America: my home sweet home

Hi, everyone.

It's been an interesting OWH week. The Midweek Challenge was to create a CAS card. Music to my ears! (The first time I came across the CAS-ual Fridays blog, well I felt like Steve Martin's character in The Jerk hearing his kind of music for the first time.)

Then came today's multi-layered sketch. There are times when I really struggle with multiple layers. Don't get me wrong, it is a great sketch -- and Kathryn's sample card is fabulous. But, it just isn't my kind of sketch. So, please accept my apologies in advance for taking quite a few liberties with this one.

So, let's say that today's Any Hero Card had its beginnings in OWH Sketch #179.

dp: My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market
sentiment: Stamper's Best,  heat embossed in Distress Ink black walnut
inking in Distress Ink black walnut; garage sale brads

I've had this paper for a while, but hadn't used it. My thinking was that the softer colors might make it easier to work with the multiple layers. Unfortunately, I still had issues with the four-layer layout.

I made a couple of other changes to the sketch. The second change was scoring the right hand side of the sentiment strip, and then sponging this smaller section with black walnut using Stampin' Up! daubers. I chose to do this instead of adding another element/paper. (Just can't get that CAS out of my system no matter how hard I try!) The third change was the placement of the three small circles in the upper left corner of the sketch. I chose to place them under the sentiment strip to bring more attention to the sentiment.

To better pop elements, I inked edges in black walnut. And, I double matted the star paper on 2 layers of the same color paper.

Oh, one more thing, the brad in the top left corner was placed to cover a stamping smudge -- which led to the bottom right brad -- which led to the three smaller brads. Guess we've all been there, done that. :)

Parting Thoughts

We're getting some much needed rain. Not good for the pool, but good for the grass and flowers. (Hubby just called it a million dollar rain! He's a very happy camper right now.)

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Zing, Zing, Zing

Hi, everyone.

The card below was inspired by two challenges: this week's OWH Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a CAS card and this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to make a card featuring an arrow.

Distress Ink core paper, Bazzill black
computer-created arrow, computer-generated font (Harlow)
large heart: hand-cut with template, small heart: EK triple heart punch
Stampin' Up! brads; Sizzix embossing folder; Zot 3D glue dots

Since this was going to OWH, I embossed the background cardstock to give the card a little more texture. I initially tried embossing the larger circle using a different folder. But, the pattern didn't feel right with the arrow. So, I went with two plain hearts.

Parting Thoughts

Hoping to visit some blogs and leave some comments this weekend. Also hoping to find some time to make a few more cards.

Have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Thanks!

Hi, everyone.

A quick post for an Any Hero card inspired by OWH Sketch #178.

dp: We R Memory Keepers Red, White & Blue
cardstock: Bazzill admiral and watermelon, AC (aqua color), Distress Ink core antique linen
sentiment in Stampin' Up! Night of Navy; Recollections brad
Paper Studio star punch

Other than omitting the third vertical rectangle, I stayed pretty true to the sketch. This is another one of those sheets in this dp collection that I struggle with using -- and ended up cutting it down quite a bit and rotating it for this card. So, the busy-iness of the dp seemed to call for one less layer than on the original sketch.

Parting Thoughts

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and have a good work week.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Got Sunscreen? -- Take Two

Hi, everyone!

Let me start by thanking everyone for the comments you've left the last couple of weeks -- and apologize for not reciprocating with comments of my own. All of your comments have been so kind and very appreciated.

One of my New Year's Resolutions has been to leave comments. And, I've done a better job of that this past year -- culminating in the OWH Memorial Day Blog Hop, where I left tons and tons of comments. Then life got in the way just a little, and I dedicated the time I had to make and post cards. So, please accept my apologies for neglecting the blogs of my cardmaking friends.

Got Sunscreen?

For card details, click here.

Today's card has two inspirations. The first inspiration is this week's Tuesday Tutorial about making window cards. The second is taking another stab at a card I made for last week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge to make a theme-inspired card. The card at the right was made for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.

While I liked the idea for the card at the right, it felt like it could be better. Then, I saw the Tutorial challenge. The window idea rolled around in my brain a couple of days. The light bulb didn't come right away, but when I made the connection between the challenge and the sunscreen card... Well, the card really came together quickly. And, I have to say that I am really pleased with the results.

tree: negative of image cut out from DCWV travel stack
tree: sponged in Distress Ink black walnut
sentiment: computer-generated (Lucida Handwriting)
Distress Ink core paper; blue paper sponged in Distress Ink milled lavender
gems, including Hero Arts Hues; Tombow 3D foam tabs
Stampin' Up! trimmer and sponge daubers
Creative Memories corner rounders

This card would never have been possible without my Stampin' Up! trimmer. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this trimmer! If you're in the market for a new trimmer, this one is definitely worth checking out.

The only thing I would change on the card is replacing the larger gems with a few smaller ones. But, this was the best I could do with my available stash. DONE!  Added a few Hero Arts Hues after a trip to JoAnn's. :)

That said, one of the added bonuses of a window card is being able to use larger gems without adding extra bulk -- which is always a nice thing. :)

Parting Thoughts

My brother's in town one last day. Waiting for a call to meet them for breakfast. :)

Enjoy your weekend. Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Happy Dirtday!

Hi, everyone!

Today's Midweek Throwdown challenge is to make Cards 4 Kids. Sounded like a perfect opportunity to ink up my new Stanpin' Up! I Dig You stamp set. So, between a morning walk with hubby, a trip to the neighborhood pool with nephews, and a dinner of steaks on the grill, I'm making and posting the card below. (Aren't vacation days the best?!)

truck and sentiment: Stampin' Up! I Dig You stamp set
clouds: Stampin' Up! cupcake punch; Distress Ink core paper
truck and clouds: heat embossed with embossing ink and clear powder
sentiment embossed in Distress Ink black soot
garage sale brads

A few Tricks of the Trade:

• I used a bendable ruler to create the shape of the dirt hill before tearing the core paper.
• Clouds were created by pressing a section of white cardstock into an embossing pad and heat embossing with clear powder before punching out the top of a cupcake.  [Thanks to Stampin' Up! demonstrator Bernadette for the suggestion to use the punch to make clouds. :) ]

Having major second thoughts about the brads -- going to replace them with hole-punch-size circles, embellished with Glossy Accents. I almost never use any gems or brads on kid cards. While I like the look of the brads, my concern is that the card might get in the hands of an itty, bitty kiddie. So, I'm going to err on the side of safety here -- not even sure what I was thinking in the first place.

Parting Thoughts

Brads or no brads, I'm REALLY loving the way this little card turned out -- liking the bright colors and the design itself. Hoping one of our hero's little one will love it as well. :)

Hubby's getting ready to fire up the grill. So, looks like it's time to sign off.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Got Sunscreen?

Hi, everyone.

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is to create a travel-related card. Memories of trips to the beach inspired the card below.

Negative of Tree (cut from DCWV Travel Stack)  in Distress Ink black walnut and Zig chocolate marker
Distress Ink core, lightly sanded and sponged in various Distress Inks
computer-generated sentiment (Lucida Handwriting); Hero Arts gems
Creative Memories corner rounder

The idea for this card was stuck in my brain -- along with the original sentiment "Got Lotion?" The card itself is not quite what I envisioned, but it's close.

One of the execution challenges was evening out the color of the tree since I was inking on top of two different papers. My solution was to color with a Zig chocolate marker. There's still a little variation, but it's not nearly as pronounced. 

Another change I would make is in the break down of tan vs. blue. Think the card would be just a touch better with a little less tan and a little more blue. 

Thinking of trying this again with some watered down acrylic -- going for more of an ombre effect.

Parting Thoughts

Wasn't sure I'd get to the CAS-ual Friday challenge this week since my brother's family is visiting. As it turns out, I'm so excited about the visit that I can't sleep. So, what's a girl to do? And, what better theme for the week than a travel theme?

As always, thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

Red, White, Blue, and Kraft

Hi, everyone.

Trying my best to make and post cards between family get-togethers and excursions. So many fun things to do, so little time. :)

The Any Hero card below was made for OWH Sketch #177.

We R Memory Keepers Red, White & Blue dp
tan cardstock: Distress Ink core; turquoise cardstock: AC
all other cardstock: Bazzill, including admiral and watermelon
Sizzix embossing folder; Stampin' Up! neutral brads
Fiskars and Paper Studio star punches, EK hole punch
Glossy Accents; Zots 3D glue dots

As you can see, I rotated the sketch 90 degrees. This was originally done to use a horizontal sentiment. After I chose not to use a sentiment, the dp was already taped down -- taped down REALLY well. Since I liked the vertical direction of the pattern, I chose to stay with the rotated orientation.

The other change was in the placement of the blue banner and white rectangle. It just felt right to center these when I was playing with final placements.

This was the second card on which I have used Glossy Accents -- using them to adhere and coat the three punched out circles for the centers of the stars. Still need some serious practice with this product, but I like the end results.Any imperfections/flaws are the sole responsibility of the user, not the product. :)

At first, I thought the layout seemed a little busier than my typical choices. However, I think the solid colors -- and use of stars instead of a sentiment -- helped give the card more of a CAS feel.

Parting Thoughts

Gotta go!  Time for another fun family function. :)

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Hello, Honey!

Hi, everyone.

Update on 7/8/2013: Just came across a guest designer challenge on the Paper Smooches site. Think I'm going to go out on a limb and post this little honey of a card. 

Well, brother and family got a late start and their arrival is later than originally planned. So, what's a gal to do with a couple of bonus hours? Make a card!

This bonus card is made from another one of those fabulous Paper Smooches blog candy stamp sets. The set I used for this card is Bee Mine, paired with a great Stampin' Up! embossing folder.

Paper Smooches Bee Mine stamps and ribbons
Stampin' Up embossing folder and neutral brads
Distress Ink core paper (scattered straw and fired brick)
Distress Ink, heat embossed with clear powder and sponged
Zots 3D glue dots, Elmer Craft Fabric Glue

The inside of the folder was inked up with Distress Ink vintage photo. After running Distress Ink scattered straw through the embosser, the paper was heat embossed with clear powder. Then, I sponged on wild honey and antique linen with SU sponge daubers. The heat-embossed bee, heart, and sentiment were
stamped in vintage photo and/or fired brick.

Since this is a thing with wings, I'm going to try posting this card to OWH's Midweek Throwdown. Not sure if it will work since I've already posted the card at the right. Crossing my fingers.  :) 

Parting Thoughts

Still looking forward to seeing my brother and his family. Thinking they should be getting in to Dad's right about now.

Have a wonderful Father's Day with family and loved ones.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Lil Monster

Hi, everyone!

Isn't it interesting how the excitement about something keeps you up late and gets you up early? I'm so very excited about my brother's family's visit that I had trouble falling asleep -- and even more trouble getting back to sleep!

The other thing that had my motor running was the desire to ink up some new stamps. The Paper Smooches blog candy from OWH's Memorial Day blog hop came this week. (The delay was totally mine, by the way. Once I finally decided on what to get, the package arrived within days! Kim was fabulous!!! Thanks, Kim.) I also wanted to ink up some newly purchased Stampin' Up! stamps.

So, as it turned out, I've had time to sneak in one last card before the visit begins. :)  The card below is for this month's OWH Design Bootcamp on repetition -- and variation -- and a strong focal point.

Lil Monster

Paper Smooches Alphadot stamp set and natural ribbons; 
Stampin' Up! Build a Monster stamp set
Cosmo Cricket Matilda dp; Distress Ink core paper;
Distress Ink black soot, heat embossed with clear powder
EK border punch; Zots 3D glue dots, Zig 2 Way Glue

A description of the thought process behind this card's design follows:

• The first decision was to make three lil monsters in the same shape and same color, but varied in features. There is also a slight variation in the sanding of the left and right monsters, while keeping the center monster at 100% saturation.
• The second decision was in paper selection. I didn't have any space- or monster-related dp in my stash. But, then I remembered the Matilda halloween collection had some really fun colors and patterns. Looking at the patterns I had left from the pad -- and the complementary cardstock papers in my stash, I decided to go with the orange/gold/purple plaid. The plaid seemed playful, gender neutral, and unexpected. Two other important considerations: the plaid was non-Halloween'ish and it "popped" the lil monsters.
• I repeated the monster's purple in the background of the top portion of the card and around the paper and sentiment on the bottom portion of the card. 
• A pair of natural ribbons were placed behind the monsters to connect them and make a stronger focal point without adding an additional color or pattern. I also liked the extra texture the ribbon brought to the card.
• To adhere the monsters, I used 2 Way glue on their main bodies and glue dots on their eye and leg appendages. They have to be pretty secure for little hands. :)
• This fun font from Paper Smooches was just right for these little guys. It is stamped on the reverse side of a Distress Ink core green that matched a green used in other papers in the dp collection. I chose to not heat emboss -- deciding to use that little extra shimmer for just the monsters.
• So, you'd think I would be done. Not so fast... The top corners felt like they needed something, but I never put brads or gems on kid cards. And, then I saw the cute little trio of dots in the Stampin' Up! monster set. I stamped those in the corners, heat embossing so that they would pop off the plaid paper.

Here's hoping a hero's little one will smile when receiving these little guys in the mail.

Parting Thoughts

Wow, this post got a little longer than I expected. Sorry about that! (Can you tell I'm really psyched about my brother's visit?!)

Thanks to Paula for these Design Bootcamps. They are great!

Another huge thanks to Paper Smooches for all they do for OWH. For my blog candy, I ordered three sets that would address some OWH needs: a fun alphabet, the Teen Scene images, and the Bee Mine set (to go with a honeycomb embossing folder.) Kim, the stamps are fabulous and you totally rock!

Speaking of that honeycomb folder,  a big thanks also goes to Bernadette, a central Ohio Stampin' Up! demonstrator. My stamping is getting better thanks to her help. If only I could say the same about my checking account....

Have a great weekend! REALLY looking forward to celebrating Father's Day with both dads and my brother and his family.

Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!

A Multi-Faceted Card for A Multi-Faceted Dad

Hi, everyone.

Today's card is the card I will be giving to Dad on Sunday. Dad is a retired design engineer who worked on rockets and likes to dabble in watercolor painting. So, a card with a mathematical (geometrical) feel and an artistic flair somehow seemed like a good combo.

Stampin' Up! embossing folder; Distress Inks: Bazzill cardstock
computer-generated hexagon and sentiment (Mistral); Paper Studio brads; 3D glue dots

First of all, I love, love, love this embossing folder!  :)

The first step was to ink the inside of the folder with Distress Ink black soot before embossing. Then, I cut out the interiors of a few hexagons from another cardstock and used the negatives to sponge the card's hexagons with other Distress Inks.

At this point, the card looked really pastel. So, I sponged some black on the inside of the hexagons -- heat embossing with clear powder for some bubbly texture. 

Next, I worked on creating a pair of computer-generated hexagons, and a text box in the smaller hexagon for the sentiment. I used the larger hexagon as a template to create the black hexagon. I cut outside of the shape of the smaller hexagon to mimic the look of the embossed hexagons. Lastly, I added brads (through both hexagons) and adhered the shape with 3D glue dots.

Parting Thoughts

Prayers and blessings to those military families who are without loved ones this Father's Day. Hope everyone is able to spend the day with loved ones.

My brother and his family are scheduled to arrive in town tomorrow for a week-long visit. It's been such a long time since we've seen each other. And, it's been forever since we've both been with Dad on Father's Day. To make an even merrier celebration, hubby's dad is also joining us on Sunday.

So, it sounds like I need to get on that house cleaning as soon as I sign off. And, there's not likely to be much card-making in the next week or so. (No CAS-ual Friday card tonight!) I'm actually thinking this might be my last post for awhile.... But, I am sooooo excited to see my brother!  :)

Have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!