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Nuts about You

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

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

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

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...

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...

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!

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

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

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

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

Card #3

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

Card #2

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

Card #1

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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.