Graduation

A friend is graduating this weekend, but I have to be out of town (more on that in a minute) so I can't be there to congratulate her in person. I made this card today so Sean can give it to her on Sunday. She's really excited about graduating and we're both really happy for her, though we will miss her when she moves away.

It's a pretty simple card really. I just covered a chipboard rectangle with white paper and stamped it with a sentiment from It's A Celebration. The gray scalloped rectangle is hand cut with Fiskars mini scallop scissors. I did use my brand-spanking new Pure Poppy ink pad for my sentiment. The color is as nice as everybody says. I added a little sparkle with my glitter pen on the patterned paper. I should say that the color scheme was determined by the graduate's school. You can't graduate from The Ohio State University and not get a super scarlet and gray card.



Now, for my other news. I am going away for a few days and will likely not have the time or energy to check in here. My mom is undergoing surgery tomorrow, so I will be staying with her for a little while. I'm not even going to bother taking craft stuff with me. I will be home sometime early next week. Thanks for understanding...

Recipe:
Cardstock: white - Strathmore, red linen - Archivers, gray - Bazzill
Patterned Paper - DCWV
Stamps: It's A Celebration - Papertrey Ink
Ink: black pigment - Colorbox, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: velvet scalloped - Maya Road
Other: Rhinestones - Darice, Foam tape - 3M, Glitter pen - Sakura

New Feature

Ok...so I've been a little absent this week. I've been busy doing things around the house that aren't that much fun to post about. No one needs to hear about laundering all of the rugs in the house. We also went to the farm this week. Farm days pretty much lay me flat for the rest of the day.

Anyway, I ran across this website last week that allows you to make word art using any series of words you choose. They also allow you to plug in a website and you can see which words are used most frequently on that site. The website is Wordle. I decided to have a little Wordle-fun with my blog and see what it looked like. Here are the results:



Neat, huh? You should try it. All the cool kids are doing it...

Guest Star Stamper Submission

No luck on the Guest Star Stamper contest. Nichole still has the Honorable Mentions to announce, but that won't be for a few days. The projects this month were amazing! There are some really talented ladies in the paper crafting community.

At any rate here is my submission:



I wanted to create a message board for our house that wasn't super girly or frilly. Luckily, I had picked up a small cork board earlier this summer that I thought would work out perfectly. I stamped the trees from Father Knows Best and Boards & Beams along with the branch from Beautiful Blooms on some natural colored weaver's cloth. I used the rock & roll technique (ink the entire image in one color and roll the outer edges in a different color) to ink the tops of the trees and the leaves on the branch. That way there was a little more visual texture to the images. I adhered the fabric to the board and sponged all of the edges with dark chocolate ink (Note: to sponge the inner edge, I covered the cork with painter's tape so it would stay clean). I also pulled a few threads from the edges to give the fabric a worn look. Then, I added some olive stitched ribbon to the bottom of the cork board and through two hooks on the back. That way the cork board can hang from a single nail and will be easier to straighten. The ribbon is secured with two antique copper brads.



My finishing touch is the embellished push pins. I stamped leaf images from Father Knows Best on the cloth and cut them into 1/2" circles. I adhered the circles to flat headed push pins with glue dots. I did the same thing with vintage buttons tied with hemp cord. I love the way it turned out! Thanks for stopping by...

Recipe:
Stamps: Father Knows Best, Beautiful Blooms, Boards & Beams - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Dark Olive Chalk - Colorbox
Ribbon: Olive stitched - Michaels
Fabric: Natural Weaver's Cloth - Joann's
Brads: Antique Copper Square - Gary Burlin
Other: Cork board - Target

Papertrey Release Tonight!

I am so excited! The newest Papertrey release is tonight at midnight. I have a few things on my wish list before I even see the new sets in their entirety, so I may have to make a few cuts to my final shopping cart. I should have a project or two to share tomorrow (a Guest Star Stamper entry, for one). I've been working on some things for other people lately so I haven't done as much "fun" stamping (who am I kidding...it's all fun) as I would usually do in the course of a week. Come on over to the Papertrey website if you are so inclined. The party gets rolling early, so put on your speed typing fingers! Have a great night...

Nothing To Share

Sorry! I've been working on Papertrey Guest Star Stamper submissions this week, so I don't have any projects to showcase yet. I've also been working to finish up a friend's wedding trousseau. Yesterday was "typeset the programs" time. I love to typeset. I miss it immensely sometimes.

I also have my final doctor's appointment today. It has been a long 4 month process to get my back repaired, but I feel so much better now. I can actually get out of bed in the morning and I don't have to take Advil every four hours just to tolerate the ache. I'm going to have to deal with the arthritis forever, but that's nuthin' compared to what it was!

The kitties have been vigilant lately. They've been sleeping outside my craft room door to keep an eye on me. I've not gotten a glass of water alone for the last two weeks. I think they really love having me home. Buddy in particular. He likes to sleep on me when I'm trying to type. This is a large cat, folks. 18 pounds of love snuggled up on my lap.

The weather here has been cooler the past couple of days. Especially the mornings. I can't wait for fall. We go to Hocking Hills once every fall to hike and take pictures. The nights have a chill so people in our neighborhood burn branches in their outdoor fire pits and it smells like the whole block is camping. I pull out the cardigan sweaters and we go pumpkin picking. Sounds blissful, right? I'm so excited.

I'll try to get something sharable finished soon. Have a great day!

Farm's Tree

So, today I get an email from Sean..."Farm (sounds like F-ahhh-m) just scalded the snot out of her foot when water from a double-boiler went down her left shoe. She should do voice overs for horror films..." Nice visual/audio clip, heh? A get well card was added to the agenda. Everyone's favorite linebacker (or second favorite - Guadelupe is still my favorite) can't get hurt and not receive a get well card.



I wanted to make a pretty card that was full of bright and cheerful colors. I had it in my head to use one of my Maya Road trees. I've seen some really cute stuff done with these trees so (of course) I had to buy them and do super cute things, too. I repeatedly stamped a bubble cluster onto a couple of pieces of green cardstock. Then, I adhered one piece of stamped stock to the chipboard tree shape and the other to a Basic Grey chipboard frame, cutting them out using a craft knife. I like the craft knife better when I am cutting out chip board shapes. I did the same thing with some brown cardstock and my tree trunk before I sanded all of the cut edges with a nail file. That makes all of the edges smooth and hides any cutting mistakes.

I looked around and found some funky patterned paper that I thought might be fun without being too busy. A little layering, distressing, ribbon and ... Voila! A get well card is born.

The card had to be pretty big so everyone would be able to sign it. Between the service staff and the kitchen staff there are nearly 50 people in the cafe. The finished size is 5 x 7" and there are two white panels inside so there is plenty of signature space. I hope it adds a little sunshine to, what I imagine, is a morphine induced haze. Poor woman. Feel better, Farm! We're thinking of you!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Blue - DCWV; White, Brown, Parakeet, Red - Bazzill; White (inside) - Strathmore
Patterned Paper: Be Bopn' Boomerangs - SEI
Stamps: Circles & Dots - Inkadinkado; Faux Ribbon - Papertrey
Ink: Landscape - Palette; Moonlight White - Brilliance; Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Dark Brown Chalk Ink - ColorBox
Chipboard: Tree - Maya Road; Frame - Basic Grey
Brads: Copper Mini - American Crafts
Ribbon: Cranberry Grosgrain - CTMH

A Thank You

I made this "thank you" card for a friend to give to a couple that opened their home to her family. I really enjoy making cards like this one. It is such a warm and loving thing to invite someone into your home. The least I can do (or help someone do) is send along a note of heartfelt appreciation. I'm not as good at this as I should be, but it gives me a fuzzy feeling inside when I work on a project like this one. The Boards & Beams stamp set is fantastic for such cards. The images just beg to be colored and the sentiments are simple and poignant all at the same time.



The card itself is rather straight forward. I stamped my townhouse and colored it with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits. The look this technique gives is so nice. There are so many wonderful marker options in the industry , but I still really love the texture of a colored pencil. There is something so beautifully tactile about seeing the grain of a pencil stroke.

Thank you all again for your seriously humbling show of support during the Gallery Idol contest the past few weeks. I have had the opportunity to work and play in an industry I love and it has made me ever so happy. You are all amazing people and I am fortunate to have you. Have a great night.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Navy weave - Paper Company, White - Strathmore, light blue - Bazzill
Patterned Paper: Canopy Plaid - Chatterbox
Stamps: Boards & Beams - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Midnight Blue - StazOn
Ribbon: Red grosgrain - Offray
Brad: Pewter Mini - Making Memories
Pen: Silver Gel Excel - Marvy
Colored Pencils - Crimson Red, Poppy Red, Canary Yellow, True Blue, Indigo Blue, Dark Brown, Black - Prismacolor
Other: Glossy Accents - Ranger, Foam Tape - 3M, Turpenoid (Odorless Mineral Spirits) - Weber

Gallery Idol Winner...

...is not me. It's ok though. Congratulations to Nancy Cienfuegos! And a great BIG thank you to everyone that supported me through the contest. I appreciate your efforts more than you can possibly know and am totally humbled by your willingness to help a girl out. I had a lot of fun with the contest and it really did a lot to raise my confidence level. Hopefully my participation will lead me to bigger and better things! I'll try to post again later. Have a great day!

Gallery Idol - The Final Round

The final round of the Gallery Idol contest has been posted! The challenge for this round was to incorporate a silhouette. Everyone did a fantastic job! To see the cards click here.

To vote for your favorite click here.

My card is the first one. I had so much fun making this card! The challenge was tough, but it pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me try something different (which was a very good thing). I really love the results. I don't make many Halloween cards. I should.



I created the silhouette myself. The trail behind the witch is created using the Dot Flourishes stamp set from Inkadinkado and the Spooky Sweets and Text Boxed stamp sets from Papertrey Ink. The bat to the far right is also popped off of the front so it looks like the bat is flying. I also distressed the edges of the Kraft layer.



The moon was cut from light orange cardstock. I ran the cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the Bubbles Fiskars embossing plate to create the craters. The edges are sponged with darker orange ink.



I accented Witchie-Poo's trail with glitter and Glossy Accents.

This card fits into a standard business size envelope. I hope you'll all go and look at the Gallery Idol entries. They are all so amazing and unique. My favorite part of this contest has been getting to see the projects every week. Good luck to all of the super talented ladies in the contest!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate & Kraft - Papertrey Ink, orange - Bazzill
Ink: Dark Chocolate & Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink, Moonlight White - Brilliance, Autumn Orange - Memories
Stamps: Dot Flourishes - Inkadinkado, Spooky Sweets, Text Boxed, Birds of A Feather - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Summer Sunrise Twill - Papertrey Ink, Orange Stitched - May Arts
Other: Copper Brad - American Crafts, Glitter Pen - Sakura, Glossy Accents - Ranger, Foam Tape - 3M

Success!

The printer is connected! I am so pumped! Hooray!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Well...if your Christmas is 90 degrees and humid. Perhaps this is just wishful thinking. I'm not a big fan of the cold, but this heat wave is for the birds! I'm in a constant state of nap today. I can't function when it's this hot. The downstairs in our house yesterday reached 87 degrees before I finally turned on the A/C. Now it's a balmy 80* in here. The upstairs is perpetually 10* warmer (or colder depending on the season) so I think I might have been able to bake bread in the dormer had I tried. Needless to say, tank tops have been in great demand.

At any rate, I have been thinking Christmas lately. The new Papertrey Ink releases this month will have a Fall holiday theme. Next month will be Winter holiday theme. I really just want to warm up for those releases. I can't wait!





This card uses one of the sets from last year. This is Take A Bough. I love the build-an-ornament feature of this set. The card is pretty simple actually. I stamped the branch, foliage, and sentiment in Palette inks. The ornament is stamped with copper and paprika pigment inks. I traced the hook and the ornament decoration with a glitter pen and covered the entire ornament with Glossy Accents. The green layer is stamped with the individual piney things. Both Kraft layers are sponged with copper ink. I tied sheer cranberry ribbon around the focal panel and mounted the whole thing with foam tape. Easy Peasy. These could be really great to do en mass for the holiday.

Well, I should get back to work. I'm trying to set up my snazzy high-res color laser printer today. OOOhhhh! AAAAhhh! Have a good day!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink, Parakeet & Cajun - Bazzill
Stamps: Take A Bough - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink, Landscape - Palette, Cosmic Copper - Brilliance, Paprika - VersaColor
Ribbon: Sheer Cranberry - CTMH
Other: Glitter Pen - Sakura, Glossy Accents - Ranger, Foam Tape - 3M

A Birthday Present

I've been working on this card for two days. I just couldn't get it quite right, and I'm not sure that it is there yet. I'm done fiddling with it though. I need to move on, I think.

I've had this gift stamp from Denami Design for a very long time. I had it in a give away box earlier this summer, but changed my mind. I have this idea in my head that this stamp could be really great for birthday cards, but I'm having a tough time falling in love with my results. I'll keep trying. Without further ado, here is the most recent card using the present stamp.





First, I colored the image with Prsmacolor Pencils and mineral spirits. Then, I cut through the image with a craft knife and threaded ribbon through the cardstock to look like the ribbon on the present. There is also glitter on each of the stars and around the edge of each layer. The blue layer is randomly stamped with the star cluster stamp in the It's A Celebration set from Papertrey Ink. It's really sparkly in real life. I feel like the card is maybe missing something, but I'm not sure what it is. In any case it is a very post friendly card. No angry postmaster with this card. It's nice and flat. I have a nice postmaster that likes to answer questions and help me. He's one of the few. I'm lucky, super lucky.

Now back to the silhouette search. Thanks for visiting!

Recipe:
Cardstocks: white - Strathmore, Limeade - Bazzill, blue - DCWV
Stamps: Present - Denami Design, It's A Celebration (star cluster) - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink, Moonlight White - Brilliance, Sky - Paper Salon
Colored Pencils: True Blue, Apple Green, Canary Yellow - Prismacolor Pencils
Other: Ribbon - American Crafts, Glitter Pen - Sakura, Foam Tape - 3M

I'm in!!!

Holy smokes! I made it to the final round of the Paper Crafts Gallery Idol contest. The challenge this round is to design a card that features a silhouette. This should be interesting! I can't wait to see what the other ladies come up with for this round. Boy, what am I going to do with all of my time when this is all over? Not feeling compelled to look at the Paper Crafts website 15 times a day will surely free up at least an hour. Sadly, probably more...Oh, well! Off to search out nifty silhouettes.

I did make a card to share, but it still needs photographed, so it will be a little later. Sorry for the wait!