it's the stuff i love...

Mimi is thinking....

2012-01-25T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to play with some dolls for a while now, PB dolls, TGF, Hero Arts dolls, etc. I like them, they are sweet and fun to color in. Today, I'm playing with little Mimi:

She makes me happy and I paired her with a sentiment from Hero Arts.

Enjoy!
Stamps: Hero Arts (G5563 - Just Thinking of You). Penny Black (4149H - bonjour!).
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Copic Markers.
EK Success.
Patterned Papers: Echo Park.
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.
Pearls: K & Company and Martha Stewart.

"Punch" Happy

2012-01-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

Here's an early peek into one of my very first Spring time themed cards. I can imagine you can change the sentiment a little and this could also be a cute little critter/woodland animals themed card too:

This card was so, so fun to make! For the bunny, I used a circle punch and decided it would be faced backwards with its little tail sticking out. Lots of cotton used for that tail.

Enjoy your week!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics.

Patterned Papers: My Mind's Eye.

Pearls: Martha Stewart.

Small and medium circle punch: Fiskars.

Scallop edge punch: EK Success.

Alpha letter stickers: Echo Park.

Q-tip cotton balls for the tail.

Hello Flower

2012-01-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all of my family and friends who are celebrating today! So in light of this holiday, thought I'd incorporate some red into my card for good luck:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink.
Stamps: Hero Arts (CG422 - Zig Zag) and (CG429 - Hello Flower).
Brown and cream paper: Recollections.
Ribbon: Michael's.
Copic Markers.
Memento Tuxedo Black.
Red ink: Jenni Bowlin.

Yellow Butterfly

2012-01-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

My card for today, it uses this combination set of stamps and an embossing folder too called Collage Background:

I received this set through the Hero Arts Publication Incentive program. Have you heard about that? So easy...and fun too! Simply have a card published in a magazine using Hero Arts products, and email them with a scan of your published card. The more you use Hero Arts stamps and get published, the more goodies you get to choose from. Fun for everyone! Hope you are rounding out your weekend!

Supplies:
Background stamp and embossing folder: Hero Arts/Sizzix.
Pink roses: Prima.
White rose: Maya Road.
Yellow cardstock: Bazzill Basics.
Twine.
Neenah Solar White.
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.
Copic Markers.
Cuttlebug Machine for the embossing folder.
Eyelid pearls: K & Company.
Round pearls: Hero Arts.

Saying 'love you' with Pebbles

2012-01-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

You won't be seeing too many Valentine's cards from me, I'm just not a huge Valentine card maker, but I will show you the few that I have. I normally will have fast forwarded to Spring time already! My favorite season to start off the year! But here is a very mini, love card:

It's tiny and it's cute. Almost all the products are from Pebbles, Inc., including the pp's, and the stickers. Only the large white flower is Martha Stewart.

Doily is from Wilton. Neenah Solar White is the card base.
Have a fabulous weekend!

Carly's Self Portrait Challenge

2012-01-20T11:24:00.000-08:00

So I thought I'd do something fun here today, I wanted to participate in Carly Robertson's Self Portrait Challenge. Do you know or visit Carly's site? Well, you should, she is a mom and card maker extraordinaire and you'll love her work! Go see the amazing things she makes and her awesome photography!

So her challenge is for you to take a self portrait.... :) ask me that about 10 years ago and I would have said, "Sure!" "Go for it!" For I loved to be in front of the camera back then, but now, move ahead to the present time.... and at almost 42 years of age, I love to simply be behind the camera and focus on my son, my cards, and my food only!

So here are a few photos I took of myself, SANS make-up...ha! I dare you to take a photo of yourself without make-up! ;) We all know make-up makes everyone look fantastic! But to see the real you, au naturale! The everyday, you!

Leaning against a wall:

Last one:

Fun, fun! I'm way behind on her photography challenges! By the way, I took these with my iPhone 4s. I am experimenting with something on my phone, so much more to experiment with! I hope you enjoy and I would love to see YOUR self portrait!

XOXO

2012-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

I was in the mood to get my markers out and color.......and if you want a lot to color then THIS image is perfect for that:

Keeping it simple! In addition to the green and pink, the light purple in the background is called "Heath".

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts.
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics and Neenah Solar White.
Pearl: K & Company.
Markers: Copics.
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.
Corner rounder: Marvy.

Life is better with you in it

2012-01-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

Sharing one of the very few Valentine's cards that I made a while ago for submission....it's funny, looking back, I made this card 6 months ago in the Summer of 2011, when it was probably a blistering 90 degree day and I thought, "Wow, Valentine's is really far away." And here we are.......2012. I used all Victoria Gardens from Echo Park to include patterned papers, a journaling card and a journaling sentiment.

The big doily is from Little Yellow Bicycle. The rose flower was also patterned paper and I just simply cut out the flower.

Have a beautiful day!!

happy home

2012-01-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for the 2012 Hero Arts Catalog Blog Hop, please go HERE.

Today's card is one I haven't posted yet, it's a fun card using stickers. Do you love stickers, die-cuts, and chipboards? They are so popular in card making nowadays:

I think they make a card look fun with a little bit of whimsy and dimension! Enjoy and here are the parts I used:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Patterned Paper: Bazzill Basics.
House sticker: Doodlebug Designs.
Tree sticker: Basic Grey.
Corner rounder: EK Success.
Sun: I think (October Afternoon, sorry, I forgot).
'Home' sentiment: October Afternoon.
'happy' sentiment: Hero Arts.

2012 Hero Arts Catalog Blog Hop

2012-01-10T05:50:00.000-08:00

Hello! Welcome to Day 2 of the Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop featuring new stamps from the 2012 Catalog! I am your first stop of the day. If you missed Day 1 and would like to start from the very beginning, please go to the Hero Arts Blog to begin. Let's get started right away with my projects.

On this card, I used a beautiful floral cling stamp called Etched Flowers (CG430) and the sentiment is from this set called Good Friends (CL578):

My second card uses this flower wooden stamp called Fleurettes (K5597) and the sentiment is from this set called Say it All (CL574):

I hope you enjoyed the cards! Please note:

Hero Arts will be awarding prizes from randomly drawn comments. For a chance to win, simply comment on ANY of the stops along the hop on ANY day, including each day's starting post at the Hero Club Blog. The more comments you leave, the better your chance of winning!

If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Hero Club Blog. Also, please report broken links to Tami.

Your next stop on the blog hop is the very talented Judy Jung....take it away Judy!

Oh my, what big eyes you have!

2012-01-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

Isn't this owl a hoot? I guess it's a 'he' since I colored him in brown. I'll have to color it in pink next time I want the owl to be a 'she':

The owl is called Big Eyes, and the sentiment is from this set called Good Friends. He's cute, I like him!

Keeping this short, hope you enjoy!

Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee.
Corner rounder: EK Success.
Stamps: Hero Arts.
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onyx Black.
Pearls: Martha Stewart.
Markers: Copics.

Let's go shopping!

2012-01-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd start off the year with a super fun card, so girly and it has some paper piecing on it:

Cute and fun! This would have been me about 15 years ago, I was such THE clothes person. That's all I did and fashion was just about it for me....fast forward to now and funny how things change.....clothing is of no importance to me now....just stamps...lol!

Such a great Hero Arts/Sizzix set for a girlfriend...girl's night out or even a birthday, or wedding shower card?

Enjoy your day!

Stamps and Dies: Hero Arts/Sizzix.
Patterned Papers: Crate Paper and October Afternoon.
EK Success scallop punch.
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink.
Copics.
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.

Where flowers bloom so does hope.....

2011-12-31T13:07:00.000-08:00

So I didn't think I'd be back with another card, but thought I would end my year with a flower card, ofcourse! How could I not with one of my very favorite type of stamped image, I adore FLOWERS!

I won a free stamp set over on Jane's Doodles blog, so I chose this set called Pretty Peonies! So glad I'm playing with it now, lots of possibilities with this set!

Take care all, and if you are going to a party tonight, be safe!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Patterned Paper: Echo Park.
Pink ink: Jenni Bowlin.
Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
Copic Markers.
Pearls: Hero Arts.
Stamps: Jane's Doodles.

Thank you so very much

2011-12-30T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yay, I got to play with some new stamps finally. I had a color scheme in mind this morning....to run with chocolate, a light aqua, a deeper rustic blue, red, and yellow:

Hope you like it! I have lots of exciting stuff coming up in 2012 and I will be having some gigantic giveaways just simply to thank each of you for being faitfhful to my blog! So be sure to hop on back here in the New Year....until then, I wish for you all a Happy New 2012!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Neenah Solar White.
Stamps: Hero Arts. AC010 (Le Journal) and CG403 (Large Flower Background).
Red ink: Jenni Bowlin.
Cuttlebug embossing folder.
Copic Markers.
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.
Crinkly ribbon.
Glass button: Basic Grey.
Twine: Michael's.

Floral Story

2011-12-23T19:16:00.000-08:00

I kinda like the name of that....and it's the name of this Penny Black stamp here:

I paired it and matched the colors on the flower with some patterned papers from Echo Park. The sentiment is Hero Arts. I've been making a lot of cards lately but can't share them yet, so I will just share what I can here. Hope you are all winding down your preparations for Christmas!

Have a wonderful time with your family and friends on Christmas day!! Enjoy and I will get back to visiting your blogs in the next week or so!

Colorful florals

2011-12-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

Doing a quickie post here before I head out. This is a fun and colorful card, makes me think Spring is just around the corner...I hope...

The florals are from an HA/Sizzix combo you can find HERE. The little rub-on words are from Pebbles, Inc.

I've also been working on some new products, will share those a little later. See you!

Magnolia Digi

2011-12-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

I just love this digital image set called HA Magnolia, I've used all 3 images on various cards now:

I re-sized the flower in a MS Word document, printed it out, and then colored her in with Copics. I trimmed and adhered onto the card, I love it! Gave the look a very simple, classic design.

Off to do some more yummy stamping and then run some errands. Catch you all later!! Hope you have a beautiful day!!

Santa and I

2011-12-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

Hey all, I don't have any cards to show you yet, but here is a fun photo of Chris with Santa, he asked Santa for an X-box this year...it was a very lengthy whisper into Santa's ear, so I'm sure he added more than one wish. ;)

(Professional Photo Credit: Cherry Hill Photo)
Enjoy! I'll be back with cards at some point.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Merry Merry

2011-12-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

Never posted this card before, it uses an old favorite of mine, the winking reindeer stamp:

Oh goodness, it's so hard to remember details from an older card, but it was for a color challenge...forest green, cherry red, and chocolate brown? Something like that. Very straighforward design. Hope you like it.

Last week of school for the little one and also one of the COLDEST weeks thus far this winter...brrrr...I'm really bracing myself for the cold. Enjoy the final weeks up til Christmas, so exciting, isn't it? I love it more for the kids though, it really is a treat to see children excited for the holidays!

mother...

2011-12-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

I have a non-holiday card to share today.....I knew I wanted to work a card around this pretty silhouette image, and I like how the design turned out!

That silhouette is actually a sticker from October Afternoon and so is the journaling tag and the pink scallop doily. The sentiment is Ali Edwards. The heart shaped pendant jewel is from Prima and the button is also OA.

Overall, I think this is one my most favorite cards I've created this past month! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday preparations as much as I am!

Journaling Book

2011-12-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

I've been spending a lot of time making journaling books, memory books, mini albums, you name it....time is precious and precariously short - I've been finding as I get older....so I've been trying to document as much of my son's life as I can...most of the albums center around him, but....every once-in-a-while I will make an album just for me:

Something that is mine that I can just jot down things I want to remember or any random, daily thought! Our blogs are wonderful for keeping memories! But technology....this type of technology - should it ever go away, I would still love to have handwritten thoughts and memories documented.

So that's what I've been busy with - in between Christmas shopping and wrapping! Oh, and candy cane and chocolate munching! ;) It's been fun!

Thinking of You

2011-12-01T17:52:00.000-08:00

Happy December! Wow! I've been telling a lot of people lately that I think this year went by WAY too fast...it feels kind of strange really....anyways, here's a card I made just for me:

I love blues and yellows together, I always have and thought this was a fun design to work with! I used some pretty papers and chipboard pieces from Basic Grey's Picadilly line. The sentiment is Hero Arts/Sizzix.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics.
Patterned Paper, Chipboard scallop, and corners: Basic Grey.
Flowers: Prima.
Buttons: Fancy Pants.
Pearls: Martha Stewart.
Butterfly die from Lin.
Markers: Tombo.
Sentiment: Hero Arts/Sizzix combo.

6:40 p.m. today....

2011-11-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

....you came into this world! Happy Birthday, Chris....you are 7 yrs. old, and so very handsome! ;)

We are so proud of all your accomplishments and you've conquered so much:

We love you in every way, you continue to enrich our days with your smile, your humor, and intelligence:

Keep that smile going and let the world know it!

Love,
Mom and Dad.

handcrafted for you

2011-11-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Here is a little card for someone who likes to sew:

The holidays are in full swing here at the Ervin household!! The last few days have been super busy with putting up our tree. We also had absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous weather! So I opted to stay away from the computer and do outdoorsy stuff....went shopping! Just me and the boy on Saturday and just by myself today. We've been making our own little family traditions now that Chris is older and he is really SO excited for Christmas! He keeps peeking under the tree to see how many presents are under there! I had to hide 'his' stash in my car today! I have to wait until he goes to sleep then sneak them into the house and hide them again, lol!! The things parents must go thru. ;))

Enjoy the card. I'll be around to visit you soon.

A Perfect Day.........

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

..........to be Thankful! And to share a card too!

Wishing all my friends who are celebrating - a very Happy Thanksgiving Day! I got in some crafty time yesterday, was able to make 4 cards, whohooo! Thrilled! This one is a combination of lots of new October Afternoon yummies. Most of the products are from their Farmhouse collection.

I hope you have a beautiful day with your family today, wherever you are....celebrate big, and be thankful for the 'little' things!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Neenah Kraft.
Patterned Paper: October Afternoon/Farmhouse.
Button: Basic Grey.
Roses: Prima.
Yellow Doily sticker: October Afternoon.
Pearl: Hero Arts.
Journaling tag: October Afternoon.
Butterfly sticker: October Afternoon.
Plain, kraft girl silhouette: October Afternoon.

Mini Baby Carriage

2011-11-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is another fun 'shaped' card that was in a series of cards I made awhile ago....all of them were made from a Spellbinders Die:

It is very tiny and super delicate! It could be used as a small gift tag as well, the carriage (white part) is embossed with a Cuttlebug Polka Dot embossing folder. The pink trim, handle bars, and wheels were all made from Fiskars and EK Success punches. The buttons are all Making Memories.

I decorated the back side in the exact same manner with the scallops and wheels too, really fun to make! Hope it's a good one! We just got back from a day of shopping and are relaxing now.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill and Neenah Solar White.

Scroll punch: Fiskars.

Ribbon: Michael's.

Buttons: Making Memories.

Pearl: Hero Arts.

Circle punch: EK Success.

Die Cutting tool: Cuttlebug.

Embossing Folder: Polka dots/Cuttlebug.

Die Cut: Standard Circles Large/Spellbinders Nestabilities.

White tag: SEI.

Twine: Michael's.

Alpha stickers: Making Memories.

Scallop edge punch: EK Success.

enjoy

2011-11-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

I paired yellow and pink together on this card and used a trio of double-stamped butterflies from the HA/Sizzix line called Antique flowers and butterflies:

Pretty straightforward...I hope you are enjoying your weekend so far! Okay, I'm gonna be a little chatty today on this post..why...I don't know, just feel like it...

...So some or most of you may know, that my 2nd hobby is actually FOOD! Yes, there was a time when I thought I would do just a Food blog as well, but the thought of 3 blogs was a bit too much for me to handle! So I will just stick with the two that I have now....anyways, today was a sweet day of pastries.....I spent some time with family and that's all we did was dive into this:

What I love about the above is that you 'would' think that it's packed with tons of sugar, but really, the amount of sugar is WAY less than what you would find in most bakery cakes. This Strawberry cake slice was from a Vietnamese/French Bakery and the delicacies are soooo light, airy, and fluffy...and only just the tiniest hint of sugar...it's not overwhelming AT ALL! You don't need to drink tons of water with it....that's what I like...is just a little sugar and the pure enjoyment of the remainder of the cake, the fresh fruit, a bit of chocolate, and the cream.

I like to eat, and visit a lot of restaurants that are recommended to me....I take photos of my food A LOT! ;)

Supplies for card:

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics and Neenah Solar White.

Patterned Papers: The Girls Paperie.

Butterflies: HA stamps/Sizzix Framelit Dies.

Cutting tool: Cuttlebug/Provo Craft.

Markers: Copics.

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.

Sentiment Sticker: October Afternoon.

Round corner punch: EK Success.

You make me smile

2011-11-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

How about some blues and browns, with a touch of black....I thought it would be an interesting color combo for today? Enjoy! Hope you all have a fabby weekend!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics and Papertrey Ink.

Patterned Paper: Fancy Pants Designs.

Dogwood Stamp: Hero Arts.

Sentiment stamp: Technique Tuesday/Ali Edwards.

Blue and brown Chalk inks: Hero Arts.

Vintage push pin: Webster's Pages.

Pearls: Hero Arts and Martha Stewart.

Butterfly Punch: Martha Stewart.

CAS for Sweet Virginia!

2011-11-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

Have you heard the EXCITING news? Virginia is turning 50 very soon! You can read all about the fun details on her blog post HERE. Everyone is invited to join in on the fun! Simply make a birthday card for Virginia, post it on your blog and say some wonderful thoughts about Virginia - unique ways in which she has influenced you and your life!! Don't forget to link up your blog post to her post as well!

For her card, I couldn't resist making a CAS design since Virginia is on the CAS-ual Fridays Design Team! And since I met her through the Hero Arts Flickr site, I used a Hero Arts cling stamp called Bold Blooms!

For me, Virginia is always looking out for me, and no matter where you live in this world, she is always willing to contact you whether it be through email, a personal phone call, a Skype call, or through Facebook. She is such a people person and is always looking out for your welfare. On any given day, she could call you on her phone just simply to say 'hello'. I'm so thankful for her friendship and and one of these days, Virginia....I will never miss another phone call of yours!!

She has given me very powerful advice on parenting.....words of wisdom in which I will never forget. Don't sweat the small stuff, enjoy your time NOW! Reap the successes and the rewards that your child brings to you....remember that only the difficulties of raising a child will make you stronger!

Have a very blessed upcoming Birthday and hope you enjoy your card, Virginia!

Digi snowman

2011-11-12T09:06:00.000-08:00

How about another snow guy? I made this tag eons ago, I just ADORE this Joyful Snowman because since he is a digital image, I can re-size him to be pudgy, skinny, tall, short, etc...it's so much fun! I kinda like the nice and round snowman, hehe!

That's it for now, we have been enjoying the long weekend...family time, lots of food, baking cookies, and pre-holiday shopping! ;)

you're cool

2011-11-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

...or is it 'kewl' or 'ka-ooool'? Lol...I'm just being silly this morning:

I used Lawn Fawn's super fun set called Making Frosty Friends! Isn't this set adorable? I had fun making this all lavender and green.

I cut up the sentiment - 'you're a cool friend' and just used the words 'you're cool'. Always fun to snip those clear stamps! Have a wonderful day! Anybody have the 3-day Veterans holiday off? C's school has it off, lucky him! ;)

Reindeer Tag

2011-11-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

A teeny, tiny tag for me today! The cold air is here........the stores are all decorated with Christmas lights....everywhere, you see scarves, and double layered clothing.........and then, there is hot soup and hot chocolate in the mornings for breakfast! Oh, Yes! The holidays have arrived here and I'm enjoying the feel of it!

Hope your holiday cardmaking is coming along! See you!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Tree, reindeer, and snowflake stamps: Hero Arts.
Round corner punch: EK Success.
Inks: Jenni Bowlin, Tsukineko/Memento Green and Black.
Diamond Stickles.
Ribbon: JoAnn's.
Markers: Copics.

When you stop & look around, this life is pretty amazing.......

2011-11-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Isn't that a great saying?

In fact, I love that saying so much, that it should be my new thought process for 2012, my New Year's Resolution....life will always, always give you BAD things....just deal with the bad stuff as best as you can....but when good things happen to you...just embrace it! And then when it's all done and said, look around you and you'll probably see what's most important!

I used lots of feminine touches on this card, my favorite florals, the butterflies are from Studio Calico. The papers are The Girls' Paperie, the ribbon was sent to me my Anita, the sticker is Echo Park. And the vintage stick pin is WP! Pretty simple, just plop, plop, one element onto the card after another!

Have a great week!

Pastel Penguins

2011-11-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

I've always adored this penguin image from Jane's Doodles, too cute:

It makes for a fun Christmas card. And, ofcourse, I just had to use my favorite pink colors on this creation. I love non-traditional colors for Christmas, you'll rarely see me use red and green for x-mas. I've also been seeing lavender for holiday images too, yum! The papers are from Bo Bunny and the sentiment is Hero Arts.

I'm getting in the mood for more holiday cards now! Hope you have a really good start to your weekend!

Merry in Pink!

2011-11-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

A little CAS card for me today:

I inked up Lawn Fawn's very sweet Winter Bunny stamp and my main colors were white, pink and a touch of brown. I made the bunny a light, cream color. I hope your day is sweet and simple!

Wildflowers

2011-11-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

Made this card a couple of days ago with this pretty set called Butterflies and Wildflowers:

Lots of possibilities with this set! Love the images! I've been using a lot of the Jenni Bowlin inks which I absolutely love, so yummy! That's it for now. Off to bed. See you all in the morning!

Brown delivers!

2011-10-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

....every time....on time!

I'd open my front door to this guy! ;) Happy Halloweeeeeeeeen to all! Be safe out there!

Citrus Orange

2011-10-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all! If you are celebrating Halloween, how are all the festivities coming along? It's been keeping me busy with the little one and I'm thoroughly exhausted...it's not even trick or treating night yet and I'm tired...lol. Anyhoo, I was able to make a whole bunch of cards today and here is one I can show:

This flower is from this HA/Sizzix set called Floral! So many fun flower stamps and dies in this set....you know me and flowers! I couldn't find a bold enough orange-colored ink for the flower, so I decided to get some markers and color directly on the stamp. Worked much better! It's truly the orange tone that I wanted.

Magnolia Mini

2011-10-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with lots of digi lately and I wanted to make a little mini card with this pretty flower from Hero Arts' Magnolia DigiKit:

It's only 3" x 4" and I wanted the flower to be the focus on the card. I used mainly pastels such as purple, baby pink, and key lime pie green. The flower is a mixture of orange and pink, with a touch of lavender.

Off and running. See you all later!

'Tis the season...

2011-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all, last night I got to play around with some of the new Hero Arts/Sizzix Stamps and Framelit die sets. Oh my, sooo much fun, think I need them all now!

These babies cut beautifully in my C-Bug, so no worries if you don't have a Big Shot or such. It was addicting, I kept stamping this FLOWER in all different colors and cutting away. Have no idea what type of card I'll be making with these flowers, but I'll use them soon.

After these were all cut, I decided to actually make a Christmas card with this super fun Hero Arts set called Christmas Reindeer:

Lots going on here, some embossing of the snowflakes, sponged with TH's Tumbled Glass ink. A lot of coloring, trimming, and I added tons of diamond stickles for the snow. I also cut up my sentiment, yes! I love to cut up my clear stamps and mix and match. That's it for today! See u.

Kissing Penguins

2011-10-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

These two guys make me smile. You can get this digi stamp called "Kissing Penguins" HERE:

Super fun to color and I added a very simple sentiment from Hero Arts. Hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday! Make it a good one!

Pink and Grey

2011-10-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

I love pink and grey together, how about you? There's just something about it, a subtle, soft look that I like:

That grey scallop is not a die, a sticker, or a chipboard....it's a Martha Stewart Drink Coaster...I thought, why not, let's put it on the card and see how it looks. Funny thing is, I don't even use coasters in my house for glasses, I guess I like them more for crafting. :) Pretty straighforward design.

See you!

Ribbon Wrap

2011-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

A new card share...I love playing with ribbon and sometimes I run out of ideas as to what to do with a ribbon besides tie it, twist it and fold in loops....so now I'm currently liking the idea of 'wrapping' it all the way around a tag:

I just took a variety of color coordinated trims and wrapped them around a simple tag....then added the tag to the card.

The sweet die-cut butterflies were a gift from Lin! Thanks, Lin! Enjoy!

hello!

2011-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

A sweet little card for my day:

I've used this digi tree image from Pink Cat Studio before and wanted to use it again. I used up some leftover My Mind's Eye papers that had some cute birds on it too to complete the look.

Thanks for peeking.

A fun Family Album

2011-10-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

I always used to have excuses for not making more albums - mini albums especially. Excuses like, "Oh, they take too long!" or, "I just simply don't have the time." But awhile back I made my first ever mini album and it was just too fun! Now, I'm ADDICTED to the smaller ones! Here is my 2nd album that turned out to be a total of 12 pages:

I will not show all the pages, too many photos, so I will just show a few:

For the shape of the album, I made by tracing a flower shaped box from Making Memories. Each page has a circular element in the middle of the 'flower' and each photo is trimmed within a circle as well:

What I love most about 'mini' is just keeping it simple, no need to overwhelm the look, just a few of your fav photos, patterned papers or stamps, some die-cuts, chipboards and stickers. Fun stuff!!

Way up North!

2011-10-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

It's getting close to Christmas, can you believe it? Although we are getting sunshine all next week here, I've already had to wear a sweater, jacket and use an umbrella once this past week...crazy, hah? So thought I'd share some x-mas cards now that the colder season starts to pinch us. :) I can't get enough of these two guys, they are sooo cute:

The set is called Way Up North by Lizzie Anne Designs, and now you may purchase all of your favorite Lizzie Anne stamps through Gourmet Rubber Stamps Company...go check it out!

Monochromatic Blues

2011-10-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when I get around to it, I actually mail out my cards, yikes! Often times, my cards pile up and just sit there, but I am glad I was able to get this card mailed:

The challenge was to use only one color, plus white, and see what I could come up with. Very little stamping, but I LOVE the patterned papers from My Mind's Eye!

See you!

friend

2011-10-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

My card for today, a little vintage-y?

See the HUGE pearls? I normally like working with tiny pearls, but sometimes the bigger shaped ones come in handy. These pretty oval shaped pearls are from Making Memories Bravissimo collection! The fun papers are CC and the lace trim is Hero Arts. The 'friend' sentiment is PTI, and I used my deco edge punch for the two sides of the card.

Cheers! Have a great day!

August and September Publications

2011-10-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I thought I'd pop in real quick before I leave today, to share some cards that were published in the August and September 2011 issue of CARDS Magazine.

This one was for a Money Holder category:

(Photo Credit - CARDS/Northridge Publishing).

A Grandparent's category:

(Photo Credit - CARDS/Northridge Publishing).

You can probably guess which category this one is:

(Photo Credit - CARDS/Northridge Publishing).

And Woodland Animals:

(Photo Credit - CARDS/Northridge Publishing).

I'm off to visit my family, so I won't be crafting today, but I hope you will all get in some fun, inky time for WCMD! Enjoy!

5 & Dime

2011-09-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

I made this card back in May! Whoa!! I still have some cards in my "To be Blogged" file, and am finally making my rounds to posting everything when I remember to. I still LOVE October Afternoon, how about you? Almost everything here is from the 5 & Dime collection:

Just the scalloped die-cut is from Doodlebug. The flower was cut out from a piece of patterned paper.

I used a bit of my own handwriting on the sentiment. Fun! I need to write more instead of type so much! ;)

With Sympathy

2011-09-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

A CAS, 5" x 5" sympathy card today....using baby blue and soft pink papers from Pebbles and Webster's Pages. The stamped image and sentiment is from THIS set from Hero Arts.

The blue ink is called Soap Powder by Jenni Bowlin. Isn't that a fun name? I have a few of these inks, but I'm thinking I need them all, yum! Have you noticed I'm keeping my posts much shorter these days? Just a photo and brief description. Keeping it simple. :)

Thanks for peeking!

Summer Floral Tag

2011-09-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a tag maker, but when I do make tags, I try to have fun with the challenge of a limited amount of space:

Lots of Webster's Pages fun on here combined with some Hero Arts stamps. I love the little butterfly stick pin. :) The colors on this tag reminds me to savor the bit of Summer that we still have here.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Bold Blooms

2011-09-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting this Simple Frame stamp for a while now, I kept saying I would get it someday, and I finally did, yay! I mixed it up with another stamp set called Bold Blooms, I made 2 different cards using the same sets:

The one above is a little warmer with orange, red and yellow colors. The next one is more dainty with just light blue and yellow as my color scheme:

The first card I did more controlled stamping and the second card was more carefree and random! I hope you like, I can tell I'll be using this Simple Frame a lot more! Oh, and those inks....Jenni Bowlin, delicious!

You are my reason why.

2011-09-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm loving Ali Edwards/Technique Tuesday stamps as of late! The sentiments are so versatile for scrap booking and cards too!

I also used lots of pp on this card, I have so much pp that I 'really' need to use up before I buy any more....I have to start being good about that!

fluttering butterfly

2011-09-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

This little card makes me happy, haven't posted it yet before. Birds and butterflies just seem to go together naturally. All Pebbles, once again on this card, just the doily is from LYB.

Thanks for peeking! I need to go find some inspiration...I've been mojo-less for 5 days straight, haven't even touched my crafting supplies, they've been sitting in the closet a little lonely. Poor things. I'm hoping to spark some new and fresh ideas soon, but right now, nothing comes to my head.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

The 'warmth' of Fall

2011-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, I'm not really a Fall or Winter type of person at all! I cringe the day after Halloween, because I know what is coming....cold weather...lol.. Oh, the horrors of not being able to wear my shorts and flip flops... BUT....I do like the warm colors that the Fall Season emits....

So here is a Fall themed card I made a while back, love this leaf flourish stamp! Have used it many times now. I have no recollection what type of patterned paper I've used, sorry....Enjoy!

Birdie on a branch

2011-09-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

A sweet little card for today. This I submitted a while back, it was for a 'simple sentiments' category, but was not picked up. Almost everything is Pebbles goodness, yum!

Except for the ketchup red button and the green button, those are from Doodlebug! Aren't the rows of birdies at the bottom just too sweet? Love them papers!

As delicate as pink can be....

2011-09-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

The title pretty much says it... I LOVE this shade of pink:

Super clean, super easy. Did a little dry embossing with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The light pink paper is from MME's Dwell collection. Yum!

It's late here, must get some sleep. Will check in w/you all later.

adore & hello

2011-09-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Weekend! I've been playing with some new Jillibean, Crate Paper, and My Mind's Eye, three lovely combos:

I couldn't bare to cut my doily at the bottom there, so decided to just leave it, a little interesting, I'm starting to like things sticking off of my card. :) Anyhoo, I also used the MS butterfly punch and the sentiment is a rub-on.

I'm still loving the floral trims from Webster's Pages...gosh, there's just all sorts of stuff on this card. The colors still reminds me of Summer!

Enjoy your holiday and be safe!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics.
Patterned Papers: Random and Farmhouse by Crate Paper.
Doily: Little Yellow Bicycle.
Large journaling tag: Apple Cheddar Soup by Jillibean Soup.
Yellow floral trim: Websters Pages.
Rubon: Pebbles.
Brads: Stella & Rose by My Mind's Eye.
Small tags: Stella & Rose by My Mind's Eye.
Butterfly punch: Martha Stewart.

Pretty Blooms

2011-09-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

Finally was able to craft a little late last night. I played with lots of flowers on this one, because you know nothing makes me happier than flowers. :)

I used a fun, leaf punch from Martha Stewart. I must confess, I love all the MS punches and take my time getting around to them, so I don't know how old this leaf punch is, but I love it! Punch an abundance of them and make your own vine throughout the card.

I used some scraps of paper from Echo Park and some pastel pearls. Keeping this post short and sweet. See you.

July Publications

2011-08-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Thought I'd share some cards that I got published in the July issue of CARDS Magazine and Scrapbook Trends' Create Books:

It's so much fun to see very familiar names of my fellow cardmakers and scrapbookers in these issues too!!

I'm still super busy with the little one and Summer activities - poor thing, he is SO ready to go back to school! Keeps asking me when school starts and I tell him not until September 8 and then he gets out the calendar and looks at it..lol.

Starry Silhouette

2011-08-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying seeing some wonderful, Christmas/Holiday cards all over blogland lately! So thought I'd share a Winter themed card too:

Used this stamp called Starry Night. And the Magical Background stamp is used on the darker blue panel. Lots of yummy Tim Holtz distress inks combined here.

Does it make you feel chilly or no? I sure could use a little chill over here in our parts...we are having a nice little heat wave this week!

So Sweet of You

2011-08-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Sharing a card I made back in July, using some of my fav's like Pebbles, the cute papers you see and that tissue flower. Button is from Doodlebug Designs, have you seen their new buttons and how they are packaged? In a little circular flask, very cute!

My favorite 'go to' colors of green and pink are also on this card. Used an older PTI sentiment stamped over pp that I got from Michael's. Those pearls are from Melissa Frances...love them for having multiple sized pearls in just one package!

That's it for tonight. See you!

You're so special

2011-08-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

A card I made a while ago, I combined some Hero Arts stamps with a Penny Black stamp:

The flowers were colored with markers directly onto the wood block stamp. Really fun, takes a little time to color but really a pretty result. That ribbon, BTW, was a last minute improvisation. I knew I wanted to put a ribbon on this card, but what color?? There are so many colors on this card that I didn't want the ribbon to clash. So for the most subtle look, I found this 'grapefruit' pink ribbon from May Arts.

Will hook up with you all on your blogs soon! So sorry I haven't visited...Life + Summer = A bit of crazy around here.

See you soon!

2011-08-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Sharing a card today, playing with some new My Mind's Eye Papers:

There's nothing easier than gluing together a few papers that are pretty, add a ribbon, a sticker sentiment, and some tiny flowers...done...10 minutes flat. :) Love it!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Patterned Papers: Sunshine/Lost & Found Two by My Mind's Eye.
Ribbon: JoAnn's.
Flowers: Prima.
Sentiment: Layered stickers, Sunshine/Lost & Found Two by My Mind's Eye.

Give-a-way Winners!

2011-08-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Goodmorning, Monday! Here are the random winners from my give-a-way:

Rachel said...: Wow, that's a beautiful card! I don't own anything Echo Park, but when I look at it to purchase, I'm always looking at the bright ones. I didn't think Victoria Gardens would be that usable, but your card is proving otherwise! It's beautiful! The bright ones would clearly not work on that card! Thanks for the chance at some fun candy!; August 10, 2011 8:14 PM; Eileen said...; Love it all! Thanks for the great giveaway!; August 11, 2011 4:04 AM; Elicia P said...; Tiffany, that's very kind of you to give your fellow papercrafters a chance to win some wonderful items. I'm just loving the EP Victoria Gardens paper right now! Thanks again!; August 11, 2011 1:17 PM; Renee VanEpps said...; WOW!! Of course I am interested! Thank you so much for giving back ;) I don't own a PB stamp or EP papers yet so this would be so awesome!; August 13, 2011 2:37 AM; Ladies, I will contact you now for your mailing addresses and get your goodies out to you. Congrats!

Easy ways to document age

2011-08-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hey all, I just finished up a quick 14-page mini album, it was so much fun! In addition to finding simple, little photos and embellies to add to the book, I also wanted to find a way to remember how old my son was on each photo:

I often find myself looking through all of his photos and wondering, "How old was he in this???" And as the years go by, I know my memory will not be up to par on that, so I'm just going to show a few pages here where I simply used numerical thickers or stickers to represent his age at different stages of his life:

One flip of each page, and I will know exactly how old he was at that time:

This book covers ages 6 months through age 6. I can't wait to start the next one which will be from ages 7 - 12. I like keeping these small so they are handy to carry with you at all times. The bigger 12 x 12's can stay safely at home. :)

And, here is the back of the book:

Doilies!

2011-08-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Just sharing some Vintagey/Shabby cards I made a while back, both have doilies on them, do you think doilies will ever go out of style, I hope not...I love to throw a doily on everything nowadays. :)

And if you are a fan of lemon yellow:

And there is still time to enter my giveaway on my Wednesday post. I'll pick winners next week. Have a fabby weekend!

Love Story....and FINALLY...my giveaway...

2011-08-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all, so I'm still playing with lots of yummy paper like Echo Park's Victoria Gardens as seen here on this card, think I've made 5 cards with this collection so far, just love it:

Anyways, I'm sorry I took so long in getting together my giveaway....but here it is, a whole bunch of stuff (and this isn't all of it, I have lots of duplicates to share with you all). As you can see, I have (4) Flowers Amongst Flowers stamps from Penny Black. Extras that I don't need, all brand new.....so there will be FOUR winners.

Each winner will receive:
(1) One Penny Black stamp.
(2) A card from me.
(3) Patterned papers and embellies.
(4) An extra 'surprise' in the box! :)

Leave a comment if you're interested and I'll leave this post up for a while. Enjoy!

A little Authentique

2011-08-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

So what is your favorite new product out there now, or it doesn't have to be brand new, but just whatever you haven't used yet, but just LOVE right now? I've been loving the Authentique line, and Echo Park's Victoria Garden and Country Drive, yum!!

Here are two cards with Authentique's Uncommon collection:

And one with Authentique's Blissful collection:

Oh, BTW, I know I haven't taken a photo of my give-a-way yet, so as soon as I do that, I'll have it posted!

See you.

Tweet....tweet! I'm back.....

2011-08-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm back with lots of projects to share - I've been on-line pretty much all day re-vamping my blog. Let's get right to a fun project I have.....I've been wanting for a while now, to do a non-card project.....it's enjoyable sitting down and working on a project that takes a little longer:

This birdhouse is actually pretty big, 6" tall, 5" wide, and about 6" in depth....plan to hang it somewhere in the house once I figure out where and how. ;) For each side of the birdhouse that I wanted to cover with pp, I measured and trimmed my paper, it was hard getting the perfect corners, but I hung in there.

I decorated with fun embellies and made scallops for my rooftop and shingles:

And a close-up of the sentiment:

Hope you enjoy, I'm having a GIVE-A-WAY soon...wheee! Watch out for it!

Ruffled Blues

2011-07-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

A mostly blue, delicate card for today:

It's simple, isn't it? But I love it.....I am taking an indefinite break from blogging......don't know when I'll be back but I have set some goals for myself for the remainder of 2011 and into 2012. It's all good stuff! I like setting goals and achieving them if I can, it's a good feeling.

So take care everyone and I'll see you when I'm ready to come back.

Supplies for card above:
Hero Arts, Melissa Frances, Papertrey Ink, Spellbinders Nestabilites, Copic Markers, Cuttlebug, Bazzill Basics, Neenah Solar White, My Mind's Eye, American Crafts.

Cards for my July Class....

2011-07-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all, just real quick, my next July class at Stamp Fever will be....."Beat the Heat...Christmas in July".....whoooo....why not? Let's put on some x-mas music, turn on the air conditioning and have fake falling snow:

I absolutely loved making this bird card with THIS stamp, no really...some cards you make and say, "Neh, it's ok."
Then some cards you make, you like, and others you LOVE, right? Well, this one I LOVE. It turned out just the way I wanted it to.

Card #2, a sweet reindeer:

For a list of products, you may click directly on the photo and it will take you to my flickr stream which lists the supplies under "tags".

Thanks for peeking!

Sweet Butterfly

2011-07-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's time for another fun Tiffany Doodles release this week, this newest set here is called Sweet Butterfly! And I've made two cards below:

I love the fancy font on the sentiment....on both cards I used a lot of glossy accents on all of the butterflies, it really gives it that extra sparkle!

On the 2nd card, for that script background you see, I actually re-purposed a used Prima flowers packaging insert. I thought the background was too pretty to not use and I think it goes well with the triple butterflies. :)

Be sure to check out the Tiffany Doodles STORE for all the latest releases, what are you waiting for?? Go and shop, you will really enjoy playing with these new images!

And be sure to check out Tiffany's BLOG for further inspiration!

Supplies:
Digi Stamps: Sweet Butterfly by Tiffany Doodles.
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink and Neenah Solar White.
Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee.
Round corner punch: EK Success.
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels 18.
Cuttlebug.
Markers: Copics.
Ribbon: May Arts.
Stick pins: Webster's Pages.
Glossy Accents: Ranger.
Recycled Prima Packaging.

Guest Designing for Tiffany Doodles

2011-06-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm here today to share some cards with you from Tiffany Doodles newest release due out on Friday, the 1st of July. I'll be previewing 3 cards today and will have a few cards next week as well.

Let's get started with this card made using a digital set called Shells:

I layered the individual shells and made a little beach scene with a blue, light mustard and brownish color combo. The sentiment is computer generated, thought it was very quaint and made for a serene thought!

This next one I used only one of the shells and re-sized it larger for this
shabby, kind of eccentric collage look:

I think this would be fun to make a pocket fold and insert photos into it for a summertime album! These would be really pretty images to use for a summer, scrapbook layout as well.

My last card features these adorable images called Curly Labels:

I decided for this card to go with a 'cute' theme and paper pieced the labels
and then colored in the little bee.

Hope you've enjoyed my projects, remember, all of these sets will be available
in the Tiffany Doodles STORE on Friday, July 1, 2011. So go take a look HERE to see some projects from Tiffany's DT members!!

Hope you will join me next week as I share with you more cards for another
Tiffany Doodles release! See you then!

Supplies:
Digi images: Shells and Curly Labels by Tiffany Doodles.

Pebbles

2011-06-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

I've been making a lot of fun cards with a new love....always good to have something new to dive into, these are all mostly Pebbles, Inc. papers and embellies, so yummy!

Warning - lots of felt layered birds here:

Some love birds:

I did use some Doodlebug on this last card....I hope you enjoy...

I will make time to visit you all soon, it seems I have just enough time to craft, blog, then I'm off running again...day 2 of summer vacay and it's already crazy with outdoor activities! Water squirt guns that are supposed to be outside ONLY, and yet somehow the inside of my house is wet....ah...kids and summertime....the madness has just started. ;)

Supplies:
Felt and sticker birds, flowers, dimensional stickers, patterned papers, frames, and alpha letter stickers: Happy Go Lucky and Floral Lane by Pebbles, Inc.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Scalloped sticker trim: Doodlebug Designs.
Doily: Little Yellow Bicycle.

Be happy butterfly

2011-06-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

A sweet little card for my day, I must admit, a few years ago, you may not have seen me use fabric chipboards or fabric stickers all that much, but they've become so popular now!

Quick, easy, and so fun to use! And they have a bit of texture too!

Supplies:
Flower: Kaisercraft.
Fabric Chipboard sentiment and butterfly: Little Yellow Bicycle.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Patterned Papers: Lime Twist/Life of the Party by My Mind's Eye.
Round corner punch and scallop punch: EK Success.
Glittered frame: Colorbok.

Echo Park Papers

2011-06-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hey there, I have 2 new layouts to share using all Echo Park yummies....this one I made and gave away as a gift:

This silly one I will keep just for me to hang here at the house:

There is a long story about why his picture in the 2nd layout is cut around his body...LOL...not going to go into the details, but let's just say this: as crafters, we improvise, and I did! ;)

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Summer Days and Playground by Echo Park.
Some flower and bird stickers: Little Yellow Bicycle.
Letter Thickers: American Crafts.
Border scallop punch: EK Success.
Hearts, small flowers, banner, and balloon stickers: Echo Park.
Tiny alpha letters: Echo Park.

Smiley flowers

2011-06-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

Playing with some new Lawn Fawn Stamps today:

The flower vase stamp and sentiment is from this set called On the Mend! Isn't it cute, click on the link to check it out.

Supplies:
Stamps: On the Mend by Lawn Fawn Stamps.
Patterned Paper: Lime Twist/Hapy Go Lucky by My Mind's Eye.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Markers: Copics.
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black and Memento Tuxedo Black.
Ribbon: Plum Pudding by Papertrey Ink.
Round corner punch and scallop border edge: EK Success.

An old favorite...

2011-06-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

You ever have a favorite set or many favorite sets that are oldies, but goodies? Ones that you turn to time and again when you need something quick? This rose does it all the time when I need an ultra quick and very feminine card:

The sentiment and ribbon is also Papertrey Ink and the papers are My Mind's Eye.

Colored in the flower and leaves, trimmed and popped on the card, I also made a scalloped bottom edge for some fun.

Thanks for looking, I'll have 2 brand new layouts to share with you soon.

Supplies:
Stamps and ribbon: Papertrey Ink.
Patterned Papers: Lush Pink by My Mind's Eye.
Scallop border punch: EK Success.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black and Memento Tuxedo Black.
Markers: Copics.
Diamond Stickles.

Butterfly

2011-06-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

A fun card I finished up today, hard to see, but there is some yummy, perfect pearl mist on the background stamping and on the butterfly. All the stamps were inked up with Tim Holtz's Distress Stain Inks:

Enjoy!

Supplies:
Hero Arts/Basic Grey:
CL529 - Friendship Frames.
CG328 - Butterflies and Print/Out of Print Collection.
CG330 - Flower Dot Pattern/Out of Print Collection.
Cardstock: Fine Linen by Papertrey Ink.
Distress Stain Inks: Tim Holtz.
Perfect Pearls Mist: Ranger.
Patterned Paper: Luscious Pink by My Mind's Eye.
Ink: Versafine Onyx black.
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 18.
Cuttlebug.
Eclectic Buttons: Portrait Collection by Crate Paper.
Round corner punch: EK Success.

Tropical Drink Card Holders for Teachers

2011-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Whoooo......I can feel Summer in the air...I hope!! It is sunny and beautiful today.....ok, so I finished up my teacher's cards but I wanted a little something, something to go along with the cards....this is a super economical way to attach your handmade cards and it's FUN! Since the end of school signifies summer time, I knew what I was going to do when I saw these cute little drink cups:

They are plastic, which is a 'thumbs-up' in my book! Run and go get them at Michael's!! The stamp I used was from Hero Arts' Simply the Best, it is actually a watermelon, so stamp it in yellow on yellow cardstock and, voila, you instantly have a 'lemon' slice! Or stamp in black and color in yellow.

Assembly time takes a while but the difficulty level is pretty much ZERO!

Take your cup and fill inside with goodies/candy.
Insert straw and umbrella (handmake or store bought).
Insert your handmade card into a clear plastic bag.
Using matching twine color, clip a hole at the top of the bag, insert twine and tie the clear bag around the straw.
Attach lemon slice on cup - TIP: use glossy accents to hold down the lemon so it won't fall off.

Enjoy!

Supplies:
Stamps: CL442 - Simply the Best by Hero Arts.
Patterned Paper: Summer Days and Dots & Stripes by Echo Park.
Ink: Jenni Bowlin.
(4) plastic drinking cups.
Assorted twine: blue, pink, orange, and green.
Umbrella and straws.
Candy.
Clear bags.

Pretty Petals

2011-06-12T15:34:00.001-07:00

Hey, how is everyone doing? Busy weekend for me, but I finally finished up 5 teachers/aides cards. I decided to do a little mix and match and make them all different! I'm only going to show you one as I didn't have time to photograph the others:

The pretty flower is from this digi stamp called Pretty Petals from Tiffany Doodles. The sentiment is from this set called Daisy Label. I think on 4 out of the 5 cards, I used the Pink Paislee patterned papers, isn't that crazy, I'm truly addicted to their pp's!

Enjoy!

Digi Stamp: Pretty Petals by Tiffany Doodles.
Sentiment Stamp: CG320 by Hero Arts.
Patterned Papers: Butterfly Garden Collection by Pink Paislee.
Pearls: Melissa Frances.
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black.
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink and Neenah Solar White.
Markers: Copics.

Cute Birdy Hugs

2011-06-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all, my 2nd post for today...wheeee...I have a little downtime right now, so figured I would play as much as I can before life goes crazy again. ;)

For this card, I used this very sweet set called Cute Birdy Hugs from Tiffany Doodles. Isn't this an adorable image? I wanted to make the image appear like it was extending off the nestie, so I de-constructed it by printing it out 3 times...once on yellow paper and twice on white paper....and putting it all back together. The birdie was colored in with copics and then adhered onto the yellow cardstock.

This was so fun and I love that birdie!

Supplies:
Digi stamp: Cute Birdy Hugs by Tiffany Doodles.
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Lacey Ovals.
Cuttlebug.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White. Lemon Tart and Hawaiian Shores by Papertrey Ink.
Markers: Copics.
Patterned Paper: 5 & Dime by October Afternoon.
Round corner punch: EK Success.

Sitting here thinking of you...

2011-06-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

What do you think of these colors, I kinda like it...the darkness of the deer combined with caramel (TH's Wild Honey), a touch of pale pink, a bolder pink, and then deep orange:

Sending this off to a gal who could use a hug! :) Hope you all have a wonderful day....

Supplies:
Digi Stamp: Deer by Pink Cat Studio.
Sentiment stamp: CL480 by Hero Arts.
Die: Labels 18 - Spellbinders Nestabilities.
Cardstock: Fine Linen by Papertrey Ink. Neenah Solar White.
Handmade clay flower given to me by Ivy.
Distress Ink: Wild Honey by Tim Holtz.
Patterned Paper: Butterfly Garden by Pink Paislee.
Markers: Copics.
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black.
Ribbon: Berry Sorbet by Papertrey Ink.

Too early for Christmas?

2011-06-06T20:51:00.001-07:00

A shaped, x-mas card to share with you....it was the perfect excuse for me to use these yummy papers from Echo Park called Dots & Stripes:

The cute little polka-dotted, powder blue paper makes a nice snowy scenery! The snowman is called Joy Snowman from Jane's Doodles. I used the Labels 20 Spellbinders Die for the card base. I'm always cutting something off from the original die shape itself, in this case, I snipped off the top and bottom curve. Just makes it fun!

Supplies:
Digi Stamp: Joy Snowman from Jane's Doodles.
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Patterned Paper: Dots & Stripes by Echo Park.
Markers: Copics.
Diamond Stickles.
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels 20.
Cuttlebug.

How does the saying go?

2011-06-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

....Red roses mean love.....yellow roses mean friendship? Well, these two owls look totally in love! And I was going to color in the roses and the hearts red, but instead decided to make them sweet friendship owls and colored the rose and hearts yellow. :)

Enjoy the card, I'm going to go lay down and just pass out, have had very little sleep....sick little boy in the house...catch up with you all later!

Supplies:
Digital Stamp: Owl Couple by Pink Cat Studio.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White and Papertrey Ink.
Sentiment Stamp: Papertrey Ink.
Patterned Paper: Emma's Shoppe by Crate Paper. Lime Twist/Fly-A-Kite by My Mind's Eye.
Markers: Copics.
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onyx Black.
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities.
Die cutting tool: Cuttlebug.
Scallop punch and round corner punch: EK Success.

Love Birds

2011-06-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ah....I couldn't resist playing with some more digi's today...I think I'm addicted!! And you know I love the fact that obtaining digi's are so fast, you get them right away, they are less, less expensive and you can re-size them any way you want.....it's like, what the heck took me so long to dive into them? :)

This cute little tree is called Love Birds on Swing also from Pink Cat Studio. The Deer image was much bigger so I re-sized it pretty tiny so that it would look reasonable against the tree.

Too cute! The sentiment is from an older Hero Arts set called Hello Birdie, it is one of my very first HA stamp sets ever.

Supplies:
Digi Stamps: Love Birds on Swing and Deer by Pink Cat Studio.
Sentiment stamp: CL177 by Hero Arts.
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black and Memento Tuxedo Black.
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels 10.
Die Cutting Tool: Cuttlebug.
Markers: Copics.
Double sided adhesive tape.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.

Let's Chill.....with CRABS!

2011-06-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is something really fun that I finished up for my son, so thought I'd share. In school, they are learning about animals and their habitats, whether in the ocean, desert, or forest. For their end-of-year project, they are to research one animal and make its habitat in a 'shoe box' container. A brief, 2 paragraph report is to be written and read in front of the class as well.

When Chris chose a CRAB as his animal, we were excited to get to work using this Hero Arts set called Let's Chill:

I chose the palm tree, crab, and beach ball to decorate this ocean/beach theme. Each image was colored, trimmed, and I put glossy accents all over the palm tree. I double layered each item so it would be thick. I added a toothpick at the bottom of each image and inserted into the sand to make it stand better.

The view from the outside of the clear box:

And lastly, the little book report he will read for his classmates, this and the box will be displayed at the school's open house for all the parents and students to see.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it!

Supplies:
Stamps: CL438 - Let's Chill by Hero Arts.
Sand: Moondough.
Markers: Copics.
Glossy Accents.
Toothpicks.
Neenah Solar White Cardstock.
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.
Seashells and rocks given to me by family. :)
Kraft Cardstock.
Computer generated report.
Plastic Pyrex Container.

Pink Cat Studio Digis

2011-06-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

Hi all! I've been playing with some of the cutest digi's from Pink Cat Studio, so fun! This first one is called Betty Holding Flowers, she is a cutie! On both of these cards, I kept them really simple!! Wanted the emphasis to be on the images and nothing else to distract it:

This one uses this image called Dots and Delights: Tweet. This birdie makes me happy!

I finished off each card with a simple and sweet sentiment from other favorite sets - namely Lawn Fawn and Papertrey Ink.

Supplies:
Pink Cat Studio Digi stamps: Betty Holding Flowers and Dots and Delights: Tweet.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Stamps: Sophie's Sentiments by Lawn Fawn. Flutterby Friend by Papertrey Ink.
Spellbinders Nestabilities.
Cuttlebug.
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and Versafine Onyx Black.
Markers: Copic Markers.
Round corner punch: EK Success.
Diamond Stickles.

Shades of lavender

2011-06-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

I've been making lots of samples with this flower stamp, inking with pads, watercolor/markers, and now with this one....I embossed in white:

Enjoy! The next time I'm back online, I'll be using a product/company you've never seen me use before, they are really cute images! See you then!

Supplies:
Stamp: 4155L - Flower amongst flowers by Penny Black.
Versamark Ink.
White embossing powder: Martha Stewart.
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink and Neenah Solar White.
Cuttlebug.
Spellbinders Nestabilities.
Flowers: Prima.
Distress inks: Milled lavender and Dusty Concord by Tim Holtz.
Ribbon: May Arts.
Gel Gems: Hero Arts.

Blissful Botanicals

2011-05-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

Hey there, so I had a little extra time to craft this evening and played with some new Lawn Fawn stamps, I thought I would pair some images from the Blissful Botanicals set with some romantic papers and this was the result:

The papers are from Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden Collection. Alrighty, I'm off to see what you've all been up to! See you soon.

Supplies:
Stamps: Blissful Botanicals by Lawn Fawn.
Patterned Papers: Butterfly Garden by Pink Paislee.
Copic Markers.
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black and Memento Tuxedo Black.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White.
Butterfly Punch: Martha Stewart.
Pearls: Melissa Frances.
Scallop punch: EK Success.

Orange Blossoms

2011-05-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today's card features this pretty stamp from Penny Black called Flower Amongst Flowers, does it have sort of an Asian flair to it? I used mostly orange and red colors to kind of capture that look:

I inked the stamp with 4 different Memento inks ranging from dandelion (light yellow) to deep red (ladybug). The image is paired with some yummy papers from Lily Bee Design called Happily Lost! Can't wait to try this stamp embossed.

Here's some diamond stickles to make the flowers shiny:

Hope you are enjoying the Memorial Day Holiday!

Supplies:
Stamp: 4155L - Flower amongst flowers by Penny Black.
Patterned Papers: Happily Lost by Lily Bee Design.
Lace Trim: Graphic 45.
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White Cardstock and Papertrey Ink.
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink.
Diamond Stickles: Ranger.
Inks: Memento and Versafine Onyx Black.
Sentiment: Blissful Botanicals by Lawn Fawn.

Gentle Pink

2011-05-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today has been lazy for me, physically tired is what I mean.....are you like me? I'm pretty energetic and full of life on the weekdays...then come Saturday and Sunday...just exhausted from the week, I guess....and funny thing about it....by Monday, I'm back and at 'em again and there is no exhaustion, kind of strange, hah?

Anyways, an all pink card I made after a few naps today - :)

Enjoy!

Supplies: Hero Arts, Papertrey Ink, Prima, K & Co., Webster's Pages, and The Girls' Paperie.

Big blossoms

2011-05-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

I played with some bright, juicy colors today:

I love this Blossom Art set, it makes me happy! I've used this set quite a number of times and always seem to reach for it when I want to make a bundle of flowers. The sentiment is from this stamp called Thoughts Today.

Enjoy your weekend!

Supplies:
Hero Arts:
CL495 - Blossom Art.
E3196 - Thoughts Today.
Tim Holtz Inks - Peeled Paint, Fired Brick, Mustard Seed, Shabby Shutters, and Spiced Marmalade.
Versamark Ink.
White Embossing Powder.
Paper Source.
Versafine Onyx Black Ink.

Grandma's Feather Bed

2011-05-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

When I had originally made this card, I wasn't really thinking of a color scheme, but instead I was playing with one of Bazzill's new patterned paper lines called Grandma's Feather Bed:

I loved this pack of paper, there are lots of fun and bold colors and some pretty floral designs too! So when it all came together, the card was mainly green, orange, and teal. This is a mini card and is 4" x 4".

Supplies:
Hero Arts: CL508 - Luscious patterned flowers.
Inks: Memento and Versafine Onyx Black.
Patterned Papers: Bazzill - Grandma's Feather Bed.
Round corner punch: EK Success.
Scallop punch: EK Success.

8

2011-05-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I normally try to keep this blog to crafty stuff only....but since today is my wedding anniversary, thought I would take a step back in time and share the beautiful day that was 8 years ago today:

Not a single cloud in the sky, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, not too hot and not cold at all....everyone....my family...my friends......everyone was so lovely!

We had so much fun! One funny note though......I FORGOT to eat!! I was too involved in looking at my friends and talking that I barely touched the reception meal we had chosen. I remember coming home after the ceremony was over and I was starved! I ended up reheating a frozen Swanson's chicken dinner! lol........to all future brides out there, DON'T forget to eat at your own wedding! ;)))

Celebrate

2011-05-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

I had made a few cards using this Leaf Flourish stamp and had some leaves left over, so decided to make a different design with it:

I picked up some yummy pp's from my LSS yesterday, love this new pack by Cosmo Cricket called Odds & Ends! Enjoy!

Supplies:
Hero Arts:
CG310 - Leaf Flourish.
CL498 - Celebrate Everyday.
Cardstock: Lemon Tart by Papertrey Ink.
Patterned Paper: Odds & Ends by Cosmo Cricket.
Versafine Onyx Black.
Opaque embossing powder: Stampendous.
Versamark Ink.
Tim Holtz Inks.
Deco Edge Punch: EK Success.
Round corner punch: EK Success.
Round circle punch: Marvy.
Sculpture Resin Flowers: Prima.
Twine.

Cuttlebug Fun + Free Hand Cutting....Day 3

2011-05-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

Hi all, just some more fun I've been having with the Cuttlebug.

It's really fun what you can do with these dies, turn them every which way, and imagine the shape can be transformed into anything you want. Just play with it.

For the bowling ball finger holes, I simply used a very small hole punch from EK Success. The bottom of the pin and the ball itself is from a nestie and the top part of the bowling pin is the free hand cutting.

TFL! Blogger had some issues so it deleted my previous post which was 'Day 2', so if you want to see what I made, you may go HERE. I'm not going to re-do my post.

Supplies:
Cuttlebug.
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels 10.
Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Circles Lg.
Small circle punch: EK Success.
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye.
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - True Black and Pure Poppy.
Neenah Solar White.
Paper Source.

Cuttlebug Fun + Free Hand Cutting....Day 2

2011-05-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Whoops! I meant to post this earlier, as I almost forgot about it.....it's been such a busy week for me. Anyways, here is another card that features Cuttlebug Labels 10 in which I cut out a total of 5 pieces to make my plump looking pumpkin:

Free cutting is the brown and green cardstock, and the face - the eyes and mouth....and the yellow cardstock was supposed to represent the light of a 'candle' on the inside of the pumpkin..lol.

Enjoy! The next post will be a funny one.

Supplies:
Hero Arts:
S5507 - Envelope Pattern.
CL353 - Happy Halloween.
Cardstock: Paper Source and Bazzill Basics, Papertrey Ink.
Twine: The Twinery.
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 10.
Cuttlebug.
Tim Holtz Inks.
Circle Punch: Marvy.
Versafine Onyx Black Ink.