Falling Leaves

Hi, everyone.

Hope everybody is okay after this afternoon's storms.

The card below was made for today's Midweek Throwdown challenge to make a masculine-themed card.

Craft Smart stamp, heat embossed and sponged in Distress Ink
Distress Ink core paper; Sizzix embossing folder
Stampin' Up! brads; Zots 3D glue dots

I'm very excited about the technique used for the leaves. After heat embossing the image in Distress Ink walnut stain, I used cotton swabs to sponge on various Distress Inks (wild honey, scattered straw, fired brick, dusty concord).

I also like the sketch. It came from that fabulous Leisure Arts book. I tried to create a strong focal, use odd numbers of elements (5 strips of paper, 3 brads), and pay attention to the rule of thirds. It seems I can't help but channel Paula these days. :)

Not so sure this is masculine-themed enough. Hubby loves fall. So, I went with a neutral/male fall palette. Also, not so sure about the embossing folder. Wanted to add some texture, and this was the closest to nature folder that I had. Maybe I should've bought a wood grain folder after all.  :)

Parting Thoughts

Have a good rest of the week. Thanks for stoppin' and happy scrappin'!

Say It with Legos

Hi, everyone,

Okay, making a legos card was not on my day's crafting to-do list when the day began. But, when I saw Julie's stinkin' cute card idea at this week's Tuesday Tutorial, well I just had to join in the fun. Thanks, Nancy and Julie, for such a fun idea for a cute kiddie card!

Distress Ink core paper and ink (chipped sapphire, barn door red, scattered straw)
Stampin Up! sponge daubers; white gel pen; Marvy circle punch; Tombow dimensional adhesives

Julie suggested stamping a sentiment on a separate sheet of paper and adhering it to the card. I decided to make the sentiment out of the legos.

My only regret is that I didn't have an embossing folder to create the lego base. So, I went with a larger piece of white cardstock.

Parting Thoughts

Thanks again to the OWH blog team for a great idea! (BTW: The math teacher/editor in me LOVED the fractions -- even though I just eyeballed my circles and rectangles!)

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

A Patriotic Thanks

Hi, everyone.

A REALLY quick post for today's Any Hero card, inspired by Operation Write Home Sketch #180.

Bo Bunny Anthem, Distress Ink core
brand-spankin'-new Darice embossing folder
sentiment heat embossed in Distress Ink chipped sapphire
star punches: Fiskars, the Paper Studio

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Dear Santa -- UPDATED

7/22 UPDATE: A special welcome to those of you who have come from this week's OWH Tuesday Tutorial. I was so excited when Nancy said that she would like to feature Dear Santa. Thanks, Nancy!

Paper Smooches Super stamp set
computer-generated shapes & text
Distress Ink core
lots and lots of fussy cutting

Since I made Dear Santa, I applied the same technique to make a Super Hero card. One tip I learned when making this second card involves the white strip used at the bottom of both cards. If you're interested in including a similar strip of writing space, I had my best luck when the strip went from the left edge to the right edge. While I played with a number of combinations, the one that seemed to have the biggest visual impact was this full-width strip of white. 


Thanks so much for stopping and happy scrappin'.  Can't wait to see your take on fold cards! [As soon as my Blitzy stamp order comes in, I'll be making a princess card version. :)]


Hi, everyone.

The card below was born from two inspirations: a Crafting at the Spotted Canary show about making greeting cards with surprises and movement and a Studio G stamp purchased a couple of years ago.

This card's surprise is a sentiment that pops up when you open the card. The first two images show the front and inside of the card. The latter images illustrate a few of the steps used to create the popped sentiment.

Inside of Card
AC Christmas cardstock
computer-generated sentiment, inspired by Studio G stamp
Marvy and Paper Shapers circle punches, EK hole punch
Creative Memories cutting system
Stampin' Up! trimmer with scoring blade

Front of Card
AC Christmas cardstock
computer-generated sentiment (Andy), inspired by Studio G stamp
Marvy and Paper Shapers circle punches, EK hole punch

The Steps

Step 1: Cut out two 5.5" by 8.5" sheets of cardstock
Step 2: Fold one of the sheets in half, and make cuts 1" length that are 1.5" from either edge
Step 3: On the cut sheet, score along the card fold between the two 1" cuts
Step 4: Pop out the cut section, or "step", towards the interior of the card

Step 5: Apply tape/glue to the front of the "step"
Step 6: Attach sentiment/ image to be popped

Step 7: Apply tape/glue to inside cardstock, taking care to not apply any adhesive to the step.
Step 8: Attach interior (cut, scored) cardstock to the exterior (uncut) cardstock.
Step 9: Decorate, decorate, decorate!

Other Considerations:

• I used solid cardstock as my bases. But, there's no reason not to use dp. I'm thinking 8.5" by 11" sheets or 12" by 12" sheets would work better for this purpose than 6" by 6" pads.
• I added the wavy, white strip on the inside for a handwritten note.
• When making cuts and applying adhesive, you'll want the "better" sides (textured, patterned) to face inside and out.
• I popped a sentiment on the inside, but images would work, too. :)

BTW

• In the past, Operation Write Home has offered tutorials and hosted challenges dealing with fold cards. In addition, the Spotted Canary broadcast (Show 106) showed more elaborate, intricate cards. If these really interest you, there are lots of internet resources to help you create more elaborate folds. 
• That said, this is the first fold card I've ever tried. There were two reasons for this: 1) I wasn't sure I had the skills needed for these fold cards, and 2) I definitely didn't have precise enough tools for them. So, for my first effort, I went with a much simpler model.
• Because of the sentiment, I chose to embellish with a variety of circles and a few waves to create a more whimsical feel.

Parting Thoughts

July 12 Postscript: Today's CAS-ual Fridays challenge is to create a polka-dotted creation. Think I'm going to post this little card for this challenge.

Hope you give one of these a try. I'm planning on making a few for OWH and the holiday craft fairs.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Jean Scene

Hi, everyone.

This month's Our Daily Bread Design challenge for OWH is to make a card with stitching -- faux or real. Glad they included that faux part!

Core'dinations paper, lightly "worn"at the bottom
garage sale sticker; garage sale brads
faux stitching in Zig chocolate

I bought 8 of these stickers dirt cheap at a scrapbooking garage sale a while ago. Last year, I made 6 cards for OWH and set aside 2 stickers for 2013 nephew cards. (Please click here to see the original post that includes tips on making the card.) Since one nephew actually turned 13 this year, I decided against the "kid" card idea for him. So, this left me with one last jean sticker. And, since these cards were crowd favorites in my Top Ten of 2012 list, one last jean scene card seemed perfect for this month's ODBD challenge.

One quick word to the wise: When you make a template, ALWAYS keep it. :)

Have a great rest of the weekend. Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

An All-American Classic

Hi, everyone.

They say the third time's a charm. And, I'm hoping that's the case for the card that I made for this week's CAS-ual Friday challenge to make a project that uses fabric, canvas, etc. My first effort went in a totally different direction, trying to make a super hero card involving aluminum foil Then, the canvas idea came to me. But, the star stenciling did not go quite as I hoped the first time around. However, it led me to the card below.

Recollections natural canvas
Distress Ink core (chipped sapphire)
computer-generated negatives, sponged in Distress Ink (chipped sapphire, fired brick)
Stampin' Up! sponge daubers; garage sale brads

First, let me give credit where credit's due. Becca posted a similar design on Operation Write Home a few weeks ago. I loved her card -- and even remembering asking if I could CASE it. Thanks, Becca, for a wonderful idea.

That's the good news. The bad news is I remember Becca using a Cricut-like machine to create her card. So, to create my star and stripes, I created basic shapes in Word. Then, I cut out the shapes to make stencils and sponged using these negatives. I'm really pleased with the look of the sponging on the canvas!

To make sure the canvas stays in place for OWH, I used brads to secure the canvas to the cardstock.

 Parting Thoughts

Thanks CAS-ual Fridays, for really taking me out of my box this week!

Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday weekend.

Thanks for visiting and happy scrappin'!

Sweet Birthday Wishes

Hi, everyone.

Today's card is for a friend who lost her husband to cancer a couple of months ago. It's sure to be a tough day for her. So, I wanted to send her a card that wasn't overly celebratory, but... just something sweet to let her know she was being thought of on her special day. Hope this card will do that.

bubble wrap background, heat embossed with clear powder and inked with Distress Ink
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon-of-the-month ribbon
Inkadinkado sentiment, heat embossed in Distress Ink
Distress Ink core paper; Stampin Up! cupcake punch
Creative Memories corner rounder
Zots 3D glue dots, Glossy Accents

I'm kind of ambivalent about this little card. At times I really like it; at other times, well....

Please click here to see original post.

One thing I do love is the background. The polka dots were created using the same technique that was used on The Sky's the Limit card at the right. I then inked the background in Distress Ink tattered rose.

I also like the ribbon itself. I placed a narrow strip of tattered rose under the ribbon so that it coordinated with the background and the sentiment paper. As it turns out, this is one of the elements about which I am ambivalent. I like the effect of the ribbon and paper, but am wondering if I should have chosen a contrasting color of paper. But, then again, I was trying for sweet and not jubilant...

Speaking of the ribbon, it is from Really Reasonable Ribbon -- one of the ribbons in the June Ribbon of the Month pack. The ribbon on the card is so pretty -- and I so love this company!

Another element I went back and forth on was the color of paper to use for the icing. I wanted it to pop, but not pop too much. It actually blends in much better on the card itself than it appears to blend on the screen. I think the color is Distress Ink barn door.

Two other quick notes: I rounded alternating corners because of the arcs of the cupcake icing and the straight lines of the cupcake base. Lastly, the sentiment was from a birthday set of Inkadinkado stamps that was $2 at a garage sale. :)

Parting Thoughts

It's a really rainy day here. Sounds like a perfect day to go to an afternoon movie and make some cards in the evening. :)

Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.

As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Lady Liberty

Happy Birthday, America!

Sandy Allnock's card

The card below was inspired by today's Midweek Throwdown color challenge to make a card featuring red, blue, white, and kraft, and by the layout Sandy used for the card she posted yesterday. (Okay, so I'll never be able to color like Sandy -- not in a million years. But, CASE-ing one of her designs.... Now, that's something I can totally do. Thanks, Sandy, for some wonderful inspiration!)

Bo Bunny Anthem dp; Distress Ink core: vintage photo and chipped sapphire
Stamper's Best image, stamped on watercolor paper, heat embossed in Distress Ink vintage photo
garage sale brads

I believe the Lady Liberty stamp was included in an order awhile back from Stamper's Best -- a complimentary token of appreciation. She seems to really work well on this card.

I soooo love Bo Bunny paper. And, I didn't think I'd ever like a patriotic pad of paper as much as I liked Bo Bunny Liberty. But, this yummy Anthem pad (that just happened to make its way into my Archiver's basket last night) might just give Liberty a run for its money. :)

One of the things I most love about Bo Bunny papers is that the patterns are so easy to combine. For this card, I simply chose three of the papers that had vertical stripes -- small, medium, and wide (tone-on-tone), added some crimped paper, and used one of the bolder, more solid papers for the bottom layer and a few accents or two and.... VOILA!

I wanted to ink the edge of the banner, but never quite know how to handle the triangular cut-out portion. Today I realized that I could lightly brush an ink pen against those edges. Duh! Why hadn't I ever thought of that before?

Parting Thoughts

Have a fun, festive, and safe celebration!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Holly, Holly, Holly

Hi, everyone.

The first batch of craft fair cards is finished. So, it's on to batch #2.

My strategy this year is to alternate between making general-themed cards and holiday cards. So, cards like the one shown below are next up in the rotation.

Hero Arts stamp and embossing folder
heat embossing in Inkadinkado glam gold
Bazzill jade cardstock; May Arts wrinkled ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon

I was going for an elegant CAS card. Hope I've achieved that. Still tinkering with ribbon treatments, but loving the overall look of the card -- and the yummy ribbon. :)

Speaking of the ribbon, this pretty ribbon came from Really Reasonable Ribbon. This was my first order from this company -- and I couldn't be happier. An e-mail inquiring about ribbon samples was answered immediately, ribbon samples came soon after I placed my request, and my order was filled and shipped so very quickly. Bonnie's customer service was AMAZING and the ribbon is so pretty. Thanks, Bonnie! (Loved the service and ribbon so much that I enrolled in the Really Reasonable Ribbon's monthly ribbon club.)

Parting Thoughts

Think it's about time to turn in for the night.

Have a wonderful holiday celebration. Be safely festive!

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Recipe for a Happy Birthday

Hi, everyone.

Maybe it's because hubby and I both have July birthdays... But, for some reason, I've been motivated to make some birthday cards. Hubby would actually like me to try a couple of craft shows this year. So, I'm trying to get a little jump on craft-show cardmaking. :)

ODBD background stamp; Distress Ink core papers and ink
Stampin' Up! cupcake punch; Fiskars border punch
original sentiment, computer-generated as a table in Word (Lucida Handwriting)

I'm actually making an assortment of these in various color combinations -- mainly as a matter of necessity based on the current availability of Distress Ink papers and coordinating inks in the menopause room.

The background for the card above is from Our Daily Bread Design, a wonderful supporter of OWH. This stamp was part of a blog candy prize. The minute I saw it on the ODBD Web site, I knew I wanted to use it as the background for some recipe cards.

Please click here to read original post.

But, that meant coming up with the recipe itself. So, I went online and checked out some recipe card sentiments. Next, I did some
word smithing of my own and came up with the recipe shown -- with special inspiration from similar verses at Zazzle.com from Scribble Kitty. I used a table in a Word doc, with some cute bullets, to help with formatting, alignment, and so on.

My first attempt included some lace. (Interestingly enough, hubby didn't care much for the lace.) There are also some glue dots in the original -- and a hand-written, less sophisticated recipe. I decided to change things up a little to make cards that were a little more craft show friendly -- cards that a craft show customer could drop in regular mail without worrying about bumps and or thickness.

Parting Thoughts

Hoping to knock out a few more of these birthday cards. All is cut out -- but there is still some assembly required.

Thanks for stopping and a happy scrappin'!