Triumphant Return!

I made it! My trip was fun, but full of unexpected obstacles. When we made it to Jasper, it was to discover that the entire city was under a boil order. The hotel left us 2 water bottles in our room each day because none of the water was fit for consumption.

Then we woke up the next day... Apparently, we had perfect timing on when we wanted to take our showers because the city was flushing the lines and the water that came out of our faucets looked like sewage...  Yeah, not a fun day.

Anyway, all's well that ends well. Nicole and Jason had a beautiful ceremony full of laughter and tears. And then there was the reception... I don't think Nicole will live down her antics for years to come. We had a blast though!

And now there's only a week until I pack up and do it all over again for Nik and Roxy!

Speaking of them, I made a card for their wedding today. I've been attempting cards for them over the past several months because I wanted to incorporate orange in the card (their wedding color). As you know, I hate orange. Loathe it. Well, I used Calypso Coral in this one and I think it turned out rather pretty.

Stamps: Four Feathers, Itty Bitty Banners (with matching dies)
Ink: Calypso Coral, Versamark
Embossing Powder: Gold (Recollections)
Paper: Whisper White
Embossing Folder: Modern Mosaic
Accents: Calypso Coral Baker's Twine

I'll be back for a week, but then I leave for Nik and Roxy's wedding next Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully, I'll have some good updates between now and then!

Less Is More Challenge

I decided to try my hand at the Less is More Challenge this week. The challenge is to make a one layer card featuring beverages. I just got my beautiful Lemonade set from Simon Says Stamp in the mail last week and I couldn't wait to ink it up again!

I haven't entered any of the Less is More Challenges yet, but they usually fall into my typical style, so I thought, why not!

Stamps: Lemonade (Simon Says Stamp)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Daffodil Delight
Accents: Silver and Gold Sequins

My best friend is getting married this weekend back in Indiana, so I'll be flying out Thursday morning with my husband. I'll be gone for several days, so don't be surprised if I don't update again until next week! I'm sure I'll have lots of fun pictures and new ideas for cards when I get back. See you soon!

Remembrance

Today is a tough day for me. There are actually 3 tough days for me throughout the year. The first is Veteran's Day because November 11th is the day that one of my best friends died in Iraq. Ironic that he died on Veteran's Day, I know. The second is his birthday on September 1 and the third is September 11. I'm always bombarded with images in the media and social networking that remember one of the saddest days in recent history. I feel that sting a little more deeply.

I made this card in honor of Pete. I miss him every day, but after nearly 10 years, the pain has dulled. Today, not so much.

Pete was such a kind and caring individual and he's dearly missed. His death is the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. Especially after his mother sent me a letter that he hadn't mailed to me before his final mission. He'll always be in my heart and he'll never be forgotten. I love you, Pete.



Lemons

That was a much longer break then I intended to take, but it's in the past and I'm back!

I ordered a couple of new stamp sets from Simon Says Stamp and I'm thrilled with them! I made this simple encouragement card for a friend of mine with the Lemonade set. Love it!

Stamps: Lemonade (Simon Says Stamp)
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso
Paper: Yellow (random from my stash),Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Accents: Yellow Baker's Twine

Quick Post

I'm just writing to let you know that I'm still alive! I haven't dropped off the face of the earth and I haven't stopped making cards. I've just been really busy recently.

I've been trying to get my yard back in shape and, with the Arizona sunshine and heat, I'm pretty exhausted when I'm done. It doesn't leave a whole lot of energy for blogging!

I hope to be back in the next few days with an actual card post. Until then, see you soon!

Making Spirits Bright

I decided to try another Christmas card today. I've had enough of a break that I'm not feeling burnt out on them anymore. I decided to go simple with this one though.

I used the Making Spirits Bright set and stamped the image in StazOn Jet Black. Then (because I don't have my markers yet...sad panda...) I used a blender pen to pick up some color from my ink pads and color in the image. Using my Simply Scored tool, I scored a couple of lines across the top and left side for some interest.

I finished off the inside with a simple sentiment mounted on gold. Easy and simple card, but I love the effect!

Stamps: Making Spirits Bright
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Garden Green, So Saffron
Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Gold Foil
Tools: Blender Pen, Simply Scored

Freshly Made Sketches 151 & ColorThrowdown 307

I'm trying my hand at yet another challenge today. I mashed up Freshly Made Sketches with Color Throwdown again.

I'm in need a few more thank you cards, so this is what I came up with.

 

 

I used a Heidi Swapp stencil for the honeycomb and then the Flower Patch stamps with the Flower Fair matching dies to create my flower and leaves. I had to do some fussy cutting to get the smaller pieces of the larger flower, but I think it was worth it for some dimension. It's finished off with a sweep of Old Olive from the Gorgeous Grunge set and a sentiment from A Dozen Thoughts.

To keep the inside of my card interesting, I just used the same stencil down the right side. It's light enough that it won't interfere with any sentiment that I want to write inside later.

Stamps: Flower Patch, Gorgeous Grunge, A Dozen Thoughts
Ink: Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Pacific Point
Paper: Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Whisper White
Accents: Homemade Candy Dot
Miscellaneous: Heidi Swapp Honeycomb Stencil

Kinda Eclectic

Today's card was actually a CASE of a card that I fell in love with, but can't for the life of me remember where I saw it. (If the card was yours, thank you for the beautiful inspiration!)

I loved this card so much that I decided to make it into a set of 4.

 

It was honestly very easy to create and it only took the one stamp set. The only thing that took a little time was cutting out all of the butterflies. (I don't have the punches yet, but they are on my wish list!)

 

 

Stamps: Kinda Eclectic

Ink: Crumb Cake, Basic Black

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accents: Pearls

Sponged Night Sky

I watched the fabulous Jennifer McGuire's amazing tutorial and wanted to try this technique for myself. She made an absolutely beautiful card and it was really very simple.

 

 

She used embossing paste for her stars, but I don't have any in my collection and it's not in the budget to buy any new supplies right now, so I made due with what I have.

 

For my first attempt, I tried using a stencil like she did, but I used Versamark ink and then heat embossed my images. I'm just not in love with this one. It didn't quite work the way I wanted it to.

 

 

 

My stars got a little fuzzy, which is kind of cool, but not what I was looking for. Still, I really like the finished project, a cute Christmas card!

 

Stamps: Bright & Beautiful

Ink: Night of Navy, Pacific Point, Blackberry Bliss, Versamark

Paper: Vellum, Whisper White, Silver Metallic

Punches: Stars (Martha Stewart)

Other: Snow Embossing Powder (Recollections), Micro Pearl Powder (Pearl Ex), Star Stencil

 

Next, I decided to do my sponging before I did any stars. I ended up liking this card a whole lot more than the first.

 

 

I sponged the background and then stamped my stars with white pigment ink (it helps me see what I'm doing). Then I heat embossed them with white powder. I would have then added the sprinkles of Pearl Ex powder mixed with water, but I forgot! (I very carefully covered my sentiment and did that step last. That's why the sprinkles look a little funny!) I then heat embossed my sentiment on vellum and added my punched stars. I hid my dimensionals behind the accents and stuck it on my panel.

 

Stamps: Fabulous Four, Festival of Trees (star), Banner Blast (star), Random Hampton Art set (moon & stars)

Ink: Night of Navy, Blackberry Bliss, Pacific Point, Versamark, White Craft

Paper: Vellum, Whisper White, Silver Metallic

Punches: Stars (Martha Stewart)

Other: Snow Embossing Powder, Micro Pearl Powder (Pearl Ex)

 

I took a few days off to try to pack a few items for our impending move and do some cleaning. Looks like our move is on a hold for a little bit though. I have maybe a month until we're actually ready to head out, but that could change. I feel like I have a little breathing room though, so that's nice. I look forward to having a little more time in my crafting room until things get hectic again! See ya soon!



My First Challenge Entry

So I lied...I couldn't stay out of my craft room for more than 24 hours. I'm just a little pathetic!

I've played along with some challenges before, but I've never actually entered any. I thought I'd remedy that today.

I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches #150 and Color Throwdown #306.

Keeping with my Christmas in August theme, I decided to make mine a Christmas card.

Stamps: Ornament Keepsakes, More Merry Messages
Ink: Night of Navy, Wisteria Wonder (don't have Pale Plum), Pear Pizazz
Paper: Whisper White
Accents: Ribbon
Embossing Folder: Swiss Dots

Much Needed Time Off

I'm just writing a quick little note to let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth! I'm taking some much needed time off from my craft room.

I have quite a bit that I need to get done around my house with a potential move around the corner. (Not sure if it's happening just yet, but I'm getting a few things in order, just in case!).

I'll be back in a few days with some brand new posts, but until then, I'll be cleaning and reading a good book in my down-time. See you soon!

Work of Art

Time to mix it up a little. My brain didn't want to do any Christmas today, so I broke out the Work of Art set and made this quick card.

Stamps: Work of Art
Ink: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Basic Gray
Paper: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Accents: Rhinestones, Washi Tape (Studio G)

CIA Part 5

I'm just not feeling very crafty today, but I took a shot at another Christmas card... After I made this one, I decided that maybe I should take a day off and try to get my mojo back tomorrow!

Just not up to my usual standard. I may just need a day to relax with a good book! I'll try to be back tomorrow with something prettier!

Stamps: Christmas Bliss, Endless Wishes
Ink: Garden Green, Real Red, Smoky Slate
Paper: Smoky Slate, Whisper White
DSP: random from my stash

CIA Part 4

Continuing with my Christmas theme...

Don't you just love the new Bright & Beautiful stamp set?! It's fast becoming one of my go-to sets! Keeping with m typical CAS (clean and simple) style, I left lots of white space. I stamped the largest star in Blackberry Bliss and the smallest star in Smoky Slate and then cut them both out (by hand, unfortunately, but I can't afford the star framelits right now!). The strip behind the star is a piece of Blackberry Bliss cardstock embossed with the Cuttlebug Baby's Breath embossing folder. I adhered that piece straight to the card base and then used dimensionals on the back of both stars. The finishing touch is the sentiment from Christmas Bliss.

Inside my card...

In case it's too small to read, I used the sentiment from Christmas Bliss which reads: May all the sparkle of the stars and all the peace on earth be yours this Christmas. I thought it fit nicely with my theme.

Love that Blackberry Bliss!

Stamps: Bright & Beautiful, Christmas Bliss
Ink: Smoky Slate, Blackberry Bliss
Paper: Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss
Embossing Folder: Baby's Breath (Provocraft)

Toasty Wedding

I decided to not focus on my friends' wedding colors this time and just focus on their personalities. They're both fun and I think this card will make them laugh. (In case you can't read it, the sentiment says: "Time to get toasty!")

I ran the card base through my Modern Mosaic embossing folder and then stamped the image on a panel and colored it with a blender pen and some So Saffron. I added a little bit of superfine gold glitter with a glue pen for more control. Then I sponged a white ribbon with some So Saffron ink (didn't have anything that matched!) and tied a bow. Attach the panel to a So Saffron back and popped it up with some dimensionals to finish it off.

Stamps: Making Spirits Bright
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, So Saffron
Paper: Whisper White, So Saffron
Accents: Gold Glitter, Ribbon
Embossing Folder: Modern Mosaic

Inspiration Found!

I wasn't feeling very creative over the past couple of days, so I didn't spend much time in my craft room. I spent some time getting caught up on my friends back in Indiana and watching Robin Williams movies (so sad!).

In the midst of all of this, I discovered that one of my friends from high school has actually made it pretty big in the music industry. (The second of my friends to become famous! The first being Kate Bolduan of CNN fame!) Tim Showalter, who grew up down the street from me (in fact, a couple houses down from Kate), is the Singer/Songwriter responsible for Strand of Oaks.

Tim was recently featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers plugging his new album HEAL. If you're a fan of great rock and roll (and I mean 80's and 90's style rock), then check out his new album. I get tired of the overly electronic music these days and his music is a throwback to all that was good about those decades. His writing style is highly personal (check out Goshen '97 - it's all about his Freshman year of high school).

Anyway, his success inspired the following card: Dare to Dream

Stamps: Kinda Eclectic, Loving Thoughts (retired)
Ink: Mossy Meadow
Paper: Whisper White, Mossy Meadow
Embossing Folder: Honeycomb

And now for a remembrance...

When I listen to Goshen '97 I remember Tim sitting in the back of our World History class (on top of his desk before class) singing Smashing Pumpkins with our friend Geoff. Crazy that he mentions the Pumpkins in his song! So proud of my classmate today!

Christmas In August (CIA) Part 3 (And An Extra)

I started my morning with yet another Christmas card.

Stamps: Snowflake Soiree, Festive Flurry, Greetings of the Season, More Merry Messages
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Smoky Slate
Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay
Embossing Folder: Unknown (Lifestyle Crafts)
Accents: Rhinestones, Ribbon dyed with Bermuda Bay ink

Then I decided to try my hand at the CAS Challenge. I don't really like how this one turned out, so I'm not entering it, but it's still cute.

 

I used the Bokeh effect that I sort of love, but I didn't wait long enough for the white pigment ink to dry, so when I went to emboss my sentiment, the powder stuck everywhere (even with the embossing buddy!). Oops.

Stamps: Fabulous Four
Ink: Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Wisteria Wonder, White (Colorbox)
Paper: Whisper White

Christmas in August Part 2

Continuing with my Christmas theme today...

Stamps: Festive Flurry, Greetings of the Season
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Silver (Colorbox)
Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay
Embossing Folder: Snowflakes (Paper Studio)

Stamps: Snowflake Soiree
Ink: Lost Lagoon, Soft Suede
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede
Accents: White Organza Ribbon (dyed with Soft Suede), snowflake brad

Stamps: Snowflake Soiree, Endless Wishes
Ink: Basic Gray, StazOn Jet Black
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black
Accents: Ribbon, Rhinestones

Then because I absolutely loved it, I decided to steal CASE Heather's card.

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?! I just fell in love with the beautiful colors and the simple design. (Enough that I had to steal it!)

Stamps: Bright & Beautiful
Ink: Soft Sky, Pear Pizazz, Smoky Slate
Paper: Whisper White
Accents: Silver ribbon, rhinestones

Christmas in August!

I'm starting to work on my Christmas cards for my online store. It takes a while to build up the stock I need, so I start early. I won't just be making Christmas cards (I'd get burnt out really fast!), but you'll see some occasionally.

 

 

I started simple...and you know me, I love white space!

 

 

 

 

Stamps: Endless Wishes

Ink: Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Marina Mist, StazOn Jet Back

Accents: Rhinestones, Baker's Twine

Bokeh Wedding

One of my best friends is getting married at the end of next month and her wedding is very country chic. Lots of burlap and lace. I can't wait! In her honor, I made this card today.

I LOVE the way this one turned out! It's just so whimsical and really fits her personality. I used Strawberry Slush and Baked Brown Sugar in a watercolor wash for the background. Then, like yesterday, I used my homemade stencil to daub on the white circles. This time I skipped the marker and added a few sequins for some shine.

And because I loved that card so much, I made a couple more in different colors!

Here they all are together!

Stamps: Just Married Quotes (Fiskars)
Ink: Strawberry Slush and Baked Brown Sugar (Card 1), Blackberry Bliss and Island Indigo (Card 2), Island Indigo and Daffodil Delight (Card 3) with Early Espresso for the sentiment
Paper: Whisper White
Accents: Sequins

Bokeh Effect

I got a little ambitious today and decided to try out a new technique that I've never tried before. I still have a little fine-tuning to do, but I like it! The Bokeh effect recreates a light effect that you can get in photography.

I used a watercolor wash for the background (Pool Party and Pear Pizazz). Then I created a homemade stencil with vellum by punching out a couple different sizes of circles. Using this stencil, I randomly inked in the white circles on the background. The smaller the circle, the more intense the white ink should be. I finished up by adding little "dust motes" with a distress marker in white. (Looking back, I probably wouldn't do that again.) I finished it off by trimming up my panel and then stamping my sentiment in Early Espresso and attaching it to my card base with dimensionals. (I used a heat tool to completely dry my background and my white circles before finishing it.)

A couple closer shots of the Bokeh effect.

Ink: Pear Pizazz, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Craft White
Paper: Whisper White
Tools: Homemade Stencil, Sponge Dauber, Heat Tool

Beautiful Birthday

I was playing around with my sponges today and decided to get out an old favorite of mine: Blooming with Kindness. I just love this large flower!

I stamped once in Calypso Coral and then stamped partial images surrounding it in Versamark. I embossed the partials using white embossing powder and then finished it off by sponging with Calypso Coral. So pretty!

Stamp: Blooming with Kindness
Ink: Calypso Coral, Early Espresso, Versamark
Paper: Whisper White
Embossing Powder: Snow (Recollections)

Then I decided to make a quick card with my Flower Patch set.

Stamps: Flower Patch
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Hello Honey, Strawberry Slush
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Perfect Plum (ran out of Elegant Eggplant!)
Dies: Flower Fair

Flower Patch Again

Back to my new favorite stamp set! I'm still getting the hang of getting crisp images with the larger photopolymer stamps. I don't know if I'm the only one who has this issue, but I tend to get weird bubbly looking parts in my stamped image sometimes. I'm sure it's just operator error though.

Stamps: Flower Patch
Dies: Flower Fair
Ink: Lost Lagoon, Pool Party, Old Olive, Pistachio Pudding
Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party
Accents: Rhinestones

Butterfly Stationary

I'm at it again! I made a very simplistic stationary set featuring my favorite insect, the butterfly! These are super simple and a breeze to put together a bunch in a hurry. I wanted something for when I needed to send a quick note for no particular reason. No greeting means they're good for any occasion.

See? Easy peasy. Just two stamps and they're super cute!

I made them in 10 different colors because, as always, I love my colors!

Stamps: Best of Butterflies, Flourishy (Recollections)
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Sahara Sand, Blackberry Bliss, Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy, Lost Lagoon, Tangelo Twist, Tempting Turquoise, Perfect Plum