PTI November Blog Hop

When I saw that this month's challenge was to make holiday tags, I knew I had to play along. I decided to have fun and put a little extra something into these tags. Normally, I make a lot of very boring, generic tags for putting on wrapped gifts, so I had fun putting these together!

The challenge:
Design a holiday tag or two using all of your favorite goodies and share it with all of us! We will all have plenty of inspiration to create a large stash and try to get ahead of the hustle and bustle of the season!

I made 3 tags. The first one took a while, since I wanted to get the design just so. Once I had that all worked out, the next 2 came together quickly. I decided to use each of the tin type backgrounds throughout the tags. I used felt to mat the circles.

And here's one of the tags jazzing up this tin:

Supplies:

• Stamps: Background Basics: Tin Types, Peace Be Still, Inside and Out: Holidays
• Ink: Real Red, Landscape, Early Espresso
• Paper: Vintage Cream, Pure Poppy, Simply Chartreuse, Dark Chocolate
• Accessories, etc.: Limitless Layers 1-3/4 Circle Collection, Mat Stack 1, Felt, Buttons
  

A Row of Cupcakes

I finally sat down and made a few cards yesterday. This one was made to match a specific gift bag. In order to fit the 3 cupcakes on there, I made the card a somewhat strange size- I think it ended up being 7-3/8x4. Basically the two requirements I had for the size were that the 3 cupcakes would fit on the panel while leaving room for a background, and that the card would fit into that aqua envelope.



Because it ended up being such a wide card, I selected a few sentiments from Cupcake Collection that would work nicely together across the bottom of the panel.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Cupcake Collection, Polka Dot Basics
• Ink: Only Orange, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Rich Cocoa, Daffodil Delight
• Paper: Lemon Tart, White, Cool Caribbean
• Accessories, etc.: buttons, pop dots.

And here's the card with the gift bag. I love having homemade cards that coordinate with gift bags!

Row of houses.

I figure it's not too late to post a little something in honour of World Card Making Day. I made a few cards this weekend. This was not actually one of them, but I've been meaning to post this one for a few days. I really love this image. I just had to make it bright and colourful. I had wanted to stamp a "Welcome to the Neighbourhood" on there, but I don't have that as a stamp. Besides, the "Congratulations" would likely have more opportunities for use.

Stamps- DoodleFactory Neighbourhood, Boards and Beams (PTI)

September 2010 Papertrey Blog Hop

I'm glad that this month's hop is an all day event, it gives me time to post something! So this month's challenge...

One of the most fun things about this hobby is the people you meet, whether in person or online, and the things you learn from them. Now is your chance to show off any skills you might have learned from a fellow stamper, and perhaps even give them a little shout out to thank them for the inspiration they have provided. Create a project using one of your favorite learned skills and perhaps after a little blog hopping, we will ALL learn some new tips and tricks and continue to pass on the love of this hobby!

A "skill" I've picked up on from several amazing fellow crafters, is the art of making one's own embellishments- especially the layered flower. I've been cardmaking for over 6 years now, and have always loved the idea of making my own embellishments, but only in the last year have I really started making my own layered flowers. There's tons of inspiration out there!
Dawn McVey has lots of fun cards featuring handmade floral embellishments and instructions to paper flowers here. Michelle Wooderson has a great eye for piecing together mixed media flowers. Just the other day she had a wonderful post up on her blog.

Here's my card:Supplies:

• Stamps: Birthday Bash Greetings
• Ink: Rich Cocoa
• Paper: Harvest Gold, Simply Chartreuse, Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate
• Accessories, etc.: Felt, Thread, Button, Vanilla ribbon, scalloped die, corner rounder

Happy Fright Night

I saw the latest DoodleFactory Halloween release, and just had to get them! I always enjoy Irene's artwork, and the Ghoulies were no exception.

Here's a quick card I put together.


Supplies:

• Stamps: Ghoulies, Spooky Sweets, Tin Types Background
• Ink: Tuxedo Black, Fresh Snow, Elegant Eggplant
• Paper: Ripe Avocado, Smokey Shadow, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant, White
• Accessories, etc.: Goopy edge punch, Copics, pop dots

Egads- September!

I guess August was a bit of a busy month (in a mostly good way!), I forgot to update all month! I haven't had much free time. I've made a few cards here and there, but mostly cards for the CAS blog.

So here's a card that was greatly inspired by Debbie Olson that I made yesterday evening. It's pretty basic, but I had fun recreating the tree look using different stamps. I ended up using the tree from Beyond Basic Borders, and leaves from Beautiful Blooms II and Turning a New Leaf.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Beyond Basic Borders, Beautiful Blooms II, Turning a New Leaf, Birthday Bash Sentiments
• Paper: Ridinghood Red, Kraft, Vanilla, DSP- Stampin' Up sets from last year
• Accessories, etc.: baker's twine, pop dots, twill, button, sponge

Thanks for stopping by!

Wedding Roses

Ever since I obtained this stamp set I've been wanting to try the watercolour technique that was really popular last summer with Fifth Avenue Floral. To my delight, it worked wonderfully with PTI's Rose set! I based my layout on this stunning creation by Debbie Olsen. I really liked how the text looked with the roses, but it didn't really work with my technique, so I stamped the background onto vellum and adhered that as a subtle background.

In case you're not familiar with this technique- stamp and emboss (with white embossing powder) the desired image. Have plenty of paper towels nearby. Spritz the image so that each section has a small raised bubble. Take an aquapainter and using reinkers dab colour into each section. Mix colours as desired, let dry at an angle to create a natural gradient. Here's a link to a good tutorial by Patty Bennett.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Year Of Flowers: Roses, Textstyle II
• Ink: Versamark, Fresh Snow Reinkers: Pink Pirouette, Ridinghood Red, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss
• Paper: Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo, Vellum, White
• Accessories, etc.: White Embossing Powder, Aquapainter

FTL100 Blog Hop!

In honour of the 100th sketch over at the Clean & Simple Stamping blog, we've organized a small blog hop! Here's the list of designers:

• Angie Tieman
• Becky Carafa
• Harriet Skelly
• Heather Pulvirenti
• Iwona Palamountain
• Jen Carter
• Julie Ebersole
• Julie Lacey
• Kelly Jo
• Lea Lawson
• Natasha  (you are here)
• Silke Ledlow
• Susan Raihala

Here's my card for the sketch: Supplies: Stamps: Up, Up and Away Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Simply Chartreuse, White Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Black Accessories, etc.: Scallop edge punch, Sunshine impression plate, green satin ribbon If you play along, be sure to leave your link at the CAS blog!

A few OLCs

I was in the mood for some super simple cards today. I just had to get the set Funky Four from the new Stampin' Up! catalog! These cards feature my favorite images from the set. First up, this adorable leaf. I thought it would look nice to feature it in a rainbow type set up. And it seemed appropriate to say "celebrate today".

Next up, I really wanted to feature these mushrooms by themselves. The original image is a group of 4, but I thought 5 would be more pleasing to the eye. I couldn't really think of an appropriate greeting, so "just because" it became!

Supplies:
Stamps: Funky Four, Round & Round
Ink: Bahama Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Daffodil Delight, Tangelo, Lady Bug, Real Red, Black
Paper: White cardstock

Go fly a kite!

Here's another card made with Up, Up, and Away. I think it just may becoming my new favorite! This card is ultra simple, but I really like how it turned out. I didn't expect to like the Spring Rain, Orange Zest, and Smokey Shadow so much together!

Supplies:
Stamps: Up, Up and Away
Ink: Tuxedo Black, Fresh Snow, Orange Zest
Paper: Smokey Shadow, Spring Rain, White, Orange Zest
Accessories, etc: Cloud dies

Some more balloons!

Well, I have to say I really enjoy this set (Up, Up, and Away). There are just so many options available with it, and this is only my second card! I wanted to try using some of the line art images with Copic markers, so I stamped 3 balloons and got to work. I wanted to place them on a blue background, and I found that Pacific Point was the perfect match. I ran that through with the Sunshine plate, die cut a few clouds, and then pieced together my scene. For some reason, I wanted the card to be a tall and narrow card, so then I had to figure out how I could add a sentiment to the front. I finally decided on the sentiment flag and thought that red gave it a nice pop.
Supplies:Stamps: Up, Up, and Away
Ink: Tuxedo Black
Paper: New Leaf, Pacific Point, Real Red, White
Accessories, etc.: Copic markers, cloud dies, sunshine plate, pop dots

Papertrey Ink June Blog Hop Challenge

Good afternoon! I was in the mood for something fun and summery for my challenge card. I went with Raspberry Fizz, Orange Zest, Hawaiian Shores, Simply Chartreuse, and White. I just received my latest PTI order yesterday, so I had to make use of it! I love the balloons in Up, Up, and Away and the Sunshine plate is just fun to use! I decided to use it to make some fun hill tops. I decided to use this as a graduation card for my cousin. The family is having a dinner in her honour later today to celebrate.

Supplies:
Stamps: Up Up and Away (plus sentiment set), Round and Round
Paper: Hawaiian Shores, Orange Zest, Simply Chartreuse, White
Ink: Black, Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz
Accessories, etc.: pop dots, Sunshine Impression Plate

I can't wait to see what everyone else does for this blog hop, I'm sure to find some new colour combinations that I must try!

Easy Peasy birthday card

While tidying up my craft space last weekend I came across several scraps. I reminded myself that I really need to make better use of them! The tend to just sit in a folder or a pile unused. So I took this piece of patterned paper and River Rock cardstock and got to work. The layout was somewhat based on my FTL39. It's a great layout for using strips of patterned paper!


Supplies:
Stamps: Round and Round
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Paper: Not Quite Navy, River Rock, Urban Oasis DSP
Accessories, etc: piercer, ribbon, corner rounder

Flowery Birthdays

I was in a bit of colouring mood the other day, so I decided to make a few flowery birthday cards using some nice line art and Copics. I had a few scraps around from when I was testing out some background stamping. Those colours became my inspiration! I was quite pleased with how they both turned out!
Supplies: Stamps: Friends 'til the End, In Bloom, Birthday Basics, Text Style, Background Basics: Botanicals Ink: Tuxedo Black, Lemon Tart, Bermuda Bay
Paper: Lemon Tart, Ripe Avocado, Spring Moss, White, Hawaiian Shores, Smokey Shadow, Kiwi Kiss Accessories, etc.: Ribbon, Copics

Colourful Leaves

Here's a quick and simple birthday card I made recently. I remember seeing on another blog that Taken with Teal looked quite nice with Glorious Green, so I thought I would combine them and see what came of it. I use Glorious Green so rarely, that I was quite happy to find something it works with. I stamped various leaves all over white cardstock and then used one of fall to layouts (# 63)
Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Picnic, Turning a New Leaf
Ink: Taken with Teal, Green Galore, Glorious Green, Fresh Snow
Paper: Green Galore, Taken with Teal, Glorious Green, White
Accessories, etc.: Gelly Gems

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

This month's hop is all about felt! I decided to make a 3-d flower embellishment out of felt. I present to you the most impractical card for mailing! I ended up using my FTL sketch from last week. It just worked well with the flower!

I thought the Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate, and Kiwi Kiss made for a fun and fresh colour combination! I used Kiwi Kiss in place of Simply Chartreuse, since I don't have it yet, hopefully it's a decent substitute!

Supplies: Stamps: Signature Greetings, Background Basics: Tin Type Ink: Bermuda bay, Dark Chocolate Paper: Kiwi Kiss, White, Dark Chocolate, Hawaiian Shores Accessories, etc.: Large Scallops Die, Beautiful Blooms Die #1

I modified this post's instructions to work with the 6-sided die. I cut out 3 flowers and used those to make my felt flower. I am super impatient, so I used sticky strip to hold the pieces together. It's holding together quite well. In place of chartreuse felt, I broke the fibers of some Kiwi Kiss cardstock, cut that into 2 leaf shapes, added a center score line to each, then curled them a bit more for dimension.

A little bit of masking

Here's a birthday card I made a few weeks back. I really wanted dotted centers for each flower, so instead of tracking down stamps that may or may not have fit, I decided to do a bit of masking. I die cut 3 different sized circles into a few post-it notes, placed them over my die-cut, stamped flowers, then stamped a Polka Dot II basics background over each! It was quite easy!

Supplies:
Stamps: Beautiful Blooms II, Turning a New Leaf, Giga Guidelines
Ink: Green Galore, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise
Paper: Raspberry Fizz, Green Galore, White
Accessories, etc.: Beautiful Blooms die #2

Golden Hearts

This is a card I made back in April for a bridal shower. I made the bottom edges using one of the Labels die cut sets. I really like combining small images with the flourishes to make a unique background!

Supplies:
Stamps: Heart Prints, Mixed Messages, Fancy Flourishes
Ink: Gold
Paper: Gold, Vintage Cream
Accessories, etc.: Corner Rounder, Ribbon, Gold Cord, Labels 8

Masculine Birthday

This was one of those cards that came together when I started playing with some new stuff and some scraps on my desk. First I made the wood grain background on the chocolate cardstock. I noticed it was kind of an odd size, so I figured out a layout that would work with it. I really like the leaves in Masculine Motifs and thought they'd look nice with a bit of two-toned inking. I grabbed some craft Chocolate Chip and Terracotta Tile and stamped the one leaf. Finally I finished it off with a Kraft card base and a wood button. Perfectly masculine, right?

Supplies:
Stamps: Masculine Motifs, Background Basics: Woodgrain
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Terracotta Tile
Paper: Kraft, Rustic Cream, Terracotta Tile, Chocolate Chip
Accessories, etc.: Wood button, twine

New favorite colour?

I finally picked up some of the newest PTI colour, Hawaiian Shores. It's gorgeous! I just kept stamping random stuff with it, and thought it would look really pretty with yellow and green. Lemon Tart and Spring Moss went quite nicely with it. I stamped a background with this cute floral image from Round & Round and added a few leaves. It's quite a quick card, but I can definitely see myself using this colour combination in the future.

After that, I was playing around, making some more felt creations. I thought that Pure Poppy, New Leaf, and Hawaiian Shore would look cool together. I started out making the flower, then the rest of the card just kind of grew around it. Don't you love it when that happens?


Supplies:
Stamps: Round & Round, Masculine Motifs, Background Basics: Retro, Birthday Basics
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, True Black
Paper: Hawaiian Shores, Spring Moss, White, Lemon Tart, Pure Poppy, True Black
Accessories, etc.: Corner Rounder, Buttons, thread, Big Shot die, felt, ribbon

A little bit of felt

I've made my own felt embellishments before, but it's been a while, so I decided it was time to try out a few things. For now, I'm making do with the felt that's available locally. I found several colours at my local Fabricland. The brand is Ecospun, and the felt is polyester made from recycled pop bottles. So how does it cut?

I did a few tests with thin dies and thick dies. The thick dies cut the felt better. After the cut, I had to go in with a fine pair of scissors and trim a few tiny corners and some of the extra fuzz. It really wasn't that bad though. For .79 a 9x12 sheet, I don't mind!

The thin dies cut well once I added a shim into the equation. I used the cuttlebug and with nestabilities or PTI dies, I found that A,C, die/felt, B, cardboard shim gave the best results. It even embossed the felt a little bit, which was kind of cool!

So here is my completed project. It's a pretty basic layout. I wanted the felt scallops and flower to really be the focus.
Supplies:
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Giga Guidelines, It's a Celebration
Paper: Smokey Shadow, White, Hibiscus Burst
Ink: True Black, Hibiscus Burst
Accessories, etc.: Black and Fuchsia felt, button, string, nestabilities scalloped long rectanglies, Blossom Party die

Video!

I had originally brought up the topic of video making over on the CAS blog, but since I had shared the Letterpress cards here first, I figured I'd show the video here. This is my first video ever, so please be nice. I was all set to use a Flip camera, but it's apparently MIA (I figure someone else is using it), so I went with the adequate Canon SD1100IS instead. If you have any questions about the technique, feel free to leave a comment! I didn't include the final card, since it was really simple and the night lighting made it hard to get a decent shot of the impression. But you can go here if you're wanting a better idea of what the pressed design looks like.
See the video at Youtube.



Questions asked answered here:

The paper I used in the video was the paper offered by Lifestyle Crafts Letterpress. I got a pack here. I used some Crane Lettra, but haven't found a reasonable source for shipping in or to Canada. I just recently got an order from Paper-Papers.com. They sell quite a few types of cotton paper. I picked up some of the 118lb Savoy in bright white and in natural white. It presses quite nicely!

Although the plates I had made are photopolymer, they are a much harder form than the stamps so many of us crafters use. I have tried to use a photopolymer stamp and it did not go so well. The image pressed into the paper, but so did the entire area around the stamp. Not pretty! The pressure of the machine also caused irreversible damage to the stamp.

Birthday Wishes

Last night was a home movie night. That usually means that I bring out something to do while watching the movie. I enjoy movies, but I feel like I can multi-task a little bit. This time, I brought up some markers and this stamp set and coloured a little bit while watching.


So this morning I figured I should make a card so the coloured art didn't go unused and forgotten! I had downloaded the latest Colour Couture just to see what it was all about. I figured it's $5, so why not? I went to use the artisan card front, when I realized that I had a die that could possibly work in a similar way- Nestabilities Labels 8. Instead of running the paper and die sandwich through completely, I only wheeled it as far as needed. This meant no awkward impression from the back side of the die (where the paper is fed through to avoid the cutting part of the die). The shape is slightly less pronounced than the artisan design, so I'm not saying don't get the download (there are digital papers and fun inspiration sheets in it too after all!). I'm just saying, sometimes you realize that supplies that you already own can be used in a slightly out of the box way.


So finally, here's the card:Supplies:
Stamps: Friends 'til the End, Mixed Messages, Background Basics: Text Style
Ink: Spring Moss, Rich Cocoa
Paper: Summer Sunrise, New Leaf, Spring Moss, Lemon Tart
Accessories, etc.: Nestabilities (Labels 8 and Double Ended Tags), Ribbon, Copics

Pressed Designs

I've recently become a little obsessed with letterpress. Unfortunately I'm in no place to track down a machine and learn how to use it. I became quite intrigued with the Lifestyle Letterpress kit (made by Quickutz). Once I found out I could use the basic start kit in other roller machines, I was sold. I picked up the starter kit and got to work with the ink, papers, and plates that came with it. I'm really happy with the design of the kit- it has a nice grid layout and lots of space for a cardmaker. I like the ink too!

Unfortunately, I was less than impressed with the quality of plates. The designs are fantastic, but after 3 times through the Wizard or the Cuttlebug, the plates showed serious wear. Cracks all around the design and even lines on the design itself. I was very sad. I immediately began to research higher quality plates, which brought me to this post. So I got to work making some fun illustrations, and not even 3 weeks later and thanks to an awesome online friend, I have my unique plate! Boxcar Press makes photopolymer plates. Now before you go trying to run your precious stamps through a roller machine, wait! The photopolymer plates are much harder. On a side note I have successfully stamped with the plate images, using a bit of pressure and pigment ink.

So here's one of many projects to come. One of the dangerous things about the whole plate production process being easy (for me anyway), is that I want to make so many more!
And here's an up close version. My next problem is tracking down 100% 110 lb cotton paper in Canada. It's been quite the task. This one is printed on Crane's Lettra. You can click on the photos if you want to see a slightly larger version.

A few cards

I decided to make a few cards yesterday that had inspiration coming from different places. The first was from this post at Nichole Heady's blog. I loved all the colour combinations and wanted to try a few. The second place was at the Moxie Fab blog. The challenge was to make 5 different types of cards- birthday, thinking of you, love, season's greetings, and thank you. So here are 4 out of my 5 cards (the last card used different colours and is more appropriate for a ten minute Monday at the CAS blog).


First up is love. I struggled with this one a bit. I finally decided to leave it greeting-less. I figured the hearts, especially the one with a few words, spoke for themselves!



Next up is the thank you card. I am sure I have done this before, but I love blending the colours Lemon Tart and Summer Sunrise on those flower images!



Lastly is a cheerful birthday card. I hadn't used the vase yet from this set, so I decided to piece together a floral arrangement.



Supplies: (most supplies from Papertrey Ink)

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms, Bloomin' Button Bits, Polka Dot Basics I, Background Basics: Hearts, Background Basics: Retro, Floral Frenzy, Take a Bough, Vintage Ornaments, Vintage Picnic, Heart Prints

Inks: Sweet Blush, Raspberry Fizz, New Leaf, Summer Sunrise, Melon Berry, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate, Lemon Tart

Paper: White, Summer Sunrise, New Leaf, Raspberry Fizz, Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, Melon Berry, Sweet Blush, Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Vintage Cream

Accessories, etc.: Pop dots, buttons, string, satin ribbon, brown grosgrain, scallop punch, pearls

A few tree cards

I've got a few tree-themed cards today. For the first card, I decided to make my own leaves by using the brush tip of 3 different green Copics. It was actually pretty quick! I thought it needed a bit of POP, so I added the cute little red bird.


The second card uses some good old brayering. I went with Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, (possibly Really Rust?) Ruby Red, and a bit of Not Quite Navy to make the background. The trees are embossed with brown embossing powder.

Supplies:
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Through the Trees (Papertrey Ink)

DIY Floral Embellishments

A few days ago, I made my own floral embellishment. I really liked it, it was a lot of fun to make, but I didn't know what to do with it. I was thrilled to see what today's PTI contest was- make a sheet of floral embellishments and design a card using one! I quickly put together more embellishments based on the one I made earlier in the week.

I used Stampin' Up!'s Pretties kit (something I have maybe used once or twice). I inked up the flowers with the tea inks then stamped a polka dot or a text pattern in craft ink overtop. The final touch was to stamp a few cream buttons with brown Stazon and attach those to the flowers.
Designing a card around the embellishments wasn't too difficult. I kept with the vintage theme, using kraft, rustic cream and dark chocolate paper.


Supplies:
Stamps: Signature Greetings, Background Basics: Text Style I, Polka Dot Basics II
Ink: Chocolate Chip Craft, Dark Chocolate, Chamomile and Chai Tea
Paper: Kraft, Rustic Cream, Dark Chocolate
Accessories, etc.: Flowers, Polytwill, buttons, twine

Colour Challenge

I loved all the suggestions for today's colour challenge. I had limited time, so I picked one that I was sure I hadn't done before- Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Fizz, Scarlet Jewel, and Terracotta Tile. I really needed a bit of white for my planned card, so hopefully that's okay!



Supplies: Stamps: Blooming Button Bits
Paper: Bitty Box Basics (Raspberry Fizz), White, Terracotta Tile, Scarlet Jewel
Ink: Scarlet Jewel, Dark Chocolate, Terracotta Tile
Accessories, etc.: Chocolate satin ribbon, terracotta button, pop dots

Sketchy Paint by Number

When I saw this sketch I knew I needed to play along. There was a colour challenge element too, which added to the fun. My online username is typically tashers, so my colour challenge was this:
Here's my card- just a fun, quick, and simple friendship card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Friends 'Til the End
Ink: Fresh Snow, Spring Rain
Paper: Kraft, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain, Bitty Box Basics in Aqua Mist
Accessories, etc.: White Grosgrain, button, thread

Raspberry Cupcake Kind of Day

Here's my take on this week's CPS sketch. I quite enjoy making square cards. I happened to have a piece of already stamped polka dot paper, so I decided to use that. I thought it would look really sharp with black. The rest of the card just kind of came together. It seemed like a cute idea to stamp more dots on the cupcake holder. The card measures 5x5.


Supplies:
Stamps: Cupcake Collection, Polka Dot Basics II, Faux Ribbon
Ink: Fresh Snow, True Black
Paper: Black, White, Raspberry Fizz
Accessories, etc.: Ribbon, String, pop dots, nestabilities, Copic markers, buttons

Hey there, chickadee!

Here's another card, from my "card-fest" last weekend.

Supplies:
Stamps: Everyday Classics, Petal Power, Everyday Button Bits
Ink: Fresh Snow, Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate
Paper: Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Lemon Tart, Dark Chocolate, White
Accessories, etc.: Satin Ribbon, button, twine, scalloped and plain circle nestabilities

Emboss Resist

For some reason this simple technique always seems to take me a while to complete. It takes me forever to choose the background image, then the embossed image, and finally the colours. This card was actually take three. The first two never made it to completion.



Supplies:
Stamps: Background Basics: Textstyle, Floral Frenzy, Birthday Basics
Ink: Summer Sunrise, Orangerie, Dark Chocolate
Paper: Summer Sunrise, White, Dark Chocolate
Accessories, etc.: Clear EP, pearls, sponges, tag die

Celebrate Today!

Just a quick card to share today. I decided to print off Heather's cute cupcake design and make a bit of a hybrid birthday card.
Supplies:
Stamps: Cupcake Collection, Polka Dot Basics II
Ink: Summer Sunrise, Fresh Snow
Paper: White, Summer Sunrise, Aqua Mist, Ocean Tides
Accessories, etc.: brown polytwill ribbon

A few button bits creations

Seriously, I cannot believe how cute this cupcake is! I know it's from a baby set, but I decided to piece together some sentiments to make it say what I wanted. I coloured the cupcake with Copics. I kept the layout very simple, adding a scalloped frame and embossed background. It really is all about the stamped image!


Since I had brought the markers out, I thought I'd colour this adorable teddy bear too. My original idea was to make it like a Care Bear. I stamped a little elephant from Bitty Baby Blessings on its belly. It didn't look as awesome as it should, in fact, it looked awkward- this floating elephant on a bear belly. So I decided to cover it up with this ultra cute button! I waffled with adding flock to the bear, but determined that would be too much.

Pom Pom Flowers

Well, I decided to check out a video tutorial on making these super trendy pom pom paper flowers. I was surprised by just how easy they are so I had to make a few!

First up, I decided to use up a bit of Basic Grey paper. I used the Blossom nestabilities die and cut out 6 flowers.

For my second one, I tracked down a book that I was willing to "donate" to papercrafting. I have multiple copies of The Secret Garden and this version was the dullest. I used the scalloped circle nestabilities die for this one. I also decided to keep things slightly vintage by using rustic cream cardstock and ruffling the ribbon.
That's all for now! It's been a very productive cardmaking weekend so far. I'm up to 8 and I think I may even make some more! Thanks for stopping by!