Don't Forget To Write

Best Of Columbus!

2012-01-28T16:05:00.000-05:00

Hello, Blogland! I'm just popping in quickly today to share a bit of news about which I am very, very excited. My business has been nominated in the Columbus Alive's Best of Columbus poll! We're nominated in the Best Brand Without a Storefront category. The nod was quite a surprise and I am so happy to be included alongside a few of my favorite local crafters.

You can find the full poll HERE, if you're so inclined. The poll covers everything from dining to entertainment with a majority of the shopping on the second page. Voting continues until the first of March at noon. Results will be released in the March 29th edition of the Alive.

Thank you for sharing in my news today! I'll be back to share another project in the next couple of days.

January Papertrey Blog Hop

2012-01-25T19:11:00.001-05:00

Greetings, Blogland! Today is the January Papertrey Blog Hop and I thought it might be fun to participate (it also helps me keep the blog resolution dream alive). This month's challenge was to choose a favorite card from 2011 and make another card inspired by the first. Fun, right?

I chose a card I made with the 2010 anniversary set. I'd just fiddled around with the stamps for awhile and decided it was time to make a proper card. Does anyone remember this guy?

Looking at it again, I decided that I liked the layout and the stamp set so I decided to create a second card using those elements.

This time around I went with the poppies image rather than the dandelions and used one of the shorter sentiments since I knew I would have a smidgen less white space. I also chose a slightly wider ribbon that had a bit of a wrinkled, poppy-petal texture and I embellished the space around the flowers with rhinestones rather than gussy-up the blooms themselves.

All in all I'm rather pleased with my second version and I can definitely see a few more of these variations in my future.

Enjoy the blog hop, everyone! See you all again soon.

Recipe:
Stamps: Botanical Silhouettes, Polka Dot Basics II - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Spring Moss, Sweet Blush, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; dark green pigment, brown pigment - Studio G
Other: Edgers 1 Dies - Papertrey Ink; White Ribbon - May Arts; Rhinestones (colored with a Sharpie) - Darice; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Love Birds

2012-01-20T21:33:00.003-05:00

Hello, Blogland! This week has been a busy one, no? It's been bananas around here. I finished a couple of big projects this week and I'm beat. I have a few smaller orders to fulfill this weekend, but I'm hoping for a nice, long night of rest before I tackle anything else.

At any rate I'm trying to keep up with my goal of one blog post per week (minimum) with this little ditty. I'm really beginning to throw myself into all things Valentine's Day and lovey dovey, so I thought these birds would be a nice start here on the blog. I started by die cutting and stamping the bird cage. I added the birds and the heart and set that whole piece aside.

Next I stamped the sentiment and chain images onto the base before running the base through the Cuttlebug with the Tin Types impression plate. I really love the subtle texture. I added some vellum and patterned paper to the base and then tied the whole thing with a bit of baker's twine. The final step was mounting the previously stamped cage to the card with mounting tape and embellishing the heart with a smidge of glitter to give it a little sparkle.

Well, that's all for me today, friends. I'm about 15 minutes and a good-night kiss away from dreamland. See you again soon!

Recipe:
Stamps: Love Birds, Simple Valentine (heart) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Textured Vellum - Papertrey Ink; white
Patterned Paper: Pure Poppy Bitty Boxes - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Spring Rain, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink
Other: Tin Types Impression Plate - Papertrey In; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; Oyster Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Scallop Edge Punch - Fiskars

Yippee!

2012-01-14T07:24:00.006-05:00

Greetings, Blogland! Today's card is a congratulations card for someone in my world that had a pretty huge achievement this week. I spent some time going through all of the congratulatory sentiments I have, but nothing was packing quite enough punch. Then I remembered the block alphabet die. Eureka! I set about die cutting the letters to spell out "yippee!" in short order.

I lined up my letters on a scrap of white cardstock and determined how big my center panel was going to need to be. Once that was cut down, I scored a frame a smidgen over a 1/4" from the edge all the way around. Then I stamped the sentiment from Rhythm & Soul and drew a very, very light line across the panel so I could line up my letters reasonably well. After I mounted all of my letters I erased as much of the line as I could reach with my long, skinny eraser. That's why it's important to draw the line super light. There's no way you're really going to get to erase everything (without destroying your card, anyway), so any remainder needs to be so light that most folks wouldn't notice it.

Next, I stamped a Soft Stone card base (I'm really starting to love that color as a neutral option) with one of the strips from Background Basics: Chevron. Well, actually, I stamped a different base with a few lines and decided it was way too busy, so I chucked it. I was much happier on the next go round. I embellished the base with a little embroidery floss and a gray button before mounting my sentiment panel with foam adhesive.

Well, that's all for me today. Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul, Background Basics: Chevron - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Simply Chartreuse - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Turquoise pigment - Studio G
Other: Lowercase block alphabet die - Papertrey Ink; embroidery floss - DMC; foam adhesive - Scotch; gray button (I think I cut this one off of one of Sean's old work shirts)

Catching Up with Make It Monday

2012-01-07T10:27:00.005-05:00

What the Devil?! Two posts in one week? I know, right? I'm motivated. And I thought it would be fun to play along with Papertrey's Make It Monday this week. Instead of debuting a new technique, this week they compiled all of the videos they've done over the last year-ish so folks who missed a week could catch up a smidge. Needless to say, I've missed a few weeks, but I thought it would be fun to catch one of the techniques on the flip side.

So I played along with the "#31: Creating a Background Using Non-Background Stamps." At least that's what I was going for. I suppose it could have also fit into the "#39: Multi-Stamp Background Building" too. Either way, I had fun stamping these little houses into a fairly successful pattern.

In keeping with the "I-love-my-fella" theme from the last card today's little ditty is another lovey dovey number. I think I'm going to make a bunch of sweet, kissy cards and give them to him whenever the mood strikes. Be prepared for lots of them this year.

First I put all of my house parts onto different blocks and assigned each a color. I didn't want to have to be cleaning stamps and switching inks in order to complete my pattern. Then I just started stamping away on my white cardstock. I began at the bottom-center and worked my way toward the edges and then toward the top. Once my background was complete I die cut the blue pinked edge and stitched the two together with embroidery floss. Then I stamped the polka dots on my base and adhered my background panel. The sentiment was stamped, matted and given a little swatch of ribbon before the whole piece was mounted to the base with foam adhesive.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a great weekend!

Recipe:
Stamps: Love Lives Here, Polka Dot Basics 2 - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Enchanted Evening, Spring Moss, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Spring Moss, Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, Ripe Avocado, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink
Other: Pinked Edge Die, Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Embroidery Floss - DMC; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

A Card and A Goal

2012-01-05T10:25:00.001-05:00

Greetings, Blogland! Happy New Year to you and yours! I know it's been awhile since our last meeting and I wanted to address that really quickly first. I'm not usually big on New Year's resolutions (resolutions seem like they're made to be broken), but I wanted to set a few goals for myself this year. I have a good feeling about 2012 and I want to start it off right. So here are my two crafty goals for this year:

1. Post to the poor, neglected blog at least once a week. This could be a toughy, but I'm really, really going to try. I may have to spend my quiet months stocking up so I don't have a mental break in December (18-hour days are no one's friend), but I'm really going to bust my hiney to make posting a priority this year.

2. Keep the studio clean enough that there will never be another stamp set landslide. You don't want to see that, People. It isn't pretty. And I had my fair share of them in 2011, so this year I am setting a goal to keep things in relative order. I just spent 4 days cleaning and reorganizing and it's feeling pretty darn good right now.

So here we are on the 5th of January and I'm achieving my posting goal for this week with a quickie card I made for my fella. We've been talking a lot lately about how as our relationship grows and changes it only gets better. These chats inspired me to make him a little "just because" card. This accomplished a couple of things: I get back into the swing of things after a bit of a card making dry spell and he gets a sweet reminder of how much he's loved and appreciated. Everybody wins!

It's a pretty straightforward construction. I stamped the sentiment and the tree onto the base before running the base through the Cuttlebug with the woodgrain impression plate. Then I stamped the tree onto Kraft and trimmed it all the way to the edges before mounting it to the base with foam adhesive. The finishing touch was a little twine and a button. Easy peasy.

Thanks for checking in today. Hopefully I can keep this thing going. See you next time!

Recipe:
Stamps: Love and Marriage - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Brown pigment - Studio G
Other: Twine, Dark Chocolate Button, Woodgrain Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

December 2011 Papertrey Blog Hop!

2011-11-25T11:05:00.005-05:00

Hello, Blogland! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. We weren't able to travel this year, but we had a wonderful time at home with a small group of friends and a table piled high with delicious food. My fella really knows his way around a pot of black beans (I'm just sayin'). This vegetarian is truly thankful for that skill at this time of year!

Anyhow...I really wanted to participate in this month's Blog Hop, so I whipped up this little ditty recently. In keeping with the inspiration photo I stuck with a fairly traditional red and green color scheme. I stamped the wreath branches with Dark Chocolate ink and then added the "foliage" in Spring Moss and Ripe Avocado. I turned the dotted stamp 180* before stamping the second time to make sure the spacing would look random and more realistic.

The white polka dots were heat embossed on the Pure Poppy strip using ultra fine white embossing powder and then the red was mounted to a strip of white cardstock to give the edges a nice definition. I set that whole bit aside while I stamped my sentiment and ran my card front through the Cuttlebug with an impression plate.

Once the card front and the polka dotted strip were adhered to the card base I cut and knotted a strip of Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched Ribbon and wrapped that around the entire card, hiding the ends under the wreath panel. I prefer the way that looks over cutting ribbon at the edges of a card, for some reason. Yes, I use more ribbon, but it feels more finished to me. Truly just a preference thing.

The final step was adding the little silk bow to the wreath. I didn't have any 1/4" silk ribbon laying around, so I took white and colored it with a Sharpie. Voila! I haven't jumped on the Copic train, but the handful of Sharpies I own certainly comes in handy sometimes!

Well that's all for me today. I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Have fun hopping!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Wreath for All Seasons, Stocking Prints, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched, 1/4" silk - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Linen/Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Nesting Circles Dies - Quickutz
Other: Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Who's Up for A Cocoa?

2011-11-03T16:49:00.004-04:00

Hello, Blogland! It's been awhile since I'd had the time or a project to post, so I wanted to share this card just as soon as I made it. I've been immersed in a Christmas wonderland this week. I have all of my red, green, silver, and white embellishments arranged all pretty-like on a dessert display right in the middle of my workbench. The inspiration seems to be working! I'll do the same with other thematic embellishments when I work on other holiday cards here in the next week or so.

Anyway, enough yammering! On to the card. I pulled out my Candy Cane Christmas stamp set along with a sentiment from Fillable Frames #9 and a couple of my linear background builders to put this little number together. I stamped the patterned paper using Faux Ribbon and Background Basics: Retro. I absolutely love the way it turned out! I've done this with other colors on cards in the past, but this arrangement of colors might be my favorite.

I stamped my mug in Aqua Mist and decked it out with both a peppermint stick and an itty bitty holly sprig. Doesn't it just look so festive?! I mounted the mug to a Half & Half die cut strip with foam adhesive. Then that whole piece was mounted with more foam tape to the base. One little thing I wanted to point out was the ribbon/string treatment. I love bows on cards, but I realize that bulky bows aren't the easiest things to mail. I get around that by using a strip of ribbon and then adding a bow with embroidery floss/twine/jute/etc. over the top. I still get my bow, but it's significantly easier to mail (which is especially important when I'm making cards to be mailed by someone else).

Hope you enjoyed today's card! Have a great weekend!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; White
Stamps: Faux Ribbon, Background Basics: Retro, Candy Cane Christmas, Fillable Frames #9 - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink
Other: Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Half & Half Dies, Candy Cane Christmas Dies - Papertrey Ink; Frosted Lace Stickles - Ranger; Red embroidery floss - DMC; Holly Punch - Punch Bunch; Rhinestones - Darice; Foam Tape - Scotch

2012 Calendars Now Available

2011-10-24T15:08:00.008-04:00

Hello Blogland! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but it's not for lack of productivity. Most of what I've been doing lately is graphic design oriented rather than greeting card driven. I typically only post the card making projects here, but I thought I'd share this year's calendars since they've been such a big reason for my absence. It's also the first time I've branched out and done a wall calendar, so I am excited to share that as well.

First up is the desktop version.

I decided to go simple with this year's desktop calendar since I was committed to doing a wall calendar, too. Each month has the same swag of banners with different colors. I've used this motif on other projects in the past and it just felt like a fun direction for the calendar.

These are HERE in my Etsy shop, at Celebrate Local (at Easton Town Center), or you can find me at shows in and around Columbus. They'll be at Wholly Craft in the next couple of weeks, too.

And here is the wall calendar!

I illustrated a different object or scene from nature for each month. The finished size is 6" x 9" so it's small enough that it won't take up an overwhelming amount of space, but it still packs a colorful punch with each page being a full-color illustration. I also decided to invest in a binding tool because the only color my local office supply stores would use was black. So they're all me from the design and printing through to the binding. I'm really not sure which month is my favorite. How about you?

These are also available in my Etsy shop HERE and the same stocking information applies.

Thank you for stopping by today and taking a peek at how I've been keeping myself occupied. I really hope to be making cards again in the near future. In fact, I think tomorrow is Papertrey's blog hop, so maybe I'll get a project together and participate. Fingers crossed! Either way, have a great afternoon and I'll see you again soon!

2011-09-28T12:51:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry to say that someone has taken the opportunity to be rude and totally disrespectful through the comments of my blog (choosing, in fact, to add their disrespect to the post in which I discuss the passing of my grandmother...nice), so for the time being I am going to turn on the comment moderation function. I'm sorry if that means someone with a good heart decides not to leave a comment. Have a nice day.

A Sympathy Bouquet

2011-09-20T22:10:00.002-04:00

Hello, Blogland! This weekend was a whole lot of fun, but I'm tuckered so I hope you don't mind if I keep this short.

Earlier this summer my grandmother passed away and I noticed a few things at the time. No one ever likes to have an occasion to make sympathy cards. I don't even know anyone that likes to buy them, but they are an unfortunate necessity and I'm more comfortable having a few on had for those moments when they're needed. So I plan to challenge myself to make a sympathy card once in awhile, just in case.

I used Larger Than Life for the focal image on this card. I feel like there are certain situations in which simpler is most certainly better, and sympathy cards fit into that category for me. So to make today's card I started by stamping one of the branches twice and adding in small flowers from the set. I then tied a simple bow around the panel with Rustic Jute Button Twine and embellished the flowers with just a touch of dimensional paint. The paint adds just a little luster without making the card flashy.

Next, I made the base from Kraft stamped with Background Basics Woodgrain and watermark ink. I wanted to tie in the blue flowers again, so I die cut a strip of Spring Rain cardstock with the Victorian Lace Border Die and adhered it along the left side of the card base. I mounted the floral focal panel with foam tape over the decorative strip and added a sentiment to finish it off.

I hop you like today's card and I hope you'll join me in challenging yourself to have a few tough-to-make cards on hand. I feel like I'm better prepared already. Have a good day and I'll see you next time.

Recipe:
Stamps: Larger than Life, Background Basics: Woodgrain, Birds of a Feather - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Spring Rain, Spring Moss, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Victorian Lace Border Die, Rustic Jute Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; dimensional paint; foam tape

You Scream, I Scream...

2011-09-16T12:54:00.004-04:00

Hello! It's been a busy week here at the Jones residence. This weekend is a fun outdoor festival that I've participated in the past few years and I'm really looking forward to it, but it will keep me occupied most of the weekend (in one form or another) so I wanted to take a moment to post today.

Who doesn't love ice cream, huh? Sweet treats are always appreciated on special occasions, making this little cone perfect for a birthday card. I started by stamping the polka dot pattern in white ink on Kraft cardstock. All you have to do to get the pattern is stamp the largest polka dot from the original Polka Dot Basics set and fill in the spaces with the next largest dot. Super simple, but it's a nice variation on the standard pattern. I then hand stitched around the perimeter of the panel with embroidery floss. I would use my sewing machine if I weren't afraid of it. I'm much better with my own two hands. Once that was finished I adhered it to a white base and set the whole thing aside.

Next I die cut the Half & Half strip and the ice cream cone pieces. The cone itself was then stamped with one of the patterned strips from the Half & Half stamp set while the scoop was given a sprinkle treatment using the dots topper from Cupcake Collection. The sprinkles were embellished with Stickles and allowed to dry before stitching on a button. The cone components and the Half & Half strip were then added to the polka dotted layer on the card front.

Finally I did the sentiment strip. I started by cutting a piece of Berry Sorbet cardstock and scoring a line about 3/16" from the top and bottom edges. Next I stamped the sentiment with white ink and heat embossed using white detail powder. That strip was then mounted with foam tape just under the ice cream cone.

Well that's it for me today. Have a great weekend and if you're in the area come on by and say hello at Independents' Day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Half & Half, Polka Dot Basics, Cupcake Collection, Up, Up, and Away - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Berry Sorbet - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Half & Half Dies, Sweet As Can Be Dies, Berry Sorbet Button - Papertrey Ink; Embroidery Floss - DMC; Embossing Powder - Filigree; foam tape

Thinking of You

2011-09-12T11:34:00.001-04:00

Hello, Blogland! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It was one of my only show-less weekends for awhile, so I enjoyed it as much as possible.

Today's card is just a little "thinking of you" number. I started by stamping the newsprint background onto a piece of white cardstock cut just smaller than my base. Then I die cut a frame using the Mat Stack 4 and Fillable Frames #7 dies. I ran that through the Cuttlebug with the Woodgrain Impression Plate and placed it on the white layer to see how much space I had for the sentiment. I stamped the "thinking of you" in Dark Chocolate ink and then adhered the white layer to the card base. I then wrapped the ribbon and perle cotton around the base and secured them with Scor-tape. The frame was mounted with foam tape over those ends to hide them cleanly away.

Next I die cut and stamped the mug. Before mounting the mug I stamped the steam swirl using Spring Rain ink that had been stamped off once. That gave me just enough color to see the steam while keeping it transparent enough to be realistic. The mug was added (two layers of foam tape to give it extra dimension) and the steam swirls were embellished with flocking. A little extra texture never hurt anyone (especially if it was flocking! - guffaw).

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful week!

Recipe:
Stamps: Warm Happiness, Warm Happiness Too, Background Basics: Newsprint, Pond Life - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Spring Rain, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink
Other: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Mat Stack 4 Die, Fillable Frames #7 Die, Woodgrain Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Dark Brown Perle Cotton - DMC; foam tape

Poppy Birthday!

2011-09-09T09:28:00.001-04:00

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a lovely week. Thank you all for the anniversary well wishes. We had a lovely day together. We went on a zip line tour (10 lines! still a tiny bit sore from that, by the way), went to dinner, and then came home and watched an old movie. Not a bad day at all. Anyway, to continue with the anniversary theme we have going this week I thought today I'd share a cheerful birthday card made using this year's anniversary set from Papertrey Ink.

This anniversary set is quickly becoming one of my favorites! The handwriting-style font paired with the relatively traditional block serif are such a fun combination. And the grouped poppies are simple and lovely. Anyhow, I started by stamping the poppies and sentiment on a piece of white cardstock. I love the way drawn frames give a ground to the images they surround, but I'm not always such a fan of the stark contrast that often results. So my solution was to score a frame around my poppies. I love how it still gives the boundaries, but it's super subtle. I matted that white panel with a piece of Spring Moss cardstock and set it aside.

Next I cut a card front from Terra Cotta Tile cardstock and stamped the Tin Types background with a little watermark ink. Once that was adhered to a white base, I wrapped the entire card with Rustic Jute Button Twine and mounted my poppy panel overtop with foam tape. The card still needed a little something, so I stamped a couple of extra poppies and added them to the main image panel with foam tape.

Thanks for checking in today. Have a wonderful weekend! See you soon!

Recipe:
Stamps: Botanical Silhouettes, Background Basics: Tin Types - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Terra Cotta Tile, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Melon Berry, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Rustic Jute Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; foam tape

Thankful

2011-09-06T10:23:00.004-04:00

Today is the eighth anniversary of the day I married my fella. He's pretty swell, that guy. We've been through a lot over the past decade, but we've learned and loved and become stronger for all of it. So today's card is, appropriately, a thank you card.

Sean, thank you for loving me, and holding my hand, and showing me how tough I can be when necessary. I adore you and I can't wait to see where life takes us.

Recipe:
Stamps: Iconic Images (special edition - not for sale), 2009 Autumn Tags, Faux Ribbon, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Spring Rain, Spring Moss, Lemon Tart, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Half & Half Dies, Canvas Impression Plate, Rustic Jute Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; light blue ribbon - May Arts; foam tape; button

Fly Away Birthday

2011-09-02T08:34:00.008-04:00

Hello, Blogland! Today I wanted to share a card that plays along with the most recent Make It Monday challenge from Papertrey Ink. This week's challenge was to create a project using colored pencils as the coloring medium (instead of, say, Copics or watercolors or something). Well, anyone that has spent any time around here knows how much I love my Prismacolor pencils, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to participate.

Today's card is a more masculine birthday card that uses the Fly Away and Half & Half Papertrey sets. I love that little airplane image! And the Half & Half stamps and dies seem to keep finding their way into my projects recently. Anyway, I started with my base on this card. First I cut a piece of Spring Rain cardstock just smaller than my white base. I stamped it with the birthday sentiment (from Rhythm & Soul) and ran it through the Cuttlebug with the Canvas impression plate. Next I die cut two of the roundy ended Half & Half strips and stamped them with the coordinating stamp from the set in Pure Poppy ink. I adhered those to the Spring Rain layer and used my anywhere hole punch and eyelet setter to pop on a couple of navy blue eyelets. I tied gray baker's twine through the holes (which looks a little wonky in the photo, sorry) and adhered that entire panel to the white base.

Next I worked on the airplane. I die cut the shape first and stamped and colored second. My first attempt didn't exactly go as planned. I had originally wanted to color the entire plane with pencils and mineral spirits, but when I used the mineral spirits with the dark blue pencil the color changed in a way I wasn't thrilled about. So I started over, deciding this time to only use the mineral spirits with the silver pencil on the propeller. It took awhile to get the color built up in a way I liked, but eventually I was happy with the shading. I generally like to lay color down lightly (easy to add, not so easy to take away) so it can sometimes take a little longer. I also ended up liking the texture the pencil gave the airplane. It seemed to fit nicely with the canvas impression on the Spring Rain layer.

To round the whole card off I die cut a circle and stamped it with the clouds from Up, Up, and Away and mounted that and the airplane itself to the card front with foam tape.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. See you all again soon!

Recipe:
Stamps: Fly Away, Half & Half, Rhythm & Soul, Up, Up, and Away - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Pure Poppy, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink
Dies: Half & Half, Fly Away - Papertrey Ink
Other: Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Oyster Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Navy Eyelets - Making Memories; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; foam tape; eyelet setter and anywhere hole punch; mineral spirits

In the Weeds

2011-08-10T08:52:00.003-04:00

Anyone that has worked in the restaurant industry (and probably other industries, too) is familiar with the phrase "In the weeds." You know...when you're super busy and falling a little behind. Well, this past week I was a little in the weeds, so I didn't post. Sorry about that. I'm really trying to get better. Cross my heart.

Anyway, in keeping with the "weeds" theme I thought I'd share a little number I put together this week that features the dandelion image from Papertrey's 2010 Anniversary set. I'm a big fan of dandelions and I was so happy when I finally found time to get this image onto a card.

I started by stamping a Kraft base with polka dots in Fresh Snow ink. Then I trimmed out a piece of Harvest Gold cardstock and die cut the edge with the Edger #1 die. I scored two parallel lines and tied a piece of ribbon between them. I really like using score lines to define a strip of ribbon like this. It just adds such a nice, crisp detail. That whole piece was then mounted to the base using foam tape.

Next, I cut a piece of white cardstock and stamped my dandelion foliage twice (once with Spring Moss ink and a second time with Ripe Avocado ink). The two colors of ink give the leaves and stems nice depth and texture. The puffs were then stamped in Lemon Tart and the sentiment was stamped in Dark Chocolate. That focal panel was then adhered to the Harvest Gold piece already on the base.

I wanted to add a little sparkle, but I didn't have quite the right color of rhinestone in my collection anywhere. My typical solution is to color a few clear rhinestones with a Sharpie (I haven't been sucked in to the vortex that is the Copic craze), but I didn't have quite the right color of marker either. After a few minutes of scowling I decided to try coloring with a "close-ish" marker and then I quickly tapped off some of the ink with my finger. I like to think the result is a pretty good match. A little glue and my card, complete with customized rhinestones, was finis!

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Have a wonderful day!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Harvest Gold, Kraft - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics 2, 2010 Anniversary Set (earned not sold) - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Lemon Tart, Ripe Avocado, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Edgers #1 die - Papertrey Ink; White ribbon - May Arts; Rhinestones; Sharpie; Scor-Pal

Coloring With White Ink

2011-07-31T14:35:00.006-04:00

Hello, Blogland! Last weekend's Stamp-A-Faire event really lit a fire under my tush. It made me think more about blogging and engaging with the creative community. So here I am with a second (!) post this week. Today I wanted to play along with this week's Make It Monday challenge in which Heather Nichols featured coloring with white ink. I'd never tried the technique before, so I thought it might be fun.

I started by creating a white card base and layering it with a piece of Aqua Mist cardstock that I had been run through the Cuttlebug with the Picnic Plaid impression plate. Then I wrapped the base with a strip of white ruffled ribbon and gray and white bakers twine tied in a little bow.

Next I stamped the stork from Bundle of Joy onto Hawaiian Shores using Smoky Shadow ink. Then I used a Q-tip to add layers of ink until I was happy with my coverage. I learned that it worked better when I tapped off a little of the excess white ink onto scrap paper before using the Q-tip on my image. Next, I stamped the baby bundle onto white cardstock in Smoky Shadow and Melon Berry inks and added color using Prismacolor pencils. The little heart on the blankie was also embellished with a touch of clear gloss.

I felt like the stork panel was a little bland so I stamped some polka dots in watermark ink over top of the image before adding the sentiment in Fresh Snow ink. Then I matted that piece with white cardstock and mounted the baby bundle with foam tape. Finally I mounted the whole focal piece to the base with foam tape.

I hope you've enjoyed my card today. Thanks so much for taking a peek!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Bundle of Joy, Everyday Classics (Anniversary Set - not for sale) - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Melon Berry, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Water Lily Green - Palette; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Picnic Plaid Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Ruffled White Ribbon - May Arts; Oyster Bakers Twine - Divine Twine; Foam Tape - Scotch; Glossy Accents - Ranger

July Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!

2011-07-25T16:17:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone! I know it's been a little quiet around here since last month. Sorry about that. Hopefully I can find the time soon to put together a few new posts. Today I wanted to make sure I played along with the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. This month's challenge was to be inspired by this photo:

The first thing that caught my eye in this photo were the colors, followed by the medallions on the throw and the butterflies on the pillow. So here's my card:

I don't use a lot of butterflies, but I thought it might be fun to use one this month. So, I die cut the butterfly using the Love Lives Here die and stamped it with one of the medallions from the Iconic Images set that Papertrey gave away to attendees of Stamp-A-Faire this weekend (so much fun!!!). I die cut a second butterfly and made a Melon Berry Sandwich with the two butterflies. Then I glittered the heart and filled in the void with clear glaze.

Next, I cut a mat from Hawaiian Shores cardstock and ran it through the Cuttlebug with the Diamonds impression plate. Then, using a pencil, I free-hand drew a trail and hand-stitched over it with embroidery floss. That piece was adhered to a white card base and the butterfly was attached with foam tape.

To do the sentiment, I cut a 3/4" strip of white cardstock and notched the end with a square punch. The sentiment, from Up, Up, And Away, was then stamped in Dark Chocolate ink and embellished with a rhinestone. I trimmed the strip to the appropriate length and adhered it to the Hawaiian Shores layer using Scor-Tape.

It's a pretty simple card, but then most of mine are. Thanks so much for stopping by for this month's blog hop! I hope to be back again soon.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Hawaiian Shores, Melon Berry - Papertrey Ink; White
Stamps: Up, Up, And Away, Iconic Images - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Butterfly Die (Love Lives Here), Diamond Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Embroidery Floss (#352) - DMC; Glitter Pen - Sakura; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Rhinestone

Rhythm & Soul Day 5

2011-06-13T23:59:00.007-04:00

Well, here we are. Today is the final day in the Papertrey Ink June Release Countdown. I can't wait to see what you all do with Rhythm & Soul when you finally get it into your hot little hands. I hope you have as much fun with it as I have this week.

Before we get to the project I want to thank everyone at Papertrey one more time for this amazing experience. Nichole, Julie, and Jane have given me the opportunity to design and share something that holds so much meaning for me. I feel like a broken record, but I am so filled with gratitude to them and to all of you for the warm reception and enthusiasm I have been so lucky to receive. Ya'll sure know how to make a girl feel loved. So thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also want to take a second to thank my husband who has shown enthusiasm for every project this week and didn't get the least bit salty when I spent hours chained to my computer designing the set while we were on "vacation" earlier this year.

My final project is a little gift and card combo intended for a new pianist. Do you remember your first instrument? I remember my music teacher asking us to keep a practice log book so we could track how often and for how long we practiced. I tried so hard to practice and keep my little journal, but alas, instrumental music was not for me (I attempted, and failed at, the trumpet, the guitar, and the cello [to be fair I didn't even start that one until I was 21 and I only even tried because it was a gift]). Anyway, I figured this little set would be a perfect present for a budding piano player.

I started by cutting pieces of Pure Poppy cardstock and stamping them with A Little Argyle in Fresh Snow and VersaMark inks. Two of those pieces were adhered to the covers of a mini composition notebook and one piece was attached to a white card base. Then I stamped four pianos (two in Noir ink on Smoky Shadow cardstock and two in Noir ink on white cardstock). I cut out the pianos and embellished them with colored pencils before attaching the keyboards.

Next, I took a piece of Linen Texture Vellum and stamped my sentiments with Smoky Shadow ink. The practice booklet's sentiment is Simple Alphabet and the card's sentiment is included in Rhythm & Soul. The great thing about the card sentiment is that it's two pieces. The set includes a "We're" and an "I'm" in addition to the "so proud of you" so it can be used for cards from individuals or families/parents/groups of all sorts. Hooray for versatility!

After adhering the vellum pieces, I die cut a couple of circles from white cardstock to mount behind my pianos to set them off from the background. Sometimes with bold patterns I like to ground my focal image so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. I adhered my circles onto my practice notebook and then mounted my piano overtop using foam adhesive. Before attaching my circle/piano focal point on my card, I wrapped the base with a piece of Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon and adhered the ends so that they would lie under the white circle. Next, I tied on some gray baker's twine and then mounted my circle and piano with foam adhesive.

Well, that's all I have for this lovely June day. Thanks so much for stopping by today. For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. I'll see you on the forum!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Simple Alphabet, A Little Argyle - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Smoky Shadow, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; Noir - Palette; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Circle die - Quickutz; Pinking Scissors; Oyster Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers; mini composition notebook

Rhythm & Soul Day 4

2011-06-12T23:59:00.008-04:00

Welcome to day four of the June Papertrey Ink Release Countdown! Thank you all again for stopping by and leaving your generous comments and showing such enthusiasm for Rhythm & Soul. I'm so glad you're having as much fun as I am with these projects.

Today I wanted to make a congratulatory card featuring the fiddle. I am a firm believer that images don't always have to be realistically represented when it comes to color, so today we have a Berry Sorbet fiddle. Yay! Wouldn't that be fun? Somebody needs to get on that. Anyway, I started by cutting an asymmetrical base from white cardstock. I rounded one corner and set that aside. Next, I stamped the fiddle and the sentiment in Smoky Shadow ink. Then, I colored the fiddle with Prismacolor pencils and trimmed it out. I sponged the edges of the sentiment with Aqua Mist ink and matted it with a little piece of Summer Sunrise cardstock.

The next step was to cut a piece of Aqua Mist cardstock and stamp it with the smallest dots from Polka Dot Basics with Fresh Snow ink. I wanted even more texture, so I ran the Aqua Mist panel through my Cuttlebug with the Woodgrain Impression Plate. I love layering textures like that. Next, I punched out a scalloped strip of Berry Sorbet cardstock and hand-stitched it along the edge of the Aqua Mist layer before adhering that whole piece to the card base. Then, I adhered the sentiment to the front of the card and mounted the fiddle over top of it with foam adhesive.

Then I proceeded to stare at the card for a half an hour trying to decide if the card needed a rhinestone anywhere. In the end I decided that the card had plenty going on without the extra sparkle and I just needed to leave well enough alone.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Thanks so much for stopping by! For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow with the last day of countdown projects.

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Aqua Mist, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink
Other: Woodgrain Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Decorative Edge Punch - Fiskars; Dark Gray Embroidery Floss (844) - DMC; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; sponge; mineral spirits

Rhythm & Soul Day 3

2011-06-11T23:59:00.008-04:00

Welcome to the June Papertrey Ink Countdown Day 3. Today I'm sharing my final card featuring the guitar. I know my posts have been a little guitar heavy, but this last one is very important to me. You see today is my dad's birthday. If you read yesterday's post you'll remember that Dad was a big influence when developing the concept for this set and I was so excited to find that the stamps would arrive just in time to make him a birthday card.

So, to start today's card I stamped the guitar onto Aqua Mist Bitty Boxes Patterned Paper, Kraft cardstock, and white cardstock. I trimmed out just the body of the guitar from the Aqua Mist, the entire image from the Kraft, and layered the white with a mat of Dark Chocolate cardstock. I adhered the Aqua Mist image to the Kraft image and then mounted that whole piece to the white layer with foam adhesive.

Next, I made a base out of Kraft cardstock and repeatedly stamped the block of text from Background Basics: Newsprint with VersaMark to give it an all-over pattern. Then, I stamped the line image from Background Basics: Retro with Fresh Snow ink about a third of the way from the top of the card. I love this lined strip with the guitar because it reminds me of a blank music staff. That sort of coordination is such fun! Anyway, my next step was to layer a knotted strip of Aqua Mist twill over the top of the linear images and mount the guitar panel to the base with foam adhesive. The final step was to stamp the birthday sentiment in the bottom corner using Dark Chocolate ink and to add a little embellishment to the guitar with colored pencils. I think Dad will love it.

Thank you for visiting and checking out today's project! I'll see you tomorrow for day four of the June countdown. For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Ta-ta!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Background Basics: Newsprint, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; white
Patterned Paper: Aqua Mist Bitty Boxes - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Aqua Mist Twill - Papertrey Ink; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Rhythm & Soul Day 2

2011-06-10T23:59:00.008-04:00

I want to start by thanking all of you for your kind comments and enthusiasm over the past several days. Getting to design a stamp set for Papertrey is a dream come true and having it received so warmly has only made the experience all the more meaningful. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I'd better move on before I cry on somebody.

How about a little backstory, eh? When I found out I was the winner of the stamp design prize I was immediately flooded with ideas. But the one concept that I couldn't shake was a set of instruments that I could use on cards for the fellas in my life. One of those fellas, specifically, is my dad.

When I was a kid we didn't have a lot of money, but my parents did have a handful of musically talented friends. I fondly remember evenings spent in the dining room with the chairs all pulled into a circle and my dad and his friends playing bluegrass while all the kids danced around like monkeys. As I've gotten older I've come to savor that memory all the more. Now I try to remember to tune in to my local public radio station every Saturday and Sunday evening for their weekend bluegrass program (hey, hey, Bluegrass Ramble, I'm lookin' at you!). I also try and find new favorites by digging through the bluegrass section at my library. So today's project is my little way of sharing that music with the man who introduced me to the fiddle (call it what you want, but to me it will always be the fiddle) and the banjo those years ago.

EDITED TO ADD: The final size of the case is 5" x 5" and was completely contained on one sheet of cardstock. Thanks for the question!
I decided to make a mix CD of some of my favorite songs to give to my dad as part of his Father's Day gift. I started by taking a piece of white cardstock and making a template. When I was happy with the template I took a piece of Kraft cardstock and cut out the basic shape. I did not do any of the scoring until later so I'd have a smooth surface to use for my stamping. I then stamped the front cover with the banjo, fiddle, and guitar images in Fresh Snow ink.

I also stamped the fiddle and the sentiment on the inside pocket at the same time. I think the quote will convey my message to him perfectly. We're not really a "heart on your sleeve" bunch, so I think he'll understand from the gesture just how much I appreciate that we can share this part of our lives (as we are very, very different people in so many other ways).

While that was drying, I die cut the Friendship Jar label from white cardstock and stamped it with the Father's Day sentiment in Dark Chocolate ink. The label still looked a little blah, so I used one of the note images and some Terra Cotta Tile ink to spruce it up a smidge.

Then I took my cover and scored it along the spine and pocket/tabs to make sure I had nice clean folds on everything (especially since I was going to have to fold against the grain on some of the scores). I also took the opportunity to die cut a little bit of a decorative edge on the CD pocket. I did that by cutting the pocket with the edge of the Mat Stack 1 die. It is a subtle dip, but I think it makes the edge look much more clean and finished. Once the pocket was adhered into place I took a piece of Terra Cotta Tile Saddle Stitched Ribbon and did a very simple book binding stitch (that I learned while I was in Boy Scouts - a story for another time) to attach the ribbon to the CD cover spine. I then secured the ribbon closer to the edges of the cover with a little Scor-Tape and mounted the sentiment label with a piece of foam adhesive. I left the ribbon ends a little bit long so it won't be difficult for Dad to tie them when he wants to, but I did trim them with pinking shears so the ribbon won't fray as much as it might with a simple bias cut.

All that was left to do was find a blank CD in a coordinating color (which we luckily had on hand). I plan to type out the playlist and adhere it onto the inside left cover when I have the selection finalized.

I hope you enjoyed today's project and I'll see you tomorrow! For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Ta-ta!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Terra Cotta Tile, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Terra Cotta Tile Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Friendship Jar Label Die, Mat Stack 1 Die - Papertrey Ink; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; white embroidery floss - DMC; Scor-Tape; CD - Memorex

Rhythm & Soul Day 1

2011-06-09T23:48:00.010-04:00

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!!

Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way...Welcome Papertrey Ink fans! Today is day one of the June Papertrey Ink Countdown and my first opportunity to share a very big secret. Back in February I had the incredible luck to win the opportunity to design a stamp set with Nichole Heady. Once we started chatting about my ideas she offered to allow me to illustrate the set myself (I may have not-so-subtly sent along an illustration). I couldn't turn down such an amazing offer! So after several days of late nights and early mornings, Rhythm & Soul was born. I'll share more about the meaning behind the set over the next few days, but in the meantime let's get to some projects. Yay!!!

The first card I want to share with you today uses the guitar image and the sentiment that Nichole shared in her peek the other day. By the way, my set took a wrong turn in the mail, so all of the images I'm sharing in this post are printed. I'll get back to sharing stamped images just as soon as the set decides to turn up. Let's just pretend I've stamped everything though.

I started by "stamping" the guitar in brown ink onto Kraft cardstock. Then I used Background Basics: Woodgrain to add a subtle texture to the guitar. I thought it added a nice, soft realistic look.

Next, I stamped the sentiment onto Rustic White cardstock and trimmed using ric-rac scissors. Then, I stamped the stitched background from Background Basics: Retro onto Ocean Tides using both VersaMark and Fresh Snow inks. That stamped panel was mounted to a Rustic white card base before adhering the sentiment panel. Then, I wrapped the entire shebang with Spring Moss Saddle Stitched Ribbon and Button Twine. I mounted the guitar using foam adhesive and finished the whole thing off with an antique copper brad.

The second card I want to share features the snare drum image included in the set. This is also a larger card (A6 - 4.5 x 6.25). I wanted to show that the images in the set are large enough to be focal points on larger-than-average cards or scrapbook pages, but they'll work on the good ol' A2s as well.

I started this card by stamping the drum twice onto scraps of white cardstock and colored both images using Prismacolor Pencils.

Next, I cut out the drum section of the image and mounted it over the top of the full image using foam adhesive and set that aside. Then, I cut a piece of Smoky Shadow cardstock and stamped it in VersaMark with the smallest dots in Polka Dot Basics 1. I went back over that panel with one of the images from Dot Spot in white ink to layer the patterns and pump up the visual texture. I wrapped that panel with Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon and adhered it to a white card base.

Next, I made a frame from Pure Poppy cardstock using the Fillable Frames #1 die and the Picnic Plaid impression plate. I adhered the colored drum image to the patterned base and mounted the frame using foam adhesive. Then, I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white cardstock and adhered it to the frame. The finishing touch was a tiny pale blue rhinestone to pull it all together.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'll see you for day two of the countdown tomorrow!

Recipes:
Rhythm Guitar Card:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (Available June 15th), Background Basics: Woodgrain, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Rustic White, Kraft, Ocean Tides - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Spring Moss Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; Copper brad - Recollections; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Birthday Drum Card:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (Available June 15th), Polka Dot Basics, Dot Spot - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; rhinestone; mineral spirits

Sneak Peek!

2011-06-06T07:09:00.004-04:00

It has been a very long time since I've posted. I'm sorry for being gone so long. I really hope to be able to post more frequently in the coming month or two. In the immediate future I'm looking forward to sharing more of the stamp set I had the incredible opportunity to design for Papertrey Ink (long-known to many of you as my favorite stamp company). Nichole released a sneak peek on her blog today! I'm so excited!!!

That's all for right now, but I'll see you all again very soon. Thanks for sharing this experience with me!

Papertrey Blog Hop: Winter Holiday

2010-10-25T18:12:00.002-04:00

I don't get a chance to participate in the Papertrey Blog Hops every month anymore, but when I read the theme for this month I knew I wanted to make the time.

From the Papertrey website: "There is always a lot of focus on Christmas in our industry this time of year, as that is what the majority of the population celebrates. However, this month's blog hop is dedicated to those that celebrate winter holidays other than Christmas. Create a project that celebrates Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or some other winter holiday as we embrace everyone's beliefs in a celebration of diversity through paper crafting."

I love the reminder to keep others in mind during the winter holidays. Often I get so busy that I don't remember to take the time and offer well wishes to my friends of other faiths. Hopefully getting a jump on my non-Christmas cards will help me stay on top of those celebrations.

For the blog hop tonight I decided to make a Hanukkah card. I don't own the Mazel Tov set so I created a menorah out of stamps I already have. I started with Fillable Frames #8 and inked only one of the sides. Then I added the candelabra stem using one of the stamps from the Green Thumb set (any line stamp would work). I filled my menorah with candles from the Piece of Cake set, double stamping the candle in the center to make it taller than the others. A small yellow rhinestone was added to the top of each candle to give the card a little interest and shine (Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, after all).

The base is the Tin Types background stamped on the new Blueberry Sky cardstock in silver ink. The bottom section is a silver paper die cut with the medium scallops border die. I stamped the sentiment from Scattered Showers in a mid-tone blue ink in the corner. The menorah panel was mounted to the base with foam adhesive and Spring Rain saddle stitched ribbon finishes off the whole card rather nicely.

I may not have a specific Jewish set, but I'm really happy with what I was able to pull together with the stamps I already own. I hope you've enjoyed my card this evening. Enjoy the hop!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Blueberry Sky - Papertrey Ink; Luster - Envelopments; white
Stamps: Scattered Showers, Fillable Frames #8, Piece of Cake, Background Basics: Tin Types, Green Thumb - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; Platinum Planet - Brilliance; Atlantic - VersaColor
Tools: Medium Scallops Border Die - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched - Papertrey Ink
Other: Rhinestones - Darice; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Papertrey 'Preciation

2010-08-31T12:32:00.006-04:00

I love Papertrey Ink. This is no surprise to many of you. Their sense of design is awesome and in many ways complements my own. Their customer service has never let me down. And they are all genuinely nice people just trying to share a love of craft with a huge audience. I truly admire and fully appreciate the efforts of Nichole, Julie, Jane, Jenn, and their tireless support staff and design team. They have established a quality company built on high standards that has amassed a loyal, enthusiastic, and (perhaps) slightly crazed following. I am proud to count myself among that group.

So here's to you Papertrey! To the designers who create the artwork for some of my favorite stamps. To the owners who had the courage to put themselves out there in the first place. To the shipping staff who get my supplies to me in incredible time. To the design team who inspire me by showing the possibilities and versatility of each and every set. I thank you all from the bottom of my sneaker-clad tootsies. You're all rock stars.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink, white
Stamps: Star Prints, Background Basics: Retro, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Lemon Tart - Papertrey Ink; Landscape - Palette; Lagoon Blue - Versa Color
Fibers: Harvest Gold Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Aqua Bakers Twine - Divine Twine
Tools: Ric-Rac Sissors - Kraft Edgers; Circle Die - Quickutz; Large Star Punch - Fiskars
Other: Green Rhinestone - Darice; Foam Tape - Scotch; Vellum Tape - Scotch

Letterpress Debut

2010-08-07T10:49:00.014-04:00

I know I go missing for long periods of time and I apologize muchly. Business has been brisk and I'm doing my darnedest to keep up with everything. Unfortunately, blogging is the task that most often falls by the wayside. Today I wanted to share one of the things that has been keeping me so very busy over the last several months.

I decided last summer that I wanted to start doing letterpress prints in addition to the greeting cards and boxed stationery that so many of you have seen at show after show. I promptly got swept up in the bustle that is the fall and winter show seasons and the letterpress prints were relegated to back burner status. This spring I resumed work on the prints, but didn't get my rear into gear until visiting Allison at Igloo Letterpress in Worthington (she's awesome and her shop's amazing). One visit to her shop inspired me to finish what I had been dabbling in here and there for months. I worked on the graphics constantly for the next few weeks and finally sent my artwork to have plates made.

A few days later the plates arrived and I was absolutely giddy (just ask my husband). Then reality set in and after a little trial and quite a lot of error I figured out how to make my temperamental machine create quality prints. I definitely had some low points in there before I got it together. There were smushed images, accidental ink transfer, and a swollen eye (those cleaning chemicals really are eye irritants - I promise), but I finally got everything to work and I couldn't be happier!

The prints are currently for sale at shows (see the sidebar for upcoming events) and at Wholly Craft. I'll have them in the Etsy shop as soon as possible. In the meantime here are a few photos to prove their existence. The Stargazer series is particularly close to my heart (I miss being able to see the stars at night - it's too bright in the city), but each and every one means something special to me.

Ohio Pride

Busy Bee

Perched Cardinal

New Nest

Spring Stargazer

Summer Stargazer

Autumn Stargazer

Winter Stargazer

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you enjoy the new prints. Take care and have a beautiful weekend!

Craft Show News

2010-06-26T08:12:00.002-04:00

Hello Blogland! I have a few projects to share over the coming days, but for now I just want to give an update regarding upcoming shows in the area.

Firstly, the Artisan Sunday event scheduled for July 4th has been cancelled. Am I a little bummed? Sure, but I can't blame the North Market for taking off and getting some R & R. I'm looking forward to the August 1st event when I'll be back and with some (hopefully) new items.

Secondly, the vendor applications are now available for Craftin' Outlaws! The event will be on October 16th at the South Campus Gateway complex. Check out the Craftin' Outlaws website for applications and updates.

That's all I have to share right now. I'll be back this week with an actual project!

Bonus!

2010-05-27T14:39:00.002-04:00

Anyone interested in finding me this weekend can do so at the North Market on Sunday (May 30th) from noon to 5:00. This isn't an event I was anticipating so it didn't go out on my newsletter for the month. I had a new few items make their debut at Agora last weekend, so be sure to stop by and check it out if you missed them. Hope to see some of you there!

Another Upcoming Event

2010-05-11T14:29:00.005-04:00

Hello all,

I wanted to thank those of you that came out to the Handmade Nation screening this past Saturday. The weather wasn't ideal, but that didn't stop a good number of you from shopping at the trunk show and viewing the film. Again, thank you for your enthusiasm and support!

I also wanted to mention that I have an additional event added to my calendar this month. Agora 7 will be taking place on May 22nd at Junctionview Studios in Grandview. I will be there along with several other local vendors, musicians, artists, and foodies from noon to midnight. It's a really fun event and I'm super excited to be involved again this year. You can get more information about the event at their website here. Hope to see you soon!

The Latest & Greatest

2010-04-28T12:16:00.004-04:00

So it's been awhile. The last couple of months have kept me on my toes, which is totally great, but I'm afraid the blog suffers a bit. I just wanted to check in quickly and give a general update for anyone keeping tabs.

I send a monthly newsletter via email and you can now subscribe right here on the blog if you are interested in hearing what's happening with Poshta. The subscription do-hickey is in my sidebar, so if you're reading this through Google Reader you'll need to click through to add your information.

I've been accepted into the North Market Artisan Sundays series this year. I'll be doing the "1st Sundays" series. That means you can find me live and in person the first Sunday of every month (May-October) from Noon-5pm. So if you happen to need, say, a Mother's Day card this weekend (that's right, it starts this weekend), I'm your girl. You can read the press release and check out the list of incredible artisan participants HERE.

Also, the Columbus Crafty Cotillion is co-sponsoring a screening of Handmade Nation (a movie all about indie crafting!) next weekend, May 8th, at Studio 35. The film will begin at 3:00 and is $5 per ticket. But don't wait until 3:00 to arrive. Beginning at 1:00 we will be trunk showing it up! More than a dozen crafty vixens will have handmade goods available for purchase. Come with your momma and let her choose her own Momma's Day present (psst...Mother's Day is May 9th). You can get more information at the Crafty Cotillion blog HERE.

I think that's all for now. I will periodically add upcoming events to the sections in the sidebar and I'll try to remember to write a post about those as well. Hope you're all well and enjoying Spring. Until next time....

Sorry Folks

2010-02-28T23:32:00.003-05:00

I apologize, but I'm going to need to turn the word verification back on now that the blog hop is over. I was going to leave it off, but I've been spammed several times in the past few days. Frankly, I don't want to have to police the blog for ED medication ads, so I'm afraid we all lose. I know word verification is sometimes tricky and can act as a deterrent to those of you that are on the fence about commenting, but the switch back needs to happen. I'm sorry, folks. I tried. Thanks for understanding.

February Blog Hop: Design Team Appreciation Day!

2010-02-25T18:25:00.002-05:00

Greetings Blog Hoppers! The challenge for tonight's Blog Hop was to choose a project from one of the design team members and use it as inspiration for your own unique project. I decided to welcome two of the newest design team members, Maile Belles and Erin Lincoln, with my cards for tonight.

Let's start with Maile. Maile created this super-cool card using the Fillable Frames set to stamp her background as well as her focal image. I loved her layout and concept, so I used those as my starting point.

I used one of the larger polka dotted circles from Borders & Corners: Circle to create the pattern on my background as well as the frame for my image panel. I stamped the cupcake and sentiment before mounting the image panel over the Lemon Tart ribbon; similar to Maile's panel and ribbon detail on the inspiration card.

Next up is my card inspired by one of Erin's amazing design team projects. Erin showcased the new Luck of the Irish set with this jazzy little number. I'm apparently in a birthday mood, so the St. Patty's day theme didn't carry over, but the layout was like striking (a pot of) gold!

I used the square set-up and the stamped frame as the starting point for my project (I didn't emboss my center like Erin did because I don't have the required tools, but I loved that detail). I stamped my butterflies on cardstock as well as vellum to give them dimensional flare and used my Fillable Frame die and stamp to get the same effect as Erin did with the frame from Luck of the Irish.

I love how both cards turned out! Thanks so much for the inspiration, Maile and Erin!

Take care and happy hopping!

Recipe (cupcake card):
Cardstock: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Cupcake Collection, Borders & Corners: Circle - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Lemon Tart, Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko; Burnt Umber - Palette
Ribbon: Lemon Tart Saddle Stitched - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Nesting Circles Dies - Quickutz
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch

Recipe (butterflies card):
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Fillable Frames #1, Polka Dot Basics, Butterfly Kisses - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Spring Moss, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Berry Sorbet Twill - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Fillable Frames Die - Papertrey Ink
Other: White Embroidery Floss - DMC; pink buttons; Foam Tape - Scotch

Glitterati Cupcake

2010-02-17T20:08:00.005-05:00

Hello, Blogland! I hope you've been having a lovely week. I got a special request for a very special baby card and I thought I'd share that card today. So, Miss Randi, if you're reading...this one's for you.

I started by stamping the cupcake from Baby Button Bits onto white cardstock (twice) and Berry Sorbet Bitty Box Basics patterned paper. I trimmed the bottom half of the cupcake out of the patterned paper and adhered it directly on top of one of the two white cupcakes. Next, I colored the other cupcake using colored pencils and mineral spirits and trimmed out just the top part. Now here's where I lose my mind just a little and temporarily forget how much I hate loose glitter. I coated the pink part of the cupcake with dimensional glaze and dumped on the glitter. It was everywhere within moments. It's a darn good thing I didn't have to sneeze or I would be finding glitter for ages.

Well, eventually I got the glitter cleaned up sufficiently and put the cupcake under a button container to allow the glaze to dry and to secure the glitter into the glaze as much as possible. I think it worked because I messed with the cupcake this morning before popping the card in the mail and I came away nearly glitter-free. Anyway, after the glaze was dry I stitched on a button and mounted my cupcake top to the main panel with foam tape. The entire main panel was then matted with Sweet Blush cardstock and set aside for a moment.

Next I worked on the ruffle. I cut a piece of saddle stitched ribbon about twice the width of my main panel and pulled one string until the ribbon rusched the way I wanted. I wrapped that around a piece of cardstock just narrower than my main panel and adhered the ends to the back. I first saw this technique from the über talented Lisa Johnson. It adds such awesome texture!

I realized that I needed a base to pull this whole thing together, so I cut a piece of Berry Sorbet and got busy. I started by stamping the largest polka dots from Polka Dot Basics 1 in Fresh Snow ink. I then went back through with the next size polka dot and filled in the spaces between large dots. It's a fun pattern and I feel like I should use it more often.

Anyway, I finished the card by adhering the ruffle panel directly to the base and mounting the cupcake panel over the ruffles with foam tape. I love how the card turned out, but I may lay off the loose glitter for awhile. They make glue suspended glitter just for people like me.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post. Take care and I'll see you soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Baby Button Bits, Polka Dot Basics 1 - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Burnt Umber - Palette
Ribbon: Lemon Tart Saddle Stitched - Papertrey Ink
Other: Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Embroidery Floss - DMC; Foam Tape - Scotch; Glossy Accents - Ranger; button; mineral spirits; loose glitter

The Party Continues

2010-02-14T00:19:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Blogland! Well, I'm back home after spending most of last week with family. It was nice, but I missed being home. I also missed being able to participate in the Papertrey anniversary challenges. So today I made sure to get my craft on!

Today's challenge was to make a sheet of handmade floral embellishments and incorporate them into a card. I chose to bust out some poppies thanks to Lisa Johnson's Remember set. I'll start by showing you the embellishments (please pardon the glare).

I stamped the large and small poppies and the poppy bud in charcoal ink. Then I used Terracotta Tile, Pure Poppy, and Sweet Blush for the solid images. I cut out the flowers and embellished them with all sorts of things. The larger poppies have buttons and Fun Flock. The smaller poppies have buttons, Fun Flock, and black rhinestones. Next, I stamped the leaves in Ripe Avocado and Spring Moss inks before cutting them out and attaching a small strip of foam tape to the back of all the images. I used Scor-Tape to attach all the bits & pieces to a sheet of acetate and then slipped the sheet into a greeting card sleeve. I created my topper in Illustrator and adhered that to the sleeve using Scor-Tape.

My card for today features the Blush poppy. The center of this one is the Fun Flock. I stamped the stem (though you could draw one if you were in a rush or didn't have your stamp handy) and sentiment onto white cardstock and layered that with a thin mat of Smoky Shadow. I attached the bloom and the leaves before mounting the focal panel to the Spring Moss base (already stamped with polka dots and tied with Sweet Blush twill).

I hope you've enjoyed today's project! Until next time, I wish you all a day filled with love. Ta-ta!

Recipe (for everything):
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Remember, Polka Dot Basics 2 - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Terracotta Tile, Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush, Ripe Avocado, Spring Moss, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Charcoal, Noir - Palette
Ribbon: Sweet Blush Twill - Papertrey Ink
Other: black buttons; black embroidery floss - DMC; Foam Tape - Scotch; Black Fun Flock - Stampendous; Clear Rhinestone (colored with a Sharpie) - Darice; acetate; greeting card sleeve; Adobe Illustrator; glue pen

A New Technique

2010-02-05T20:07:00.004-05:00

The Papertrey birthday festivities are fully underway and today's announcement (How-To Videos and weekly challenges!) included a challenge to use the emboss resist technique in one's project. I had never tried this particular technique and it was fun to try something new and step outside my comfort zone a little.

I started by stamping tiny Aqua Mist polka dots and Water Lily Green flower clusters onto white cardstock. It's important to remember that anything you eventually want layered on your embossed image has to be stamped first because once that embossing powder is set there's really no stamping on top of it. After my dots and flowers had fully dried (you can speed the process with a heat gun) I stamped the cake with VersaMark and embossed it with clear powder. Next, I sponged Aqua Mist ink over the entire image and matted it to a layer of Aqua Mist cardstock that had been sponged with Water Lily Green ink (I didn't really have anything on hand that was the right color otherwise). I added a die cut cake plate and a few punched flowers embellished with rhinestones before setting the focal image aside for a moment.

Next, I repeatedly stamped an image from Giga Guidelines onto Aqua Mist cardstock using white ink. Once the ink was dry, I stamped the sentiment in silver ink and heat embossed again using clear powder. I mounted that patterned layer to a white base and wrapped the entire card with knotted white ribbon. Finally, I mounted the cake image to the base with foam adhesive.

It's relatively simple, but I had fun trying a new technique. Enjoy the rest of the birthday bash and I'll see you again soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink, Silver - Paper Source; White
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics 2, Scattered Showers, Piece of Cake, Giga Guidelines - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; Water Lily Green - Palette; Starlite Silver - Brilliance
Tools: Flower Punch - EK Success; Floral Corner Punch - Fiskars; Cake Plate Die (discontinued)- Quickutz
Other: Rhinestones - Darice; White ribbon - May Arts; Foam tape - Scotch; Clear Embossing Powder

Papertrey Ink Turns Three!

2010-02-02T23:33:00.004-05:00

Hello Blogland! Did you know that Papertrey Ink turns three this year?! I am so excited and totally looking forward to the birthday festivities over the next couple of weeks. Today Nichole announced the stamp design team and issued a challenge to use one (or more) of a series of graphics created by this year's stamp designers to make a card. I would have loved to play along with each and every designer, but alas, time was not on my side toady. I chose the image that I was most pumped about at first sight to create my card. This cupcake image was designed by Heather Nichols and I am absolutely smitten. She always seems to design images that really get me ready to create something. I love that!

So to start today's card I downloaded the image from Heather's blog and printed it once on copy paper to get an idea of the size. I wanted the cupcake to have a little more weight on my card so I placed it in Illustrator and made it about twice the size it was in the original download (to be honest, I just eyeballed it - nothing fancy). I printed my cardstock with two images on a sheet (you could fit several more though) because I knew I wanted to die cut one into a circle and trim one out to pop with foam tape. I stamped the sentiment onto the circle with the cuppie and mounted the loose cupcake with aforementioned foam tape.

The focal panel was adhered to a scalloped circle and foam mounted to a 5 1/2" square base that had been stamped with polka dots and tied with ribbon. Finally, I bedazzled the heck out of the cupcake with glitter and called it good. Quick and easy and so much fun! I love it when a card comes together faster than I expect (especially when I love the finished result). Hope you're all enjoying the Papertrey festivities. Have a great time and I'll see you soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Ocean Tides - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Digital Image: Cupcake - Heather Nichols (for Papertrey Ink)
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics 2, Everyday Button Bits - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Burnt Umber - Palette
Ribbon: Lemon Tart Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Nesting Flowers, Nesting Circles Dies - Quickutz; Corner Chomper - We R Memory Keepers
Other: Frosted Lace Stickles - Ranger; Foam Tape - Scotch

A Real, Honest-to-Goodness Project!

2010-01-18T22:17:00.005-05:00

Hello Blogland! Well, I've been prattling on about how I was hoping to share an actual project now for awhile, so I thought I might go ahead and do that this evening. I held off buying the Everyday Button Bits stamp set from Papertrey for months. I'd look at it every once in awhile and wax poetic about what might be, but ultimately end up removing it from my shopping cart; preferring instead something practical like stamp cleaner or cardstock or ribbon.

Then, last month I received a gift certificate for Christmas and that stamp set found its way to my house before I could talk myself out of its purchase. I was so happy when it arrived I showed Sean at least a half-dozen times. He, of course, couldn't care less, but tried to match my enthusiasm anyway.

This card is one of the first I made with the set. I loved the hot air balloons image from the moment I saw it during the countdown week. And the sentiment is so totally perfect. There are several in the set that coordinate well with the image, but I thought this one would be cute for my first effort.

So anyway, I started by stamping the polka dots onto Aqua Mist cardstock and rounding the corners on my card base. Then I stamped my balloon baskets onto white cardstock using Burnt Umber ink and stitched on a few buttons. I adhered my white panel onto the card base and stamped my sentiment in Burnt Umber as well.

Then I free-hand cut a couple of little hills from patterned paper and stitched along the top edge to give them a little texture. I rounded their bottom corners and mounted those to the white base with foam adhesive. And there it is. A lovely little "pick-me-up" card for a friend having a bad week. Not that I'm hoping any of my friends have a bad week or anything, but it would be totally fun to send this to somebody. I can be patient...ish.

Well, I hope it's been worth the wait (or at least worth the visit). Take care and have a happy tomorrow!

Recipe:
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Everyday Button Bits - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Stamper's Select White - Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper: Bitty Box Basics (Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado) - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Embellishments: Vintage Buttons (Ripe Avocado, Melon Berry, Aqua Mist) - Papertrey Ink; Embroidery Floss - DMC
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Corner Chomper - We R Memory Keepers

What I've Been Up To

2010-01-15T15:17:00.006-05:00

Hello, Blogland! It's been awhile, hasn't it? I'm afraid I haven't been able to blog recently as I've been hyperfocused on business as of late. I hope you're all well and the new year is treating you kindly. I've been adding new Valentine's Day cards to the Etsy shop recently. There are several there in the "Seasonal" section. Here are a few little peeks if you're interested:

I hope to add more of the non-holiday stock to the shop soon, too. If you ever have a question or special request just let me know and I'll let you know if I have something on hand. If not, most times I can get something put together in short order.

Hopefully, in the next week or so I will have something a little more exciting to share. Until then, all the best!

Eco-Friendly Conundrum

2009-12-03T17:31:00.003-05:00

Hello Blogland! I know I've been quiet and for that I apologize. Every year seems to get busier and busier. With any luck one of these days I'll get it all figured out and there won't be these giant gaps in posting. Until then, I want to thank those of you that still check in regularly.

So today I wanted to share a typical decision with which I have to grapple in my professional work. I feel very strongly that using recycled and environmentally produced products is a responsibility of every one of us, but particularly those of us that handle paper as part of their job. I'd been using a particular felted finish, recycled cardstock for more than a year with which I was generally happy. Lately though, my printer and this cardstock decided to feud (I think it was the finish) and the result of which was a lot of poor quality prints and a lot of waste. That made me cranky. I would have staring competitions with my printer and say an angry little prayer every time I had to print something. Realizing that wasn't a sustainable business practice (and it rarely had any noticeable impact) I went on a search for a new recycled white cardstock.

My needs are simple: heavy weight, true white, smooth finish (no more felted finish), FSC certified, produced conscientiously, include recycled content.

Today I went to make the final selection and found myself torn.

I found two contenders that had most (if not all) of the criteria that appeal to me. Contestant Number One (No.1, henceforth) was a bright white, 80 lb. cardstock consisting of FSC certified, 100% PCF recycled content. No.1's production was chlorine-free, carbon neutral (via the legally binding and voluntary Carbon Neutral Plus agreement), and made with 100% renewable green energy. I asked if No.1 was available in a heavier weight and was told it only came in 80lb. I found out later by searching the company's website that there is a 100 lb. option available.

Contestant Number Two (No.2, henceforth) was a crazy bright white, 100 lb cardstock consisting of FSC certified 10% PCF recycled content. No.2's parent company is involved in the Sustainable Forestry Initiative via their certified fiber sourcing efforts. No.2 is also certified by the Rainforest Alliance and donates $275,000 annually to the WWF through the purchase of their products.

Tough decision. On the one hand the production and recycled content of No.1 were definitely preferable. On the other hand No.2's brightness and weight were more along the line of what I truly wanted and they donate money to a worthwhile environmental charity.

In the end, I chose to forgo the weight I originally wanted and went with No.1. Now that I know I can get No.1 in the heavier weight I am even happier with my decision. And the best part...the cardstock prints beautifully! I did test No.2 and the weight was not a problem. I'm not going to go giving away the source for the one I decided to choose (a girl has to protect her business, you know), but No.2 is the EarthChoice line by Domtar.

So now you have a little insight on the selection process I go through when choosing my raw materials. I hope you've enjoyed learning a little more about my business. Take care and I'll try and post again when I get some free time.

Christmas Banner Availability

2009-11-19T23:00:00.003-05:00

I don't really have time for a full post right now, but I wanted to answer a question from the comments this week. No, I did not sell the "Merry Christmas" banner at Tiny Canary last weekend. If you are interested in the banner please feel free to contact me (PoshtaDesign [at] gmail dot com). It is priced at $45 (plus $3 for shipping - unless you are a local and I can deliver it) and I will send you a Paypal invoice for the total. I will be taking it to the North Market Holiday Open House (December 5th & 6th) if it is still available at that time. Also, feel free to email me with any questions (dimensions and such).

I'll post again as soon as I can. Take care!

Christmas Banner

2009-11-13T17:57:00.006-05:00

Hello Blogland! It's been ages since I last posted. I've been super, super busy. Between shows and custom work and Etsy shop maintenance it's been non-stop. This weekend is Tiny Canary, so I've been preparing like a mad woman. There are little paper scraps on every surface of my house right now. Seriously. And I've been staying up late to get work done so my lack of sleep is leaving me a little scatter brained. It's going to be a fun weekend though, so it's all worthwhile.

I wanted to share a project I did this week. It's a Christmas pennant banner and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

First, I decided on a size for the pennants and the font. Since I don't have a fancy schmancy cut-it-out-for-you machine, I cut all of the letters by hand. I did this by typing the phrase in Illustrator and flipping all of the characters so that I had a mirror image of my letters. I printed that out at a 50% grayscale so I could cut around the letters, but the ink wouldn't be visible through the cardstock (it probably wouldn't have been visible anyway, but better safe than sorry). Note: this takes a very long time and a willingness to get cozy with your Xacto. You have been warned.

Then, I die cut circles of Spring Moss and stamped each one with a wreath image from Rustic Branches. I also cut a Spring Moss pennant for the space and stamped it with the vine image from that same set. I added glitter and dimensional glaze to the berries and set those aside to dry.

Next, I cut red pennants and stamped them with a polka dot pattern with Fresh Snow ink. I really like how this ink maintains its brightness even on really saturated colors. I lined up the pennants and chose a white ribbon to string them together. I punched holes using my Crop-A-Dile and threaded the ribbon through the holes. Then I stitched a Ripe Avocado button over each hole to make the whole thing look a little more finished.

Once the wreaths were dry I matted them with white scalloped circles and adhered them to the pennants. Finally, I mounted the letters with foam adhesive and called it complete.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post. I hope to get back into a rhythm starting next week, so I'll see you then. If you're in the Columbus area please stop out at Tiny Canary and say hello (and remember: the first 100 people through the door each day get a goodie bag filled with treats from the vendors)! It's a really amazing event and I'm super excited to be involved.

Bye-bye, now!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow, Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Rustic Branches, Polka Dot Basics II - Papertrey Ink
Other: Ripe Avocado Buttons - Papertrey Ink; Glitter Pen - Sakura; Dimensional Glaze - Ranger; White Perle Cotton Thread - DMC; White Ribbon - May Arts; Foam tape - Scotch

Papertrey Blog Hop: Holiday Time!

2009-10-25T19:55:00.004-04:00

Welcome to my Papertrey Blog Hop post! It's about the time to kick holiday preparations into high gear and I'm going to share my family Christmas card this evening. It's super simple, but it has just enough detail for my loved ones to know I spent a little extra time on them this busy season.

I started with a Kraft base stamped in watermark ink with the stitched background from Background Basics: Retro. Next, I stamped the wreath from Rustic Branches onto a Labels 1 die cut. I love that wreath. I use it for just about everything. Depending on the colors it works for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, you name it! I coated the berries in dimensional glaze and adhered a jute bow before setting it aside to dry.

I stamped my sentiment and sponged my edges and looked at the card. It needed something. I decided to stamp a row of the tiny polka dots from Polka Dot Basics II. That was just enough of a punch of color to bring the whole project together. Finally, I mounted the wreath image to the card base with foam adhesive and called it a day. I hope you've enjoyed my card this evening! Have fun hopping!

Recipe:
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Rustic Branches, Believe, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Frost White - Colorbox; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Rustic Jute Twine - Papertrey Ink; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Foam adhesive - Scotch

Calendar Update

2009-10-11T18:57:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, the cardstock for this year's calendar is a little delayed and the calendar won't be in the shop for a little while longer. I apologize for the hold up, but I'll make sure to post when they are finished and available.

In other news, I just found out I was accepted into the Tiny Canary Indie Design Market again this year and I am super excited! The show will be November 14th & 15th from 10:00-6:00 each day (the first 100 customers through the door each day will receive a swag bag full of samples from the vendors!). The full vendor list should be available on the Tiny Canary website shortly.

Also, I dropped of a new set of greeting cards at On Paper this weekend. The group included birthday, Thanksgiving, and congratulations cards.

Hopefully, I will be able to share something crafty in the next couple of days. It's been busier than I expected and I haven't had much time for blogging this week.

And one last thing...thanks for all of the well wishes for Gus. He's home and doing better (though still a little under the weather). He seems to have handled the night away better than I did. Ok, see you again soon...

Not Today, I'm Sorry

2009-10-07T22:56:00.004-04:00

Well, I took Gus (my kitters) to the vet this morning and things didn't go very well, so I'm afraid I'm not in the mood to create and share today. I'm a little (ok, a lot) distracted and mopey and perhaps not as cheerful as I prefer to be when crafting. He should be home tomorrow (barring any additional obstacles) and I will generally be more enthusiastic. Sorry for dropping the craft ball. Thanks for understanding. See you soon.

2010 Desktop Calendar

2009-10-06T18:36:00.004-04:00

Hello, Blogland! It's been busy around here lately. I've been prepping for holiday shows, designing this year's new holiday card designs, and putting the finishing touches on the 2010 calendar. Speaking of which, who wants to see a preview of my 2010 desktop calendar?

This is the cover page. It shows just a snippet of each month's pattern without giving too much away. I'm really happy with the calendar this time around. It will land in the Etsy shop before the end of the week. Thanks for stopping by today. I plan to have a new card to share tomorrow.

See you soon!

Entering The World Of Technology

2009-09-28T00:22:00.002-04:00

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

2009-09-26T15:06:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-24T13:24:00.006-04:00

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

2009-09-23T20:20:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-21T22:43:00.002-04:00

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!

Little Update

2009-08-12T20:07:00.004-04:00

Hello Blogland! We've been preparing for a family reunion this weekend so I haven't been crafting as much as usual, but I wanted to share a photo from the fair. On Friday night I decided I needed new table signage, so I whipped up this little pennant banner.

The show itself was ok. I enjoyed being out and spending time with others in my community. I only ate a little fair food (fried stuff and I aren't really friends anymore), but I did get to see baby animals, hear some good music, and pick up an amazing Clinton Reno Crafty Expo poster (it's not on his website, but you should totally check out his work because it's straight awesome). Thanks again to everyone that came out! I'll see you a little more next week...

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

2009-08-07T16:04:00.002-04:00

Hello Blogland! I'm sorry for my absence this week. I've been preparing for the Handmade Expo at the Ohio State Fair this weekend. You can read more about the Expo at the Columbus Crafty Cotillion blog. I hope to see some familiar faces tomorrow! We'll be there from noon to 7:00 with vendors selling everything from ceramics to jewelry and apparel. Come on out and support local arts!

Floral Fusion

2009-08-03T17:31:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! Today's card features Papertrey's Floral Fusion stamp set. I am so excited about the special edition stamp set that they were giving away at CHA last weekend! In fact, I love it so much that I couldn't help but make a card with it when I got home yesterday. It's such a sweet and classic floral set and the sentiments included are versatile basics that I absolutely know I'll use.

I started by stamping a background from Background Basics: Retro onto Kraft cardstock using watermark ink. Then I stamped the circle and sentiment in white ink and sponged the edges. I set that aside while I stamped the flowers and stems onto Rustic White cardstock. I saw this in person at the show and I knew immediately that I would love it. The lightly woodsy feel goes perfectly with Kraft and adds a little subtle visual texture to your image. I punched out parts of my stamped images using a 1 1/4" square punch. Then, I tied a piece of Spring Moss twill around the Kraft layer before adhering it to a Melon Berry base. Finally, I mounted my floral squares over top the ribbon using foam tape. Easy peasy!

Thanks for stopping by today! See you soon...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Melon Berry, Kraft, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Floral Fusion (Special Edition Set), Background Basics: Retro, Borders & Corners: Circle - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Moss, Melon Berry - Papertrey Ink; Frost White - Colorbox; Versamark - Tsukineko
Tools: 1 1/4" square punch (yellow one) - Marvy
Fibers: Spring Moss Twill Ribbon - Papertrey Ink
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch

CHA Supershow

2009-08-02T20:21:00.006-04:00

Hello Blogland! I'm home from CHA and I had the greatest time! Joan Bardee is a riot. She had me in a state of giggles for two whole days. I also had the opportunity to meet all of the talented women of Papertrey (and their hard working gentlemen stockers). Nichole, Heather, Debbie, Dawn, Mish, Julie and Jane are just as sweet in person as you would imagine. I found myself returning time after time to chat with the lovely ladies and study their beautiful samples. The make and takes were tons of fun, too (I did all three on Saturday)!

I could probably have done the whole show in one day, but I really enjoyed being able to take my time and look through everything carefully. I was hoping to see the new Quickutz letterpress demonstration, but they were already gone by the time I checked into the hotel and made my way to the event on Friday. I talked to a couple of people that said it really looked worthwhile and I'm super excited about its release (October 2009, I believe). Letterpress and I go way back. We're like this (imagine tightly crossed fingers).

When Joan and I returned to our room the first day we (well, Joan actually) noticed a beautiful flower arrangement awaiting our arrival. My dear, sweet, loving husband conspired with Sabrina at the concierge desk to send flowers. They were pink and orange (very close to Hibiscus Burst and Summer Sunrise for those of you familiar with Papertrey colors) gerbera daisies and Queen Anne's Lace. He's a keeper folks. He's a keeper.

Well, I had a lot of fun and I heard whispers of some really fun new products on the horizon. I can't wait to see what the next few months bring. I hope you all had a great weekend, too! See you soon...

Congratulations to Rae Barthel!

2009-07-31T07:00:00.002-04:00

Rae is this year's Gallery Idol winner. Congratulations, Rae! Your cards were amazing every week.

My Bags Are Packed...

2009-07-30T23:11:00.002-04:00

I'm ready to go. I better stop before I start singing. Nobody wants that.

Tomorrow morning I'll be saying adios to the buckeye state for two craft-packed days at CHA. Gus is pacing nervously and glaring at my suitcase. Buddy is gleefully oblivious. Sean has fresh milk, strawberry Pop-Tarts, and pressed work clothes. I think I have everyone covered.

I'm super excited to get down to Florida and meet all of the amazing ladies I interact with on this here internet. My roomie is the amazingly funny Joan so I am sure to have a good time! I booked a hotel with internet access, so I'll make sure to check in over the next couple of days. I even charged my camera battery again just to make sure it has enough juice to get me through day one. Oh, jeepers I can't wait!

Get Well Umbrella

2009-07-29T11:55:00.003-04:00

Good afternoon Blogland! It's a little gray and rainy here in Ohio at the moment. The plants are happy and the air is nice and cool, so I'm not complaining. The rain started me thinking about umbrellas and I knew exactly what I wanted to share today.

This little "get well" number was created by stamping an umbrella from Scattered Showers in Seascape and Charcoal inks. Then, I added the edging and red dots with the tip of a marker for a little burst of color. I stamped my sentiment onto Spring Rain cardstock before adhering the umbrella image. I wrapped the image panel with a strip of Pure Poppy ribbon and a piece of pearl cotton thread and secured them with a brad.

I set that aside while I stamped the background using Background Basics: Retro onto Smoky Shadow cardstock. I adhered the patterned layer to a white card base and mounted the focal image with foam tape. The final touch was adding Glossy Accents to the red dots for just a little dimension.

Thanks for stopping by this afternoon. I hope you're having a great day! See you soon...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Stamps: Scattered Showers, Faux Ribbon - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Seascape, Charcoal - Palette; Frost White - Colorbox
Fibers: Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Pale Blue Pearl Cotton - DMC
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Pewter Brad - Making Memories; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Red Marker - Zig

Gallery Idol Round 4: Humor

2009-07-27T15:24:00.003-04:00

So here we are. Round 4; the finals. I'm going to avoid melodrama, but I do want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone that stuck in there and voted every week. Thank you to Paper Crafts for giving me this opportunity. Thank you to Sean for listening to my harried brainstorming (especially after this weekend of bad jokes) and for offering your opinion and for not getting crabby when I'd ask you repeatedly if you were sure the cards were good enough. Thanks again, everyone. It means so much. I'm not a big hugger, but I'd hug everyone of you if I could (or at the very least give a fist bump).

This week's theme was difficult for me. Hopefully it translates over the interweb, but if it doesn't...well, blaze of glory and all that. I took a line we say around here from time to time (that I just found out was part of a rap song?!) and added a punchline. I had a creative writing teacher once tell my class to "write what you know." Well, I should just let the card speak for itself...

First, I want to say I am well aquatinted with chubbyness and therefore feel comfortable making such a joke. Secondly, there is nothing wrong with angel food cake. It just sets itself up as a good punchline. It's like the chess team captain of cake while chocolate is the bad boy musician. Chocolate is sinful. Chocolate is good.

So to make this card I printed my joke onto Aqua Mist cardstock and scored the punchline to the inside. Then, I printed the set up on white cardstock and stamped that with Spring Moss and a background from Background Basics: Retro. I trimmed that down and used the Apron Lace border punch along the bottom edge. I adhered that to the base and wrapped the top with a bit of twill to make it look a bit more finished. A scalloped circle of Spring Moss was adhered atop the twill to highlight the focal image.

The focal image was created by stamping piece of cake onto Kraft cardstock and embellishing it with Liquid Applique. The applique was heat set when wet to get the fluffy appearance. I trimmed around the cake and foam mounted it to a matted piece of white cardstock stamped with a circular burst pattern. That whole piece was adhered to the Spring Moss circle with foam tape. The cake looked a little naked, so I added a candle with a rhinestone flame.

My last step on the front was to add the button bow. Nichole Heady has a fabulous tutorial on these bows on her blog. I used Aqua Mist saddle stitched ribbon and a little hemp twine to create my bow. I'd never done one of these before, but I love how it turned out and I'm sure I'll be doing more of them in the future.

I was all ready to be done until I looked inside and my punchline looked a little lonely. I decided to spruce up the interior with a strip of decorative edge paper I had left over from doing the front of the card. I think it added a little something. I'm happy.

By now, most of you are old pros when it comes to voting. You can go HERE to see everyone's entries and vote for your favorite. Remember: You can only vote once! This is the last round so you are essentially voting for the winner. The voting runs from noon MST today through noon MST on Thursday. The winner will be announced on Friday morning.

Most of my week is dedicated to getting ready for CHA this weekend, but I'll try to stop in and post a few new cards before I head out Friday. Take care and I'll see you soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate, Kraft - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Stamps: Piece Of Cake, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink; Circles & Dots - Inkadinkado
Stamping Ink: Spring Moss, Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; Burnt Umber - Palette
Printer Ink: Pantone 4625 U 80% intensity
Tools: Apron Lace Border Punch - Fiskars; Mega Scalloped Circle Punch (pink)- Marvy, Adobe Illustrator
Font: Chasm Normal (I increased the kearning a little)
Fibers: Aqua Mist Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Dark Chocolate Twill Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Hemp Twine - Darice
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Liquid Applique - Marvy; Rhinestone - Darice; Button - unknown

Can Someone Please Teach Me To Be Funny Before Monday

2009-07-24T12:44:00.002-04:00

The Top 5 in the Gallery Idol contest were announced today and I am thrilled to be on that list! The only difficulty is the challenge. Our theme this week is humor. Humor?! Those of you that know me know that my personal brand of humor is more of a dry, chuckle inducing (but not gut busting), roll your eyes sort of humor. I'm not sure how that translates into the world of greeting card design, but I'm going to give it the old college try. This could be a disaster...

Gallery Idol Round 3: Buttons

2009-07-20T14:15:00.000-04:00

Good afternoon Blogland! I hope you've been well. My week was full of more super nice comments and emails from those of you following the Gallery Idol competition. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your support. I'm just a bundle of happy energy these days!

Anyway, today the third round of Gallery Idol begins. Our theme this week is to incorporate buttons. I lurve buttons! I wanted to use them differently than I usually do (as a random embellishment or flower center), so I started going through my supplies looking for an application that may not come to mind in the dead heat of summer. After much deliberation I give you...Christmas in July!

I started with an Aqua Mist base stamped diagonally with a stripe background from Background Basics: Retro in white ink. Then, I stamped my branch onto white cardstock and sponged the edges with Aqua Mist ink. That was adhered to a green scalloped layer and tied with Pure Poppy ribbon.

Next, I drew on my ornament hangers went looking for just the right buttons. I didn't have the perfect red button so I took a great white one and sponged it with reinker and a cotton ball. I realized the trick to even color was to get plenty of the ink on the cotton ball. I heat set the ink when I was happy with the coverage (if you try this at home please make sure to use tweezers and keep your fingers away from the heat). I layered the now red button with a nifty white one for a little extra dimension. I used contrasting thread to stitch on the buttons and add a fun detail.

I stamped my sentiment before mounting my image panel to the card base with foam tape. I'm really happy with this card. The color scheme is so fun and punchy!

So, the voting this week is much like it has been the last couple. The only difference being you don't have to re-register to vote if you've already done so. You may have to log in, but you won't have to re-register. You can go HERE to see everyone's entries and vote for your favorite. Remember: You can only vote once per round! It's going to be a tough decision with so much button-y goodness in the lineup. The voting runs from noon MST today through noon MST on Thursday. This round decides the Top 5 finalists (to be announced on Friday).

Thanks for checking in today! See you soon (I make no promises...I've been sucked into a "brain candy" book series and I can't seem to find my way out)...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore; Leapfrog - Bazzill
Ink: New Leaf, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; Dark Brown Chalk, Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Background Basics: Retro, Take A Bough - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Scalloped Border Punch - Fiskars; Needle
Fibers: Red Embroidery Floss, Aqua Embroidery Floss - DMC
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Buttons - unknown; Silver Pen - Marvy

And Then There Were Ten

2009-07-17T13:57:00.003-04:00

Yes, as one very astute crafty friend has noticed, (ahem...Joan) I made it to the Top 10 in the Gallery Idol contest. I saw her comment and had to chuckle. Thank you again to everyone that has supported me thus far! Some of your emails have virtually slapped me with a silly stick and I am so very happy to be advancing. The theme this week is "buttons." I instantly started kicking myself for not ordering at the Papertrey release the other night, but I'm sure I'll come up with something. Stay tuned...

Gallery Idol Round 2: Around The House

2009-07-13T14:25:00.000-04:00

First of all, thank you to everyone that has left me comments and sent me emails loaded with well wishes. I've got warm fuzzies in spades these days!

Today marks the beginning of Round 2 in the gallery Idol competition. Our theme for this round was to incorporate a household item: chairs, frames, birdcages, lamps, kitchen utensils, pillows, chandeliers, teapots, appliances, dishes, etc. Admittedly, my initial reaction was less than enthusiastic. "How on Earth am I going to make a card incorporating a vacuum cleaner?" I was stumped. The first couple of days were marred with false starts, but I think I managed to successfully pull myself together. I present to you...my big comfy chair.

I designed the chair in Adobe Illustrator and printed it on Spring Moss cardstock. My first step was to reverse mask the image using a piece of copy paper and stamp the plaid pattern in white and Ripe Avocado. That way, when I went to cut it out there wouldn't be plaid lines in the negative space outside the stitching.

Next, I backstitched all of my lines. I did the piping with 3 thread strands of floss while the knots are full strands. I can't do a French Knot to save my life, so those tuft thingies are just plain old double knots. Just keeping it real, Folks. After all the embroidery was done I cut out the image, being very careful to avoid the stitches.

My next step was creating the little dust ruffle. I took a scrap of Spring Moss and stamped it with the same pattern as the rest of the chair. Then I scored it at 1/4" intervals in a peak & valley formation. I did my folding and then scrunched it up in a tiny little ball; unscrunched it and scrunched it again a few times. Then, I did that thing where you separate the layers of cardstock by peeling them away from each other. I think it's called the faux suede technique. Really, I just wanted my paper to be thinner and softer so I could make it look a little more like fabric. It worked out rather well, me thinks. The ruffle was adhered to the back side of the chair with a little red line tape.

I set my little chair aside for a moment while I prepared my base and stamped the Kraft layer with polka dots. Next, I trimmed a strip of Ripe Avocado with pinking shears and adhered that (along with the Kraft) to my base. Finally, I stamped my sentiment, tied on my button with some twine, and mounted my chair with a little foam tape. Doesn't it just look warm and cozy?

So, the voting this week is much like it was last week. The only difference being you don't have to re-register to vote if you've already done so. You may have to log in, but you won't have to re-register. You can go HERE to see everyone's entries and vote for your favorite. Remember: You can only vote once per round! It's going to be a tough decision with so many amazing cards in the lineup. The voting runs from noon MST today through noon MST on Thursday. This round decides the Top 10 finalists (to be announced on Friday).

Thanks for checking in today! See you on the flip side...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Ripe Avocado, Kraft, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Frost White - Colorbox; Versamark - Tsukineko
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Background Basics: Retro, Boards and Beams - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Adobe Illustrator; Pinking Shears; Sewing Needle
Fibers: White Embroidery Floss - DMC; Hemp Cord - Darice
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Button - unknown

Gallery Idol Update

2009-07-11T11:27:00.002-04:00

Yesterday morning the Paper Crafts Blog made the Top 15 announcement. I am happy to reveal that I was on that list! We were busy here, there, and everywhere yesterday for Sean's birthday, so this is the first I've really had a chance to write an update. A great big "Thank you" to all of the folks that went to vote (either for me or someone else). The contest is so much fun and I feel fortunate to be involved.

The theme for the next round is "household items" so I'll be spending my Saturday figuring out how to incorporate a vacuum cleaner into a greeting card. Wish me luck!

Cheer Up, Buttercup!

2009-07-09T22:59:00.003-04:00

I just have a quick card to share today. This encouragement card was done for the Clean & Simple Challenge #19 over at the Splitcoast Stampers website a couple of weeks ago. The challenge was to create a card based on this layout from Natasha Trupp.

I started by randomly stamping my umbrellas in Summer Sunrise and Charcoal inks. Then I added the sentiment and the splashes which were covered in glitter and Glossy Accents. The white panel was matted with Spring Rain cardstock and mounted to a Summer Sunrise base using foam adhesive. I used a white gel pen to accent the corners and called it done.

Thanks for checking in today! I won't see you tomorrow because it's Sean's birthday and we'll be busy checking out the animals and picnicking at the zoo. Have a good day!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Summer Sunrise, Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink; Seascape, Charcoal - Palette
Stamps: Scattered Showers, Pond Life (splashes) - Papertrey Ink
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; White Gel Pen - Sakura

One Last Birthday Card

2009-07-07T09:20:00.001-04:00

Good Morning Blogland! I've pre-posted this because we're at the farm today. I imagine I'm slathered in sun screen and up to my elbows in salad greens right now. I'm sure it's a lovely sight (well if comical is lovely in your opinion).

Anyway, today I am going to show you one last card from my Gallery Idol open call submissions and show you a picture of my birthday cake, too. First the card.

This card is where clean and simple meets shabby chic. To start, I cut four squares of patterned paper from October Afternoon and distressed the edges a smidge. Then I pierced around the inside edges and adhered the squares to a piece of blue cardstock in a block pattern. I mounted that square to a Vintage Cream base and fluffed up the edges of the patterned paper again to try and give it as much texture as possible.

Next, I covered the chipboard frame with the opposite side of the patterned paper and used an emery board to weather the edges a little. I stamped the sentiment (Imaginisce, I think) onto a small piece of Vintage Cream. I set that aside while I embellished the frame. The flower leaves are actually narrow strips of silk ribbon that I folded over and secured under the Primas. Once the frame was sufficiently embellished, I adhered it to the sentiment and mounted the whole thing to the patterned paper block.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Whirlpool - Bazzill
Stamps: Happy Birthday Sentiment - Imaginisce
Ink: Pear - Paper Salon
Patterned Paper: Picnic Basket - October Afternoon
Fibers: Green Silk Ribbon - May Arts; White Embroidery Floss - DMC
Embellishments: Chipboard Frame - Basic Grey; White flowers - Prima; Brushed Nickel Mini Brads - Making Memories; Buttons - unknown

Now for the cake! I mentioned the other day that it was a Texas Grapefruit Cake. Sean found the recipe in Savour magazine. He thought it looked tasty and knows how much I appreciate all things citrus, so he asked the wonderfully talented Devon to bake the cake and deliver it the day before we arrived home from our trip to Tennessee. The whole drive home I was pestering Sean for clues as to what "the present at home" was, and he was getting annoyed so every once in a while he would break down and give me a snippet of information.

By the time we arrived at the house I was sure it was some sort of strange cocktail ingredients and (honestly) I was a bit of a cranky pants (you'd understand if you knew about the margarita fiasco of Christmas '08). The next thing I know he's presenting me with a big, beautiful cake covered in pretty lettering and roses. I'm rather certain I squealed. At any rate it was fantastic and it's taking us some time to finish. Here's a picture:

Isn't she beautious?

Well thanks for hanging in there and reading all about my 98th birthday card in a row and my unusual taste in birthday cakes. See you tomorrow!

We Have A Winner!

2009-07-07T00:11:00.002-04:00

When asked to pick a number, Sean replied "6," giving us our winner, Katy Frame!

Congratulations, Katy! I'll get ahold of you shortly to get your address.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

Gallery Idol Round 1: Wedding

2009-07-06T14:23:00.006-04:00

As I mentioned last week, I am unbelievably fortunate in my selection as a Gallery Idol participant again this year. I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge and submit. I forgot how much fun I had with it last year, but those familiar memories came flooding back with that very first acceptance email. Thank you so much, Paper Crafts Editors, for giving me this opportunity again!

In case you've not heard about the Gallery Idol competition let's fill you in, hmmm? (directly from Paper Crafts website)

Paper Crafts Official Gallery Idol Challenge (June 1 - July 31, 2009)

It's back! Paper Crafts is proud to announce that its hugely popular gallery challenge Gallery Idol is back for season three. Last year after eight fierce weeks of competition, we named Nancy Cienfuegos from Orlando, Florida our season two winner. Now we're ready to induct the next paper crafter extraordinaire! Are you ready to win?

Based on Fox's hit TV show American Idol, our version will have readers submitting themed projects every week in hopes of becoming the grand prize idol winner. And just like our TV counterpart, online viewers will vote each week with only the best contestants with the best submissions moving forward in the competition to the next round.

The best part... the perks! Every time a contestant makes it through to the next round, she/he will each receive a fabulous prize package!

This year for our "Open Auditions" round, 276 members submitted 1,254 birthday cards for 20 coveted spots! It was an agonizing decision, but we're confident we got it right with this batch of 20 gals. Their first challenge is to create a wedding card for round one. Voting will begin at noon on Monday, July 6 and run through noon on Thursday, July 9. Make sure you check back here during these times to see all of the Top 20's wedding cards and to vote on your favorite one.

Let the competition begin!

So my card today is my submission for this round (wedding cards). I wanted to create something that had softness and texture, but also a little bit of a fun and a slightly unexpected quality. I hope that translates in my card.

To begin, I made the textured Hazel (light blue) layer by alternately scoring lines with my Scor-Pal and piercing lines to create a sort of monochromatic argyle pattern. I matted the Hazel with Vintage Cream cardstock and added tiny pearls of iridescent paint to the intersections of the scored lines for a little traditional wedding flair. I set that piece aside while the paint dried. My card went through several variations, but I knew I wanted to use this layer, no matter how my layout came together.

Next, I prepared my Kraft base by stamping tiny polka dots in watermark ink and rounding the bottom corners. Then, I took a strip of Ocean Tides cardstock and used my Notch & Die tool to scallop one edge. I adhered that to the Hazel layer and trimmed off the excess. I then wrapped that entire piece with some vintage lace I inherited from my Great Aunt Gina. I have no idea of the age of this trim or where it came from, but I knew its softness was perfect for the look I was trying to achieve. At that point I knew I wanted a little punch of color, so I added a strip of Melon Berry twill ribbon and a light blue button. I finished the ribbon with a delightful swallow tail snip. That panel was then mounted to the base using foam adhesive.

I wanted to use a sentiment that wasn't super conventional and I loved this phrase from the Scattered Showers set. I stamped the sentiment using Ocean Tides ink onto Vintage Cream cardstock and set it aside until I had covered a scalloped Maya Road frame in Melon Berry cardstock. Once those two pieces were adhered together I mounted them to the Hazel layer and took a deep sigh. I'm really happy with it and I hope you all like it, too.

So here's the deal with the voting. It began at 12:00pm MST today (7/6) and runs until 12:00pm MST on Thursday (7/9). This round's voting decides the Top 15. That announcement will be made on Friday. You can go HERE to vote for your favorite card. All of the ladies did an exceptional job and I, for one, am incredibly impressed with everyone. When you get to the website you will need to log in (or create) with your username and register to vote. It takes just a few quick minutes and I'm sure all of the participants would sincerely appreciate your support. Then you just click on the "Save Vote" button on your favorite card's vote page in order to cast your ballot. Keep in mind: you can only vote once per round. It's a hard decision! There 20 amazing cards and 20 amazing crafters.

Thanks for checking in today! Have a great afternoon and I'll see you tomorrow...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Hazel - Bazzill; Kraft, Melon Berry, Vintage Cream, Ocean Tides - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Ocean Tides - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Stamps: Scattered Showers, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: Melon Berry Twill - Papertrey Ink; Hemp Cord - Darice; Vintage Lace - unknown; Chipboard Frame - Maya Road; Button - unknown
Tools: Notch & Die Tool - Basic Grey; Medium Corner Rounder - EK Success; Scor-Pal
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; White Mist Iridescent Paint - Scribbles

Cupcake Wishes and Polka Dot Dreams

2009-07-05T10:12:00.003-04:00

Good morning, Blogland! Today I'm sharing yet another birthday card that I submitted to the open call for Gallery Idol. I'll break it up with a little something different tomorrow, but for today we'll stick with birthday cards.

I started with a Pure Poppy base. I knew I didn't want to leave it plain so I broke out the Borders & Corners: Circle set and went to town. I chose the ring I used because it had polka dots and a circle all wrapped into one. Hooray for polka dotty goodness!

Next I took a piece of Kraft and stamped it with a medium polka dot in watermark ink. On a separate piece of Kraft I stamped my cupcake. I didn't stamp the cherry at all, but when I trimmed around the cupcake I left a space where the cherry would have been positioned. I then stitched the button onto that blank cardstock in place of the cherry.

Before adhering the cupcake with foam tape, I held it in place where I wanted it and lightly drew on a stem in pencil and stamped the sentiment. I backstitched on the stem and sponged the edges before matting the Kraft with a decorative white layer. Lastly, I mounted the entire focal point to the base with foam tape and filled in the polka dots (on the cupcake) with white gel pen.

Don't forget to comment on this post by noon (EST) tomorrow for your chance to win a little package of crafty sweetness.

Enjoy your day and I'll see you tomorrow!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Kraft, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Versamark - Tsukineko; Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Everyday Classics (limited edition), Borders & Corners: Circle, Faux Ribbon, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Fibers: Red Embroidery Thread - DMC
Tools: Apron Lace Border Punch - Fiskars; Medium Corner Rounder (green) - EK Success
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Button

It's Your Day

2009-07-04T11:32:00.000-04:00

Hello, blog friends! Happy Independence Day to all of my United States friends. Today's project is a birthday card that I made for the Gallery Idol open call.

I started with a gray base and added layers of Vintage Cream and patterned paper from Imaginisce. I love this paper because it has spot lacquer on some of the numbers. It's difficult to see in the picture, but it adds such a fun texture in person.

Next, I stamped the sentiment on cream cardstock that I matted with a layer of bright aqua. Then, I backstitched with aqua embroidery floss. I set the sentiment panel aside while I covered the chipboard star with Pure Poppy cardstock and stitched on an aqua button.

Then, I cut slits into the sentiment panel and added foam tape before wrapping Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched ribbon around the base and threading it through the sentiment panel. I finished the ribbon with a simple knot and attached the star to the sentiment panel. Not a super complicated card, but I'm really happy with my finished product.

Don't forget to comment on this post for your chance to win a little present. You have until noon (EST) on Monday to enter, so get those comments in early!

I hope you all have a fun holiday weekend. Be safe and be smart. See you all later!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Vintage Cream - Papertrey Ink; Gravel, Pool - Paper Source
Stamps: Star Prints - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Charcoal - Palette
Fibers: Aqua Embroidery Floss, White Embroidery Floss - DMC; Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink
Other: Chipboard Star - Basic Grey; Foam Tape - Scotch; Aqua button

All Sorts of News & A Present

2009-07-03T12:40:00.007-04:00

So...I've had a big week and I'm super excited to share. Since I last wrote:

* I made it into the Top 20 of Paper Crafts magazine's Gallery Idol Competition (you'll be hearing more about this soon)

* I booked a flight to and hotel at the CHA Craft Supershow in Orlando at the end of the month. I even have a super fun roomie!

* And...I turned 25.

Since I can't send you a piece of the Texas Grapefruit Cake (super YUM!) Sean had made for my birthday, I guess I'll have to send one lucky winner a little something not so sugary, but still sweet. How about:

A current issue of Paper Crafts Magazine (July/August - The Eco Issue)
A package of Rubons from the Blue Hill Collection from Crate Paper
A package of Chipboard buttons from the Blue Hill Collection from Crate Paper
AND
A spool of Melon Berry Saddle Stitched Ribbon from Papertrey Ink

I'll try and get a picture and update that later.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me about a birthday cake you've had and totally loved. Are you a yellow cake and chocolate frosting fiend or do you prefer pie? Let me know and you'll be entered to win my little prize. Have a good day and I'll see you all tomorrow with some sort of project (I really mean it this time).

*EDIT*-I forgot to mention the cut off to enter for the giveaway is noon EST on Monday.

Road Trip!

2009-06-28T14:35:00.002-04:00

Sean and I are trekking our happy selves down to Tennessee (to visit Mom and Henry) this evening until late this week, so I may be a bit scarce between now and then. I was hoping to have something to share before we headed out, but I'm afraid that isn't likely. You see, it's 3 hours to Wapner and I still have a "t'do" list that needs t'done. And it's long. It was longer, but I've been chipping away at it steadily for the last few days. Yesterday I checked "go get license renewed" off the list. It wasn't crowded (for a Saturday morning) and I made the DMV lady chuckle, so all-in-all a rather successful trip. I love making crabby people chuckle. It gives me a bit of a thrill. How's that for living on the edge?

Anyway...enjoy your week and I'll return to blogland before you know it!

Funny Little Story

2009-06-23T01:21:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry I've been missing. I've been working on projects all week that aren't ready to be shared. I've been mulling over some things this week that I'd like to discuss, but I need a few more days to formulate my thoughts. In the meantime...

I wanted to share a funny little story that Sean told me when he arrived home from basketball this evening. He was driving home and he had stopped at a light when a car of young college girls pulled up and rolled down their window to talk to him. The conversation went something like this:

Young College Girls (YCG): Hi there. What are you up to?

Cutie Patootie Hubs (CPH): Just got done playing basketball.

YCG: Looks that way. Hey, we're going to a party (Really?! It's a Monday night.) do you want to come along?

CPH: I don't think so.

YCG: What's your name?

CPH: "Happily Married For Five And A Half Years."

Light turns green. He drives home to tell me the story.

I love that man.

A Little Announcement

2009-06-19T14:10:00.002-04:00

I am super excited to be included in the Columbus Crafty Cotillion Handmade Expo on Saturday, August 8th. The event will be held at the Family Fun Pavilion at the Ohio State Fair from 12-7 o'clock. There are other special events at the fair that day including an Ohio Roller Girls bout and a mural painting demo by Adam Brouillette. I hope you'll join us at the fair!

P.S. And if the indie events aren't enough to entice you... we're right next to the giant slide.

Father's Day #2

2009-06-17T13:10:00.003-04:00

When I asked Sean what he wanted on his dad's Father's Day card he looked around my room and said "How about something blue...like the owl." Well, alright. I was happy to oblige.

I stamped the owl onto white cardstock, colored him, and cut him out with precision scissors. Then, I stamped the branch and "dad" onto Kraft cardstock. After coloring my branch I added my owl with foam tape and adhered the Kraft to a Dark Chocolate layer. I added a couple of stitches and set that aside while I stamped my polka dotted background. I saw Nichole Heady do this during the Papertrey Ink countdown and I knew I wanted to try it. You stamp one size polka dot first and then go back and fill in another size in the gaps. I really like the way it looks. Sort of retro chic, right? Anyway, I sponged the edges of my patterned layer and adhered it to a white base. To finish, I adhered my image panel to the center of the card and added dimensional glaze to the owl's eyes.

I hope he likes it! I'll see you again tomorrow with some fabulous (yet unproduced) project. Have a great day!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Kraft, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore; Blue (I'm not sure of the actual color) - Bazzill
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Pretty Birds - Cornish Heritage Farms (Kim Hughes Collection); Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink; Dad Sentiment - Studio G
Fibers: White Embroidery Floss - DMC
Other: Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Mineral Spirits; Foam Tape - Scotch; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Sponge

June Guest Star Stamper

2009-06-17T11:48:00.003-04:00

Good afternoon, Lovelies! I still plan to share my father-in-law's Father's Day card, but first I'd like to share my Papertrey Ink Guest Star Stamper project from this month. I made a wreath using Star Prints and a styrofoam wreath form. It was a really easy project and I love how it turned out!

I started by wrapping the wreath form (a 10" size) with grosgrain ribbon. It took quite a bit of ribbon (12+ yards), but I'm sure if you used a wider ribbon it would take far less. I used 3/8" because that's what I had on hand. I anchored the ends with Glue Dots and they are holding really well. Next I stamped my stars in a few different patterns using three ink colors. The cutting of the stars went super fast because Nichole, being a genius, coordinated the images in Star Prints to a Fiskars punch. Amazing!

I arranged my first layer of stars before gluing them down. The color progression was purposeful, but the pattern arrangement was random and I wanted to make sure I liked the result. I hot glued the first layer and then added a second layer with foam tape (I left a space where I wanted to place my hanger). Then I made a hanger from a length of Spring Rain ribbon and a corduroy brad. A bow was the perfect finishing touch (also hot glued in place)!

Thanks for checking in this afternoon! I'll share my Father's Day card a little later. Until then, have a great day!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; Prussian Blue, Seascape - Palette
Stamps: Star Prints - Papertrey Ink
Fibers: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Red Grosgrain - Offray
Tools: XL Twinkle, Twinkle Punch - Fiskars; Hot Glue Gun
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Corduroy Brad - Imaginisce; Glue Dots; 10" Wreath Form - Joann

Father's Day #1

2009-06-16T15:56:00.004-04:00

Hello, Blogland! I've been working on Father's Day cards for our papas this week and I'll share one today and one tomorrow. We'll start with the card I made for my daddy. He's a big coffee drinker, so I went with a coffee theme for his card this year.

I began by stamping the coffee cup onto Kraft cardstock (outline first, solid second) and cut that out using precision scissors. I stamped the sentiment and saucer images onto another piece of Kraft before adhering it to a Dark Chocolate layer. Then I mounted the coffee cup with foam tape and stitched on the button. I set the image panel aside while I stamped the stitched background onto Spring Moss cardstock. The final step was mounting the image panel to the base and smiling with satisfaction (I'm only kidding about that last part).

I'm hoping to drive up to visit this weekend and I'll make sure to take a pound of Stauff's coffee to sweeten the pot.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day and visit again soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Kraft, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Frost White, Dark Brown Chalk - Colorbox
Stamps: Warm Happiness, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink; Father's Day $1 Stamp - Studio G (Michaels)
Fibers: Dark Green - DMC
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; White Button - Papertrey Ink

Another Summertime Birthday

2009-06-14T22:10:00.003-04:00

Good evening, Blogland! I hope you've all had a lovely weekend. Today we had dinner with Sean's family in celebration of Grandma's birthday. It was great to see everyone and eat a delicious meal together in honor of such a sweet lady. So today I am sharing Grandma's birthday card. I'm so glad she liked it! I'm pretty sure it's an unwritten faux pas to give grandmas bad birthday cards. Anyway, here it is...

I started by stamping the multi-line image in white ink onto a Kraft base. I wrapped that with a knotted piece of Sweet Blush twill and set it aside. Then I stamped the stem and leaf onto a small piece of white cardstock. I took a pushpin and pierced along the stem and the outer edge of the leaf. Then I backstitched through the holes using half a full strand (or three threads) of embroidery floss. I adhered that to a piece of Ripe Avocado before mounting both layers to a piece of Spring Moss (which had already been stamped with my sentiment). I added a decorative strip of cardstock to the Spring Moss before mounting the whole piece to the Kraft base.

Next, I stamped the poppy from Remember onto white cardstock in Burnt Umber and Sweet Blush inks. I've learned (and I think this may be mentioned in the Papertrey Tip Sheet, too) that it is much easier to line up solid and outline stamps if you use the outline first. I also stamped the solid part twice to make the color a little more saturated and vibrant. I cut out the bloom with scissors and stitched on the brown button with a piece of white embroidery floss (this time using the entire strand and going through the holes twice). Finally, I mounted that to the image panel using foam tape.

Tonight is the Papertrey release and I am so excited to see the sets in their entirety! Hope to catch you on the forum...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Ripe Avocado, Spring Moss, Kraft - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Spring Moss, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink; Burnt Umber - Palette; Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Remember, Birthday Basics, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Apron Lace Border Punch - Fiskars; Push Pin; Needle
Fibers: Dark Green Embroidery Floss, White Embroidery Floss - DMC; Sweet Blush Twill - Papertrey Ink
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Brown Button

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2009-06-12T18:16:00.003-04:00

It's my daddy's birthday! Happy Birthday, Daddy! So today I'm going to share the card I made in birthday celebration.

I started by stamping the small star from Everyday Classics onto white cardstock with Seascape ink. Then, I stamped the birthday sentiment using charcoal ink and punched out the sentiments using a circle punch. I adhered those circles to slightly larger circles I cut from Smoky Shadow cardstock. I cut out my stars and mounted them to the center of the circles using foam tape and set aside those star medallions for a moment.

Next I went about creating the patterned layer of my card. I stamped the stitched background from Background Basics: Retro in white ink onto Spring Rain cardstock and sponged the edges with charcoal. All that blue and gray was looking a little dreary, so I wrapped the Spring Rain layer with a bit of Pure Poppy twill to give the card a little pop. I adhered the blue layer to a white base before adding the star medallions on top of the twill with foam tape.

I hope he likes the card (and his present) as much as I do! Until next time...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Seascape, Charcoal - Palette; Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Around & About Sentiments, Everyday Classics (Limited Edition), Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Tools: 1 1/4" Circle Punch - Creative Memories; 1 1/2" Circle Punch - EK Success
Fibers: Pure Poppy Twill - Papertrey Ink
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Sponge

Lovey Dovey

2009-06-10T21:17:00.003-04:00

Hello my beautiful blog friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day! Today's project is a lovey dovey card I made recently. I've had a few requests for wedding/engagement/congratulations cards lately and I suppose all that joy put me in the mood for love. So today's card is one of those that I'll slip my husband on a random day to let him know just how sweet he is (can I get a collective awww?).

I started with a Kraft base stamped with a medium polka dot in burnt umber ink (I left a blank space where I was going to adhere my vellum layer because I didn't want my polka dots to compete with the texture of the vellum). Next, I took some (aforementioned) linen vellum and punched one side with my apron lace punch. The really nice thing about this vellum is its thickness. Forget vellum tape; I adhered this stuff to the base using basic ATG adhesive and you can't even see the line. Love that!

Then I die cut two hearts (one from chipboard and one from Pure Poppy cardstock) and stamped the medium polka dot in watermark ink over the red heart. Next I die cut the label and stamped the sentiment in burnt umber.

The next part is a little difficult to explain so stick with me. I placed my heart on my label where I wanted it to eventually be mounted and I punched a hole through both pieces. I took thin hemp twine and wrapped it around the label, threading it through the hole and knotting it in place (sort of tying it onto itself). That makes the knot really sturdy and allows it to stay in place even on the curved edge of the label. Then, I threaded the linen through the hole in the heart and mounted the heart to the label with foam tape. Once the heart was affixed, I tied on the button. I took that whole piece and mounted it to the base using foam tape.

The last steps were to round the corners and wrap the base with Pure Poppy ribbon, tying a pretty knot.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Tell someone you love them and I'll see you again soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Kraft, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Versamark - Tsukineko
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Faux Ribbon - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Nestibilities Label 1 Dies - Spellbinders; Apron Lace Punch - Fiskars; Medium Corner Rounder - EK Success; Hearts, Flowers & Tag Die - Sizzix
Fibers: Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Hemp Twine - Darice
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; White button - Papertrey Ink; Chipboard

Wall Frames Part 3

2009-06-08T16:27:00.006-04:00

Today we have the final chapter of my wall frames explanation. I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I put these little lovelies together! If you've missed the past posts you can catch up by reading the studio tour post here, part one of the wall frames here, and part two of the wall frames here.

The first frame for today is the owl frame.

I started by typesetting and printing the quote onto Kraft cardstock. Then I stamped the branch onto the base and an owl onto scrap cardstock. Those were colored using colored pencils and mineral spirits. I cut out the owl with precision scissors and mounted him above the branch with foam tape. The last step was adding a little glaze to the owl's eyes to make them all shiny. Isn't he cute?!

The next frame today is the Earth laughs frame.

I started this one with the pin dot stamp from Polka Dot basics in watermark ink on Spring Moss cardstock. Then I stamped the stems and the quote onto the base. The flowers were stamped onto white cardstock and cut with precision scissors before being mounted to the base with foam adhesive. I wanted the larger flower to stand out so I bedazzled it with a clear rhinestone.

This last one is my very, very favorite of the bunch. It's my dandelion frame.

I began by stamping the stitched background onto my Kraft base using watermark ink. I love this background. It reminds me of my grandpa. It looks like his jammies. I'm sure he would have loved me telling the world he wore stitched jammies. Anyway...after the background, I stamped my dandelion in white ink. The stem on this stamp is actually a lot shorter than it would appear, but I knew I was going to stitch over the stem, so I just placed the stamp where I wanted it to land. The sentiment took me awhile to figure out (layered scalloped circle, unlayered scalloped circle, unlayered regular cirlcle, etc), but I finally settled on making a sort of pierced frame using a couple of my scalloped and regular circle dies and a regular ol' pushpin (no fancy schmancy piercers for me). I glued on the frame first to make sure I would get my placement right for the sentiment. After my sentiment had dried, I backstitched the dandelion stem using dark green embroidery floss and applied glitter and glaze to all the little bitty dots on the dandelion head. The final result is subtly sparkly and has amazing texture.

Well, that's all of them. I hope you've enjoyed getting to see all of these up close. Tomorrow's our first day at the farm for this season, so I may not post until Wednesday. We'll see. Until next time...

Recipe (owl frame):
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette
Stamps: Pretty Birds (Kim Hughes Collection) - Cornish Heritage Farms
Other: Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Mineral Spirits; Foam Tape - Scotch; Font: Atilla Normal; Glossy Accents - Ranger

Recipe (Earth laughs frame):
Cardstock: Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Melon Berry, Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Stamps: Green Thumb, Honey Bees, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Other: Clear Rhinestone - Darice; Foam Tape - Scotch

Recipe (dandelion frame):
Cardstock: Kraft, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Frost White - Colorbox; Versamark - Tsukineko
Stamps: Star Prints, Background Basics Retro - Papertrey Ink; Dandelion - Paper Source
Tools: Nesting Circles; Nesting Flowers - Quickuts; push pin; sewing needle
Fibers: Dark Green Embroidery Floss - DMC
Other: Glitter Pen - Sakura; Glossy Accents - Ranger

Wall Frames Part 2

2009-06-07T19:59:00.006-04:00

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's installment of my wall frames explanation. Today I am going to show you the next three frames in the series. Again, if you're just joining us you can get all caught up with the original studio tour post here and part one of the wall frames here.

The first frame for today is the viney quote frame.

I started by stamping the solid and outline vines from Rustic Branches along with the solid berries onto a piece of Spring Moss. I continued by adding glitter and glaze to all of the berries to give a little visual interest. The quote stamp is a $1 stamp from Michael's that I bought ages ago. I die cut a circle, stamped the quote, and sponged the edges before adhering it to a scalloped circle. That whole piece was then mounted to the base with foam adhesive. This frame may be one of my favorites.

Next we have the new beginnings frame.

I stamped a medium-sized polka dot onto my Kraft base with watermark ink and set that aside. Then I die cut a bracket from white cardstock and stamped my bird nest and sentiment before inking the edges of the bracket. Often I will do the cutting first if I'm using a die cut for my main image. I don't want to have to worry that the die is going to shift during the cutting process and ruin my stamped image. I do the opposite though when I'm using a punch. After mounting the image panel I wrapped the base with dark chocolate twill and stitched on a button. Finally, I added glaze to the eggs and called it done.

Today's final frame is the delicate branch frame.

I started by stamping my branch and leaves onto my Spring Moss base. I wanted to add little white fuzzy buds, so I stamped polka dots and applied white Fun Flock with liquid glue (I find liquid glue works best with flocking). Then, I wrapped by base with dark chocolate twill. I knew I wanted to add my sentiment using a bracket shape, but I didn't have one on hand, so I designed my own and cut it from thin chipboard. I covered my chipboard with white cardstock and stamped my sentiment before sponging the edges and adhering the whole piece to the base with brads.

I hope you're enjoying seeing a more in-depth look at the vignette in my studio. I'll be back tomorrow with the final three frames. Have a great night!

Recipe (viney quote frame):
Cardstock: Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore, coral - Bazzill
Ink: Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Melon Berry - Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Rustic Branches - Papertrey Ink; $1 Quote Stamp - Michael's
Tools: Nesting Circles, Nesting Flowers - Quickutz
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Glitter Pen - Sakura; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Sponge

Recipe (new beginnings frame):
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Seascape, Burnt Umber - Palette; Versamark - Tsukineko
Stamps: Birds Of A Feather, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Labels 1 Nestibilities - Spellbinders
Fibers: Dark Chocolate Twill - Papertrey Ink; White Embroidery Floss - DMC
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Button; Sponge

Recipe (delicate branch frame):
Cardstock: Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Ripe Avocado, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Out On A Limb, Out On A Limb Additions; Remember; Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Fibers: Dark Chocolate Twill - Papertrey Ink
Other: White Fun Flock - Stampendous; Leaf Mini Brads - American Crafts; Zig 2 Way Glue Pen - Kuretake; Chipboard; Sponge

Wall Frames Part 1

2009-06-06T15:32:00.006-04:00

ETA: I should have mentioned that these are the frames that I showed on this post last week. The frames are from Target's dollar spot, but I got them awhile ago and they don't have them right now. I remember getting them when they had their "back to college/dorm room decor" stuff for sale if you want to check back in the fall.

I'm going to break the wall frames explanations into three posts and today is the first of those three. I'm including a recipe for each frame at the end of the post.

First up is the tree frame.

I used a Kim Hughes set for the trees and stamped the tree tops using Polka Dot basics from Papertrey Ink. The quote I typeset and printed from my computer in a dark brown ink onto Kraft cardstock. The tree trunks were colored using colored pencils and mineral spirits. The dark green tree top is mounted to the base with foam adhesive. I finished this image with a little hand stitching around the edge.

Next is the peaceful poppy frame.

I started by stamping the pin dot from Polka Dot basics in white ink on Spring Moss Cardstock. Then I stamped the stem, leaves, and sentiment before mounting the poppy to the base using foam tape. I used white Fun Flock on the center of the poppy and then colored it in with a dark brown Sharpie after the adhesive had dried.

Last, but not least is the birdhouses frame.

I love birdhouses. I'm not sure what it is about them, but they make me all weak in the knees and forgetful about budgets. Anyway... I started this frame by stamping the pin dot again, this time onto Kraft cardstock. Then I stamped and colored my birdhouses. I wrapped some olivey green ribbon around the base and anchored it on one end with a white brad. On the other end I mounted the "Home Sweet Home" sentiment with foam tape.

Recipe (Tree Frame):
Cardstock: Kraft, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Dark Green - Bazzill
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Stamps: Spring Trees (Kim Hughes Collection) - Cornish Heritage Farms; Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Other: Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Green Embroidery Floss - DMC; Font - Mufferaw; Foam Tape - Scotch; Mineral Spirits

Recipe (Peaceful Poppy Frame):
Cardstock: Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Melon Berry, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Burnt Umber - Palette; Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Remember - Papertrey Ink
Other: White Fun Flock - Stampendous; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; Dark Brown Marker - Sharpie

Recipe (Birdhouses Frame):
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Ink: Burnt Umber - Palette; Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Bird Watching, Polka Dot Basics, Boards & Beams - Papertrey Ink
Other: Green double-stitched grosgrain - Michaels; White mini brad - American Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Mineral Spirits

Bit Of An Update & Studio Questions Answered

2009-06-05T23:29:00.003-04:00

First of all, I want to answer the questions I received about my craft room:

1) My sewing machine is a Singer (model 132Q featherweight). I actually have no idea what any of that means because I've sewn maybe 10 projects in all of my crafty career (eight of those were card designs, one was my prom dress, and one was a quilt/pillow project I made for Sean while he was working at Boy Scout Camp [Who wears tall socks? Sean wears tall socks!]. The prom dress was a total fluke and everything else was all straight lines).

2) Quite a lot of you really like Ikea (Yes, Wendel, I would like to take another trip. Maybe we can take the boys this time).

3) The color of my walls is Asparagus by Behr and the trim is Crisp Linen by Glidden/Evermore (both available at Home Depot). The green is actually a little bolder in person than it shows in the photos.

In other news, On Paper has a selection of my Father's day cards available right now. And this weekend is Gallery Hop, thereby offering the perfect opportunity to pick up a crafty card for your papa.

We went to see "Up" this week. It is lovely and more worthwhile than most movies we've seen in a long time. Be prepared to sob like a girl (at least I did - then I did that thing all night where I would remember scenes from the movie and I'd start all over again). Apparently I'm becoming a giant girl as I age. Whatevs. Sean loves me even when I'm a gooey mess. What a guy!

We went out to the Memorial golf tournament with Sean's parents Thursday. It was a lot of fun to sit out in the sun and pretend like I knew what was going on. Mostly, I just like hanging out with my parents-in-law. And I got to rock a new wide-brim hat, so that was sweet.

I've been making things, but most of them went to On Paper, so you'll have to pop into the shop if you'd like to see those. I'll start sharing those wall frames tomorrow.

And one last note: Congratulations to my cousin Jennifer and her husband Justin who welcomed their second child, John Timothy, this morning!

See you tomorrow!

Worth A Read

2009-05-29T16:28:00.002-04:00

Earlier today, a former employer encouraged me to read THIS article from the May 24th edition of The New York Times. The words the author wrote explain very well the importance I hold in paper, letter writing, and stationery. My relationship with my husband began and thrived on letters and often I wonder why we didn't continue that communication even after we were married. I encourage you to read the article, too. It is well worth your time.

Room With A View

2009-05-27T18:56:00.001-04:00

Well, maybe if you want to watch my neighbors' hostas...

Anyway, I thought I might share a few photos of my craft room today. It is rarely this clean, but Monday was our annual Memorial Day party and I cleaned and organized it to the nth, fueled by the worry that Sean may want to give one of his signature tours. He loves to walk people around our house and say ridonkulous things like "It may not look like much, but this room is like a clown car. Just open that closet and you'll see what I mean." What kind of a mean boy shows guests a woman's closet?

So, like I said, the craft room is about as clean as it will be all year. An opportune time to share a few glimpses of my creative space, me thinks. Keep in mind while you're reading this post that the room is only about 7' x 11', so I have to make the most of every bit of space I can.

We'll start at the door. That giant pair of resin scissors is from Hobby Lobby. I saw them on Nichole Heady's blog and I was on a mission to find them. I think they're super fun.

Directly inside the room is an enamel table upon which my laser printer makes his home. I say his because it is stubborn and inconsistent and difficult. I'm only sort of kidding. My computer also lives on this table every so often. The nice thing about my computer is that it can live anywhere. Under the table is my waste basket and egg basket full of books, receipts, and business materials of all sorts (most of the business stuff is in my office downstairs). There is a giant dry erase calendar to the right of the table, but it's nothing to look at right now. I haven't filled out June yet and May was just messy.

Above that table is a little wall art thingie I put together using a bunch of mini frames I bought at Target some time ago. Inside each frame is a stamped, colored, or embellished image from my stamp arsenal. I wanted to stay with a nature theme. I quite like how that project turned out and will be showcasing these frames a few at a time over the next week.

Just to the left of that table is a little Ikea fixture and my Ivory soap box just under my window. Gus likes that window because it offers prime critter watching.

The fixture to the left of the window is a CD/DVD rack from Target. I knew I didn't want a regular bookshelf because the shelves are so deep and it would waste a lot of floor space. Nothing I use is more than 7 inches deep and this fixture is perfect for my needs. It's also nice because almost all of the shelves adjust giving me total flexibility. This shelving unit holds everything from clear stamps and ink pads to my my Cuttlebug and embellishments. That plastic drawer unit on top of the fixture houses my smaller punches and the chipboard templates I have designed myself.

The closet houses all of my paper and scraps. The wire rack has all of the 12 x 12 goodies and reams along with Sterilite drawers containing most of my envelopes and a Sterilite box containing all of my wood mounted stamps (I've been working on unmounting them to reclaim that space, but it's been a slow process). The larger Sterilite drawers contain chipboard, specialty paper sheets, and random tools (paper crimper, heat gun, etc). On top of that fixture are clear shoe boxes filled with paper scraps separated by color and 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. That top box is full of greeting cards that I keep for reference. There are also some bags of fabric, alterables, and spent toner cartridges in this space.

The bookshelf to the left of the closet houses a motley crew of bulky tools, fabric, alterables, albums, and a giant basket of foam stamps. This bookshelf is really a piece of junk, but it's still sort of standing (for now) and will have to do until I can afford or find something more stable.

This wall may be my favorite wall right now. These are the Bygel rods, baskets, and cups from Ikea. This system has really helped me get a little more organized. My large punches can hang on the rods while the baskets hold spools of ribbon, adhesives, and stamp cleaning tools. The "S" rings are great for larger sets of dies and scissors. I'm hoping to go back again soon and get a few more rails and baskets.

Below that rail system is my sewing table and jars of ribbon wrapped around clothespins. My recycling bag is also there on the floor next to the table. I try to recycle every itty bitty paper scrap I can. The only stuff that doesn't make it into that bag is the tiny nonsense that gets imbedded into the carpet.

Well, that's all! You may have noticed that you've not seen any magazines or books. Those are on a short bookshelf on the landing next to my armchair (I'm sorry did I say "my"? What I meant was the cats' armchair). You may have also noticed that there are no work tables or chairs. I work sitting on the floor. I like being able to be practically on top of my projects, so this is the best set up for me. I'm also pretty much out of wall space so there's not a great place to put a table. When I need a hard, flat surface I will use my drawing board on the floor or work on the coffee table on the landing.

If you have any questions leave me a comment or send me an email and I'll be happy to address those questions in a future post. Thanks for taking a room tour with me. Have a great day!

Agora Recap

2009-05-17T15:51:00.003-04:00

Agora was great. I love that they added craft vendors this time. I had a lot of fun hanging under the white pop-up with Wendel and hoping the weather would hold. There was one itty bitty storm, but it was gone as quickly as it came. It was windy though and the air got super chilly after the rain clouds passed. I was really glad I brought my jacket. I ate a Rad Dog and a tiny cupcake from Little Darlin' Cupcakes...I reveled in their nummy-ness. I did take my camera, but was foolish and forgot to take photos. The new card spinner made a huge difference. I'm glad I bought tent weights. It was a good day. I don't have an event for a little while, so I hope to get back in the swing. I'll also be taking photos of my newer products and adding those to the Etsy shop sometime this week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll catch you later.

Pretty Pastel Birthday Card

2009-05-01T00:20:00.004-04:00

Today's card is actually a similar design to one I made back in February. I wanted to design a pretty, soft birthday card and the layout and stamp set just seemed to fit the bill.

I started with a white base layered with a piece of patterned paper from Crate Paper. I placed the brads before adhering the patterned paper to the base because I like to keep the inside of my cards "clean." These brads were actually white brads that I colored by rolling them in Spring Moss ink and setting the color with clear embossing powder. I love to use this technique for those times I just don't have quite the right color on hand. Then, I knotted a piece of stitched pink ribbon around the entire card before mounting the focal image with foam tape.

To crate the focal panel, I started by stamping the daisy in Frost white and Spring Moss inks onto Spring Moss cardstock. I wanted the flower's center to really pop so I stamped it in Sweet Blush ink onto white cardstock and sponged the edges for a little umph. I really love the way it makes the center look almost rounded. That was then mounted to the daisy with foam tape as well. I finished the stamping by adding a birthday sentiment from Faux Ribbon in Frost White ink.

The daisy image was adhered to a piece of Linen Vellum cardstock to frame it and make it a little more special. I love that the vellum has such a great texture and in this case it works better than regular cardstock because it's just a little softer. The scalloped edge was achieved by using a Martha Stewart punch. I generally gravitate toward more pronounced scallops, but I really like the wide, scooping scallop on this punch.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Please visit again soon!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Patterned Paper: Blueberry Hill Collection - Crate Paper
Stamps: Floral Frenzy, Faux Ribbon, Beautiful Blooms - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Moss, Sweet Blush - Papertrey Ink; Frost White - Colorbox
Ribbon: Pink Stitched - Michaels
Brads: White Mini Brads - American Crafts
Tools: Scalloped Edge Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts
Other: Clear Embossing Powder; Heat Gun; Foam Tape - Scotch

Call For Crafty Ohioans!

2009-04-29T15:33:00.002-04:00

The Columbus Crafty Cotillion Handmade Expo at the Ohio State Fair is now accepting applications! The Cotillion is a great local (group of which I am a part) that is sponsoring a craft show at this year's state fair (on Saturday, August 8th). To view more information and download the application visit the Cotillion's blog. The application deadline is June 1st, so get those applications in soon!

Hey, Look...She's Alive!

2009-04-25T13:07:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry I've been absent for the past few weeks. I've been swamped. Not even time to photograph and edit and post. I just wanted to pop on today to remind anyone that is interested that tomorrow is Craftstravaganza at the Columbus Torah Academy. Early bird shopping starts at 2:00 and regular doors are open from 2:30 to 8:00. I hope any of you in the Central Ohio area will come by and pay me a visit! I've been working on a few new products including a series of 1" buttons. I will also have a selection of Mother's Day cards (plenty of time to write a lovely, heart-felt message and pop it in the mail) in addition to the usual suspects.

Also, Pistacia Vera in German Village has a small selection of Poshta mini gift cards in their shop now. They are all digital designs in fun colors that coordinate with Pistacia's amazing macarons. They're just right for topping a pretty pastry box filled with deliciousness!

On Paper will be carrying a small selection of Poshta Mother's Day cards starting next week, too. I aim to have those at the shop by Tuesday or Wednesday, but definitely by Gallery Hop on Saturday.

After all that things should return to "normal" for a week or two and I will have more projects to share. I'm going to try to be a little better prepared for the upcoming busy craft show months, but I hope you'll all stick with me in the event that I lapse again. Thanks for the understanding!

Agora 6

2009-04-07T12:14:00.004-04:00

I just found out that I've been accepted into Agora 6 on May 16th. They have a few more spaces available so the application deadline has been extended to April 18. You can find the application here. The event runs from noon to midnight with a preview day (tickets are available at the Agora 6 website) on the 15th. Check out the website for more information!

Hold On To Your Shorts

2009-04-04T15:03:00.005-04:00

Prepare for cuteness.

We have an early Easter dinner with Sean's family today and the past two days I have been working diligently on these cake pops (a la Bakerella) as my little gift for everyone. I followed Bakerella's instructions using Devils Food cake and vanilla icing. If I were to do these again (or another cake pop that would be covered in a light color) I would use a lighter colored cake (white, lemon, carrot, etc). I really love them though. And since this was my first attempt I destroyed, and therefore ate, my share of pops. They are incredibly yummy. Seriously. Yum.

I wanted to package them in a way that would allow them to be seen easily. I looked at all sorts of packaging and finally settled on these clear boxes from The Container Store. They look expensive, but they really aren't and they can be reused when the family is finished with their pops. I stuck a piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the box to keep the pops in place and covered that with a tuft of green crinkle shred. I also cut a piece of blue cardstock and punched the edges to create a strip to conceal the styrofoam from the outside of the box.

The top of the box is decorated with a little paper tag that I made using a few different die cuts, punches, and stamps. A paper ribbon keeps the tag in place without having to actually adhere anything to the box.

I hope you love them as much as I do. The only downer is the residual sugar headache. I can live with that though. Have a great weekend!

Recipe (for the tag & paper border):
Cardstock: Lemon Tart - Papertrey Ink; Pink - DCWV, White linen - Archivers; Blue - Bazzill Basics (I have no idea what color this is. I was got it directly from the manufacturer and I don't know if it was ever even on sale.)
Ink: Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Sweet Blush, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Seascape - Palette; Lavender Chalk - Colorbox
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Faux Ribbon - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Egg Die - Sizzix; Labels 1 - Nestibilities; Scalloped Circle (purple) - Marvy; Scallops & Dots border punch - EK Success
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch

Craftstravaganza

2009-04-02T17:03:00.003-04:00

The vendor list for CTA's Craftstravaganza has been updated and is available for viewing here. Now all of you happy central Ohioans can get a sneak peek before dropping by the event at the end of this month. Hope to see you there!

Dawn's Color Challenge Week 2

2009-04-01T16:30:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile, but I was able to carve out some time to play along with Dawn McVey's second color challenge today. The colors were brown, white, turquoise, and mossy green.

It's a fairly simple card, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I stamped the row of stems in Spring Moss and added the flower blossoms in Water Lily Green and the bee in Burnt Umber. That strip was layered on a piece of dark brown cardstock that had been punched with the scalloped edge border punch. I wanted to get the turquoise in there again so I wrapped the stamped panel with a bit of double sided satin from American Crafts (the side that isn't showing is a diagonal stripe - I used the solid side). That entire thing was mounted to a Spring Moss base. The sentiment was stamped on a little piece of white cardstock and rounded with the small corner rounder (yellow) from EK Success. That was mounted to the scalloped border. I wanted the sentiment to stand out a little more so I added a pierced row just below it. The last step was to add tiny spots of glitter on each flower. Thanks for checking in today. I hope to be back again tomorrow!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Brown - Bazzill, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore
Stamps: Honey Bees, Simple Little Things, With Sympathy - Papertrey Ink
Inks: Burnt Umber, Water Lily Green - Palette; Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Scalloped Border - Fiskars; Small Corner Rounder, Medium Corner Rounder - EK Success
Ribbon: Double sided satin - American Crafts
Other: Glitter Pen - Sakura

Papertrey Blog Hop: Patterned Paper

2009-03-25T18:00:00.005-04:00

Welcome to Blog Hop! This month's challenge was to build your own patterned paper using any of Papertrey's fantabulous stamps. What a fun challenge! I chose to start with the dashed background from Background Basics: Retro and used the dotted line and one of the solid lines from Faux Ribbon. I used these three stamps to create my patterned paper. It's sort of a springtime plaid and I love it!

I rounded the corners and adhered that layer to a Spring Moss base. Then, I took a strip of coral cardstock and stamped it twice with the scalloped image from Beyond Basic Borders. I used a strip of Lemon Tart Twill tied with a knot to hide the seam. That was then added to the patterned layer.

My focal point is the wreath and berry image from Rustic Branches stamped in Spring Moss and Melon Berry inks. I added the sentiment from Limitless Labels in the center of the wreath to sort of fill the space and give the card a purpose. I cut out the wreath and mounted it to a scalloped circle of Spring Moss cardstock before adhering the whole thing to the base with foam tape. A little glitter on the berries and this card was finished!

I hope you've all enjoyed tonight's card. Try building your own patterned paper...it's a whole lot of fun!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink, coral - Bazzill, Ultimate White - Strathmore
Stamps (a slew of them today): Beyond Basic Borders, Faux Ribbon, Rustic Branches, Background Basics: Retro, Limitless Labels - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, Melon Berry - Papertrey Ink, Frost White - Colorbox
Ribbon: Lemon Tart Twill - Papertrey Ink
Other: Foam tape - Scotch

Not Crafting Made Me Cranky

2009-03-25T17:54:00.002-04:00

So...I tried to put a moratorium on crafting until the taxes were done. But frankly, it just made me cranky and a lot less likely to cheerfully sit down and comb through Quickbooks. I decided today I was going to make something. And I did. And I liked it. And I'll post it in awhile. Ahhh......

Nothing Is Certain...

2009-03-20T13:53:00.003-04:00

But death and taxes. I'm currently being consumed by the latter. I don't have any projects at the moment, but I do have some good news. I am very excited to have been accepted into the CTA Craftstravaganza on April 26th (that's a Sunday). I'll explain more in the coming weeks, but right now I am being summoned by QuickBooks. Have a good weekend and try to enjoy some sunshine (thank goodness for laptops).

When I Said Tomorrow...

2009-03-16T22:12:00.002-04:00

On Thursday I said I was updating the Etsy store on Friday. I lied. Apparently what I meant was I'm updating the Etsy store on Monday. So there it is. The store has been updated and I apologize for the delay. Check it out!

Get Well Mr. Blue Jacket

2009-03-15T17:23:00.008-04:00

Apparently when Sean asked me to make a card for someone I regularly see skating around on television my little creative brain decided to freeze for three days. That's a very long time to sit on one's studio floor surrounded by paper and ribbon scraps. I'm used to making "man cards" that include things like glitter (Sean is very tolerant) and I didn't think that sort of embellishment would fly on a card for a pro athlete. I went with twine and copper brads instead (though I did sneak in a little ribbon).

I started with a Kraft base that I stamped with the linear design from Background Basics: Retro. In order to get a really straight, consistent pattern I lightly penciled my lines onto my base before I stamped them. I think I'll use a brown pencil in the future, but it's not really visible so I'm not going to fret too much about the residual lines.

Next, I stamped the branchy tree image from Beyond Basic Borders onto white cardstock, sponged the edges and rounded the corners. I mounted that to a piece of Spring Moss (also with rounded corners) and stamped my sentiment (from Faux Ribbon) in Ripe Avocado. Then, I took tiny strips of Spring Moss cardstock and ran them through the Cuttlebug with a Quickutz die to get the tiny dots. I would have loved to use a punch, but I didn't have on in the right size, so I opted for the little rocket die instead (the circles are the windows). I adhered those to the end of the branches and let that dry while I sponged the base with Burnt Umber ink.

When the dots were dry, I wrapped the focal layer with a strip of Ripe Avocado saddle stitched ribbon and a little twine. A brad was popped right over top of the twine to add a little more masculine appeal. Those layers were adhered to the base using foam tape and I added a little clear glaze over the branchy dots.

I think it's a mighty nice little card. I hope he likes it. Gosh, I've never been nervous over a card like this before. I was close to nervous all through the Gallery Idol contest last year, but this is intense. I think it's because I'm trying two make to boys happy at once. Or maybe it's because if one of those boys isn't happy he could snap my dear little husband like a hockey stick. Or maybe it's because I can't get over the feeling that randomly sending a pro athlete a "get well" card is a little creepy, no matter how often he came into your restaurant and chatted with you over flatbread. Whatever the reason...enjoy!

Recipe:

Cardstock: Kraft, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Sthrathmore

Stamps: Beyond Basic Borders, Faux Ribbon, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink

Ink: Ripe Avocado - Papertrey Ink; Frost White - Colorbox; Burnt Umber - Palette

Ribbon: Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched - Papertrey Ink; Hemp Twine - Darice

Tools: Medium Corner Rounder (green) - EK Success; Rocket Die - Quickutz; Cuttlebug - Provocraft

Metal Embellishment: Copper Mini Brad - American Crafts

Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Glossy Accents - Ranger