... and it's a quickie! First off, sorry about the poor photos... it was cloudy yesterday when I shot these.
I thought I'd show how my cards sometime progress during the design stage. I started with the one on the bottom left, then switched up a couple things that resulted in the bottom right... and ended up with the top one.
The bottom left was too... blah. The bottom right just wasn't doin' it for me... it didn't quite have the visual triangle I was going for.
The one I ended up with works the best, I think, because there are three elements and they are grouped together; there isn't an over- abundance of white; and it has ribbon :)
Stamps: Holiday Cheer (available today!), Go Abroad
Paper: White UltraSmooth, Amelia & Scarlet cardstocks
Ink: Jardin Moss, Moulin Rouge, & New Canvas Palettes
Other: Christmas Red & Icicle Stickles, Corner Chomper, Scor-bug & Scor-Pal, foam tape, misc. ribbon
This isn't really a "new" stamp set, but it hasn't been available for almost a year... thankfully TAC brought it back!!
What do you think?
I can't wait for Tuesday! The new TAC Inspiration Avenue magalogue goes live... with 42 NEW stamp sets plus a few more they've brought back from last year! I was beyond honored to be asked to submit samples for this publication, and wanted to give ya'll a sneaky peek at one of the new sets!
I created the card base & attached half circles of cardstock to create a scallop border. I covered the edges of the circles with a beautiful piece of patterned paper.
I set an eyelet through one of the die cut tags, stamped the sentiment and pulled the ribbon through prior to adhering to the base.
I stamped the bird image twice... once on the light yellowish green & once on the sage. I colored some of the feathers in with a VersaMarker to add more depth, and then highlighted several parts of the bird & letters with a glitter pen.
I cut the wings out of the sage, edged it with a brown marker & popped them up on foam tape. I shifted the dimensional wings just slightly off of the main image to really give the look of a lot of feathers.
Stamps: Peace, Holiday Cheer (both available Sept. 1st!)
Paper: Willoughby SWIC & cardstock
Ink: Burnt Umber Palette, VersaMarker
Other: Copper eyelet, Reece Ribbon, Stardust clear glitter pen
Yes, it DID take a while to cut those freakin' wings out, but it turned out pretty cool so I guess it was worth it :)
What do you think?
I totally don't remember if I posted this already {did I just sound so 80's or what?}. I know Mischelle did on her blog, but I can't find it on mine... so if it is a repeater, I'm sorry! This was one of my submissions for TAC's base catalogue back in June.
Aren't they cute?! There's my favorite little rollie guy on the left... alongside most of his buddies from the rest of the set. I really like all of the eyelets... kinda like rivets, right?
Paper: Lilly Anna, Reece & White UltraSmooth cardstocks
Ink: Noir Palette
Other: Pewter Eyelets, thin jewelry wire
What do you think?
I know, I know... it's been awhile :) So I hope this makes up for it a little bit. This card is very similar to one you've seen before, but I liked it so much and I'm waaaay behind on my Paper Wings Christmas Card Club!!
Stamps: Vintage Christmas, Holiday Cheer (in the new Inspiration Avenue Magalogue available September 1st!!)
Paper: Reece, Lilly Anna, & White UltraSmooth cardstocks
Ink: Ballet Blue, Water Lily Green, & Toile Pink Palettes
Other: Crystal Stickles, Scor-Pal, Scor-Bug
I made this up for my Christmas shoebox swap for the Gardner Stamp Club last night, and I cut a bunch of extras on purpose! Typically when I cut up extra kits, I tend to assemble them to keep in my card stash or prep to sell at craft fairs.
I like this card because it has no lumpiness... easy to mail! No extra postage... BONUS :)
What do you think?
I've been busy working on some creepy goodness, so if you don't see me posting here as much, I've probably been posting on my other site so be sure to come and see me :)
I DID manage to squeeze this in this weekend. I love love LOVE this paper! I don't know if it the colors or design or both, but it is one of my favs. The most time consuming part of this baby was coloring the background and letting the Crystal Lacquer dry :)
It's amazing how the lacquer changes the appearance of a colored image... it seems to really bring details to the surface. After coloring and letting the lacquer cure, I spritzed Olive Glimmer Mist over the panel and wiped it from the bird... it adds just a hint of glimmer... oooooo me likey.
Stamps: Exotic Bird Collages
Paper: Willoughby SWIC, Willoughby & Kraft cardstocks
Ink: Burnt Umber
Other: Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, Crystal Lacquer, Willoughby Ribbon, MM jewel, Olive Glimmer Mist
A little sponging here, and more distressing there... layer it up with a bow... and to top it all off: a big phat jewel
{phat = pretty hip and twinkly}
and I am not JUST describing myself :)
[finger poised over lips to avoid upchuck incident]
What do you think?
First things first... TAC promotion time! Surprise boxes that retail for at least $150, are only $75 AND home office has picked several random boxes and included FREE GIFT CERTIFICATES (for T-coded stamps) valued from $50-$100... this is IN ADDITION to the box contents!!! Check it:
And here's a kicker... remember that a $75 dollar box + $25 more in purchases or sales is a $100 qualifying party which equals DOUBLE HOSTESS REWARDS!!!! Or grab a buddy and split a box AND a party AND the benefits! And now, on to the card!
I don't know that I'm really feelin' this one. I started out by using Taylor's sketch TESC77. Instead of using circles, I went with rectangles... maybe that is why it isn't working. Oh well, I'm sharing it anyway :)
I do like how the squirrel is colored... I mixed my media for the image & background: Prismacolors & mineral oil for the squirrel and watercolor crayons for the background & edges. The water-coloring looks so much better for backgrounds... more even and less work :)
Stamps: So Squirrely (August SOTM!!)
Paper: Penelope SWIC, Penelope & White UltraSmooth cardstocks, kraft packing paper (scallop rectangle)
Ink: Noir Palette
Other: Penelope Ribbon, Scor-Pal, Cloud Scissors, White Scrapper's Floss, foam tape, Giga Scallop Square punch, AquaColor crayons, misc. buttons
And do you see the little purple cardstock ruffle? I procured that idea from my WOSFF (web-o-sphere-friend-forever) Laurie... thanks, Laurie :) Just glue the top of the scallop strip above the score line and poof up the bottom... so cute.
What do you think?
My hubby turns 34 today! Why yes... yes I DID rob the cradle, thank you :) The important thing is that I LOOK younger than he does :) He swears that I am the cause of all of his grey hair, but he was already turning grey when I met him at age 23... seriously... I'm SO not making that up :)
No big birthday plans for us... we never make any. Sometimes we'll do dinner & a movie, but that is rare... we are SOOOOOOOOOOO married. AND, Poot just happens to be the MOST UNROMANTIC man ever, so anniversaries aren't a big deal around here either... dammit. :)
Supplies: Camping stamp set, Palette inks, DCWV blue cardstock, BG ribbon, Creative Cafe button, recycled chipboard card base
So, all he gets is this card I made for him.
And he'd better like it.
I mean it.
I'm not kidding.
Yeah, he'd be chuckling right now, too. Love ya', Poot!
What do you think?
I thought I posted this already! oooops. I had taught how to create this card & scrapbook page at my July Hostess Club & class nights in July, and thought... what the heck, I'll send it in... and ta da! I was fortunate enough to win TAC's July 'Card to Crop' contest for demonstrators!! Yeay... more free stamps, paper, & ribbon... oh my :)
Stamps: Linear Sentiments, Running Stitches, Creative Inspiration
Paper: Neutrals cardstock Stack, White UltraSmooth
Ink: Moulin Rouge, New Canvas, & Noir Palettes
Other: White Scrapper's Floss, sanding block, pop dots & glue dots, Scor-Bug, foam tape
I stamped the stitches on the card, but switched it up and used the Scor-Bug on the page. I love the white core cardstock... it is perfect for sanding & distressing to really give a 'worn' look. I even sanded the edges of the photo... that is one of my BFF's son, Braden (total cutie!!).
I went a little button-happy on these, but if you could see the jar o' buttons I have, you would not be surprised :) I need to sort them into several smaller jars so it is easier to find certain colors... although it is fun to just root around in the big jar (just time consuming!).
I sketched a primative looking star for the background to the photo mat... very primative! The edges are inked very lightly... along with the other stars. And I don't know if I could live without my Scrapper's Floss & glue dots for buttons...
What do you think?
It's been forever since I've had a chance to participate in the Mojo challenges, so I'm happy that I was able to come up with this little lovely last night. It's got a vintage feel AND it uses smaller bits from my pile-o-scraps... bonus! Go HERE to see the MOJO98 sketch! AND 365 Cards Day #160 calls for lace... yep I've got a two-fer!
Back-story: my sister, Debra, makes all of these awesome quilts. She has learned to use every bit of fabric from a cut, except for the salvage edges & little slivers that she ends up with because it wasn't trimmed straight at the store. Well, she saves these little gems for me & I've used one today. See the little 123 boxes... that's a salvage edge... cute, no?
Stamps: Watercolor Plants, Enjoy Nature (Hostess Level A)
Paper: Reece SWIC, Reece, basic brown & kraft cardstocks, paper sack
Ink: Burnt Umber Palette, Champagne Dazzle VersaMark
Other: Lemonade & misc. buttons, Circles and Extra & Super Jumbo Flower Punches, Chatterbox aqua trim, twine, fabric scrap, foam tape & Pop Dots
The paper sack is 6.5"x10" folded in half twice... this is not the gusset-style bag, but the flat sack kind. I glued the first fold (long edge) together... my intent was to create pockets on the end for tags, but the way my card was progressing, it really wanted to be a vertical layout, so bye-bye pockets :) I'll just keep it in mind next time.
What do you think?
Time for another sketch challenge from Taylor! This is for TECC76 and I'm hoping I made it in time to post... nothing like waiting until the last minute!
First off, let me apologize for the bad lighting in these photos. My OTT light is perfect for working, not for photographing!
I found this ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY awesome hand-dyed silk ribbon at a little boutique a couple of miles from my office. It is beyond lovely :)
Stamps: TAC's Little Cupcake
Paper: TAC's Angelee SWIC & Cardstock, White UltraSmooth cardstock
Ink: Burnt Umber & Haystack Palettes
Other: uber-cool silk ribbon, Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, Brown Scrapper's Floss, PTI & misc. buttons, foam tape, Nesties
I know, I know... the bow is a little too big, but I was rushing to get it done and so it goes :) The whole thing has a bit of a vintage feel, no?
What do you think?
Ok, so Jen is a total enabler. She sent me a link to a You-Tube video showing Martha's latest punches... as soon as I saw the web, I was hosed. So yesterday I went to THREE different Michaels stores in search... SCORE! And here's a bonus: I had 50% off coupons!!! Oh don't think I wouldn't have paid full price... I might have... I mean, I could only find one of the corner punches in stock anywhere! Yeah, I know... weird... plenty of the borders, but only one lonely corner punch... and it is all mine
{muhuwah ahh ahh ahh aaaaaaaaaahh}
Sooooooooo, guess I what I made last night... how's this for cuteness? I KNOW! Why else would I add the creepy little black spider confetti... had have just a teensie touch of that "uh, ewwww" ;)
I grabbed a chunk-o-cardstock out of my 'big scrap' scrap pile and started playing... I must say that I wish the two border webs were the same so that I could overlap them if needed when punching them out. I mean, I like the look of the subtle difference, but it kinda blows for when you need just one less web. But me still likey :)
I don't know if you can see it, but the two web corners and the mat are all one piece. I just had to get a little crafty with it since I did not have the correct size of cardstock with which to start. But if you go to the Aug. 3rd post on Chelsea's blog, she's done some measuring for us!!!
If I had this to do over, I would have switched out my sewing machine thread to black and stitched the swiss dot to the base i.l.o. staples... they are a little distracting. I also would have only done a couple of corners with the splatter stamp instead of all the borders. It's a little busy for me.
Stamps: Be Square, What a Hoot ("Owl"), Glitter Goblins ("oween"), So Splattered (retired), Holiday Cheer ("Happy")
Paper: White Ultrasmooth, basic black, & Lilly Anna cardstocks
Ink: Noir Palette
Other: Elizabeth Buttons & Blossoms, Black Scrapper's Floss, Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, Tombow gray marker, dotted swiss fabric, MM pink staples, MS web punches, misc. twill ribbon, spider confetti, Target thumbtack, black marker, foam tape
Good grief... I never think there is much on a card until I list the freakin' ingredients! And most of my "misc. ribbon" notes are because I have one on those huge Ribbon-eze thingies and I have no flippin' idea who made what :)
There it is... my creepy-cute pink Halloweenie card...
What do you think?
I thought I'd show how my cards sometime progress during the design stage. I started with the one on the bottom left, then switched up a couple things that resulted in the bottom right... and ended up with the top one.
The bottom left was too... blah. The bottom right just wasn't doin' it for me... it didn't quite have the visual triangle I was going for.
Stamps: Holiday Cheer (available today!), Go Abroad
