Home Sweet Home & a DT Call!

Have you heard...Paper Sweeties is having a DT call! You have until February 21 to apply. I bought a Paper Sweeties stamp set at a stamp convention this past weekend, and I'm throwing my hat in the ring with this card...

I used stamps from the Home Sweet Home stamp set and chose my colors from the February Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge. The card design is from this week's MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge. For the 3-D heart, I die-cut three red cardstock hearts, stitched them through the center, folded the layers up, and added red Stickles to the center. I put a tiny bit of 3-D glue between the layers to make sure they stayed where I wanted them. It won't lie flat for mailing, but I'd rather have it fixed so the recipient sees it the way I envision it.

I scored lines in the blue cardstock to mimic the beadboard lines in the inspiration photo, but it is hard to see them in the photo of my card. The dots in the lower right corner are all different. The white dot is an enamel dot from Michael's bargain bin, the blue dot is a Glass Effects Gel pen, and the pink dot is an "enamel" dot I made from melting a mini pony bead. It's the first time I've made them, and they turned out great, but holy moly do they smell bad! I won't be making any more of those until it warms up enough to take the toaster oven outside!

On the inside I used a Blueprints die set for the angled personalization panel, and also for the red heart. I'm leaving the inside blank, as this card could be used for any number of occasions.

Now, hurry on over and check out that Paper Sweeties DT Call! 

Stay warm, wherever you are, and have a sweet week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge #28: Sweetheart
The Shabby Tea Room Week #245: I {heart} You
My Favorite Things Weds Sketch Challenge #213
Simon Says Stamp Monday: H is for...
613 Avenue Create Challenge #109: Anything Goes
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #110: Hearts and Ribbon Theme
Paper Issues: The Perfect Pairing with Epiphany Crafts
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #249: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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Getting Serious with Books & Boxes

Hi Friends! I hope you are all staying warm, wherever you are today! I haven't been active in my craft room (or my blog) much since I started homeschooling my daughter, but in my last post, I did mention that I have been working on my bookbinding and boxmaking skills. It's quite different than making cards because, at least for now, I'm focusing on the construction and not doing much in the way of embellishing. But, I am enjoying it, immensely! 

This project is a clamshell box with a French Link Stitch blank book inside.

This is what it looks like closed up. I am using bookboard to make the box and the book covers, so these are very sturdy, unlike my usual chipboard boxes, which, while nice, are delicate in comparison. The biggest problem I have with using bookboard, though, is cutting it. It is thick and dense, so I was having to use a razor knife and ruler and cut it by hand, which, frankly, is exhausting. But, in my frustration with it, I found a good cutter that will actually handle this type of board, and, it wasn't too pricey--the Zutter Kutter. I had problems when I first got it, but I got in touch with the company and they were extremely helpful. Now, it cuts great! I'm planning to post a video on the correct way to use the Zutter Kutter in the next week or two.

Here's a look at the book and box, together. I found this paper at Hobby Lobby. It's heavy, a bit glossy, and the designs are beautiful.

Here, the box is open. The spine is made of bookcloth rather than paper, so it will stand up to a lot of openings and closings. 

Since one side of the trays are left open, it is possible to have the book fit inside snugly and still be able to remove it easily. You can see how the top tray is slightly larger than the bottom tray so that it completely covers it when closed.

The bookcloth spine is a piece of canvas that I backed with tissue paper so glue wouldn't seep through.

The stitching over the ribbon is called French Link Stitch. The end stitching is Coptic. I like having decorative papers along the outside of the signatures when the spine is left open.

This type of binding allows the book to lie completely flat when open. Each signature (group of folded pages) has a decorative, die cut piece of paper folded around it. Sometimes I prefer the white pages to show in the spine, but it seemed too stark for this particular book.

I used Neenah 24lb. linen texture writing paper for the blank pages. 

This was a great project to work on. I learned several new things while making it, such as backing my own cloth, and making my own wheat paste. Between YouTube, blogs, and instructional books, easily found at the library, you can get quite a bit of information, but, I want to learn more.

I have been searching high and low for bookbinding and boxmaking classes that are fairly close to me and that won't break the bank, and I finally found one at Smokey Road Press in Athens, Georgia! Yay! I've never been there, so I can't say what the class will be like, but just based on the photo of the books and box we'll be making, it looks like it will be a fun week! The website says there is also a retail store, which I'm hoping will have bookbinding supplies, so I may be taking a trip there next week, just to check it out. If I do, I'll give you my thoughts on it. If you are interested in this class, it is small--only 8 people, so don't wait too long to sign up!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create #108: Anything Goes--Create Your Own Challenge (Patterned Paper, Die Cut, Solid Color Paper, Stitching, Ribbon)
Fresh Brewed Challenge: January-FAVORITES (Book & Boxmaking)

~Hugs,

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I'm Published!!!

My family does highs and lows at dinner each night, and my high yesterday was easy...one of my cards is published in a magazine!!! I can't even remember how long ago I submitted this Tiddly Inks card to Complete Cardmaking Magazine, but I found out it was accepted when I saw it in print for the first time yesterday! (Thanks for the pic, Lou!) 

Here's my photo of the card:

It's my typical card that has a lot going on, with coloring, sewing, fussy cutting, and, of course, my all-time favorite technique, distressing, but I created the entire background for the image on the computer. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. All the images came from Tiddly Inks, including the cool background. There are details in the magazine about how I made it. They are classifying this as an "advanced" card, but if you know your way around a photo editing program, or have worked with images in Word, it is really not that difficult to make.

And, here's the card in print:

The colors in the magazine don't look as vivid, but, see that little teal blue banner in the upper left corner of the picture? That's my name!!! Whoo Hoo! See...it's really my card! 

And, this is the magazine: Complete Cardmaking Issue 54. I have a copy ordered, but it's coming from the U.K., so it may be awhile before I see it for real. Joann's, or maybe Michael's or Hobby Lobby, may carry this magazine in the U.S., but I'm not sure about that. 

I haven't posted on my blog in over two weeks because I've been working on perfecting my bookbinding and boxmaking skills (I'll have pics of my projects soon!), but after today, I think I'm ready to get back to cardmaking, and this year, maybe I'll submit more often to magazines. This has been FUN, and what a fantastic way to kick off the new 2015 year!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Something New
613 Avenue Create Challenge #106: 2nd Annual Block Party--1001 Techniques
Sugar Pea Designs SPD12: Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge #215: Shiny and New
Fresh Brewed Challenge January: Favorites
Kit and Clowder January Challenge: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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One Sheet Wonder Boxed Card Set with Wisdom

I hope y'all had a wonderful holiday, and are, perhaps, still enjoying it. In the words of the world's most famous fictional trespasser, Christmas at our house wasn't too crazy, it wasn't too tame...it was "just right." Well, all except for the flu bug we've had for over a week! But, that's almost run it's course, too, so all is well.

A couple of posts ago, I made a set of cards for a One Sheet Wonder Challenge at Viva la Verve, and I decided to give it another go, this time making a hinged lid box for the set, too. You can see the spine of the box here.

I used mat board to construct the box, and I wanted it to be really sturdy, so I glued 2 boards together to get a nice thickness. The box is actually large enough to hold the envelopes, too, but I forgot to put them in for the photo.

I've always loved making and decorating boxes, and have made lots of different ones, usually out of heavy cardstock or chipboard. And, having a Silhouette has certainly made boxmaking much easier, but I see more boxes like this one in my future. Between the gorgeous, heavy papers and the super thick boards, this box has a nice, substantial look and feel to it that I like, and it's definitely worthy of gifting! Now here's a look at the cards that are inside:

The Words of Wisdom stamp set from Verve is one of my all-time favorite sentiment sets. The sentiments are encouraging, and appropriate in so many instances, and the bold and varied fonts are just plain fun! I stamped those in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored the Crackle embossed layer and the sentiment circle with copper and turquoise Inka gold and edged them with Black Soot Distress Ink. For just a little more texture, I added one line of stitching to each sentiment, leaving threads dangling, and also stitched on one other piece on each card. The colored dots were mini pony beads in another life. For Christmas, my daughter gave me a toaster oven for my craft room so I can make embellies without having to heat up the big oven upstairs. It works great except for the stench from the melting plastic! I may carry the oven to the back porch before I try that again! (The 6x6 paper I used is from the My Mind's Eye Reunion pad).

The inside of the cards are all similar. I used a white, tilted personalization layer with distressed edges, added two 1" circle punches from an extra sheet of the cardstock (remember, I used the entire 6x6 sheet for the front of the cards, so there wasn't any waste there), and used opaque Souffle pens to do just enough doodling to brighten everything up.

And, that's all for now! Thanks for visiting, and have an awesome week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve December 2014 OSW Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create Challenge #104: Anything Goes
Sugar Pea Designs SPD12: Anything Goes
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #244: Anything Goes
TSC Challenge #61: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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Warm Cocoa Wishes

This past week, my daughter and I have both been feeling puny, and warm cups of hot chocolate were very welcomed by us! So for my Tiddly Inks Fabby Friday post, I decided to use the adorable Cocoa Wishes image and girly colors for a fun seasonal card. 

I colored little Wryn up with copics, fussy cut her, then popped her up with some foam tape. The card design is from this week's Your Next Stamp Sketch & Color Challenge. I cut the text out of heavy glitter paper.

Sadly, my time is up on the Tiddly Inks DT, so this will be my last post for them. There should be another DT call soon, for the next season, so be on the lookout. I highly recommend this DT for anyone interested in DT assignments. Christy, and the entire team, is amazing, and I enjoyed every minute I was there.

Be sure to stop by Tiddly Inks and see what the rest of the DT has for today's post. As usual, their creativity and talent will blow you away!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
YNS Sketch & Color Challenge #4
Simon Says Monday: Anything Goes
Simon Says Wednesday: Winter Inspiration
613 Avenue Create #102: Anything Goes
Sugar Pea Designs SPD12: Anything Goes
Chocolate, Coffee, & Card Challenge #80: Christmas
Corrosive Challenge #214: Anything Goes
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #242: Winter Cards with Glitter
The Shabby Tea Room Week #242: Shabby Chic Holiday
TSC Challenge #60: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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