Go-to Gal Designer Challenge #1

Challenges are such a great thing.  It really helps showcase everyone's talents, and push our creativity.  Betsy Veldman has a challenge on her blog that's open until May 4th.  I decided last night that I would like to play along.  It's based on this sketch-

It's such a cute sketch!  However, I'm not so happy with my execution of it.  I got my inspiration from the patterned paper I used.  I thought that the pink/olive/brown/rust/cream combination was so different that I was dying to try it.  It was a lot harder to work with than I had imagined.  This is my second attempt with it- I didn't take pictures of the first.

I do like the fact that it's still pretty masculine, even with the pink!  I think I'll be trying the sketch again with something a little more my style!  Thanks for taking a peek! :)

Supply List:
Cardstock- Old Olive (Stampin Up), Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, Terracotta Tile (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper- My Minds Eye
Stamps- Communique and Communique Sentiments , star from Masculine Motifs (Papertrey Ink), Office Lingo (Pink Paislee)
Ink- Pastel Pink (Colorbox), Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Old Olive (Stampin Up)
Other- Rope Twine (Stampin Up), Glittered Stars (K and Company)

Papertrey Paper Dolls, Challenge #2

I wasn't feeling very inspired today, so I decided to play along with the Dolls again to get my mojo going. Here's the sketch for this week's challenge-

 So I read through the post, made my card, then looked at the post again.  I made almost the same card as Meg had put on the example.  I didn't even realize I was doing it until I was checking back for the web address.  I'm a nerd- what can I say?  So Meg, I totally unintentionally CASE'd you!

The patterned paper is more from Pink Paislee's 365 line.  Eventually I'll use up all of this paper and stop featuring it on my blog lol. 

The tag is cut out of Pure Poppy cardstock and embossed with white embossing powder.  I love this sentiment from Signature greetings, it's really a great set to have around!  I finished up the card with a few Prima flowers with buttons, and the rhinestones on the banner.

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Supply List: (All supplies are from Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise)
Cardstock- Pure Poppy, New Leaf
Paper-(365- Pink Paislee)
Stamps-Signature Greetings
Ink- Versamark
Misc.- Button Twine, White Embossing Powder, (flowers- Prima), (buttons and rhinestones- My Minds Eye)

Papertrey Paper Dolls Challenge

I decided to play along with the Dolls' first challenge. The challenge is to make a card based on this sketch-

 
So here's my take on it-

 I will eventually put away Masculine Motifs and this Pink Paislee paper.  I'm just in love with it right now, and can't seem to keep my hands off lol.  I made a simple card base out of Pure Poppy cardstock with the woodgrain impression plate, and layered two strips of patterned paper.

I stamped the sailboat in Enchanted Evening ink, and cut out with a scalloped oval nestie, and "tied" it down with some rope twine.  I finished the card with the buttons and the sentiment.  That sentiment is actually one of my favorites, but I never get to use.  Check out the Dolls' blog to read more about the challenge, and see what that talented group of ladies have done!

Supply List- (All supplies are from Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted)
Cardstock-Pure Poppy, Stamper's Select White, Spring Rain
Patterned Paper- Pink Paislee 365 collection
Stamps- Masculine Motifs, Polka Dot Basics II, Sentiment from Hannah's Stamps
Ink- Enchanted Evening, True Black, Fresh Snow
Misc.- Die- Spellbinders, eyelets (misc. ), rope twine (SU!), New Leaf Buttons

Fishin' Thoughts

So back to the cards for my hunny.  My husband loves to fish.  In fact, his plan is to do nothing but fish during his retirement.  Our move to Louisiana was a godsend for him when it comes to the outdoors, we're within walking distance of the river, and the base we're stationed at has several lakes and ponds on it.  He's in heaven!  So today, I used his love for the sport for a touch of inspiration.

Technically this is a Koi, from the Masculine Motifs stamp set.  However, he doesn't typically go fishing for pet fish. :)  So I attempted to make it resemble a bass by inking it in a light green and rolling it in a darker green for the head and tail.  I used the woodgrain impression plate for the background.  Oh my word, if you don't have it, buy it.  It's beautiful!  I sponged some fresh snow ink onto it to bring out the grain of the texture.

I kept the card simple- just some twill, distress ink, and a few buttons and it's a done deal!  Thank you for stopping by today!

Supply List- (All supplies are from Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted)
Cardstock- Rustic White, Enchanted Evening, Kraft
Stamps- Masculine Motifs
Ink- Fresh Snow, Enchanted Evening, (Certainly Celery, Old Olive- SU!)
Misc- twill (SU!), New leaf buttons, button twine

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

Hey there hopping buddies! :)  Are you all having fun yet?  This is the first hop I've participated in- I'm usually just checking out every one's creations.  But this month I'm joining in on the fun.  The challenge this month is to use tissue paper on your project.  I decided to go with the faux silk technique.

I made my own background pattern using Round & Round and Dot Spot in True Black ink.  I then used the technique Nichole described here.  I will admit that it's not my favorite technique.  Nichole can do it flawlessly.  Me?  Yeah, not so much.  But, it does lend some nice texture to the card.

I repeated the image from my background in versamark in behind the sentiment (also from the Round & Round set), and layered it with the building image.  This is another one of those times I wish I would have ordered the Mat Stack die!  I hand trimmed the image, and added some rhinestones.  I made a little ruffled "skirt" out of Bitty Dot paper, and added a simple black ribbon to finish it off.

See you all during the hop! :)

Supply List: (All supplies are from Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted)
Cardstock: Stamper's Select White
Patterned Paper: 2008 Bitty Dot Basics
Stamps: Round & Round, Dot Spot
Ink: True Black, Versamark
Misc.: Rhinestones (My Mind's Eye), Black Ribbon, Tissue Paper

Ahhh, PINK!

I'm taking a break from cards for my hubby today.  I think two in a row is overload, lol.  I just don't really do masculine cards- pink and sparkles is more my thing.  So that's exactly what I have for you today. 

Raspberry fizz, butterflies, and sequins.  Oh yes, this is my sweet spot.  The main image is from Papertrey Ink's 2009 Anniversary set Round & Round.  This set is so great, with a lot of great building images.  I decided to keep this one flat image, choosing to stamp in black and emboss with clear embossing powder for a little shine.

I then finished up the card with a couple of debossed butterflies, following through with the polka dot theme, and sequin trim.  The sentiment is stamped in black and is from Papertrey Ink's Big and Bold Wishes.  I love this sentiment set- the oversized images always fill up the space so nicely. 

I'll have more tonight for Papertrey Ink's Blog Hop- are you playing along?  Until then, crafty  friends! :)

Supply List- (All supplies from Papertrey Ink unless otherwise stated)
Cardstock- Raspberry Fizz, True Black, Stamper's Select White
Patterned Paper- 2008 Bitty Dot Paper
Stamps- Round & Round, Big and Bold Wishes
Ink- True Black, Versamark
Misc.- Butterfly die (Stampin Up),  Scallop Edge punch (Stampin Up), sequin trim

Manly- Round 2

Hello everyone!  I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend.  The storms here have passed, and the air show on base is today.  We've been spending the day in the backyard watching the planes.  I did grab some time to myself last night to do some cardmaking.  This is the second card in the series of card I'm making for my husband, to send to him during his deployment.  I was inspired yesterday by Diane's card that you can find here.

I punched out 1 1/4" squares of kraft, and stamped the globe image from Masculine Motifs in Brushed Corduroy distress ink, stamping it on scrap once and then onto the squares for a little lighter ink.  The middle square is stamped with Enchanted Evening ink.  That square also has eyelets set in the corner, and I knoted some rope twine to them, and then popped it up. 

 I also adhered more rope twine around the center image to anchor it.  The patterned paper it from Pink Paislee's 365 line- I can't seem to put this stuff down.  I love the 6X6 pads that scrapbook comanies are coming out with.  The sentiment is stamped in Dark Chocolate and Enchanted Evening ink onto Vintage Cream cardstock, and mounted on a strip of Spring Rain, and trimed with Kraft.

All of this talk about my stud muffin, I feel like putting his picture on my blog.  You all should at least know who I'm talking about.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Supply List:
Cardstock- (Enchanted Evening, Vintage Cream, Spring Rain, Kraft) PTI
Patterned Paper- Pink Paislee 365
Stamps- Masculine Motifs- PTI
Ink- (Dark Chocolate, Enchanted Evening) PTI, Brushed Corduroy- Tim Holtz
Misc.- Rope Twine- SU!, eyelets

A Rainy Day CASE

Today it's pouring down rain, and we've got a 60% chance of tornadoes.  Ah, the joys of tornado season in the south!  What to do on a rainy day?  Get inky, of course!

This card I'm sharing with you today is basically a CASE of two cards by the uber-talented Nichole Heady.  During my husband's deployment I'm planning on sending him one card a week.  We usually just email back and forth and talk on the phone occasionally, but I want to do something a little more special this time.  So I'm basically going to have to come up with 20 different masculine cards.  Talk about a toughie!  And since I'll be away from my studio that entire time I've got to get it done with limited supplies.  So, I'm trying to get some done while I'm still in the comfort of my space.

During the last PTI release Nichole did a bunch of amazing manly cards.  I love her style, and I wish I could have just an ounce of the talent that woman possesses in her little finger!  Here's the two cards that I put together for my card-

Beautiful cards, right?  Of course!  Well, I loved her coloring on the trees, and the scored grid background, so I put them together and....

Ta-Da!

Okay, so my card is pale in comparison, but my stud muffin hubs will love it.  It's just his style- a little rustic, clean, no fuss.  Oh, and outdoorsy.  So the new set Masculine Motifs is perfect for him.  I'll probably be using that set a lot for the next few months. 
The image and sentiment are from Masculine Motifs, stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa.  The image is colored with the Spring Moss/ Ripe Avocado copic trios.  Each layer of the card has been sponged with Tea Dye Duo, except for the card base. and the image mat has been popped up with mini pop dots.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you all have an inspired day! :)

Supply List:
Cardstock: (Rustic White, Ocean Tides, Kraft) Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Masculine Motifs
Ink: (Rich Cocoa) Memento
Misc.:  Button Twine, Copic Markers

Fly Away!

Hey peeps!  Long time, no blogging.  We've had a very busy month.  My inlaws were in town, and then my husband got short-notice deployment orders, and now everyone (but me, yet) has a stomach bug.  But amidst all of this chaos, I got my new PTI goodies yesterday.  I couldn't resist one of the newest mini sets- Fly Away.  This set is so so so cute.  And to top it off- it's only 5 bucks.  Really.  PTI, how do you do it?

We all have problems with masculine cards.  After we get past the baby stage with light blue and bows we tend to get a little stuck.  This month's release at PTI solved that issue.  Fly Away features 2 plane images- one for paper piecing/coloring, and the other for solid inking.  It also has a banner that the plane can "tow" and 4 sentiments that fit inside the banner.  And again, all of this for only $5.

For my card today I chose the line art plane.  The plane is colored with copics (B41, B45, Y35, R29, R59, T1, T4, T6, W5.)  Then I cut it out, mounted it with mini pop dots onto the background piece.  I made the background using a piece of white cardstock, masked it with hand cut clouds, and inked it up.  I added some Pink Paislee 365 patterned paper, some My Mind's Eye button, a sentiment, and some PTI ribbon, and viola!  A very cute card for a boy.

Thanks for stopping by, have a crafty day!

Supply List:
Cardstock: (Stamper's Select White, Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise) PTI
Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee 365 collection
Stamps: (Fly Away, Signature Greetings) PTI
Fibers: (Pure Poppy saddle stitch, button twine) PTI
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Bliss Blue (SU!)
Misc.: Buttons (My Mind's Eye)

Spring Birthdays

It seems like there are so many March birthdays- my daughter, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother-in-law, and two aunts are all born in March. This card in particular I made for “Granny”, my husband’s grandmother. She turned 75 this year, and her health has taken a bit of a turn, so I went with a soft, yet cheery color palette.

I just love the sentiments in Papertrey Ink’s Signature Greetings set. The combination of the classic and strong all cap font against the fun, curvy font is so fresh and it lends itself perfectly to any style of papercrafting.

The daffodil images is from the Stampin’ Up! mini occasions catalog. I colored it with the Lavender Moon copic trio and outlined with T1. The set is called Abundant Hope, and it really is a beautiful set. This is the first set that I purchased in the clear mount option. I love that SU! is now offering unmounted stamps, as I have gotten so spoiled by photopolymer stamps that I can hardly stand wood mounted anymore. I do wish that SU! would offer photopolymer stamps as well, but this is a nice middle ground. And the storage is great!

Supply List- (all supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, Lavender Moon, Spring Moss
Stamps: Abundant Hope (SU!), Signature Greetings
Patterned Paper- Pretty Pastels
Other: Vintage Cream ribbon, Lavender Moon button, Copic Markers, Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders)

Spring Madness

I love spring! I love the flowers blooming, the grass coming back to life, birds chirping in the morning. It is truly refreshing. However, it also makes me open the windows and let the breeze in, which makes me go on a cleaning frenzy. And I do mean frenzy- hair flying, dust bunnies meeting their maker... it's an ugly sight for sure. But I need that sense of starting over. If Mother Nature does it, I should too.


So today's card is, of course, flowers. With a sweet sentiment that reminds us to slow down and enjoy life.

The flowers are first stamped in Fresh Snow ink, and then chalked before drying. I like the technique, but so far it’s not as controlled as I like. I’ve heard a tip to use a swiffer duster refill to clean up the image but haven’t tried it just yet.






Supply List:
(All supplies are Papertrey Ink unless otherwise stated)
Cardstock- Stamper’s Select White, Spring Rain, Black (Bazzill Basics)
Patterned Paper- Bitty Dot Basics- Spring Rain
Ink- Fresh Snow
Other- Rhinestones (My Mind’s Eye), Scallop edge punch (Stampin’ Up), Chalk (Inkadinkado)

Year Of Flowers: Violets

I just received my order from Papertrey Ink yesterday.  Their February release was simply amazing, I don't know how in the world it could ever be topped!  (Of course, I say that to myself every month about them, lol!)  When I opened the box last night, I immediately put together the Year of Flowers: Violets set.  It is so gorgeous that it's unbelieveable!

During the sneak peeks Nichole Heady did a beautiful card featuring the largest violet stamp and the leaves colored with copics.  (This is her post- http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2010/02/introducing-year-of-flowers-violets.html )  That card made this stamp set a must-have.  So when I got the stamps yesterday, I CASE'd this card ASAP. 

The only things that I did differently were; added rhinestones to the center of the flower, I didn't use distress ink on the edges of the kraft, and I decorated the inside of the card.

Supply list: (All items from papertreyink.com unless noted otherwise)

    Paper:  Kraft, White

    Stamps:  Year of Flowers: Violets, Polka Dot Basics II

    Ink: Ripe Avocado, Fresh Snow 

  Other:  Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitch ribbon, cream twine, button (My Mind's Eye), edge punch (EK Success), Raspberry Rhinestones, various Copic Markers

   

Thanks for looking!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello everyone! Valentine's day is one of my favorite holidays. My husband and I don't exchange extravagant gifts, and we don't even go out just the two of us. Instead, we spend the day celebrating love- love for each other, love for our children. And enjoying how blessed we are.

This card is a quick one that I made for my stud muffin husband. The patterned paper, die cuts, and button are from My Mind's Eye. The cardstock (kraft) and ribbon (poppy saddle stitch) are from Papertrey Ink. The edges are inked with Fresh Snow, also from Papertrey.

Happy lovin' everyone! :)

Sultry, take 1

I'm in love with BasicGrey- their paper constantly blow me away. When they translated their designs to fabric, I thought I had died and gone to heaven! My two loves- papercrafting, and all things fabric were merging in an amazing way. I immediately purchased pre-cuts- a charm pack, a honey bun, and a layer cake. And then they sat for almost a year.

I do this often- I purchase something so excited to use it, and then I just put it on the back burner. But I get to relive the excitement when I finally do pull it out to use it. So I'm challenging myself- I'm going to use up as much of all of the cuts as I possibly can. So far I've made a small quilt for my daughter, and the project I'm sharing with you tonight- a small zippered bag.

I needed a small bag to keep snips and adhesive runner in for my monthly Stampin Up stamp club, and this is just perfect. I used 3 honey bun strips, 1 layer cake piece (lining) , and a 10x10 inch square of fusible fleece. I love the stability that the fleece adds to the project. And with a yo-yo made from a charm square, and a button it was finished.

This project took a little bit over an hour and you can find the "recipe" at http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/01/lil-zipper-bag.html#more