Dream Big

My friend Jenny is hosting this week's challenge on the Creating Keepsakes Paper Crafts forum. This is the first online place I found to share my love of paper crafting. It has gone through some tough transitions in the last year, and a lot of people have left the forum, but there are a few of us that still hang out. I have fun with the challenges there because we all know each other and it's very personal.

I didn't post Jenny's sketch here but I really didn't deviate from it at all. I made my little corner thingie with my Nesties. I just cut two squares then put the two "frames" that were left together and cut across at an angle. It was easy - I'm going to have to do that more often. The round embellies are gems and the sentiment is computer generated and printed on DP. I used a monochromatic color scheme this time, which I don't do very often. The Dream Puff image is a RAK from my friend Susan.

This was a fun sketch, and I think I'll be using it again. Jenny, if you're reading this, thanks for a fun challenge and I hope you have an awesome birthday!!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

Supplies

Stamp: House Mouse Dream Puff (Stampabilities); sentiment is computer generated

Paper: light pink cardstock (Bazzill); coral pink cardstock (Club Scrap); DP - Spring Stack (DCWV)

Embellishments: Oval, scalloped oval and square Nestabilities (Spellbinder); gems (unknown)

Technique: Prismacolor pencils blended with mineral spirits

Finished card size: A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #79

Whew! Finally got my Mojo Monday card done. I rarely miss doing the Mojo sketch. They are always great layouts. Apparently I am not the only one who thinks so. So far 209 other people have done the sketch challenge this week! This week's sketch is fairly simple, but very versatile. I really like it and I'm sure you'll be seeing this layout again in the future.

Once again, I opted to try a different color combination from my usuals. I have been afraid to use yellow and black together because I think it will just look like a big bumblebee, but I decided to try it anyway. I did use some white in there too and also used a more muted shade of yellow. I like it. I also decided to pull out one of my favorite stamps that I haven't use for a long, long time. I guess I've been too busy playing with my mice, bunnies and hedgehogs. :)

I'm not sure it's the scanner or what, but my cards look fine in person, then when I post them everything looks crooked. My friend Patti gave me some tips for taking pictures and also told me how to make a light box that I can take pictures in. I got the supplies, but haven't had time to put it together yet. Hopefully, when I get that stuff figured out, my pictures will start looking like they are supposed to.

Thanks for checking out my latest creation! Hope you'll stop by again soon.

Supplies:
Stamps: Tulip and sentiment (both Hero Arts)
Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Paper: White cardstock (Georgia Pacific); yellow cardstock (Bazzill); black cardstock (unknown); DP - scrap
Embellishments: Ribbon (unknown); embossed diamonds border punch (Martha Stewart)
Technique: Prismacolor pencils blended with turpenoid

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #77

Here is my card for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge. Mojo Monday is one of my favorite challenges. The sketches are always fun and original and the design team is very talented. If you enjoy sketch challenges, or are just looking for inspiration for your own cards, you should check it out.

This was a very simple, easy card. No coloring or fancy techniques. I like those kind sometimes. I really enjoyed this sketch and will be using it again.

Supplies

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink: Vintage Sepia (VersaFine)

Paper: Cardstock (Archivers, Bazzill); DP - No clue - from one of those giant packs at Costco

Embellishments: Netabilities, ribbon, brads

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #49 - Animal Magic

This week's challenge over at Cute Card Thursday is Animal Magic, which is simply to include some sort of animal on your card. I chose this cute little Happy Hopper image called Seed Shooter. It reminds me of summer It's soooo cold outside - and we are supposed to have snow tonight. I'll believe that when I see it though. I'm ready for summer anyway!!

The design I ended up with here was not the one I originally saw in my head, but then I guess I rarely end up with what I started to do. I made a 4 1/4" square card specifically to do something that I ended up not doing anyway. It really should have been a bit bigger I think, but I'm still happy with it. All the papers and embellishments are scraps and odds and ends. I found the little watermelon slice charm and the checked brad in the center of the flower in my little drawer of miscellaneous doo-dads. I have no clue where they came from. I used my Nestabilities to cut the circle, scalloped circle and the scalloped piece on the side. I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils blended with Gamsol.

CAS - Clean and Simple

This week's Limited Supplies challenge on Splitcoaststampers.com is to create a CAS - clean and simple - card. That means a simple layout, limited layers, simple images, etc. I tend to think that my style is somewhat simple anyway, but since I "had to" make this one simple, it was a bit challenging.

Supplies
Stamps: Mudpie Munch (House Mouse Designs); Sentiment (Inkadinkado)
Ink: StazOn Black; VersaFine Vintage Sepia
Paper: White and green cardstock; SEI - Aunt Gertie's Garden
Embellishments: ribbon (scrap); Nestabilities circle and scalloped circle dies (Spellbinders)
Technique: Prisma Colored Pencil blended with Gamsol

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #42

This is my first time to do the Cute Card Thursday challenge. The challenge for this week is to use something that you got for Christmas or something new you bought for yourself over the holidays on a card. I didn't get any gifts, but I bought plenty of new goodies to play with! The new things I used on this card are the stamp, the oval and scalloped oval nestabilities and a new embossing folder. I also used my new Big Kick to cut the ovals and do the embossing.

Supplies

Stamp: "Spring Air" (Penny Black)

Cardstock: Blue - Scraps; Yellow - DCWV

Embellishments: Nestabilities Oval and Scalloped Oval Dies (Spellbinders); Stylized Flowers Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug - ProvoCraft); ribbon (scraps)

Technique: Prisma colored pencils blended with Gamsol

Scraplings

Each week someone posts a challenge in the Papercrafts Community on the Creating Keepsakes web site. This week was for these adorable little cards that they call scraplings. Scraplings are 1 1/4" wide and 4 1/4" long. They are folded at the top. They only take a few minutes to make and they make use of even those little bitty scraps that I can't ever seem to throw away.

The stamps I used were as follows from left to right: 1) Stampin' UP! Paris in Spring; 2) Stampendous; 3) Technique Tuesday.

Scraplings can be used for bookmarks, gift cards, or just cute little notes. One of the girls on the board showed how she attached hers to a regular size card as kind of a card and gift in one. She put a note inside the card that said it could be used for a bookmark. I though that was a cute idea. Another suggested that she might make some for her son to take to daycare for Valentine's day and I thought that was a great idea too. I am thinking about making some for my son to take to preschool for his valentine's party instead of the plain ol' store bought cards - if I can come up with a design that's "boy" enough for him.

These are all the same size. They may look slightly different. I scanned them separately, then put them all into one image file to upload. They didn't all resize exactly the same and the background may look a little funny in spots. I know I should take pictures with my digital camera instead, but I have found my designs actually look better and show more detail if I scan. I am just terrible at taking pictures.

I think I will be making more of these. I have some ideas for using those $1 clear stamps and some brighter colors to make some really cute ones.

Simple Thank You Cards

I'm on a roll! Two posts in one day. These are some simple thank you cards that I made today. I made them because I needed to (Christmas thank yous not yet sent) and also for - you guessed it - another challenge! This one is for the Daring Cardmakers challenge.

The only requirement for this challenge was that the cards be "thank you" themed, but I gave myself a couple of personal challenges as well. First I wanted to use only scraps for the cards. Second, I wanted to use some of those Michael's dollar stamps that I have been collecting, but never seem to use. I see them and think "oh how cute and it's only a dollar!" Then I buy a bunch, bring them home and that's it. They sell wood mounted (which is what I used here) and clear stamps. I have a bunch of the clear stamps too. I used a couple of those on the tag I posted earlier today.

Before I get to the cards, I want to apologize in advance for the corny humor. I just couldn't help it. The first two are going to an aunt that I am very close to and a close family friend, so they'll appreciate them. The third card (which does not have any of the dollar stamps) is for an uncle that I rarely see. I wasn't sure he'd appreciate the humor, so I made his card a little more sophisticated - still used scraps though.

Supplies
Stamp: Michael's

Paper: All scraps (yellow cardstock is Archiver's; DP is My Mind's Eye)

Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black; Colorbox Chalk Ink (Yellow Citrus; Warm Red)

Embellishements: Scallop circle punches (pierced the scallops to add interest); ribbon scrap; computer generated sentiment punched into a circle

Technique: Prisma pencils

Supplies
Stamp: Michael's
Paper: All scraps (pink cardstock is DCWV; DP is My Mind's Eye)
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black; Colorbox Chalk Ink (Lime Citrus; Rouge)
Embellishements: Scallop circle punches (pierced the scallops to add interest); ribbon scrap; computer generated sentiment punched into a circle; prima flower; MM flower brad
Technique: Prisma pencils; paper piecing - pop dotted the shoe


I think this would have looked better with a black card base instead of the cream, but I wouldn't have been able to use scraps if I did that. I didn't have any black ones big enough.

Supplies
Stamps: Club Scrap
Paper: All scraps
Ink: Color Box Pigment (Red) VersaColor Ultimate Pigment (Black)
Embellishements: Ribbon scrap
Technique: Heat embossing

Tag You're It - Challenge #39 - New Stash

I'm just having too much fun with these challenges. I used to participate in a lot of swaps to satisfy my papercrafting addiction, but I am really loving the challenges.

This is my first time to participate in the Tag, You're It challenge. These challenges are (obviously) for creating tags based on the stated theme for the week. I like to make tags. They are fast (usually) and let me use all those little scraps and odd things that I can't make myself get rid of. (I might need it someday :) Here is my submission for this week.

The theme for this week is "new stash". You were supposed to create a tag using new goodies that you got for Christmas or maybe just items that you had purchased recently and not used yet. The new items on my tag are the image stamp and the oval ribbon slider. I colored the image with some new pencils and I ran the die for the ribbon slider through my new Big Kick. The "let's party" and "celebrate" stamps are not new - I've had them for quite some time - but this is the first time I've used them.

Supplies
Stamps: Poppin' Good Birthday (House Mouse Designs -Stampabilities); Studio G (Michael's $1 clear stamps - both sentiments)
Paper: Scraps (DP is My Mind's Eye - I think)
Ink: VersaFine (Onyx Black; Vintage Sepia); Colorbox chalk ink (lime citrus; rouge)
Embellishments: ribbon slider die (Cuttlebug), punches (scalloped circle and circle), ribbon (scraps), eyelet snap (Target)
Technique: Prisma colored pencil blended with Gamsol

Merry Go Round Swap: The Last Three

I am posting the last three of my cards for the Merry Go Round swap in one post since they are all done now (and I have other cards I want to post :). If you don't know what a Merry Go Round swap is, see my post from December 29th.

The image for this card came from my friend Lucy. I'm not sure of the manufacturer. If you knew Lucy, you would know that this is a perfect card for her. I colored the image with colored pencil, the papers are scraps from my scrap box and the sentiment is computer generated. I inked the edges of the image and the sentiment with Lime Chalk Ink. I just kept it simple to stay in keeping with the cartoon character of the image.

The image for this card was my least favorite one of the six I recieved in the swap, BUT this turned out to be my favorite card of the bunch when I had it finished. The image is colored with colored pencil. Papers and ribbon are from my scraps (surprise!). The sentiment is from Stampendous and was purchased from the "Hot Spot" at Archiver's for a buck (cha ching!).

This is the final card. I like the image (I have a thing for collage images:), but I didn't have and reall y great ideas for anything to do with it. The one good idea I did have, I didn't have enough space on the card to execute it properly. That's kind of a drawback to swapping - you have to make the cards A2 unless you want to provide envelopes. I colored the castle with pastels (chalks) and rolled on Distress Ink in Antique Linen. Once again, papers and ribbon are from my scraps. The spiral clip is from Spare Parts (Hobby Lobby).

My First Stamped Card

I have decided to start a new blog for my paper crafting/rubber stamping hobby. I'll be posting some of my favorite past cards. I also plan to join in on some challenges and I'll be posting those here too.

I started my paper crafting adventure as a scrapbooker, but the stamping and cardmaking took over. I enjoy making cards because they are faster. I also enjoy trying new techniques.

For my first post here, I am posting the first card I ever made that used rubber stamping. I had made cards before that, but mostly what I call "scrapbook style". I made this for a card swap I think it was almost three years ago. It's still one of my favorite cards that I have made.

There aren't any special techniques on this card. It's just basic stamping and distressing. I chose to use the traditional red and green colors, but non-traditional papers to go with the western theme. The image was colored with colored pencil.

Supplies Used
Stamps: Stampabilities
Paper: K & Co.
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Ranger)
Embellishments: Decorative brad (Making Memories); Primitive Star die (Sizzix); twine