Entering The World Of Technology

So...I've been dragging my heels for months, but I've finally taken the Twitter plunge. I don't know how much I'll be tweeting yet, but I guess I really have nothing to lose. I also put up a Poshta page on Facebook. I haven't the first clue as to how to navigate Facebook, but I'm giving it a try. We'll see how it goes.

You're A Super Star

Hello, Blogland! Today I'd like to share a congratulations card, but I need to make it quick (our block party is today and I still need to make a dish).


I started by hand-stitching the Summer Sunrise ric rac layer and the Spring Rain patterned paper together before adhering them to the white base. Then I stamped, sponged, and layered the sentiment before adhering that to the patterned paper layer and rounding the upper right hand corner. Next, I stamped the star and punched it out using the Fiskars star punch. Finally, I stitched on the button and mounted the star over the sentiment. Pretty easy peasy!

I also wanted to mention that I did a big update on my Etsy shop over the last couple of days. I'm not through yet, but I wanted to give a heads up.

Hope you're having a great weekend. See you soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Ultimate White - Strathmore; Summer Sunrise, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Star Prints - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Summer Sunrise, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Spring Rain Bitty Boxes - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Ric Rac Scissors - Paper Shapers; Large Star Punch - Fiskars
Other: Foam Adhesive - Scotch; Embroidery Floss - DMC; Button

Autumn Mums

So today's card started out as an idea that I was really excited about, but doesn't look quite the way I expected now that it's finished. I'll let you judge for yourself if it's as cool as I was aiming for it to be.


I started by stamping the polka dots onto Rustic White cardstock with watermark ink and embossed them with clear powder. You know what I learned today...you can't really stamp overtop clear embossing powder. True story. Duh.

Anyway, I set the base aside and went to work on my argyle textured panel. I scored and pierced lines alternately at 1/4" intervals. Then I went back though and stitched knots at every intersection of scored lines. This, I soon realized, takes a lot of time. Be prepared. Since I couldn't stamp the sentiment on the base I put that on this panel with the hope that it would be visible enough.


Once the argyle was finished I stamped the mum image onto Rustic White cardstock and colored it with pencils and mineral spirits. I die cut the image and the scalloped circle and began assembling the card.

First, I adhered the Pure Poppy scalloped circle to the base and mounted the argyle piece using foam tape because the threads on the back made using a flat adhesive tricky. I finished the card by mounting the floral image using foam tape and applying Glossy Accents to the vase for a little shine (it's a little difficult to see in the photo). I still don't know if I love it, but hopefully the recipient will enjoy it.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. I'm not sure what I have up my sleeve for tomorrow, but I'll try to make it special. See you then!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Rustic White, Kraft, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Autumn Abundance, Polka Dot Basics II - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Embroidery Floss - DMC; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Mineral Spirits
Tools: Scor-pal; Nesting Circles Dies, Nesting Flowers Dies - Quickutz; Die Cut Machine

Thankful For You

As I mentioned in my last post (you know, the one where I lamely explain my nearly six week absence), I am super thankful for all of you that stop by the blog and send emails and generally support all of my crafty endeavors. I am encouraged by each and every one of you! So in my appreciation I thought I might share a card that conveys a message full of gratitude.


I just got around to ordering Papertrey's Autumn stamps this month and I was nearly giddy with excitement when they arrived in the mail the other day. Fall is by far my favorite season and I know I will be getting quite a bit of use from the sets I ordered. One of the first things I did was stamp this acorn/oak leaf & vase image onto kraft cardstock. That image is perfect on Kraft. Am I right? Love it! I colored the image with an assortment of colored pencils and mineral spirits before adhering a swatch of frayed linen behind the main panel (the colored pencil ended up looking a little washed out in the photos, but trust that it's a little more vibrant in real life). I embellished the image with a little twine and a copper mini brad to really make it special.


Then, I took my trusty stitched stamp and added a little background goodness to a piece of Ripe Avocado cardstock. I realized that Papertrey's Rustic White cardstock was a perfect match to my linen, so I used that as my base rather than Vintage Cream (it really could have gone either way, but I'm quite fond of the Rustic White). I stamped the sentiment in white before mounting my main image panel to the base with a bit of foam tape.

I hope today's card pleases. I hope to be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, all the best!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Rustic White, Ripe Avocado, Kraft - Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Autumn Abundance, 2009 Autumn Tags, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Frost White - Colorbox
Other: Copper Mini Brad - American Crafts; Rustic Jute Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Mineral Spirits; Linen

It's Been A While

Good evening, Blogland. I've missed you. The months of August and September took on a life of their own and I realized a little too late that I was just along for the ride. Unfortunately, that means you, my beloved and much appreciated internet community, were neglected. This week the world stops spinning at a dizzying pace and I will be able to get back to sharing my projects on a more consistent basis. It also means that I will be updating and breathing life into my poor little Etsy shop. I'll make notes as to those updates here along with photos of new cards. So thank you to everyone that has called or emailed (or waited patiently for a response) to check on me in the past several weeks. It means so much that you all care what I do with myself and that I'm not quitting crafting or some such thing. I'm still here and I'll be back soon with something to share. All the best!