Paper Sweeties October Release Rewind!

Time for a Paper Sweeties Rewind, where we mix new release stamps and dies with older ones. Abigail and Jake stamps and dies were perfect, paired with the Do You See What I See and Reason for the Season stamps sets.

I used a mix of Dylusions Ink Sprays and Distress Ink to create the background on a Manila tag. Then, I heat embossed the sentiment, first with a gold mirror embossing powder, then again, offset slightly, with a light brown ep. Jake, Abigail, and baby Jesus were colored with Copic markers, and the outfits were paper pieced. Abigail is popped up slightly, but I wanted to keep the tag as flat as possible in case it ended up being used as a bookmark. The edges of the tag were heat embossed with two different Fran-tage embossing powders, and I finished the tag off with several Paper Sweeties seam bindings and baker's twines.

Be sure to visit my teamies' blogs, too!

Angel Johns 
Cheryl Lea

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Emily Frasier 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

You still have time to enter this month's Inspiration Challenge!

And, be sure to check out the October Kit of the Month, too.

Thanks so much for your visit, and enjoy your weekend!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

TCP Tuesday Challenge TCPTUES301: Anything Goes
Penny Black October Challenge: Warm Autumn Colours
House of Cards October Challenge: Add Texture &/or Color Inspiration

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Happy Spook-aween!

Happy 4th of July!!! Do you have big plans for the holiday weekend? Since we just got back from vacation, we don't have a lot planned, but we will be spending the day around the pool at my mother's house, with family, and making it a combination celebration for Independence, and for my DD's 10th birthday, which is on the 5th. Happy Birthday, Sweetie! :D

I've been doing a lot more coloring lately, since I took the Copic Whimsical Faces & Hair class about 3 weeks ago. I need a lot more practice, and tend to have to color several images before I have one I'm satisfied with, but the class helped me a lot. It was a fun class, but the best part of the weekend was getting to meet my former Flourishes teamie, Deborah Anton, in person! She came for the class and we spent a few days together. OMGosh, she is so sweet, and we had a great time! I was sad to see her leave, especially since she moved over 200 miles further away this week! :(  But, that just gives me an excuse to take a trip to Virginia, once she gets settled in! :D

Oh yes, I have a card, don't I? ;)

I know it's just barely summer, but Halloween cards are fun to make anytime. This little cutie is a Tiddly Winks image. I colored her with Copics on Neenah paper. The dp is from a discontinued We R Memory Keepers 6x6 paper pad called Spookville. The moon is made from 2 layers of vellum. I embossed just the top layer with a swirly embossing folder to add a little texture to it.  

The white panel on the inside has a die cut border, made with an Impression Obsession die called, Halloween Hill. The detail on that die is amazing, and it pops out of the die easily every time. I colored the windows and pumpkin "lights" with a Copic marker.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy 4th!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #218: Stripes or Dots
MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #183
613 Avenue Create #78: Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge #202: Color Me Happy

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Stars and Stripes

Have you see the Graphic Greetings line of stamps at Taylored Expressions? I love chalkboard/subway art style stamps, and Taylor has come up with some great ones. I think she may have one for just about every holiday! Independence Day is not a holiday that I would necessarily send out cards for, but I would definitely write a note to someone inside this card. Actually, I'm thinking it would be pretty cool to have a set of blank notecards designed around each of the holidays. Hmmm...maybe that should be my next card set. :-)

The design is another Viva la Verve sketch (my last one for this month's challenge--WooHoo! I got them all done!), and the paper is from Bo Bunny's Anthem Collection. The patterns mix really well. I used a retired Verve stamp set called Super Dad for the blue stars behind the Patriotic Graphic Greetings stamp, which is embossed in Red Tinsel--very glittery IRL. After die cutting some stars, I ran them through my Xyron then coated them in a coppery glitter. I love that they look so much like brown sugar. ;`) I left the inside completely clean--room for a nice, long personal note.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve May 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
The Paper Shelter Challenge #160: Make it Manly

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Father's Day Metal

Ever since I made my Faux Metal Art project, I have been looking for ways to incorporate Inka Gold into my creations. (Eventually, I'll get around to posting those creations.) ;) Well, Father's Day is almost here, so a manly card is in order, and what better time to add a little faux metal, right? ;-)

This card's design is from the Viva la Verve May 2014 Week 5 sketch, and I have to admit, when I saw that sketch, I almost decided to just skip it and let this month's VLV challenge go. But, then I saw a really cool die from MFT stamps that reminded me of riveted steel. Perfect! I cut the strips from kraft cs, added several colors of Inka Gold, gave them a good buff, and voila! Faux metal! For the Father's Day banner, I first covered a piece of kraft cs with Inka Gold, buffed it, then heat embossed the Father's Day sentiment with copper ep. To give it a little more dimension, I curved the center of the banner a little and attached it with Coll-All 3D glue. I used Coll-All to attach the "metal" strips, too. The bg was distressed by inking the edges of the paper, tearing it in a couple of places, and adding more age with a few splatters of watered down Inka Gold, and random stamping using Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and a couple of pieces of wrapped candy. Yep, you read that right...wrapped candy. I had a square of Dove chocolate and a wrapped Jolly Rancher candy in a basket on my table, so I inked up the bottom of the chocolate piece and the crinkly twisted end of the Jolly Rancher and stamped just like using a regular stamp. 

The circular images were heat embossed in silver, onto paper that I had first watercolored with Inka Gold. To distress them, I tapped a little Versamark in a few places, then dipped them in Distress Embossing Powder.

I did minimal stamping on the inside of the card, and threw in another faux metal strip to "anchor" the white panel. This card was quite fun to make! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve May 2014 Week 5 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Paper Issues: The World is a Circle
The Paper Shelter Challenge #160: Make it Manly

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Alleluia!

I got a new Our Daily Bread stamp on Saturday, and, unlike a lot of stamps that just get stacked on a counter until I'm ready to use them, this one saw action right away! :) It's pretty, all on it's own, but, OMGosh, I can't get over how gorgeous it is with color!

I needed a card for my DD's baptism yesterday, and I hadn't been able to find a stamp that I thought was right for a 9-year old. I "settled" for this cathedral window image, but once I had finished the card, I couldn't believe I almost passed this stamp up! It's gorgeous! I wanted to emboss it onto acetate and color the back so it would look more like stained glass, but for some reason, the acetate couldn't stand up to the heat, so instead I stamped it onto white cs, colored, then fussy cut it, went over all the stained glass lines with a black Spica pen, then added Glossy Accents to all the windows. I topped it with a couple of bows, a sweet mini doily die cut, which I embossed with black embossing powder, and a gold, heat embossed cross image, that I found in Michael's dollar bin a couple of years ago. The Alleluia sentiment is also heat embossed, and the green flourish die cuts are coated in clear glitter. I wanted just a little something in the upper corners, so I transferred the negative pieces of an outline sticker.

To give the personalization panel on the inside the look of crumpled paper, I sponged Dusty Concord Distress Ink around the edges, then tapped the edge of my inked sponge tool randomly across the cs. The Bible verse is stamped in Pear Tart Memento ink, and the page dividers in Dusty Concord. The perforated lines on the outer edges of the dp mat were made with an MFT die. 

The window stamp ended up being perfect for a Baptism, and my DD loves her card! But, don't you think this would be perfect as an Easter card, too! :-)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Happy Easter and/or Sweet Treats

Corrosive Challenge #197: Pretty Pastels

The Paper Shelter Challenge #153: Easter Time

Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed week!

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Grunge Valentine

While my DH and DD were out playing in our second snow of the year, I had some time in my craft room to make a Valentine card. I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch and went a little grunge. ;)

I inked up a wood planks ef with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink before embossing a gray panel, then inked the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink. The wide horizontal strip is black cardstock with red Washi tape. For the tag, I started with white cs, then stamped three different Verve stamps in Versamark ink and embossed them in three different EP's. The black ep was my first experience with WOW ep. All I can say is WOW! That stuff is awesome! After embossing, I sponged Pumice Stone ink over the entire tag and edged it with Black Soot. The horizontal black fishtail banner is a strip of black cs that I completely embossed with the black WOW ep. Even IRL it looks like a strip of patent leather! The glitter hearts were cut with Verve dies, then I ran them through my Xyron and coated them with red glitter. They are popped up with CollAll 3-D glue. The main heart is a Spellbinders die cut, and the stamp is Tim Holtz. I colored the "14" with Copics, then spritzed the heart with red and white Dylusions Ink sprays. Finally, I sponged Black Soot around the edges of the heart.

The inside is fairly simple. I punched the top edge of a panel of gray cs with a Heartbeat MS punch, sponged Black Soot around the edges, backed it with a strip of cs that I embossed with red glitter ep, used a Flourishes stamp for the Happy Valentine's Day sentiment, and a Verve stamp for the XOXO sentiment, embossing the top half with red glitter ep. The little apostrophe heart is colored red now, but I forgot to do it before photographing. ;)

Wherever you are today, I hope you're warm and dry, and if you're in the middle of this freaky weather we're having here in the south, I hope you're home safe and sound!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday 332
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: We Love Stamps
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Have a Heart
613 Avenue Create Challenge #58: Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge #192: Feel the Love
Freshly Brewed Challenge February 2014: Choose Your Challenge (Photo Inspiration)

~Hugs,

 

Supplies:

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Messy Valentine Cards

Hi Friends! I know I said I had made my last Valentine card, but I have two quick ones that I hadn't intended to put on my blog until I saw the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge to Make Something Messy. I saw some really cute cards on someone's blog, I think, and she used Dylusions Ink Sprays to create beautiful little cards. I used that idea here. (If you are the person I'm CASing, let me know so I can give you credit, 'k?) These card were fun and fairly quick to make, but they were crazy messy. I love Dylusions Ink Sprays...they are beautiful, and I walk around with stained hands for days and feel like a real artist. ;)

Both these cards are for my daughter to give to two of her friends--a brother and sister. This first one is obviously for the brother. To make it, I first spritzed a square of white cardstock with water, then used several colors of Dylusions Ink Sprays to color it. I dried it with my heat gun, but didn't blot it dry at all, and it left it looking a bit grungy--perfect for a boy. I then used a cotton swab to apply bleach to a big lace heart stamp (I sure hope it didn't ruin it, I love that stamp), then I stamped it over the dried Dylusions. I walked away to wash my stamp and was gone maybe a minute or two. When I returned, all the detail of the stamp was gone and I was left with a large white space where the bleach completely ate away the ink. So, I spritzed a turquoise color spray over the white spot, dried it again, then stamped the heart stamp again over that using white pigment ink. The "You Rock" sentiment was wet embossed with black embossing powder. I wrapped twine a couple of times around the square, sponged the edges of the card base front and the edges of the colored square with blue Distress Ink, then adhered the square to the base. Inside it simply says Happy Valentine's Day. The Blue paper under the card is actually the envelope I made for it.

To make this stamp for the sister, I went through the same process, except I did blot the ink off the cardstock before drying it with my heat gun. That gave it a softer look. Then I stamped butterflies in white pigment ink, and little hearts in red ink. I sponged pink ink along the edges, wrapped the twine, and adhered the square to the card. The card is sitting on top of the envelope I made for it.

And, that's all there was to it...easy peasy. Now I just need to check up on how to use bleach safely in the craft room.

Hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day! Thanks for stopping by!!!

I'll be entering these cards in the following challenge:
Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge: Something Messy

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Blue Skies, Sweet Treats (Verve); Valentine Sayings (Hero Arts); Lace Heart (Inkadinkadoo)

Paper: White card stock for cards; Colorbok for envelopes
Ink: Dylusions Ink Sprays; Distress Ink
Accessories: Embossing powders--pink and black; twine (The Twinery) bleach; Corner Chompers
Size: 4" square

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Valentine Wishes

Hi Friends! I hope you had a good weekend and got in some crafting time. I spent a lot of time trying to organize my dies into a different system. I'm about halfway finished, but I need to wrap it up. It's really hard trying to make a card when dies are all over the place. ;)

As you can see, I've made another Valentine's card, and like the last one, I used all digital dp. The image is a digital stamp, also. It doesn't show up well in the photo, but the Hearts Circle die cut has glitter on the heart border.

Here's a close up of the fancy stitching I did between the two layers.

It was fun to "color" this image in my photo program. I used some of the same digi paper (that I used to make the card) for the envelope, heart, dress, shoes, and hairband. For the hair, I filled it with a brown color, then used the texture effects feature to give it a textured look. After die cutting the image, I used Spun Sugar to sponge inside the die.

The inside is simple, with a sponged, tilted panel and sweet sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit, and have a fantastic week!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Design House Digital Valentine's Day Card Contest: Kids Hybrid Card
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Have a Heart
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #206: It's Sketchy!
ColourQ Challenge #175

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Mailed My Heart digital stamp (Whimsie Doodles); Valentine Sayings, All Occasion Messages (Hero Arts)
Paper: Henri by Diane Rooney, Embrace by Diane Rooney, Frostine Winter Berry by Diane Rooney; Antique Flower Stall by Jen Schoenberger; Me & Mine by Mary Moseley (All dp's are digital from Design House Digital) 

Ink: Distress; Memento; Versamark; Colorbox
Dies: Postage Stamps, Classic Ovals, Classic Scalloped Ovals, Heart Circles, Labels Twenty-One (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); embossing powder; Glitter; Mod Podge; Metal Embellishments
Size: 5.5" x 5.5"

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I Heart You

Hi Friends! Valentine's Day is just a few days away, and I still need to make a couple more cards. Here's one in a non-traditional color scheme.

All the dp on this card is digital, from Design House Digital. If you haven't been to their site yet, you should, even if you think you wouldn't like to use digital paper. I've found that the trick to printing them is to increase the saturation and lighten it up a bit first. Don't get me wrong, I love paper packs. But, it is so convenient, when I need something specific, to just go online and download a digi paper pack instantly. And most of the digi paper I have was free or just $1! If you sign up for Design House Digital emails, you'll get links to free paper packs quite often (I think once a week), and they aren't the crummy designs that no one wants to buy...they are fab designs! What I really like about digi paper, is that if I like a particular design, I can print it unlimited times. No need to worry about using the last sheet in the pack. :) And, no, DHD isn't sponsoring this post, I just really like their product.

Now, on to the card. The layout is from this week's Mojo Monday 279 sketch. I added a few elements, such as the photo corner and heart, but mostly kept to the sketch. The border at the bottom of the card is a Bracket border punch. I had a tough time sewing along the edge of it, but I think it turned out ok. ;) The "I Heart You" sentiment is from one of the sets I won from Flourishes recently.

The photo corner is a Sizzix die, which I covered in Glossy Accents.

The heart is a new Spellbinders die from Heartfelt Creations that I got at the convention last weekend. I've been dying to try it out. After cutting the lattice heart out of pink dp, I also cut a solid heart from the same green as the bg. The pearls are a cream Pearl Pen, although they appear pink, I think because of the reflection of the pink paper. All that sparkle on the flowers is Stickles.

I LOVE the tartan dp, and since most of it is covered up on the front of the card, I wanted it to be prominent on the inside. Isn't it gorgeous? The corners of the tartan dp were created using the same Bracket punch as the bottom border. The rose and "Happy Valentine's Day" stamps were from another stamp set that I won from Flourishes (I won the entire month's release...Yay!).

To created the highlighted look on the Happy Valentine's stamp, I first embossed the sentiment with a lettuce green embossing powder, then stamped over that with black Staz-On ink, offsetting it a bit from the green.

I hope to get at least one more Valentine's Day card made today. Although, I'm not sure that's going to happen, I do have another mini card that I will post tonight. So, until then, thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Design House Digital Valentine's Day Card Contest: Romantic Hybrid Card
Mojo Monday 279 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Have a Heart

~Hugs

 

Stamps: Inside & Out You, Roses Are Red (Flourishes); Simply You (Ali Edwards)
Paper: Tartan Delight by Vanessa Fenton, Me & Mine by Mary Moseley, A Little Beachy by Sarah Sullivan, Notions-Blue & Co by Jen Allyson, Henri by Diane Ramsey (all papers are digital from Design House Digital)
Ink: Distress, Memento
Dies: Labels Twenty-Five, Labels Eighteen, Labels Three, Classic Ovals Lg, Timeless Amour (Spellbinders); Photo Corners (Sizzix)
Accessories: Bracket edge punch (EK Success); Adirondack Embossing Powder; Glossy Accents; Pearl Pen; Stickles; ribbon; rhinestones; flowers; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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A More "Mallow" Elf: Days 12 & 13

Hi Friends! I hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas, with lots of good food and family time! With a bit of uncertainty about the extended family Christmas plans, I was stressed for awhile, but once that was straightened out, everything was perfect. I enjoyed cooking the holiday dinner, that we all enjoyed eating, there was no last minute shopping or wrapping to do, so we had time to sit down together and watch all the fun Christmas specials, and after asking Santa for a Barbie Dream House for the past three years, Santa finally came through for my DD, so it was her "Best Christmas Ever"! Couldn't ask for more.

But, it's time to recoup now. I can't believe it's been an entire week since I posted anything, but Christmas wiped me out for a few days, and with my DD out of school until the 7th of January, I've gotten a little bit lazy. Twice now, my DD and I have lounged around in our pj's the entire day! See...that's lazy. ;)

I'm easing back into a regular routine with photos of our Elf's final days with us, before he went back to the North Pole with Santa. (I'll get back to making and posting cards soon, I promise.)

DAY 13:

After almost two weeks of pranks, Jackson seemed a little more mellow...or should I say "mallow."

My DD found him in her bathtub, in one of my loaf pan, taking a marshmallow bath. (BTW, that Maze book Jackson left my DD IS the World's Most Challenging Puzzle!) He had taken my DD's new Marty wig (from the movie Madagascar 3), and appeared to be using it as a shower cap. Looks pretty crazy on him, doesn't it? Well...

not as crazy as it does on my DD! She loves that thing!!! One of her friends gave her the Madagascar 3 movie and this wig, and every time she has watched the movie, which she LOVES, she runs and gets the wig when Marty is doing his Afro Circus dance so she can dance along with him. :D

DAY 14-Christmas Eve:

The marshmallow bath made sense when we found Jackson today.

Seems he and Barbie had a drive-in movie date planned--popcorn included.

That sly dog! ;)

My DD was ecstatic! Her theory was that if Jackson was in love with Barbie, he might decide to stay at our house this year instead of going back with Santa. She really loves having Jackson around.

The next morning, however, Jackson was gone, having hitched a ride with Santa the night before, but he left my DD a nice goodbye note. In it, she was a little disappointed to find out that the date was just for pretend, as he and Barbie are just good friends. Seems elves can't date until they are 125 years old, and Jackson is only 87 (in elf years he is only a young teenager). But, he did say he would be back again next year, so my DD is writing to him every day in a journal he left her, so that when he returns, he'll know everything she did between now and then, and he'll also know how much she misses him. :'-) I'll bet Barbie will miss him, too.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be back to posting cards soon. In the meantime, I really appreciate all the comments you've been leaving on my blog. They always make me smile!

~Hugs,

 

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A Couple of Bowls and an Elf: Days 11 & 12

Hi Friends! If you're like me, you are crazy busy getting ready for family celebrations, so I won't take up much of your time. This will be a short post.

Only a couple more days until Jackson the Elf returns to the North Pole for another year, but he's still busy around here.  The past two days, he's had a thing for bowls. ;)

DAY 10:

Jackson took time out for some R&R today--did a little communing with nature.

He and Santa went Goldfishing. And, look, he caught one! That was one well-stocked bowl...uh, lake, even after my daughter ate a handful of the fish, herself!

DAY 11:

And, speaking of nature, when it calls, one must answer...

My DD thought Jackson had cleaned the toilet and left the cleaner in the toilet bowl until I pointed out three things: our toilet bowl cleaner is blue, not green, he was sitting in an "I gotta go NOW" position, and he had brought a magazine into the bathroom. Then, she realized that...OMGosh...ELVES PEE GREEN..."YUK!" She was disappointed in Jackson for not flushing, but at least he put the toilet seat back down!  :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

~Hugs,

 

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