Nature Mini Card Set & Box

Hi Friends! Can you believe it? I did it! This is the last challenge of the SCS Love Fest that I needed to make!!! This is for the Taylored Expressions Love Fest challenge, A Little Love Goes A Long Way, and the challenge was to create a set of 3" x 3" cards, or smaller. I've been meaning to do this anyway, because I like to include a little card when I mail a package to someone, but kept putting it off. Now, it's done!

Here are the cards in their own little box, all put together.


And, here are each of the cards, individually. For these cards, I stamped my "nature" images with white Colorbox ink, then heat embossed with white embossing powder. With spring just around the corner, I chose an Easter-y palette, and used white cs as my base. If you know me, you know I love distressing, but I didn't want a dirty look, so after tearing the edges of each image panel, I inked the torn edges with Distress Inks that were the same color, but a few shades darker than the cs. After inking, I spritzed my craft mat with water and dragged the inked edges through it to give them a water stained look, and also to weaken the edges so I could roll and tear them just a little bit more. ;) I embossed just the front of each white card base, then glued the images on, leaving the edges free to hang out in all their distressed glory. I added one color-matched rhinestone to a corner of each card, alternating the corners so that all four corners ended up being blinged.

For the box, I used Beth Beard's tutorial here. I covered the sides with the same embossed design as the cards, and instead of making a handle, I added a rhinestone in each of the 4 colors I used for the cards. Beth decorated the front of her box with a button, but I used a nature quote on a die cut and put two little Swarovski crystals on each end of it. I didn't have any envelopes for these cards, so I used my Enveloper to made some, and that was quite a challenge. They needed to be slightly larger than regular 3x3 envelopes since the distressed cs on the front of the cards is bulky, but they need to be small enough to fit inside the little box. It's amazing how precise the measurements have to be to get certain sized envelopes. To create a 3-3/16" square envelope, I had to cut the paper at 5-13/32" square. Just 1/32" off, either way made the envelope unusable for my purposes!!! Amazing!

Well, I think I'll go take a nap, now. :) I've been running on just a couple hours of sleep for the past few days, trying to get all these challenges completed.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

I'll be entering this project in the following challenges:

Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013I (A Little Love Goes A Long Way, sponsored by Taylored Expressions)
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #209: All That Glitters (FTTC209)
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Nature's Pace, Nature Walk (Stampin Up)
Paper: Bazzill
Ink: Colorbox, Distress Ink
Dies: Labels 25 (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Decorative Tile Set embossing folder (Cuttlebug); embossing powder (Zing); rhinestones; Swarovski crystals; foam dots
Size: Cards: 3 x 3

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Butterfly Garden

I'm so excited to share this card with you! It's much simpler than most of my cards, but there is one element on it that I struggled with, that ended up turning out really pretty.

This card is for the SCS LoveFest "Bring on the Bling!" Challenge, sponsored by Stamping Bella (LOVEFEST2013C). My "bling" is technically the flower rhinestones under the sentiment, but, to me, the three-dimensional butterfly is WAY bling-ier! ;)

This butterfly flew all over my craft room looking for a place to light. It started off as a one-dimensional creature, stamped in brown, and colored with Copics. Then, I colored another one and cut the individual wings out on both butterflies. I used a stylus to give them some dimension, then glued them, one set on top of the other, just where they would connect at the body. I put foam dots under the top wings to keep them raised. Then, I stamped the butterfly in brown, again, onto a die cut that I had sponged with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink, colored the wings on that butterfly, and colored the body brown. I glued the fussy cut wings on top, popping up the middle layer with foam dots. My original intention was to add the entire die cut with the butterfly on it, to a card front. But, I couldn't figure out a way to do it that would look good. So, I finally cut around the butterfly, leaving the popped up wings attached, and eliminating the die cut altogether. But, what to do with it? Then, I found this beautiful dp in an old paper pad and the flowers were the exact proportions I needed to use with the butterfly. So, I embossed the sentiment and the butterfly on the dp in black, added Glossy Accents over the body, then glued the wings in place over it. The butterfly doesn't look much like the original stamp since you can't see the stamp lines after coloring it, but I love the soft look of the wings.

I added a die cut butterfly to the inside, and used red Stickles on it to coordinate with the red rhinestones on the front of the card. The black dots are made with a Pearl Pen.

Just one more challenge to go for the SCS Love Fest!!! I better hurry, the challenge ends in less than 24 hours!

Thanks for stopping by today!

I'll be entering this in the following challenges:
Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge LOVEFEST2013C (Bring on the Bling! with Stamping Bella)
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #209 (FTTC209)
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Nature Walk (Stampin Up); Nicest Thoughts (Verve)
Paper: Best of K&Co; Shimmer Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress Ink; Versamark
Dies: Labels 18, Big Scalloped Ovals Sm, Jewel Flowers & Flourishes (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Embossing powder (Zing); Glossy Accents; Stickles; foam dots; sewing thread
Size: A2 (5.5" x 4.25")

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A Little Strung Out

Hi Friends! Another SCS LoveFest Challenge here (LOVEFEST2013G--Make My Day, sponsored by My Favorite Things), and more Copic practice.

For this card, I chose some bright, fun dp and cs, layered it up, did some stitching (I have got to get more silk thread...it stitches up beautifully!), tied a satin bow, and added an adorable digital image.

I found this little cutie here. There are ten images to choose from, all FREE, and if you go here, you can even read Newton's story, which is perfect for the Make My Day challenge. ;) I colored the image with Copics, then used a cloud stencil to create clouds. I added a border of Diamond Stickles around the edge, then popped it onto the card.

The inside is similar to the front. I covered the sentiment panel in clouds (I thought about printing just Newton's dangling feet near the top of the panel, too, but ran out of time. Maybe in another card, later), stamped the "Hang in There" sentiment, and bordered it with Stickles. For the corners of the dp, I used a Photo Corner Chomper, and backed the open areas with purple cs. To give the illusion that the corners of the dp are underneath photo corners, when I zigzaged the edges, I stopped and started each side just outside the purple corner.

The Make My Day Challenge was to make an encouraging card for someone, explain who you made it for and why. I made this card for my DD, who is 8-years old, and in the 3rd grade. She is an exceptional student, in the gifted program, the top AR point earner for the school, and on top of that, she is very social, and and soft-hearted--a real Sweetheart. But, each year, about this time, she starts to experience burn-out, and just wants to give up. Honestly, I don't blame her. She is learning and doing more in the 3rd grade than I had to do in junior high! But, quitting is not an option, so she trudges on. It breaks my heart to see her walk into school some mornings, slumped shouldered and dragging her feet. So, the next time she's having one of "those days," I'll have this card ready. I know she'll smile when she sees little Newton, hanging there, all drippy. And, she can set it on her desk to remind her to hang in there, too.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fab day!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013G (Make My Day, sponsored by My Favorite Things)
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #209: All That Glitters (FTTC209)
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Strung Out (Newtons-Law.com digital image); From My Heart (Stampin Up)
Paper: Emma's Shoppe (Crate Paper)
Ink: Copics, Distress Ink
Dies: Wonky Rectangles, Labels Twenty-Five (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Satin ribbon; jeweled brad; Glossy Accents; Stickles; Cloud Stencil (Inky Antics); Photo Corner Chomper; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Why I Love You

Hi Friends! Only four more cards to go in the SCS Love Fest Challenge, so I'm going to keep this short and sweet so I can get them all done today. :)

This one is for LOVEFEST2013K, sponsored by The Greeting Farm. The challenge is to create a love-themed card using dies. The sentiment is heat embossed with super fine embossing powder and there is a teeny pink rhinestone over the "i." The die I used on the front of this card is a new one I got at the Lawrenceville convention recently--Fantastic Flourish Two. It's actually an L-shaped corner die, but I cut it in half and clustered them together, then added Stickles for lots of sparkle (there are rhinestones in the lower right corner, also), so I'll be entering this in the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #209 All That Glitters challenge, too! ;)

That bow is blinding in the photos, but it's very close to the real thing. My DD loves this card, simply because of the bow and the jeweled embellie on it. 

After all that intensity on the front, the inside, while still sparkly, gives your eyes a rest. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

I'll be entering this in the following challenges:

Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013K (A Love to "DIE" For, sponsored by The Greeting Farm)

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #209: All That Glitters (FTTC209)

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Simply You (Ali Edwards); Signature Greeting II (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Summer Song (My Mind's Eye); Tropical pad (Bazzill Basics); kraft cs
Ink: Distress Ink; Versamark
Dies: Fantastic Flourish Two, Labels Three (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Embossing Powder (Ranger); seam binding dyed with reinkers (Hug Snug); rhinestones; jeweled embellie; jute; Pearl Pen; Deco & Angle Corner Chompers
Size: A2 (5.5" x 4.25")

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Cupcake Josie Birthday

Hi Friends! Last month I won a challenge over at Delightful Challenges with my Peach Cobbler Recipe Card, and was asked to be a Guest Designer for this week on the Digital Delights Blog! Wow! I feel so honored! And, since I needed to make a birthday card for one of my DD's friends, I chose the adorable Cupcake Josie digital stamp for my GD spot.

Isn't she the sweetest thing? Perfect for a little girl's birthday! I colored her with Copics, did some fussy cutting, added Glossy Accents to her eyes, shoes, and the cherry, and added glitter sprinkles to the icing and some super fine Flower Soft cupcake crumbs. :) I ran a dark gray Copic around the edges to give them more definition and to cover up the white. Unfortunately, it bled into the image in a couple of places, but not too bad.

The layout is from the Viva la Verve February 2013 Week 3 sketch. For all the layers, I sponged Distress Ink along the edges, then dry embossed the yellow dp and sewed it to the aqua dp with a long zigzag stitch. The aqua layer behind the pink dp is actually just two small strips adhered to the edge. I used a shorter zigzag stitch on the scallop side and a straight stitch on the opposite side.

When I added the velvet ribbon and braid trim to the upper pink layer, it was very thick on the back, so I layered several pieces of crimped cs to the back of the panel, cutting around the ribbon trim, so that the panel would lie flat. I did the same thing to the horizontal aqua strip, too, leaving an opening where it would sit on the ribbon.

I colored the Little Lady sentiment with Distress Ink then added two layers of UTEE to give it some gloss. It's popped up and there are faux stitches around it, made with a white gel pen.

Since most of Josie was going to be popped up on nothing but that skinny braid, I backed her body and her feet with two layers of crimped cs for stability. I glued her feet to the aqua strip, but I hot glued her body to the braid to make sure it stayed put.

On the inside, I used scraps left over from the front of the card, and also die cut white cs for the sentiment, then I sponged Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink to the edges of that while it was still in the die, and Vintage Photo to the outer edges. Finally, I stamped the sentiment and flowers on it.

I had so much fun making this card. I hope you enjoyed seeing it! And, if you have time, you should drop by the Digital Delights website. The blog is filled with lots to inspire you, and the Tutorial tab takes you to dozens of tutorials, covering everything from card techniques to coloring.

I'll be entering this in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve! February 2013 Sketch Challenge Week 3 (VLVFeb2013)

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope the rest of your week is wonderful!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Cupcake Josie, Little Lady Sentiment (Digital Delights by Looby Loo); Signature Greetings (Papertrey Inc); Sunny Days (Verve)
Paper: Avalon (Bazzill Basics); Abrianna (K&Co); Forest Friends by Adrienne Looman Designs (Print Candee)
Ink: Copics; Distress; Memento; white gel pen
Dies: Curved Rectangle (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Dot Edge Punch (Martha Stewart); Daisy Blast embossing folder (Sizzix); velvet ribbon; braided trim; UTEE; Corner Chomper; rhinestones; flowers; Glossy Accents; Flower Soft; Glitter; Sewing Thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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A Round of Thankful

Hi there! Another Love Fest card here. This one is for LOVEFEST2013F, a TCP Inspiration Challenge.

Every time I look at that photo, even with all that pretty yellow everywhere, my eye is drawn to that plate with the wavy black lines. So I decided to use that for my inspiration.

I used the Peony Spellbinders die to cut the wavy black and white circles.

The sentiment is heat embossed with superfine black embossing powder. The stamp I used is rectangular, so I masked an area off with a negative die cut before stamping. I ended up having to do it a second time, because the first time I removed the mask before pouring the ep and it made an awful mess of the border that should have remained white. I highlighted the word "thankful" with my DD's Crayola marker (my Copics smear embossing). I sewed the thin squiggly lines around the sentiment. I wanted to use a marker for that, but turns out I'm way better at sewing than at drawing something freehand. The yellow pearls are from a pearl pen.

The flower on the inside is stamped with Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink.

That's it. Easy Peasy, right? Only 4 more cards to go to finish up the Love Fest Challenge. I am determined to get all of them made in time!

I'm entering this card in the following challenge:
Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013F: (TCP Inspiration Challenge)

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Dictionary Greeting (Hero Arts); Blooming with Kindness (Stampin Up)
Paper: Black cs, White cs
Ink: Versamark; Distress; Crayola marker :)
Dies: Std Circles Lg & Sm; Peony (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Superfine embossing powder (Ranger); Pearl Pen; sewing thread
Size: 3.75" dia.

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Friendship and a Blue Flower

I wanted to get just one more card in today for the SCS Love Fest Challenge so I got this one made in under two hours! Pretty much a miracle for me. This card is for the Die Crazy Challenge (LOVEFEST2013E), sponsored by Simon Says Stamps.

I used this past week's Mojo Monday sketch #281 for the layout. To save time, I chose just one paper pad to work with and stuck with only two colors plus white. I love light blue and red together, but I don't think I've ever made a card with that color palette. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. 

Here's a look at the inside.

I'm entering this card in the following challenge:

Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013E (Die Crazy, sponsored by Simon Says Stamp)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Friendship (Quietfire); Wild Daisy Rd (Heidi Grace); Zinnias (Flourishes)
Paper: Avalon (Bazzill Basics) 
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Sharpie marker
Dies: Std Circles Lg, Reverse Wonky Rectangles (Spellbinders); Rolled Mum Die-namics (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Ribbon; Felt; paper leaves; pearl; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Path of Life

I'm baaack. :)This is the smallest card I've made so far, and it took longer than any other to make because of the design. The Love Fest challenge I tackled this time is the one I thought might be the most difficult for me, and so far, it is. It's the Flip, Flap, or Oddles of Folds Challenge sponsored by Scor-Pal (LOVEFEST2013D). I think this would be called a Z-Fold card.

I used the Viva la Verve February 2013 Week 4 sketch, turning it on it's side and moving the flags to the bottom. I also relocated the sentiment. Other than that, I followed the sketch. The color palette is from ColourQ Challenge #177. The flags are cut from a cork sheet and adhered between the green scalloped edge and the card base (behind the butterfly dp) so that when the card is opened, the flags lie across the second (personalization) panel. The card is held closed with a magnet.

When the card is opened, there is a butterfly on the back panel. I cut it from dp, then embossed it twice with UTEE. The back panel was stamped with a butterfly background stamp in Versamark and heat embossed with 3 different colors of embossing powder, then I sewed the edges with a straight machine stitch. One magnet is behind the left wing of the butterfly, and a foam dot behind the right wing, to even the wings out. The other magnet is on the back of the first panel of the card. I wanted to hide it behind the dp, but the magnet was so thick, it caused a bulge, and I was afraid if it had to work with too many more layers of cards between them, the magnets wouldn't hold tight enough.

You can see the butterfly a little better here, and the panel on the left is for personalization. It is just a piece of white cs with the edges cut with a Deco Corner Chomper. Distress Ink was sponged along the edges, and the flourish stamps along the edges were stamped three times--in light blue, green, and red inks. It gives them a little bit of a three-dimensional look.

Here's a good look at the butterfly. I really like the look UTEE gives paper embellishments.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013D (Flip, Flap, or Oodles of Folds, sponsored by Scor-Pal)
Viva la Verve February 2013 Week 4 Sketch Challenge (VLVFeb2013)
ColourQ Challenge #177 (CQC177)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Special Gifts Labels 29 (Just Rite Clear); Small Butterfly Background (Our Daily Bread)
Paper: Poetic Postage (The Paper Studio)
Ink: Distress Ink; Versamark; Memento
Dies: Labels Twenty-five, Nested Lacey Pennants (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Diamond Edger (EK Success); embossing powder (Zing; Recollections); pearls; cork sheet; Deco Corner Chomper; UTEE; magnets; foam dots
Size: 4" x 4.5" closed; 8" x 4.5" overall

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Simple, Extraordinary Things

I am loving the Love Fest over at Splitcoaststampers! This card is for Verve's In Love With Color Challenge. There were two options to choose from, and I'm using the aqua, brown, and pink palette.

I know absolutely nothing about watercoloring, but this LaBlanche stamp looked like that's what it needed, so I gave it a go. This is one of those times when making a shabby, distressed card is essential. It's great for camouflaging all my less-than-stellar skills. ;) 

Did some shabby sewing, ripping the stitches out in a couple of places. Remember, when doing that to distress the back of the paper that is going to show, too. The edges of the dp were distressed with a Distrezz-it-All and Distress Ink, then I spritzed the edges with water to create a stained look.

I used Carribean Blue Glimmer Mist on a paper doily from the grocery store, then sponged a little Tea Dye Distress Ink on it. I accidentally tore the doily while sponging, but, it's a shabby card, so it fit right in. I used a few mini staples to hold the image panel on. 

Ivory seam binding dyed with Distress Reinkers made a fab bow, but since more is always better, I distressed some twine with ink, then added it, along with a metal brad. I left the tails extra long.

I don't often sew inside my cards, but I was having so much fun with this one, I just couldn't resist. I distressed the dp the same way I did on the front. The sentiment panel is watercolor paper. It's amazing how hard it is to get something to look this dirty without it looking fake. Can you tell that the brown spot in the lower left corner is the same bird's nest stamp that is on the front of the card? When I wet the paper to age it, the stamp lost a lot of detail. Don't you love that quote? It's perfect for someone who makes handcrafted things, and this card is for a friend who recently gave me a gorgeous handcrafted sweetgrass basket. 

I've found that when I dry wet dp with my heat gun, it becomes stiff and brittle, so the curved up edges on the inside of this card are fairly inflexible, and it doesn't close all the way. Adds just a little bit more vintage-y feel to it, I think.

Well, I'm off to make another card. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to be back real soon--I've got to make seven more cards in the next four days if I want to complete all the Love Fest challenges! :)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013J (In Love With Color by Verve--aqua, brown, & pink)
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Metal-ology

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Bird's Nest (LaBlanche); Little Things (Our Daily Bread)
Paper: Life's Journey (K&Co); The Basics (The Paper Studio); watercolor paper
Ink: Distress Ink & Reinkers; Memento; Glimmer Mist
Dies: Curved Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Seam binding dyed with reinkers (Hug Snug); paper doily; mini staples; brad; twine (The Twinery); sewing thread; Distrezz-it-All
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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