! ;)

Are you surprised I didn't use the Cuttlebug smoosh technique on this card? I was SO tempted, but decided it didn't fit with my clean design.

Oh, FYI, most DSP will show up behind Very Vanilla ribbon. So I added a strip of Very Vanilla paper underneath the ribbon, to hide it.

Stamps: Hung Up on the Holidays, Cute Converse (SU)
Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla, River Rock cardstock, River Rock textured cardstock, Dashing DSP (SU)
Ink: River Rock, Real Red, Old Olive (SU)
Accessories: Very Vanilla ribbon, Word Window punch (SU), Christmas Ornaments embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), scalloped punch (Marvy)

On this card I inked the image with River Rock, and then used a baby wipe to clean the words and dotted border. I inked those with markers, and then huffed to get the ink moist again. I couldn't decide whether to add to a rhinestone brad to the middle. What do you think?

Stamps: So Many Scallops
Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla cardstock, River Rock textured cardstock, Dashing DSP (SU)
Ink: River Rock (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive, Real Red markers, River Rock ribbon (SU), scalloped punch (Marvy)

Sweet Holiday Memories

Here's a card for Jen's sketch for you to try (SFYTT). I used the paper, ribbon, and glitter from Taylor at the Stamp a Sweet Impression blog.

I wanted to make a card using the goodies from Taylor, and I thought that was fitting as part of Heather's challenge, which was to make a card that incorporates something about stamping and blogging. I thought it was fitting to use a candy image, in this case because the paper, ribbon, and glitter were blog candy from Taylor! While it's fun to win some goodies, I don't think I would be nearly as craft if it weren't for the blogging world, and sites like SCS and PCP.

Make sure you visit Heather's blog and enter to win her blog candy, celebrating 5K hits in less than two months!!!

I watercoloured the image with my ink pads and blender pen, and then added loads of glitter and Crystal Effects. Do the gumdrops look like they're covered in sugar? Oh, and notice how I drew in the ground line with my black pen, so the Gingerbread Man wasn't floating in the air ;)

To get the two colours on the sentiment, I first stamped it in Close to Cocoa, then used my blender pen to remove the ink from the word "sweet". I then coloured it with my Pink Passion marker. I couldn't resist edging that in glitter too!

I used SU's watercolor paper for the image. It's great for watercolouring, but because it has a texture, the glitter likes to stick to it, even without glue!

Don't you love that patterned paper? I had to force myself to use it (Leanne, you know what I mean. Oh, and I haven't seen any blog posts from you lately. Hint, hint...)

Here's a close-up so you can see all the glitter and Crystal Effects.
Stamps: Sweet Holidays
Paper: Watercolor paper (SU), blue cardstock and patterned paper (Taylored Expressions)
Ink: Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Pixie Pink, Close to Cocoa (SU), Jet Black Staz-On (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects, Pink Passion & black journalling markers, wide oval punch, blender pen (SU), green ribbon, Fire Engine Red Glitter (Taylored Expressions)

Blog candy over at Inspiration Blooms

Michelle over at Inspiration Blooms is celebrating 20,000 hits on her blog with a bunch of blog candy. Check it out!

Altered Clock

I found this clock at Ikea. It was $2.99. Of course I couldn't resist it, given that I need a clock for my crafts room (it's so easy to lose track of time in there!) and I felt the need to alter something.

It wasn't too difficult to take it apart. If you want to try this particular clock, look for the little tabs at the back, which hold in the clear front piece.

My crafts room is pink, brown, and white, so I used that colour combo as my starting point.

I used the clock face as a template for my patterned paper, and then just added lots of embellishments. I finally found a use for the "rubber stamper" stamp from SU's Circle of Friendship! It's a perfect image for the 12 spot.

The big pink butterfly and shiny crown are from Making Memories Flocking and Foiling kit. Of course I had to add some bling, namely the 11, with pink Hero Arts gemstones. I had one extra, so I added it to the 'o' in love.

You may have noticed that the second hand is missing. That is because after putting it all together, I decided the red clashed, so I wanted to paint it (and was seriously considering using Stickles!). Unfortunately I had pushed it on too tightly, so when I went to pull it off, it broke! Even more unfortunately, the clock doesn't work without the second hand. So I'll be buying another clock from Ikea. Sigh.

I'll use this one without the clock pieces as a funky photo frame.

Stamps: Brushstroke numbers, Circle of Friendship (SU)
Paper: Berry Bliss DSP, Purely Pomegranate, Close to Cocoa (SU)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Close to Cocoa (SU)
Accessories: 1", 1 1/4" circle punches, Love & Happiness rub-ons (SU), rub-ons (Kaiser), gemstones (Hero Arts), Flocking & Foiling kit, number stickers (Making Memories), laughter sticker (Sweetwater)

ps. I'm playing around with the layout of my blog. What do you think about the three-column layout? I know I need to modify the header now as well. Is it too soon for a Christmas theme? ;)

Halloween magnets

Some simple wooden shapes (most are from Michael's), acrylic paint, sparkles, and Mod Podge. Oh, and google eyes for the bat. I hot glued magnets to the back. We put these up on our door for Halloween.

Chloe did most of them, obviously ;)

Whee!

Have you checked out Paper Craft Planet yet? If not, you must. It's awesome, just like a Facebook, but for craftsters! And how awesome is it?

Well, Alma over at The Cat's Pajamas had a contest to count all the beads on her bracelet (from the Stamping Cruise). I guessed 103, and there were 108 beads.

So I won THREE, yes, THREE stamps sets from The Cat's Pajamas. Can you believe it? Oh my, I'm so excited!!!

Any suggestions on what to pick?

ps. If you want to win some TCP stamps, check out Lara's blog, You Want the Cookie? She's giving away two TCP stamps sets, PLUS a stamp storage starter kit from Little Monkeys!!!

pps. Once you join Paper Craft Planet, be sure to add me as a friend :)

Looking back

Allison over at Stampin' When I Can has a challenge every Sunday. This week's challenge, AFSS43, is to post some of your first cards, to show how far you've come. There's even a chance at a bit of blog candy for playing along!

So here's a few of my first cards. I don't mind some of them, but they're a bit simple. Heck, only the last one uses any stamping (and it's the worst of the bunch!).

Buried in ribbon

I'm still here. Just can't find my mojo lately. I think it's lost in this pile of ribbon.
Yes, that's ALL my ribbon. I unrolled all those short (4ft) Michael's ribbons, and am going to try something different to organize them. I've got another idea for the SU ribbon (top dowel) and the long stuff (bottom dowel). Then I have to figure out my embroidery thread and few fibres. And maybe actually create something, one of these days. Oh, and finish the last few things in my crafts room, so I can show it off!

Not really craft related...

But you should really check out Ecochick. A friend started this blog to share all sorts of environmentally friendly products and practices. Even if you try just a few things, you'll be making a difference!

ps. As more incentive, she has just announced Giveaway Tuesdays! The first one is for a book called Green Christmas: How to Have a Joyous, Eco-Friendly Holiday Season, by Jennifer Basye Sander, Peter Sander and Anne Basye.

It's Halloween - do you want some blog candy?

Michelle over at Twisted Chick Creations (Chelle, dontcha love the name?) is giving away a bunch of goodies from Paper Addiction. Be sure to check it out!

Twisted Chick Creations Flaxychick: Chocolate Covered Snowflakes

And the winner is...

I put all the entries for the JJSC003 challenge into a hat, and pulled out Emily's name!

Emily said...

This is probably the whitest card I've ever done, and the one with the most glitter :P

Voila!
October 24, 2008 6:35 PM

Congratulations Emily! Please email me your address, and I'll send off the package!

Thanks to all of you for playing along. I really appreciate it :)

And don't forget to watch for the big 5K blog candy (I'm already over 5200!) coming soon. I'm still waiting on one package...

Boo!

Wow, even more blog candy! And some yummy candy it is. Donna over at Serenity in Stamping is giving away a load of stamping goodies. Be sure to check it out and enter!

So today I got a sweet package in the mail: this blog candy from Michelle at Stamper's Dream. And as soon as I ripped open the envelope, I knew I had to make a card!

Of course I had to try the Cuttlebug smoosh technique on this funky Skulls Collage CB embossing folder. Then I used the paper crimper I found at the dollar store (yes, for only ONE dollar!) to add some texture to the black layer, which is popped up on the orange card base.

I created my scary little scene with a bit of masking, and added the pumpkin and cat on top. I just tapped the cats ears on my black ink pad.

Notice that I only cut out the cat body, and not the tail/legs? Much better than fighting with those tiny pieces. And I like the look.

I wrapped some of the ribbon around the black layer, and added my sentiment, which I rock 'n rolled, used the Word Window punch, and then the 1/2" circle punch on the ends.

A super quick card, but I like it!

Stamps: Owl-oween (Hero Arts)
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive marker, Word Window punch (SU), Skulls Collage CB embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), 1/2" circle punch (EK Success), ribbon, paper crimper (unknown)

Oh, and remember this card? I added Stickles to the star, and Glossy Accents to the holly berries. I like it much better now!

ps. Thanks to Chelle for the reminder about the blog candy! We've been preparing for Halloween, so I completely forgot. I'm just heading to bed, but I promise to do it tomorrow!

pps. Michelle Zindorf is giving away a beautiful stamp set!

Holy Cannelloni! The mother of all blog candy.

Right now (up until about October 31/November 2) there are currently 1189 giveaways listed here:

Bloggy Carnival Giveaways

Yes, that's, right. One THOUSAND, one hundred, and eighty-nine giveaways. You can read through the list and see if there's anything that interests you. Then click on the link and read the rules.

Most of these giveaways are not crafts-related, but who cares? That's a lot of free stuff to win!

Good luck!

Sharing the love: more blog candy!

Act quick! Kelly over at is giving away the adorable Hero Arts Owl-oween stamp set, but you only have until tonight to enter!

Another deadline of tonight: the Hero club blog is giving away a 6×6 pad of BasicGrey paper (love, love, LOVE it!), a pack of Hero Arts notecards and some Hero Arts gems. Also mentioned in that post, they are having a challenge to create something “mini” using at least one Hero Arts stamp.

And another: Craft Critique is giving away a Bo Bunny Retractable Craft Knife! Enter by noon EST tomorrow.

Cammie is giving away a copy of the new PC Gourmet book. Enter by October 31 at 5pm CST. Open to US residents only (boo!)

Dawn is also giving away a copy of the PC Gourmet book. Enter by October 29 at 7pm CST. Also US residents only.

2 Sketches 4 You is giving away a bunch of stuff for trying their sketch of the week. Deadline is November 1st.

Cornish Heritage Farms is celebrating their new blog, and what celebration isn't complete without some giveaways?

Fly Me to the Moon

This card is for the Gina K Land Cruise challenge, GKLANDEM, which required the use of chipboard on a card.

I had to make a card for a four year-old boy, so I started with the chipboard. The super cool retro K&Co "Kazoo Kids" chipboard. I chose the rocket, star, and Explore sentiment.

To start, I wheeled Star Studded on the blue card base, and then used the Cuttlebug "smoosh" technique on the yellow layer with the Numbers Collage embossing folder. It reminded me of a countdown to blast off. Yes, I am in love with that technique!

I sanded down the rocket and sentiment to distress them a bit more, and used my 2 1/2" circle punch to create the "planet". To avoid having to cut the pie shape out of the circle, I just punched a corner of the paper. I edged it in Close to Cocoa.

To add some "space-age" embellishment, I used a Krylon gold leafing pen to add a frame around the yellow layer, as well as colour the large chipboard star, the smaller stars (originally green and yellow brads), and some accents on the other two chipboard pieces.

The yellow layer, rocket, and sentiment are all popped up on dimensionals.

Stamps: Start Studded wheel (SU)
Paper: Blue, yellow (The Paper Company), pp (unknown)
Ink: Blue Bayou, Close to Cocoa, Summer Sun (SU)
Accessories: Numbers Collage embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), Chipboard (K&Co), brads (Making Memories), 2 1/2" punch (Marvy Uchida)
Techniques: Cuttlebug "smoosh"

On a side note, I really need to get some scrapbooking done. So if you see me posting more cards, please send me a virtual kick in the butt!

Um. Wow.

I won some more blog candy! Over at the Stamp a Sweet Impression blog!!! I'd actually just decided to stop entering so many blog candy giveaways, as I've been so incredibly lucky, and have won several. I'd like to think this one is because of my "spread the love" post below, so I'll try to keep gathering all the blog candy I find out there!

And this makes me even more determined to have the most awes-o-rama 5000 hits blog candy giveaway, EVER. It's going to be simple to enter, and hopefully I'll tempt you with some great goodies to do so! I've got to delay it just a bit, as I'm waiting on a few things to arrive, so stay tuned!

ps. Rockets are my favourite Halloween candy. And I happened to find a huge bucket at Costco, filled with Rockets, Nerds, Runts, Sweetarts, and Double Bubble! I'm in heaven! Oh, plus some sort of blah lollipops - guess what I'll be giving away on Friday? ;)

Campaign to Spread the Sweetness!

You have got to check out Taylored Expressions. First of all, at TE the store, you can find the most adorable cupcake stamps EVER. Check out this Halloween set. That ghost makes me giggle every time. They've also just release three new Christmas sets, including a set with the cutest gingerbread house!

And then visit the Stamp a Sweet Impression blog, where you can win one of their Christmas Key Ingredients Kits!

ps. Eeek! I've reach 5001 hits!

More blog candy!

I follow quite a few blogs, so there's almost always some blog candy somewhere!

I've been super lucky to win a few blog candy giveaways, so I wanted to try to spread the love, and post all the ones I find on my travels. So here's a few current ones:

Win one of three Clear Design Novemeber stamp set at the Hero Club blog!

The Scrapbook & Cards Today blog is giving away a pile of Bazzill goodies.

Joanne over at Just a Little Something is giving away a $30 gift certificate and a magazine in celebration of her birthday!

Michelle Zindorf is giving away one of her amazing cards.

And don't forget Emily Kate's 500 hits giveaway.

All That Scraps is giving a sneak peek to some new Amy R stamps, with a giveaway! And another giveaway for another Amy R set! (check back tomorrow for a sneak peek and probably another giveaway)

The Cuttlebug Challenge blog is having "Cuttlebug Camp" this weekend, and there are prizes for participation.

Okay, so hopefully that's enough to keep your sweet tooth satisfied, at least for a little bit.

Eastern Floral Blooms

This card is for the Gina K Land Cruise, 1-2-3 challenge (GKDLCDB), as well as colour challenge CC189, which was to use Pink Pirouette (or Pretty in Pink), Kiwi Kiss (or Old Olive), and Chocolate Chip.

I used the Cuttlebug "smoosh" technique to create my card base, and then markers to create the main image. I don't have a Pretty in Pink ink pad or markers, so I used a Marvy marker that's close enough. I used the rock and roll technique for the sentiment, and added some Stickles to all the flower centres.

I love this stamp from the Eastern Blooms set. It's the reason I purchased it!

50 hours until the deadline for my blog candy. We're up to three entries now! Ooh, and check out my hit counter. I should reach 5000 by Sunday. That means even MORE blog candy coming soon!

Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Curvy Verses (SU)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip marker and ribbon (SU), pink marker (Marvy Uchida), Frosted Lace Stickles (Ranger), Floral Screen embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), flowers (unknown)
Techniques: Cuttlebug "smoosh", rock & roll

Pond Scene

I'm not sure what caused the splash, but it obviously frightened the dragonflies!

This card is for the Gina K Land Cruise, water challenge (GKDLCCK) on SCS.

I think most stampers will recognize who I was attempting to channel with this card. Michelle Zindorf, of course!

I also wanted this card to work for my own sketch challenge on my blog - perhaps you've heard me mention it in passing. There's a little bit of blog candy involved, by the way ;) I count the three dragonflies as the three embellishments. I haven't quite decided about a sentiment yet though.

I masked the water splash to add the grass around it. I also used a large rectangle to mask the sponged border. To make the sun, I punched out a circle, and then used the negative part of the paper to sponge in the yellow.

I used the rock & roll technique on most of the stamped images. This is super easy: ink your image with a light colour, and then roll the images of the stamp in darker colour.

For the dragonflies, I used Brilliance ink, which adds a lovely shimmer. You can see it better in this close-up, especially if you click on it to enlarge it. A huge thanks to Marti over at Pezadoodle for these inks - I won them in her blog candy a while back.

---------UPDATED----------------
Whoops, I forgot the recipe!

Stamps: Seagrass (Inkadinkado), Splash (PSX), dragonflies (Magenta)
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Old Olive, Summer Sun, Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky (SU), Pearlescent Orange, Poppy, Thyme, & Chocolate (Brilliance by Tsukineko)
Accessories: 1 1/2" punch (Marvy Uchida)
Techniques: rock & roll, sponging, masking
-----------------------------------
Whew, I made three cards tonight, all for the Gina K Land Cruise challenges. I'll post the other two tomorrow. It's 2:04am, and I'm exhausted!

Shimmerz Paints - lotsa blog candy!

Oh yummy. Check out Shimmerz Paints! They are having a giveaway on their blog.

In addition, one of their design team members, Jennifer Love, is also giving away a $25 gift certificate to All that Scraps.

And, Pat over at The Technique Trail is also giving away some Shimmerz!

It's almost too much candy to handle. Almost. ;)

ps. Don't forget about my blog candy. Even if you don't have time to try the sketch, just post on your blog (and tell me about it) to get two chances to win!

Yup, you guessed it, another sketch card

This is another card for JJSC003. So that's four cards for me now, and one entry (plus two bonus entries) for the blog candy. Anyone else out there planning on trying it? You have until Sunday at midnight (PST) to enter!

So a very simple card. I masked most of the images, and stamped off the tree before stamping it on the card, to let it fade into the background.

Thanks to Leanne lending me all the image stamps!

Stamps: the cat: Everyday Flexible Phrases (SU); Limitless Limbs (Pink Cat Sudio); tree, robot (A Muse); ghost, witch (Impress)
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Basic Black (SU)
Accessories: eyelets (unknown)

Yet another one for the sketch

You may be sick of the sketch by Sunday, as I have at least one MORE card to share, after this one!

This card uses Limitless Limbs, from Pink Cat Studio. I posted about the set a while ago, and I've yet to buy it! Thankfully Leanne did, so when she came over for our crafty night, I asked her to bring it! I really need to order it now. I knew I would LOVE this set!

I stamped the tree image, added the star topper, and then used my markers to colour the holly/berry stamp. I used Leanne's small acrylic block that had a grid line, so I could line up the berries with the branch ends. The stamp set is not acrylic, so you need to take a little bit more time to line it all up. Not such a big deal with the blocks with grid lines!

I added the sentiment (look familiar? I did something quite similar on this card). It bugged me a bit that the "happy" doesn't have a capital 'H', but I can live with it.

Again, I couldn't decide on the three embellishments, so I just stamped the holly leaf image next to the sentiment instead. There's three berries, so it counts, right?

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Now that I look at it, I think I need to add some sparkle. I'll do that later (maybe tomorrow night? it's 12:42am right now! I'm scheduling this post for later today though) and take another photo.

Stamps: Warm Words (SU), Limitless Limbs (Pink Cat Sudio)
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Brown, Summer Sun (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive, Real Red markers (SU)

Huh. I'm coming up on 5000 hits!

Wow, that number is quickly climbing to 5000. I have some sweet blog candy planned (much more than the little bitty bit for the sketch challenge), so stay tuned!

ps. You have until Sunday night to participate in the challenge! Don't forget to add a link on your blog for an extra two entries. You can do that even if you aren't able to do the sketch, but I'd really love it if you tried :)

Another card for the sketch challenge

I got this stamp in a bundle that I bought off of Craigslist. I said it wasn't my style, but I realized it is perfect for the JJSC003 sketch challenge!

It's a very simple card, I couldn't decide on any embellishments to add, so I went without. I have a bunch of square envelopes, so I let that determine the size of the card. Once I stamped the wreath, I coloured it with pencil crayons. I really want to either:

1) Cover the fruit in glitter, to make it "sugared" fruit
2) Cover the fruit in Crystal Effects, to make it glossy

I decided to leave this absolutely plain, and will make both #1 and #2 in the future!

The "Welcome" sentiment seemed to fit well. I thought this would make a great "welcome to the neighbourhood" card.

Stamps: Warm Words (SU), Autumn Twig Wreath (PSX)
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Basic Brown (SU), Timber Brown Staz-On (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Pencil crayons (Media, from Superstore!)

Wow, she has a 3 in 3 chance!

Whew, there's finally an entry in my sketch challenge blog candy. I was worried no one was going to enter :(

Hey, is this my first pity post?

My first attempt at JJSC003

I saw the idea for this card on another blog, but for the life of me, I can't remember which one! If you know, please leave me a comment with the blog!

Anyway, this is my first attempt at JJSC003. This card should be subtitled "Stuff I never use".

Anyhoo, I just smooshed my spectrum pad on the paper, waited for it to dry (it's pigment ink) and then stamped the solid black stamp on top. Oh, you'll notice I haven't used my spectrum pad in a while. The purple and pink colours have dried out :(

But wait, that's not black ink! The stamps is actually a foam stamp, and ink doesn't work that well with foam, so I hauled out my black paint (thanks to Leanne for the suggestion - I don't use my paint very often, which was obvious when I opened the paint...it was all separated and gross...). I used a foam brush to spread the paint on the stamp, and voila!

Once the paint was dry, I covered the presents with Crystal Effects. Three star brads (first time using those, I think) and a quick sentiment from Everyday Flexible Phrases (also not in heavy rotation here in the craft-o-rama room), and it's done!

It didn't quite turn out how I planned, but I like it.

ps. Leanne stayed over last night, and we put the spare table in the crafts room to good use. She brought several suitcases of her stuff, and we stayed up all night drinking beer, eating sour candies, and crafting! I made four cards (all for JJSC003), and convinced Leanne to start her own blog. We sat side-by-side for a couple hours today, each with our laptop, typing away. Yes, she'll be a true computer geek before long. Come to the darkside, we have Stickles and wireless internet!

Stamps: Everyday Flexible Phrases (SU), Birthday (Scrapworks)
Paper: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Basic Black (SU), Tropical Spectrum (ColorBox)
Accessories: Crystal Effects (SU), brads (Making Memories), black paint (Aleene's)

Even more blog candy!

Gee, is it almost Halloween? You wouldn't think it with all the candy around here lately :p

Check out Emily Kate's awesome giveaway.

Follow me - everything is alright

Are you a leader or a follower? I'm a leader, because I have a list of followers on my blog ------>

Eeeeeeek!

I won, I won!

I'm so excited - I don't have any Halloween-themed stamps, and I LOVE that embossing folder with the skulls. I can't wait to play with it all!

A HUGE thank you to Michelle at Stampers Dream!

Another sketch challenge, WITH BLOG CANDY!

I was thinking of this as I drove home today (it was a slow line-up to get to the bridge!) and decided to make it a sketch challenge.
Yes, it's that plain. I challenge you to make a card with ZERO layers. Just the cardstock base, three embellishments, and ink. It must also include a sentiment.

No ribbon, no patterned paper, just a nice, simple card. So how can you add texture and interest? Well, the three embellishments don't have to be brads. You can add layers to your embelishments, as long as it isn't paper. Try something different. I say glitter or embossing don't count as a layer, so they're okay too.

Of course, you can't have a challenge without a reward! For each card you create for this challenge, I will enter your name in a draw for a little something sweet.

Autumn is definitely here in the Lower Mainland, and that means that Winter is on the way! (ps. only 69 days until Christmas!!!)

Here's a little bit of both seasons, represented by various embellishments. You'll see my latest find: metal arrows with brads. Love 'em! It was a tough choice to include them, but I have another two unopened packs for myself ;)
To be entered in the draw, post your card on your blog, and leave me a comment with the link.

If you don't have a blog, email me your card, and I'll post it here. Or use this as an excuse to start your own blog! (cough...Leanne...cough)

This challenge can be harder than it looks, so I'll give you all until next Sunday, at midnight (Pacific time).

BONUS: Add a post about this challenge on your blog, and I'll give you two extra entries in the draw! Just mention in your comment here if you've done it.

I've already got two cards in the works for this sketch, and I hope to do a few more. I'll post them as I finish them over the next week.

Anyone want to order with me?

Jody over at Confessions of a Ribbon Addict (love the blog name!) is having another ribbon share and sticky sale. I think I'm going to get the wide scalloped ribbon and a bunch of the redline shapes and dimensionals (including the circle shaker set, how cool is that?!?).

If anyone in Canada wants to share, and we order over $100 (really, how hard is that), shipping is free. I can get the whole order, and then ship it out to you at your cost. Assuming you don't order a LOT, it should fit in a $2 legal envelope.

Carrie, Leanne, or Val if you're interested, obviously you won't have to pay shipping!

Let me know (via email please) ASAP. I want to order by Sunday. I don't know if the ribbon will sell out, and I don't want to miss it!

Puh-lease let it be me!

Elyssa over at Confessions of a Teenage Scrapper is giving away {Christmas Wishes} from Little Paper Shop. Isn't that dove image gorgeous! Oh, how I'd love to win this one!

What would you do with 1200 eyelets?

I'd be tempted to cover an entire card with them. Wouldn't you? :p

Check out Kristin's huge blog candy giveaway at Retro Café Art Gallery.

New look for Autumn

Whaddya think?

I crafted my blog header with Adobe Photoshop, Tempus Sans ITC font, and the Paper Sayings Collection from Free Digital Scrapbooking.

Check out the blog-meisters

I've added several more of my favourite blogs to my blog roll (over to the right).

I'll confess, I currently have 66 craft blogs that I follow (using Google Reader). And I add at least one a week! There's just so much inspiration out there, plus lots of ideas for new stamps and supplies :D

Glitter Angel

This card is for the Stamper's Dream Dreamy Challenge #1 and Mojo Madness week #56.


I started with a sheet of the pretty Winter Wonderland paper. I pierced opposite corners, and used my Spica glitter pen to add faux stitching.

For the circle, I used the Cuttlebug "smoosh" technique, which is very easy. Choose an ink that will not stain the folder (SU dye inks are perfect) and rub the ink on the top inside of the folder (the side with the logo on it). Carefully place your paper, and run it through the Cuttlebug. Take it out, and quickly clean your folder. Then admire the results! I love how it looks. I used Going Grey on my Snowflakes folder.

Unfortunately, I don't have any nesties, so I used a ribbon roll as a template for the circle, and just cut it with scissors. I also edged it with the Going Grey, to define the circle shape. I used my two-way glitter glue to add Dazzling Diamonds glitter to various snowflakes.

I wraped some irridescent elastic cording around the two layers, and secured it all to a white cardstock base.

For the main image, I inked the angel in Versamark, and then Certainly Celery. Once I stamped her on white cardstock, I added silver pearl embossing powder, and heated with my heat gun. I edged it with more Going Grey, then mounted on some sage-ish cardstock -also edged with Going Grey.

Finally, I snipped the back legs off of a snowflake brad, and intertwined it with the cording.

I decided that I could go sentiment free, as the card is obviously for Christmas. I'll add an appropriate sentiment to the inside, of course.

I had a hard time capturing the glitter of the card, but if you click on it, you can see a larger image. I think it's really quite pretty in real life :)

Stamps: Silhouette Angel (Inkadinkado)
Paper: Whisper White (SU), pp (Memory Block), sage cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Going Grey
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds (SU), Spica glitter pen (Copic), paper piercer (Making Memories), Versamark (Tsukineko), Snowflakes CB embossing folder, CB (Provocraft), heat tool (Marvy Uchida), silver pearl embossing powder, brads, elastic cord (unknown)
Techniques: Cuttlebug smooshing, heat embossing, faux stitching, paper piercing

Con-GRAD-ulations

I made this card for my stepmom - her nephew graduated from high school with a great scholarship. It's based off of this sketch from The Little Paper Shop.

I started with black cardstock for the base, and embossed it with the Congrats CB embossing folder. I embossed the entire card (both sides) but covered up the majority of the front with the patterned paper.

I used my 1 1/4" square punch for the gold-ish squares (handmade paper from Costco) and a 2" square punch for the black square. I used the Congrats embossing folder again, this time for the smaller red square. I managed to get just the one sentiment ("So proud") by rolling the folder through until I could see that it had made it past those letters. Then I rolled it back again, so that it didn't emboss the phrase that was underneath. I used my sanding block to reveal the white core of the paper. A few stickers completed the main image.

For the lower sentiment, I used my wide oval punch and the argyle CB embossing folder, again sanding to reveal the white core. Then I stamped the sentiment in Versamark, then immediately in black ink, and then stamped on the white paper. This is a technique I picked up from Michelle Zindorf. I used clear embossing powder and my heat gun. I rounded the corners, then added the fun little motarboard hat brads. I had to use the other brads in the photo, because I think they're adorable!

Stamps: Calligraphy Messages (Hero Arts)
Paper: pp (Memory Block), black, red, white cardstock, handmade paper (unknown)
Accessories: sanding block, Wide Oval punch (SU), 1 1/4" punch (EK Success), 2" punch (Marvy), Congrats and Argyle CB embossing folders, CB (Provocraft), stickers (Jolee's), brads (Forever in Time)

Simply Cuttlebugged

This card combines the Cuttlebug challenge and the latest SFYTT (sketch for you to try) from Jen.

The Cuttlebug challenge was to use three embossing folders on one card. I decided to divide the card base into two, and used D'Vine Swirls and Swiss dots. A pretty white ribbon covers the seam. Three panels of Bali Bliss DSP are framed in white. Then the Bird and Swirls embossing folder adds interest to the Old Olive panel.

I used markers to colour the stamps, and added Stickles to the flowers. A trio of gem stickers finished the card.

Stamps: Simply Said, A Little Birdie Told Me (SU)
Paper: Groovy Guava, Old Olive, Whisper White, Bali Breeze DSP (SU)
Accessories: Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie markers (SU), D'Vine Swirls, Swiss Dots, Birds & Swirls CB embossing folders, CB (Provocraft), ribbon (Michael's), gems (Making Memories), Stickles (Ranger)

I waaaaaaant candy!

Check out what Mel is offering!

So adorable!

Sorry I haven't been around for a few days, I'm in Sacramento for some work-related training. I'm actually at the airport right now (and thankful for free WiFi!) and catching up on my blogs.

So that brings me to the adorable-ness of this ABC board on the Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog:

photo courtesy of the Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog, project courtesy of Kerry

Isn't it cute? I've got so many ideas, and can't wait to give it a try. I think it will be great to put up in the playroom. I think I'll modify it to be in a landscape layout though.