Thursday, December 12, 2013

Christmas Blessings

Hi guys. Today I want to show you a card I made using an images from "Class Act Stamps". It's the first time I've worked with this brand...and I love the crispness of their stamps. :)


The image is colored with some alcohol markers. Using my Scorepal, I scored a few lines onto my background paper...to give it a little more detail. I also created a double bow. And finally, to keep things interesting, I stamped the sentiment on sideways....



some challenges:

 Brown Sugar Challenge - Christmas
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards -- Happy Holidays
Craftitude -- Anything Goes / Christmas Sparkle
Sister Acts -- Anything Goes
Crafty Hands -- Winter Theme
Totally Papercrafts -- Christmas using non-traditional colors




Tuesday, December 3, 2013

a Charming Christmas

Hi guys. The Christmas season is upon us. I love this time of the year...despite the cold. :) The peacefulness of falling snow. The lights. The decorations. The excitement in the air. The story of miracles...and the anticipation...family...traditions...and our first ever Christmas with our little boy.

...and I love having a reason to sit down and make some cards to send out to friends and family.  :)

I've been wanting to make a card using a sketch I found online. I've seen so many different versions of this card sketch...but I managed to add a little something that I hadn't seen on any card before....

something from my stash that I don't use on cards a whole lot anymore...

a charm...



Here's a look at my card:


some challenges:

Shopping our Stash -- Anything Goes (the charm has been in my stash for a loooooong time!)

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thankful

Hi guys. Just a quick post to showcase a Thank You card I made. It's actually a mini-card -- just 4x3...but it's cute. :)

Since everyone is into thank you cards right now (due to the US Thanksgiving I guess) ...I figured I'd join the flow and make one too. :) So here's a look at it:




And some challenges to enter:
365 cards -- Thankful
7 kinds college fun -- Anything Goes
Crafter's Cafe -- Anything Goes
Crafty Creations -- Thank You
Flutterby Wednesday -- Thank You (with a butterfly or fairy)
Simon Says -- Anything Goes


Monday, November 4, 2013

God Be With You

Hi guys. I'm back to showcase another card.

Today I used some designer paper on my card, which is actually a challenge for me. I tend to stick with just textured cardstock or using embossing folders. but why not go out of your comfort zone ever so often?

I stamped a flower stamp from Stampin' Up and cut it out. Punched out a few leaves and lifted them a bit with some foam to give the card a bit of dimension. I wanted the sentiment to take the focal point of the card, 'cause it's a beautiful stamp. It turned out great -- and it was done in less than 10 mins! LOL





challenges:

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Our Hearts are with you

Hi guys. Summer came and went. Autumn is almost over as well. The year sure flies by!!! Especially when I think of our little guy who was born in January -- seriously where did those months go to!!! He sure made them interesting...and busier than usual...leaving very little time for scrapping and card making (which is why I haven't posted much in the past few months).

With the cold days keeping us inside these days though, I'm finally getting some time to craft. :) Guess there's a little bit to like about winter. :p

So without further ado...on to my card for today...

Simon Says Stamps blog is having an "Anything Goes" challenge. It happens to be my favourite challenge -- simply cause I can do what I want. :)

Of course I had to use my Cuttlebug (all-time favourite crafting tool) and add some embossing. It just adds so much more detail.

I stamped a beautiful sentiment on a small scrap of cardstock and simply stuck it on top of the border and the background. And because I love them -- a butterfly punch finished off the card. :) Love the result! :)


Of course I looked around for some challenges to enter it in. And here's the list:



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Embossing Lines

Hi guys. I love including embossed backgrounds on my cards. Of  course, that usually means embossing some cardstock with my Cuttlebug, but recently I've discovered the Score Pal. It's a very handy tool to have when creating projects with lots of exact folding...(helps get those those folds perfect every time)...but you can also use the ScorePal to create your own embossed backgrounds. (get a little more hands-on)

So today I want to show a card I made using an embossed background made with my ScorePal.  It's really not that complicated -- just lines...but it's different from the regular Cuttlebug embossing folders, so that makes it different. :)

Starting off with my embossed background, I layered some patterned paper on top. I wanted a bit more definition between the two papers, so I added a punched border on the bottom. Using my Cuttlebug, I cut a beautiful Creatable...and stamped on my sentiment. I added foam dots to the sentiment...to give it a bit of dimension. Then I stamped a flower stamp I borrowed from a friend...and cut it out. Finally I added some punched leaves...and the pink pearls. :)


I must say -- it turned out so pretty. I'm definitely loving the color combination. :) How about you?


Monday, September 2, 2013

Summery Birthday

Hi guys. Can you believe it's September already!?!! The summer sure flew by!!!

It's been busy...and a different type of summer, that's for sure! Our little guy is now almost 7 months old!! He keeps me busy when I don't have other jobs to do around the place, so that leaves me even less time to sit down and make cards. But he's sooooooooooo worth it! :)

I was running short on my Happy Birthday cards supply...so I decided to make a few and stock up again. I borrowed some awesome flower stamps from a friend...and set out to see what I could come up with . I love the way this card turned out! I really didnt' have anything in mind -- just basically stamped the different flower stamps with different colors...and then finally added a few circle stamps from a different Stampin' Up stamp set to tie them together.

I stamped and cut one big flower out and added it with some dimentional tape...just so the card wasn't all flat. I love love love it! Very bright and cheerful. :)



I found some great challenges to enter the card into:
(I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!)

 

Thanks for dropping by my blog today. Leave me a comment and I'll be sure to check out your latest creations as well. Feedback on my cards is always appreciated. :) Have a great day! :)

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Happiness Always

Hi guys. Today on Simon Says Stamps blog, they have an "Anything Goes" challenge. Up for grabs is an amazing prize...so I figured I'd try my luck and enter. (keeping my fingers crossed!)

I made a quick card, cause these days there just aren't enough hours in a day to spend time crafting. I love the Clean and Simple cards, so that's really not much of a problem when I need a card and don't have a whole lot of time to create it.

This card was made using an embossing folder that has a plain border on it. I absolutely love it! Very simple...and you can make it look elegant with just a few little extras. :)



Here's the full card:



So that's it for me today. Hope your day is filled with lots of happiness! :)


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Christmas in July

Hi guys. Not a whole lot of crafting happening in recent weeks. Too much other stuff to do -- outdoors! :) I'm LOVING summer!!! :)


...after saying that I guess it's a little strange and funny that I'm showcasing a Christmas card during the summer...but oh well. :p

I loved working with the Christmas Trees embossing folder. It definitely made this card a fast card to put together.



challenges


Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Graduation

Hi guys. It's the end of the school year. Lots of graduations happening. A time to celebrate great accomplishments. A time to look towards the future. A time to dream -- to DREAM BIG! :)

I've had this piece of "graduation" designer paper in my scraps box for months...waiting for some inspiration. Today I finally decided to used it...and I love what I came up with. :)

I used a new Cuttlebug folder I bought recently...

and a Stampin' Up stamp from their "Happy Greetings" stamp set. I love that stamp set -- the sentiments can be used for a wide variety of cards. :)



I also added some black bling...and a cute little diploma from my stash. I like how it turned out. :)
 


 Challenges:

Thursday, June 20, 2013

For Dad

Hi guys. Well it's been pretty busy around here in recent weeks. Plus, the weather has been too beautiful outdoors to spend  a whole lot of time inside. :) So I'll have to show a card I made awhile back...

this is the card I made for my dad for Father's Day.

I wanted to change it up a little from the cards I've been making recently. I love the Clean and Simple look, and that's generally what my cards turn out to be. But for this card I decided to try incorporate some vellum. I have a Fiskars "Family Legacy" vellum paper sets booklet with absolutely gorgeous vellum pages. So I started with that...

Then I created a word art and printed the sentiment onto the vellum.


I added a Cuttlebugged background ...and some designer paper as well. (scraps, scraps, scraps!) :)

I used the bow-easy to create a perfect bow...(absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE that tool!!! -- it makes perfect bows every time...and it's soooooo simple to use!)

And here is my finished card:



challenges:

Thursday, May 30, 2013

For Mother

Hi guys. I know it's long past Mother's Day...but I didn't get around to show casing my card then...so I figured now is as good a time as ever. :)

My card features a Flourishes stamp called "Forget Me Not Notes". I love this stamp set -- especially the big bouquet image. Since my mom is big into flowers, I figured the stamp fit perfectly. :)



I colored the stamped image with alcohol markers. I think I'm hooked now!!! I love love love images on cards...and now I'm also big into coloring images. I think I've discovered a whole new world of cardmaking!!! :)

I want to give a shout out to Silke over at My Life. I love her cards...and this card is big-time inspired by her cards. ...with a few little differences to make it my own. :)


Using my Martha Stewart Score Board I embossed some lines across the top of my card's "white space" ...to give it some detail. Then I added some beautiful ribbon (love the fact that it has hearts on there!) and tied it all off with a bow.



challenges for this card:

Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
Party Time Tuesday -- Anything Goes
Rhedd and Rossie Challenge: Blooming Lovely
Fresh Brewed Designs -- Lots of Flowers
Creative Inspiration: Anything Goes
Oh La La Creations: Inspired by Nature
Milk Coffee Challenge -- Load on the Flowers
Crafty Ribbons -- Anything Goes with a Ribbon
Craft Dee BowZ -- Anything goes with Handmade Bow 
613 Avenue Create -- Anything Goes
Deep Ocean Challenge -- Ribbon and/or Lace 
Created with Love -- You Lift Me Up
The rubber Buggy -- Anything Goes




Sunday, May 26, 2013

Butterfly Thanks

Hi guys. I love working with Stampin Up stamps. :) I also love Love LOVE butterflies! :) So when I saw a Stampin Up "Flight of the Butterfly" set on a garage sale a few weeks ago, I grabbed it. It's quite versatile...and lots of fun to play with.


Today I want to show you all one of the cards I made with the set. This is also my first attempt (ever) at paper piercing...but I turned out quite nice. I love trying new techniques -- and paper piercing's always been on my "to try" list, but for some reason I never got around to it. So anyways, here's the card:

I  used dimensionals on the butterflies


Here's a full-view of the card:


Thanks so much for coming by my blog today. And thanks to all of you who leave comments...I love reading what you think of my cards and projects. :)


 Challenges for this card:

613 Avenue Create -- Anything Goes
Challenges for Everybody -- Anything Goes 
No Matter Which Challenges -- Things with Wings (must include stamp) 
Paper Creators Crafts -- Anything Goes
Scrappy Frogs Challenges -- Anything Goes

Monday, May 20, 2013

A Little Note

Hi guys.I love the new Flourishes stamp sets. I was the lucky winner of a blog hop and I got to pick a stamp set. I went withe the "Forget Me Not Notes" set. It's super cute...and "Forget Me Not's" happen to be one of my favourite flowers as well. :)

This is the first time I'm colouring a stamped mage with any type of markers. This image was colored with Alcohol markers...and I love them! Great tip made it so easy to colour all the small areas. :)


So here's a look at my card.


You can't really tell from the photo, but the white background does have some score lines. I'll have to do a better job to capture the details next time. :)



Challenges for my card:
Lawnscaping Challenges: Clean and Simple
Without Words: Flowers
DL Art 109: Flowers
Bitten by the Bug: Give it away/Pass it on/Celebrate the Joy
 Sentimental Sundays: Clean and Simple
Simon Says Stamps: Flower Power
Creative Inspirations Paint -- Anything Goes

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Help please

Hi guys. I bought a bunch of Stampin Up supplies at a garage sale last week. Afterwards I looked through it, and saw these....





Now I just have one question -- what are they???

I assume they're some type of dies for a cutting machine. I've seen some papers that were obviously cut with these specific shapes...but how do I used them???

Can you help me out? At least tell me what they're called so I can google them and get a tutorial or something. thanks :)

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Metal-ology


Hi  guys. I love the cute little metal embellishments you can buy for cards and scrapbooking. As usual, I have quite a few in my stash...that get looked past all the time. Ever so often I challenge myself to use one or two on a card or project. Today was one of those days.

I love the look of a partial dry embossed card background. Using my Victorian Cuttlebug folder, I partially embossed some cream cardstock. To separate the two textures I added a strip of ribbon which I used to attach a metal butterfly embellishment from. Finally I stamped a sentiment...and added some black jewels.

Not a whole lot to it -- yet it looks elegant. I'm loving Clean & Simple!!!



A closer view:





products used:
Victorian cuttlebug folder
ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon 
Stampin Up "Happy Greetings" stamp
butterfly embellishment from stash
black bling


challenges:

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Christmas in April

Hi guys. LOL Yeah, the "Christmas in...spring/summer/fall" months always brings a smile to my face. I always think "Who thinks about Christmas cards right now!". But here I am posting one myself!!! LOL

A friend of mine put in an order of Christmas cards...guess she's trying to get ahead for the year! LOL So I set out to make a bunch. It was actually pretty easy to get inspired...and they turned out fabulous!!! Used up scraps from last year's Christmas making supplies as well, which is always a plus! :)

Here's a look at one of them:







I went with the Clean and Simple look. The embossed background cardstock adds so much, they didn't need a whole lot of embellishments. :)

Thanks for dropping by today. Have a great week!



Wednesday, April 10, 2013

For a Loss

Hi guys. It's been a sad week. One of my friends lost a baby girl this week. I can't image how hard that must be...to let go after waiting for so long! It makes me hold my little guy just a little bit tighter and a little bit longer...and be thankful for his cute little smiles even more.

Of course I had to sit down and make a card to send my friend some encouragement...cause I couldn't be there right now. It turned out sweet...


I used a new Cuttlebug folder called "Kimberly's Card". It's very pretty...and I love the border it leaves where you can add a sentiment. It makes card making so fast and easy. I stamped a sentiment from a sweet sympathy stamp set from Michael's. Finally, I added a butterfly punch. I love the softness of the card -- subtle, yet classy. :)




supplies:

Kimberly's Card embossing folder
Martha Stewart Butterfly punch
Clear Stamp from Michael's (not sure of the stamp set name)


challenges:

Sunday, April 7, 2013

We have a Winner

Hi guys. It's been pretty busy around my house these days...not giving me a lot (if any) of time for things like blogworld. But that's okay. Baby time is precious...and baby always comes first. :)

So anyways...I have to select a winner for my stamp giveaway. I was so surprised to see I have over 130 followers now!!! Wow! Welcome to one and all...and I hope I can continue to inspire you with my creations in the future. Your sweet comments on my posts certainly inspire me to keep crafting! So thanks you guys. :)

And now...




I used Random.org to select a winner...





And the winner of the stamp is...


#4




That's you Marianne - Fiskateer #6701



Congratulations!!! PM me --> email address on right sidebar
and I'll get it into the mail to you ASAP.


Thanks all you guys who joined in the fun. :) Have a great day! :)

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Celebrate Baby

Looking for my blog candy??? 
Click HERE



Hi guys. In January we were blessed with the birth of our little boy. It's been quite the busy two months since then...and yes...no matter what some people will try to tell you -- the baby really DOES control your lives!! But that's ok -- they're precious and worth it all!!! :)

A few weeks ago a cousin of mine was blessed with not just one, but two baby boys!!! I wanted to make a card to celebrate their arrival.

I won a few Stampin Up stamp sets in a blog candy....and one of them happened to have a cute rattle stamp. The set is called Button Buddies. I guess I could have added little buttons on top of my rattles, but I liked the plain stamped image look, so I decided to just leave it plain this time.



I had a sheet of cute designer paper in my stash perfect for a baby boy card...waiting for a special card or project. Today was the day. I added a few layers...and finished off the card with a golden ribbon. It definitely turned out sweet! :)



supplies:
Stampin Up "Button Buddies" stamp set
Ribbon from stash (RRR?)
"Celebrate" stamp from Dollar Store


challenges:

A fun challenge to try:
This card took a little over 8 mins to make. I love cards that come together so fast and end up looking exactly like I imagined :)

Monday, March 18, 2013

Hello Bloglovin'


Hi guys. Rumor has it that Google Reader is disappearing in July. There's this new great way of following blogs -- Bloglovin. It's very simple to use...and transfers all the blogs you follow with Google Reader in one easy step! So why not sign up today...so you can still follow your favorite blogs.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Spring Stamping

Looking for my blog candy??? 
Click HERE.  
Hi guys. Today I'm showcasing a card I made for a challenge over at http://flourishes.org.


These colors are one of my favorite color combos. :) Plus, they remind me that spring is just around the corner...which with all the piles of snow outside my window seems to be an eternity away!!! Working with these colors was a reminder that this winter too shall pass... LOL

I decided to play with some more Stampin' Up stamps. This time I chose a lovely flower stamp from the "Button Buddies" set...and one of the circle stamps from "Circle Circus". Added a bit of black twine I won from Really Reasonable Ribbons to finish it off. Very simple, but the colors are so striking...it didn't need much! 



Thanks for dropping by today. I appreciate it...and the comments you leave behind. :)


supplies used:
Stampin Up Stamps:
Button Buddies
Circle Circus
Happy Greetings
Twine from RRR

Monday, March 11, 2013

Twig-y Ocassion


Looking for my blog candy??? 
Click HERE



Hi guys. I love punches!!!!!! They're awesome -- make card making so fast and easy when you can punch a pretty design or add detail to a card with a few simple "squeezes" instead of having to spend hours cutting little pieces like I used to do when I first got started scrapbooking and card making. Oh how things have changed...but I'm loving all the new supplies and techniques...so no complaining coming from me!!!!!!! LOL

So now that I've shared my punches obsession :p ...I guess I should move on to my card.

As you've probably already guesssed...the card features punches. LOL And here it is:



I was debating on whether to add a sentiment or not, but I couldn't decide where to put it, so I left it without. I like having cards that you can use any occasion....and this one is perfect for that. :)





supplies used:
Fiskars scalloped square punch
Martha Stewart twig punch

Friday, March 8, 2013

125 followers candy

Hi guys! I saw today that I've reached 125 followers!!! WOW! I'm impressed! :) I must be doing something right as far as my cards and projects go. :)

So I've decided to do a little candy to celebrate. I have this very sweet unmounted stamp  called "A Little Kiss" by Crafter's Companion that needs a new home. With the wedding season just around the corner...this would be perfect for your collection.




If you're interested in winning this stamp...do the following:
1. post a picture of my candy on your blog sidebar to let others know about it
2. leave me a comment on this post
3. you can become a follower of my blog, but it's not a requirement.

I'll run this candy until the end of March and announce the winner soon after. Good luck! :)

Monday, March 4, 2013

You're in my Prayers

Hi guys. I'm trying to get some of my scraps cleaned up. But how to go about making nice looking cards with scraps? It's always a challenge for me! Where do you go to for ideas and inspiration? I head to Pinterest -- it's a limitless supply of inspiration! Perfect to get the mojo flowing...

I found this great card sketch...and set out to use a bit of everything...
  • designer paper scraps
  • Cuttlebug embossed cardstock scraps
  • ribbon
  • bling
  • die cuts
  • & of course stamps
 First, I stamped a butterfly image with light gold ink. Then I stamped my sentiment with black ink. I layered the circle onto a purple die cut from my stash.



Then I layered all the cardstock, designer paper and added a bright yellow ribbon between the two different papers to kind of create a separation. Finally, I adhered my die cut with some foam stickers so it has a bit of dimension.


 ...and finished off with some black bling. :)


Not bad for a cleaning-up-scraps card!!! Too bad I haven't even made a dent in my scraps pile though! :p




supplies used:
Scalloped Edge Circle Spellbinder die
"Fanciful Butterflies" by Sweet Stamps 
Clear Stamp Sentiment
"Victorian" Cuttlebug Folder
various sizes black bling
ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbons



challenges:

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Circle Circus

Hi guys. I love Stampin' Up stamps. They're just really expensive -- kindsa out of my price range right now. A few weeks ago I was the lucky winner of a blog candy that happened to contain not just one, but THREE Stampin' Up stamp sets!!!!!!!! Yes, I was excited!!!!

Today I want to show a card I made with one of the stamp sets. This one is called Circle Circus. Basically it's a set of various circular shaped stamps.Using various ink colors I stamped randomly...

Here is my card:


a close up of the stamping... 


I think I used 6 different colors of ink before I was satisfied!!!

I absolutely love this stamp set!!!! It's perfect for making cards for either gender...and gonna be awesome when I need to make a masculine card. :)