Christmas ATC

I have found a new love for creating.  It is tiny pieces of art called ATC's.  They measure 2.5  x  3.5.  They are very fun to do.  I also found an ATC challenge site so I am going to try and play along each week.  The site is called Wicked Wednesday ATC.

The challenge this week is April Fools Day or your favorite holiday.  I chose to go with Christmas.

I dug through my box of backgrounds I have made and found this pretty blue.  I believe it was made with distress inks.  The little stamp is made by Hampton Art.  I inked the stamp with VersaMark Ink and Black Versafine Ink.  I then put clear embossing powder over the top.  The little penguin and sentiment really pop and shine.  The beak and flippers were colored with distress ink.  Glossy accents was added tot he eyes.  I matted the image on black card stock to frame it.  I added a strip of patterned paper on the side.  I thought it needed a little bit of something.  I also randomly colored some of the squares with blue distress paint.  The stars and circles were punched out of silver paper that I made.  I rubbed VersaMark ink along a piece of paper and then added silver embossing powder.   You now have Silver paper.  A few rub ons were added along with some small enamel dots.

Everyone enjoy your Friday.  I am not working today so that is a plus to start the day.

Simon Says Read All About It

Last week end I happened upon the blog hop at Simon Says Stamp and Show - the challenge is "Read All About It" - the hop was very inspiring to me - so many had got out their paints, their books, and assorted fun stuff and created.  It made me want to revisit that part of my creativity - I don't do this too often - but I do enjoy it - maybe I need to do more - I would layer paints on the watercolor paper before I went to work in the morning and inevitably - I had paint somewhere on my body or even my clothes.

I cut a couple pieces of watercolor paper for card fronts.  I found my dictionary that I use for card making (my part of read all about it) - adhered a layer of that to my watercolor paper, gessoed it, and then started dry brushing on layers of acrylic paint - orange, pink, green, yellow - I don't know what else.  After this was all dry - I then got out some background type stamps and first stamped with white and then added some other colors on top.  Here it is in a little more detail.  (the sun is very subtle in the corner on both cards)

Card one uses a Hero Arts Stamp and a SRM Sticker for the sentiment.  The border is 3/4 inch strips of the dictionary page adhered together and then just folded and added to the front of the card - I then smeared green paint over the top with my finger tip.  I used some black twine to finish off the card.

The second card uses a Hampton Art stamp.  I got a little hasty so the ink smeared - so to save the background - I stamped the flower three times on a dictionary page and fussy cut each part of the flower.  I actually used Stickles on the 2nd layer of the card.  The center of the flower has Glossy Accents on top.  This sentiment sticker is from Doodle Bug Designs.  Once again I added the strip of painted folded dictionary paper.

I am torn (excuse the pun) (in case you did not understand the pun - I tore the paper) - do you think I should add bows to the twine or ribbon.  I don't want the bow to distract from the artsy fartsy part of the card.  What do you think?

Oldie Moldie Monday

Oldie Moldie Monday - time to show some love for your old supplies.  Last week I picked out this paper pad from Imaginisce called Enchanted.  I knew I had the birthday princess stamp from Hampton Arts so I already had my some ideas for this week.  I made a total of four cards.  I made one more Birthday Princess card  - the stripe is just a little different on each card.

SRM Stickers added the sentiment to the castle/carriage card.  A Hero Arts sentiment finishes off the bottom card.  I added some Basic Grey brads to the strip and to the center of the flowers.  See how I covered up that flower with the sentiment - I had 4 small brads.  There is a reason for my madness.

Enjoy your Monday.

CAS-UAL Friday and Authentique

Perfect way to end the day by making a card and I think I like it.  I combined a couple challenges.  The first challenge is from CAS-UAL Friday.  The challenge is to use text on your card.  I dug out my "friend definition" stamp and stamped on some great paper from Authentique.  I used grey Memento Ink to stamp it.  I grabbed this flower stamp off the shelf - first time I have used it - I like it also - I think it will get some more use.  It is from Hampton Art.  I stamped directly on the background paper and then stamped the blossom on 3 different pattern paper and fussy cut them out.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

The second challenge is the monthly color challenge from Authentique.  I used papers from their 6 x 6 pads from two collections - Carefree and Fresh.

Well it is time to get myself ready for bed.  Woke up very early today so hoping I might make it to 6 in the morning tomorrow instead of 4 AM.

Oldie Moldie Monday

It is Oldie Moldie Monday - the day to show some love for those old supplies you have in your stash.  Yes - some of it is ugly and you can't do anything with it but the majority of it is still wonderful paper - it just needs some creativity added to it.

I am still working on my own personal holiday cards.  This card is for one of my staff members - I am very blessed to have some wonderful people work for me. 

This paper is last year's Christmas collection from My Mind's Eye.  I had bought a packet of it so have some die cuts that match also.  The stamp is from Hampton Art - I love this snowman - he has a vintage feel to him. 

The design is based on the sketch at The Sweet Stop.  This layout if probably one of my favorites and you will find many versions of it throughout my blog. 

Everyone enjoy your Monday.

Authentique Paper, Hampton Arts, Penny Black - another Holiday card made

Are you all frantically working on completing your holiday cards like me - I need to clean up my ara so we can eat dinner down here so I need to start cleaning soon.  Picture BIG MESS.

Authentique Paper has a sketch challenge on their blog for the month of December.  I decided to put my spin on the sketch.  Of course, when I do a sketch - my spinning sometimes goes way out of control.  I do like the final result though and I know the recipient will appreciate it also.



For fun and excitement today I plan on cleaning my refrigerator - I know - don't be jealous of me plus I need to head out soon to the post office to mail out some lumpy holiday cards.  Hope you have a creative day. 

Card recipe:
Sketch - Authentique card blog
Paper - Authentique - 6 x 6 Wonder
Snowman stamp - Hampton Art
Sentiment - Penny Black
Snowflakes, pearls, muslin from my supplies
Ink - Colorbox Chalk Ink

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Card One

Card 2

Card 3

Good Wednesday morning – waiting for the repair person to come for the furnace/AC unit. It is time for it’s yearly check up – plus it has a little problem. I think we have hot muggy weather coming in for the end of the week so want the AC to be working. Of course, I hide in my basement lots of the time to play with paper so that offers some relief from the hot/muggy conditions. I always want to try and do something creative every day – well tonight – I think it may be laundry – work has been exhausting me this last month – but July is coming – I have a few quiet days for the year in July. Try to work some short weeks in July, etc. I just need to make it to July.

Today I am showcasing cards that I made for the midweek throwdow on the Operation Write Home card blog Stars and Stripes. The challenge is to use bling – I dug through my bling – of course – had to buy more bling (thus blog candy). I have made 3 cards for today’s post.

Glitter is a no no for OWH cards but bling bling isn’t. There is lots of bling in the stores also. Michael’s even has some in their $1 bins sometimes. The flourishes can be expensive but in cardmaking you can make a flourish decorate several cards.

I do have a small package of bling for blog candy – all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. Next Tuesday evening I will draw a winner's name. I hope you enjoy my cards with bling and look forward to seeing all of yours.

Here are the details for each card.

Card one – for a wedding this summer
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey – Cappella collection
Bling flower: Kaiser Scrapbooking
Bling scallop: found at Walmart
Stamp: Hampton Art Stamps colored with Copics
Rub On: Unknown
Ribbon: Michael’s (little metallic bling on the edge of ribbon)
Spellbinders

Card two - love the monochromatic colors
Paper: Bazzill Bling
Bling: Basic Grey
Sentiment: SRM Stickers
Spellbinders
Oval Punch: Punch Bunch


Card three – bright and cheery (A lift of a card sent to me by my friend Ivanka – thanks for the inspiration)
Paper: Bazzill Bling
Bling: Me and My Big Ideas
Sentiment: SRM Stickers
Flower Sticker: Penny Black
Ribbon: May Arts
Border Punch: Martha Stewart
Oval Punch: Punch Bunch
Stickles added to flower (Stickles are a safe glittery accent)

Tuesday, 4-20-10

Good Tuesday morning. Another beautiful spring day in Wisconsin - I let my body rest yesterday so tonight when I get home from work - I need to work on another flower bed and work it up. It is so dry that the soil does turn over fairly well. It was funny at work yesterday because we had all been working outside and we were all groaning as we hobbled along.

My two cards today were made for the midweek challenge on the Operations Write Home card blog - the challenge was to make two versions of the same card - one masculine and one feminine. The difference in my cards was the paper used and the colors. I also di the twine accents in the buttons different on each card. I like how they turned out. I think next week I will be able to put my first box of cards in the mail to them. I have friends at work writing Hero letters for me.

Everyone have a wonderful day - come back tomorrow and see how you can take a bag from one of your favorite LSS and use it on a card. It will soon be Earth Day so we must open our eyes to how we can reuse, reduce and recycle in our cardmaking.

Card One
Patterned Paper: EK Success
Stamp: Hampton Art; sentiment - Hero Arts
Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink (Chestnut Roan)
Buttons from sewing box
DMC floss

Card Two
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye

Stamp: Hampton Art; sentiment - Hero Arts

Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink (Chestnut Roan)

May Arts Twine
Buttons from sewing box

Sunday 4-18/10

Good Sunday afternoon - beautiful day outside - the wind stopped blowing so much more enjoyable. I managed to do some more dirt therapy and got one flower bed cleaned up - going to head out shortly and put Preen on it and see if that helps with the weeds. I don't think I disturbed too much of the new plants coming up. I know I will have some retail plant therapy in my future when the bed establishes itself some more - we are lucky to have some wonderful perennial stores around our area so I imagine I will be visiting some.

April has Earth Day. Do you know Earth Day was first established in Wisconsin. I have a daughter who teaches environmental education so do strive to try to live"somewhat green". Try is the operative word. My cards and recipe pages all have one thing in common - the base of all of them is recycled. It is the back cover from commencement programs. I can't throw away good cardstock so I always save whatever I can from the programs I end up throwing out. I also have grey cardstock from a previous style of program. What do you do to reduce, reuse, recycle when you are making cards? Also all the patterned paper on these designs are from paper that I describe as "oldie moldie" - paper you once loved but lost their way to the bottom of the piles - dug out to make something beautiful. Come join me and Ivanka on Oldie Moldie Mondays to see what great finds we have in our supplies. We also have a Flicker gallery where you can share you "oldie moldie" creations.

Card One

Patterned Paper: EK Success

Stamp: Michael's Dollar stamp

Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink (Chestnut Roan)

Button: American Crafts

DMC floss

Card Two

Patterned Paper: EK Success
Stamp: Hampton Art
Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink (Chestnut Roan)
May Arts Twine

Recipe Page One

Patterned Paper: Carson-Dellasa

Scalloped Border Diecut: Papertrey Ink

Stamp: Hero Arts

The border was painted with acrylic paint to make it green. Inked up and then the background stamp used on the border. Very distressed border - but uses the scraps after the base was cut.

Recipe Page Two

No idea who made the paper - just enough to make 12 pages

Colored Dew Drops with Copics to match green in paper

Greeting from the cold state of Wisconsin

Good evening - I do hate it when we get in these cold stretches in Wisconsin - near zero for a week or two. You only go to work and back and force yourself to run errands only because you run out of toilet paper or coffee. I am still OK on those fronts - but I don't have any meals for lunch tomorrow. I may have to go out or order something in.

My card tonight is a birthday card for my oldest daughter. Very vintage feel to it. She loves fashion so I think she will appreciate the beautiful paper. Graphic 45 does such a great job with their paper. The flower is sizzix die cuts - the tissue part of the flower is sewing patterns - you have to do something with all those patterns you have collected. The lace has been either tea or coffee dyed.

Patterned Paper: Graphic 45™
Cardstock: Archiver’s
Inks: Colorbox Chalk Ink by Clearsnap
Stamps: Hampton Art
Brads: Paper Studio
Lace: Wyla
Trim: Making Memories
Sizzix Diecuts

Holiday Break Starts

I have started my break for the holidays - of course - it is - getting ready for Xmas so not a real relaxing break but at least I have time to focus on getting things ready. I am clearing my cardmaking area because everyone has to eat in this area - I am a messy cardmaker - so it takes quite awhile to get everything cleaned up. I do see floor and table top so I am making progress. I did get a card made this week. I needed my monkey card for Shari and of course there had to be a Xmas monkey card.

Everyone enjoy your week end.

Stamp - Hampton Art colored with Copics

Paper - Making Memories (trying to use all of this paper up

Happy Birthday Molly

Half the week end is gone - and did not accomplish nearly enough. I did get one present bought - braved Toys R Us - but they had a sale on Legos and my great nephew Avery loves his legos. I am not done shopping for him. Now onto the girls - I have Elaina's gifts in my head so she won't be hard to finish up - she is a budding artist so I am buying her art stuff. Molly and Lydia may be the hardest to get the last gifts for. But first we must celebrate Molly's birthday - the gifts are bought and were left with Grandma over Thanksgiving. Auntie Barb has to send her a special card though. Her favorite color is purple but there was no purple laying out - but this lovely orange grouping was laying there and it makes such a happy card.

I also put the insides in many Christmas cards. I need to finish the inside of my cards when I make them - I was doing pretty well at the beginning of last year with that but slacked off - must continue that new year's resolution.

The card is based on the sketch at I(heart)2stamp and then I used the Cuddlebug challenge which was to use glitter, sparkle and bling.

Size: 5 x 7

Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye

Stamp: Hampton Art colored with Copics

Bling - WalMart

Stickles

Flower and Happy Birthday chipboard - Target dollar bin - colored with Copics to match color of card

Good Monday Evening

Good evening to all - survived another day of work which is always good. A quick post tonight - I am doing my run around and water the lawn routine tonight - do need to figure out the other sprinkler - but my new hose is not long enough so need to go buy another small hose. Oh well it is only money - money I could be spending on card making supplies - all those new holiday papers should be coming soon and of course I need them even though I have containers full - a girl just can't have enough paper or rubber stamps. Or Mama could use some more Copics.

My card tonight is the birthday card for the little sweetie that lives next door - she turned 8 on Saturday. She loved her card and she also loves to make cards. Do you ever find that you keep using the papers that are laying out - I sure do - so if you look back in the blog you will find more orange cards.

The card is based on the sketch challenge at Caardvarks - it is sketch 3 - I have enjoyed their 3 sketches - I guess they talked to me.

Stamp - Hampton Art colored with Copics

Paper - My Mind's Eye

Ribbon - Offray

Fiskar's Border Punch

Less than 6 months till Christmas

I was standing at Big Apple Bagels last Thursday and I looked up at their calendar and realized that Christmas was 6 months from that day - YIKES. I guess I had better get started on making my holiday cards. One down - how many more to go. This time I am going to finish the insides at the same time I makethe outside - that way - they will be ready to be placed in the mail. Maybe I should even get an envelope out and dress the envelope also - you know you should never send an envelope naked through the mail.

This card was based on the sketch at Card Positioning System (Sketch 122). A very simple sketch but I let the paper do the talking and that cute little stamped image. Wouldn't this card bring a smile to your face if you got it for the holiday season. I made an a@ sized card rather than a long card.

Paper - Basic Grey - pad I bought at Michael's

Stamp - Hampton Art - colored with Prisma colored pencils and Gamsol

Red strip put through the crimper

Made card base from patterned paper and did some sewing

A2 size

Everyone have a wonderful evening - I even feel like creating tonight. I need a new baby girl card, a birthday card - oh yes - I must finish the inside of last week's sketch card so I can give it to my boss on Wednesday.

Marvelous Monday - Once Again

Well is any Monday - marvelous - only if you did not have to go to work - but I did - and got reminded I have a short presentation tomorrow - YIKES - completely forgot - so I hope I can make it worthwhile - I only have 10 minutes and I could talk about this for lots longer. But at least I know to wear some nicer clothes - of course - no matter what I wear - when you have to put shower sandals on your feet because your one foot is hurt - doesn't make any outfit look to pretty. Oh well. Could be worse.

A birthday coming up in the neighborhood - it is for the youngest girl in my backward family (backward meaning I always make their cards so they open backwards - the first time was an accident and now it has become a tradition.) The card design is based on the weekly sketch at Card Positioning Sketches. Every Sunday there is a new sketch.

Stamp - Hampton Art (she likes Princesses)

Colored with Copics

Paper - scraps - don't know who makes it anymore - I have almost used it all up

Bling - Darice

Stickles on some of her dress and on some parts of the patterned paper - every girl loves a little bling

Happy evening - Dancing With the Stars is on tonight - it may be the finale - WOW - plus the Brewers play tonight.

Snow Shoveling Fairies

It has once again snowed in my little corner of the world. We got 3.5 inches. Left work early so I could drive home in the daylight. Thankfully the winds were not blowing to drift the roads. And when I got home - the young man from across the street (knows my snowblower is at the snowblower hospital) had my driveway and sidewalk all shoveled for me. That was very sweet of him - I may take him some cash - he does not have a job. I struggle with that - I know it was very kind of him but I know he needs some money. What should I do?

Last night I got a card made with someone specific in mind - I may even get it in the mail in the next couple days. The card design is based on the weekly sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You. I did not want to make a square card and pay extra postage so I made the card 4.5 x 6. I have this vast supply of patterned paper so have been trying to use patterned paper (if heavy enough) for the base on my cards. Here are the details.

Paper - Basic Grey - some of it is from the Dasher collection - I believe -some were just pieces

Stamp - Hampton Art - colored with Prismacolor and Gamsol

Ink - Memories Dye - antinque brown

Buttons - American Crafts

Die cut - Sizzix (button sizzlit)

Punch - McGill

Fiber - May Arts

Rickrack - I think Wrights