Click!

We're on vacation this week, and I thought that meant I'd spend lots of time in the craft room, but I really feel like taking a break.

Luckily, I have a few cards that I haven't shared yet.

 It wasn't my first time at this rodeo - I created another mini-polaroid coming out of the lawn fawn camera (from the "say cheese" set) before...  but for this one, I used a sentiment - "pull here" - from PTI's "movers and shakers sentiments" to add a bit more fun.

 ... and, when you get around to pulling it out:

The bee is from lawn fawn's "gnome sweet gnome," and the sentiment is from PTI's "tiny treats: birthday" set.

Thanks for peeking!

Blog hop winner!

Hi all!

we're on vacation this week, but I wanted to pop in and announce the winner of last week's blog hop:

Random.org has spoken, and Holly Ann is the winner!  Holly Ann, please shoot me an email with your mailing address so that I can send you your new hero arts stamp sets (my email address is on my profile page.)

Thanks, everyone, for your sweet comments on my matryoshka card!

Saturday Creations: coffee with a friend

Hi friends!  Time for another Saturday Creations post.


I always thought the circle images from Precious Remembrance's "positive thoughts" set looked like a coffee-mug ring.  When I think of sharing coffee with a friend, I think of chatting about the good, the bad, and the ugly...

I created this card when I needed something flat for mailing, but still wanted it to be special.  I started out with a patterned paper mat and sent it through the die-cutter so that I could stamp the sentiment onto the card-base and have it show through.

Because I'm always holding my breath when I send my cards through the sewing machine, I opted to stamp the stitch line all around the patterned paper.  (When stamping the shorter sides, a little selective inking helps to avoid any overlap.)

After having stamped the coffee ring image, I adhered 2 hearts together, and slid some twine through both the hearts and the patterned paper (I punched a tiny hole right into the image - but it's so small you can hardly notice it, even in real life.)  I tied a simple knot where the twine joined together.

I hope you've enjoyed my Saturday Creations all through July! I'll be back in a few weeks with more :) 

Let her eat cake!

Happy Friday, all!

I'm just popping in with a card I'd made for the recent Paper Crafts call... I love the vintage-poster feel of it, and how I have no idea what to do with it now, since no one I know is having a 16th birthday anytime soon :)

(sooo, on that note, if anyone needs a very girly 16th birthday card, let me know and I'll pop it in the mail for you.)

I used mostly CSS goodies on this card, save the hero arts "radiant banner" background.  I die-cut the cake die into my main panel and stamped the cake and stand into the opening, but then stamped the candles, and "sweet 16" (from "cake decorating too") onto the raised panel.  I love this cake image (from "cake decorating") - you can mix and match so many elements to change the look of it (here, I stamped the little rosette buds and the draped icing images to make it more girly, but the possibilities are almost endless.)  I colored it with 3 different shades of pink, and stamped the sunburst with a fourth pink color - because sometimes, too much of a good thing is a g-o-o-d thing.

The banner image is from the same "radiant banner" stamp - I stamped it again onto white card-stock and cut it out.  I adhered it slightly off to the side (in keeping with my vintage-poster feel... but maybe it just looks lopsided to you? hee.)

I have a few more "rejects" to share with you next week, and the one that got picked up?  You'll have to wait until next year to see it in print *wink*

Thanks for popping by!

PTI blog hop & giveaway update.

If you are looking for my "shaping up" blog hop post, click *here.*

Hi peeps!  If you're new here - welcome!

Time for another PTI blog hop!  Here's the color-inspiration photo:

So dreamy, right?  I don't have any of those PTI colors, but I chose copics I thought were a nod in the right direction...

I knew immediately, I wanted to stamp a bouquet of flowers - and this bunch in the "friendship jar: summer fillers" is perfect for a quick note-card.  (Actually, I'm pretty sure I want to go back and make a full set!)  I stamped the jar directly onto the card-base, but stamped, colored, and cut out the bouquet so that I could prop it up on foam squares.  I then added a little bow, from the "bells and boughs" set (can you tell I adore that set?), and added the perfect little sentiment into the jar (from Precious Remembrance's "positive thoughts" set.)  Also, I trimmed the card to 4 inches by 5 1/2 inches.  I love the longer, sleeker look - and the jar 'o flowers fits like a glove across the front.

I don't think you can tell in the photo unless you squint, but I took a water-color brush and a water-color crayon, and added some flecks of light blue over the card-front (before I adhered the flowers.)  I also painted a little strip of blue on the left and right edges of the card.  The spatter and those painted stripes add a softness, and an extra bit of detail that takes this card to a more special place.

Hope you like it!

And now, for the giveaway update:  I got my Gallery Idol prize box yesterday!  Soooo, here's what I will be giving away and mailing out next week to 1 lucky winner:

Woo hoo!  If you want to enter for a chance to win, click over to *this post* and throw your comment in the running :)

Shaping up! blog hop and giveaway.

Hi peeps!

You've probably hopped over by way of Anita's fabulous blog.

In case you're wondering how this came to be.... the top 20 Gallery Idol contestants became friendly behind the scenes.  We've had so much fun getting to know each other while competing, and we thought we'd do something fun to thank Paper Crafts and all of you for your encouragement and support.  As soon as my prize box makes it allllllllll the way to me in Canada (!) I will be giving away some goodies from my box - in fact, each of the girls are!  Keep reading all the way to the end for the details of my giveaway :)

Paper Crafts has a shaped card contest going on right now, and we thought we'd join in the fun!

Awww, a little Russian doll-shaped card!  (if you're asking: "how is this a summer-themed-shaped-card, Els?"  I would just like to point out that a. matryoshkas are year-round, people, and b. obviously they wear the scarves on their heads to protect from the sun... but mostly c.  I just wanted to make them so badly!)

I hand-drew this template, cut it out, and paper-pieced it using some MME papers.  If you've read the sentiment, and keenly noticed the stitching along the sides of the doll, you might not be surprised by this next turn of events...

Hee hee!  A smaller nesting doll inside :)  Because it's what's inside that counts!

The smaller nesting doll is a proper "shaped card."  I created a full doll for the card-front, and it sits on a white doll-shaped card-base.  The bow images are from PTI's "bells and boughs" set, and the beautiful flowers on the sentiment banner are from their "simply jane" set.

I hope you like my little ladies - next, hop on over to Erin Lee's blog :)

(if you get lost along the way, you can find a full list of participants on our facebook event-page.)

But before you go:  the very important (not-so) fine print:

To be eligible for my giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite part of summer has been so far.  For a second chance at winning, become a follower of my blog and let me know you've done that (if you already follow this blog, let me know in a separate comment.)  The giveaway ends July 29th and a winner will be announced on the blog shortly thereafter.  If I get my box in the next few days, I'll give an update on what the prize will be but I promise it will be good :)

Thanks for popping by!

  

Stamp a faire: mini book challenge.

Y'all know I'm not a scrapper, and I rarely make anything other than cards or party decorations.

But Ashley's video made it look so easy to create a mini-book...

I made my album quite a bit smaller than Ashley's - the envelopes I used are made for 3x3 inch cards.  In the spirit of just enjoying the process (and therefore, keeping it simple,) I decided to make a little book of love notes for Sofia.  She was making me a picture while I created this mini-book :)  

You'll understand more as I go along, but I slipped a tag into each envelope.  To bind the book, I threaded a piece of twine through each tag, and then tied a bow on the top of the album.

See?  It's so cute!

I hand-wrote a simple note on each tag.  I know that Sofia has been feeling a bit down lately: not even 2 weeks after her tonsil/adenoids surgery, we've been told that she'll be needing knee surgery on both knees... and that it would be best to have them done sooner than later.  We suspected as much, and were prepared for this news, but the timing is unfortunate.  Just thinking about it is overwhelming, and I know that she has been feeling some stress as well... I hope that my mini-book will cheer her up!

Until next time...

Stamp-a-faire: ribbon techniques

If you're looking for my Precious Remembrance post, click *here*

Morning, campers!

Before things get going this morning, I managed to watch a few of the ribbon videos :)  And, here's my take on Betsy's singed-ribbon technique:

Nothing like burning a candle right in the middle of your craft area at 8am... I have to admit to being a little nervous I would knock over the candle and burn some papers :)

Here's my set-up for today:  my tiny creating corner - where I have to push the keyboard to make space for my stuff, the candle and lighter (hee) for my 1st card, and my morning smoothie... yum!  (although it looks completely yucks now that it's all done, I know.)

Hope to see you here and there throughout the day!

Saturday creations: crayon fun.

Good Saturday morning, all!

I have another Saturday Creations card for you, using the Precious Remembrance "positive thoughts" set.  I thought I would break out my sorely neglected watercolor paper, watercolor crayons, and brushes for a soft "get well" card.  

I started out by coloring directly onto my heart stamp with a watercolor crayon (my set is from SU!) and then spritzing it with water before stamping it down onto my paper.  It gives a beautiful translucent look.  I also stamped the spatter image using the same technique, at the top right.  I don't know if you can make it out in the photo...

Then, I scribbled some of the red crayon onto a clear block and picked up it with my wet paintbrush.  I created a frame all around the mat, not being concerned with the perfection of the lines.  We're going for artistry here ;)

After that, I started to create more spatter on the paper - I love this part!  With the watercolor crayon in one hand, and the paintbrush in the other, I picked up ink directly from the crayon and spattered it across the sheet with the brush.  I did this until I was happy with the results.

Once everything was perfectly dry, I stamped the "get well soon" greeting under the heart.

I hope you like it, and this inspires you to use products you have lying around that you haven't broken out in ages.

Have a great weekend!

MIM: roll the dice

I had time to play around with this week's MIM challenge - and it was so fun!  The idea is that you download their sheet, fill it out, and roll the dice to determine what goes on your card.  No fuss, no muss :)

I rolled, and I got:

- vertical orientation
- sketch no. 6
- simply jane stamp set
- mat stack 1 stamp set (in a supporting role)
- kraft, white, blue color scheme
- floral embellishment

And here's my take:

I started out with the "simply jane" silhouette, stamped in blue, and built my card out from there.  The sentiment is from "mat stack 1" - I actually cut it apart so I could stamp it on either side of the banner flag.  (You could also do some selective inking if you'd rather not cut up your stamps, but I find cutting them apart to be much more idiot-proof... hee.)

I finished off by stamping an image from "mat stack 1" underneath the banner.  I think it was the perfect finishing touch :)

Before I sign off, a preview of things to come:

A little post-gallery-idol blog hop!  I hope you'll join a few of us for our "shaped-card" blog hop - I know there will be plenty of "wow" cards to look at, and there will a giveaway on each girl's blog :)  Fingers crossed that my Gallery Idol prize box makes it here before then, so I can actually have an idea of what I'll be giving away... (O Canada, why is your postal service so very slow?)

Thanks for popping by!

Deasy Designs

Hi peeps!

I'm helping out my friends over at Deasy Designs as they launch their next 2 digi sets.  And you get a 2-fer today - as I was downloading the new Sweet Treats set, Sofia asked if I would print her a few of the images so she could make her own card :)

Because this is my blog (!) I'll go first:

I grabbed the burger and fries images, re-sized them a bit and added a bit of scripty font to make this diner-inspired card.  The checkerboard background is from PTI's "on the farm" set.  Simple, to the point, and featuring fast food = perfect guy card... right?  hee.

And now, featuring my 7-year-old-up-and-coming-card-designer:

Sofia had me re-size the girl, background strip, and ice-cream sundae to her specifications.  She then colored the images and had me help out with the cutting (since she's still in recovery from her tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, I obliged *grin*)  She stamped her own greeting (from CSS' "sweet sentiments" set) above the window.  She asked me for foam squares so she could make it "pop" - and she had her eye on that washi tape before we started anything, I think ;)  A few tiny hearts from the SU owl punch, and some black enamel accents on the eyes finished it all off.

Here is the Sweet Treats set in full:

Head over to Deasy Designs and comment for a chance to win this super-cute digi set!

CSS: holiday in July group post.

Are you ready for a little winter holiday fun?

I'll bet the rest of the design team has wowed you with Christmas projects... but as soon as I had the rag dolls in my hands, I already had a Valentine's Day project in mind... hey! it's totally a winter holiday :)

I used the new Jake rag doll, and the rag doll house: stand to create this sweet Valentine's day lunch for my 5-year-old-Thomas.  

Since it was for Thomas, I had to make his usual "pb&j" sandwich (the kid is obsessed)... but, since it was a special occasion, why not make it heart-shaped and put it in a cute wrapper?  I found a template, and embellished it with a stamped "PB {heart} J" banner.  The letters are from the alpha duo set, and the heart is from the new "wrap a round" set.

And he'd need something to wash down that sandwich, right?

milk - it does the body good ;)  And why not make it look good too, with a striped straw and an adorable favor flag.

So, after he ate his sandwich, and had his little strawberry-and-banana-fruit-kebab (I stuck little chunks through a lollipop stick), I could offer him his special treat:

a "kissing-booth" box, full of hershey's kisses :)  I paper-pieced the stand, printed the "kisses" via my computer, added the 5-cent stamp (the kid gives them away super-cheap - what can I say?  hee!) and the little love speech bubble (from taglines: critters.)

Here's a side-view so you could see how I closed up the party favor 3 die (don't you love how the stand die-cut fits right on the front?)

I scored the side so that I could pinch it closed.  I cut 2 tiny holes at the top and threaded some twine to keep it shut.

I hope you like what I've created!  Click on over to see what the other designers have for you:

Lori

Jaclyn

Kim

Tracy

Dana

Laurie

Jennifer

Amber

Laura

Suzanne (guest)

CSS

lawnscaping challenge #38: inspiration photo

Time for another lawnscaping challenge!  


This week's sponsor is Lawn Fawn:

Take this photo:

....and create something inspired by it.  I honed in on the vintage merry-go-round in the 2nd row and created this card:

I colored the merry-go-round (from "admit one") to match the photo (and do you see the tiny stars I added?  they're from "plus one"), and cut it out, before propping it up onto a strip of yellow polka-dot paper.

Near the bottom, I used a circle punch to create an opening, and stamped the star (also from "admit one") onto the card-base.  I colored it in, outlined it, and slapped it with a layer of glossy accents.

For a finishing touch, I created a little paint-spatter across the card.  I think this may be my new favorite way of doing it:  I grabbed an old SU water-color crayon, and a wet paintbrush, and flicked the ink across the card.  I promise you this will not be the last time you see me do this :)

I hope you are inspired to create your own card!

Saturday Creations: pinterest inspiration

Hi peeps!

I'm back with another Saturday Creation for Precious Remembrance.  I'm showcasing our positive thoughts set.

Do you all pinterest?  (it's not just a website now, it's a verb... or it should be, with all the time I spend there!)  Sometimes, all I need to get the inspiration flowing is a beautiful print that I can translate into a card.

From this print, I created the layout of my card, and found the orange/blue color scheme.  I also love how the orange panel contained a large sentiment, while a smaller one was printed onto the blue flag beneath.  I thought it would be fun to take two different sentiments from the positive thoughts set and re-create that look:

I used a cream-colored cardstock for my base and my flowers, embossed my larger sentiment onto the orange strip, and the smaller sentiment onto the blue flag.  This would be the perfect card to give someone who was going through a hard time.  

Hope you like it!  

pink and green party ensemble.

I don't usually share stuff I create for clients, but I figure if I don't, my blog will be all white noise :)  It seems like everybody and their uncle are throwing parties within the next month, and I'm very blessed to be craftily busy.

This week, I handed over 20 favor bags, 20 thank cards, and a few dessert labels for a pink and green damask little girl party.  I couldn't help but use the new CSS cake decorating set.  I am head over heels in love with it!

Thanks for peeking!