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!

A few cards

I figured it was time for a mini stamp fest of sorts. Here are 2 of the 3 cards I made this evening. Be on the lookout for the third this Friday at clean & simple stamping. I just sat down and made whatever came to me. I had a few sketches that I used as inspiration, but it was really all about stamping for the fun of it. I really need to do more of that. It's not that I've got hung up on card calls or design team deadlines. I just haven't much felt like being creative. I guess work is a bit stressful, and probably will be for the next year or so. I need to remember to get back to art as a means of relaxation.

I am still loving these leaves from Turning a New Leaf. I don't think that's going to change ever. Leaves are so versatile! I thought orange, brown, and white, with a bit of bling would be nice.


So then, I was sitting there, thinking "what next?". And for some reason "fruit" came to mind. So I took out Fruitful and decided on the strawberries. I stamped the berries on vanilla instead of white to soften them a bit. Plus, I had this fabulous polka dot paper from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit (don't you love when you can use seasonal products for other occasions).

A few wedding cards

Well, today is my brother's wedding so I have a few wedding themed cards to share. Having been somewhat involved in the original invitation plans, I knew that yellow and grey were the wedding colours. So I figured I'd use those colours in my creations.

First up, I decided to make a hybrid project. I have the Together Forever stamp set, so I decorated my cardstock with that. I wanted their initials in the fancy circle element, but didn't have the right size font. I used the Stampin' Up colour swatches to make sure it would coordinate with my project once it was printed out.
This second card was 100% inspired by the amazing Silke Ledlow.

She has been doing amazing things with this stamp set. I modified my version somewhat: I used a different punch; I didn't have small silver brads, so I used rhinestones instead; the proportions are slightly different and I used Orange Zest ink and ribbon instead of Dusty Durango.

More leaves!

Seriously, I don't think I can get enough leaf stamps! I have loads of flowers, but I love leaves even more. They can be used for so many occasions! *Oh my goodness, I just came to look over my post, I cannot believe I spelled leaves wrong in my title.*


I had been meaning to make some fun patterned paper using these leaves from the Paradise set, some kraft cardstock, and some pigment heavy inks. After creating quite the swatch with at least 5 different kinds of ink, I settled on using mostly Palette inks. They show up nice and vibrant on the kraft cardstock. I stamped the leaves all over. Next I cut up the paper into 4 pieces 4x5.25 in size. I stamped a few more leaves (this time from Turning a new leaf) then stamped a Textstyle background image over it all in Sahara Sand. Finally, I coloured the edges with Chamomile tea ink. I decided to use some Vintage White cardstock, buttons and jute thread to complete the natural feel.

I had been trying to post more, however life has been bit hectic. Back in early November, my cat was diagnosed with Diabetes. It's been an interesting learning process. Things had been going so well, but she had a hypoglycemic episode the other night (at midnight of course!), so now we have to keep an even closer watch on her, and check her glucose levels more frequently. She is not a fan! And this all comes a mere week before I'm leaving for holidays. So basically, I'm just taking things one day at a time, and hopefully things will settle down by the end of the week.

Happy new year!