Winter Wishes to Card Cuties

I'm slowly working on some cards for our Card Cupids Winter Wishes card drive for the children at Cole’s Pages.

I decided to make two cards — one for a girl and one for a boy — using this week's Merry Monday holiday card sketch.


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For the girl's card, I used First Snow by Karen's Doodles, which I won from Karen's Doodles last year, and was very much inspired by this week's recipe/photo inspiration challenge at The Ribbon Reel.

The Ribbon Reel

Inspiration/Challenges for this card:
Merry Monday #38: Sketch
Stamp and Create: Winter Wonderland
The Ribbon Reel: Photo/Color Inspiration + ribbon/burlap + Shabby

It's difficult to see, but the white background is lightly embossing with a Snowflake pattern (same goes for the boy's card).

I heat-embossed a snowflake pattern (from Raisin Boat) onto the large metallic brads (from Michaels), and wound a white leaf ribbon around them.

The sentiment is stamped on a scrap from a canvas bag (if you follow my blog, you know I've gotten a lot out of that bag ... and there's still more left!), and I left on the seam because I thought it looked, well, "shabby chic." I finished it off with a white snowflake brad.


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For my second card using this week's Merry Monday holiday card sketch, I used Tastes Snow Good by Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps.

Inspiration/Challenges for this card:
Digi Makeover Challenge: Weather + digi
Merry Monday #38: Sketch
My Heart Pieces Digital Stamps Challenge: Monochromatic
For the banner, I made a tiny "scarf" by stamping onto stiff felt. I added some detail to the end with embroidery floss; the fringe is difficult to see in this photo, but it's so cute.

The blue strips were scraps from my endless stash, and the snowflakes were cut with a Martha Stewart punch using the same cardstock as the embossed background (shiny white Core'dinations).

The image was colored with Copics, and there's blue shading although it's also difficult to see. I used my Marvy Snow Pen (heat-activated puff-paint) to add some more "snow".

Update: This cards was the random prize winner for Digi Makeover Challenge #59. Thank you!

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Hope you'll send some Winter Wishes cards for the children at Cole’s Pages; the deadline is December 1st. The cards don't have to be winter-themed, just any sort of non-religious "Happy Mail". You can get all the information at Card Cupids.

Have a super day,

Celebrating Autumn

I was introduced to Shadowbox cards by the Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack Cardmaking Group, and this is my second attempt (here's my first). I thought it would be a great way to combine this wonderful Fall Fence image by Shelly's Images with the whimsical Fall by Karen's Doodles.

Also also used a couple of leaf freebies from Shelly's Images, which I imported into SCAL (my cutting software). I "printed" them on my Cricut Expression using a brown Cricut marker, then used it with the blade to cut them out (I created a "shadow" layer in SCAL).

Here it is folded closed, and here it is pulled open:

You can see that the fence moves to the right. There's also a braided hemp rope going over the right fold. I also ran my embossing tool over the "veins" on the leaves. Dr Sonia and others have really been inspiring me to try that, and it does look good!

Here's the back, with this sweet First Day of Fall image from TLC Creations:

Inspiration:

Shelly's Images Terrifically Thrilling Thursday Challenge: Show Us Your Layers

Delightful Challenges: Colors of Fall

Shadowbox Card tutorial: Splitcoast Stampers

Digi stamps: Maple Leaf, Oak Leaf & Fall Fence by Shelly's Images (thank you!), Fall by Karen's Doodles, sentiment & image on back by TLC Creations (thank you!)

Paper: Recollections, stash, Hammermill

Tools: Cricut, SCAL, Cricut markers, Fiskars papercutter, finger knife & deckle scissors, HP printer & ink, InDesign

Other: Copic markers, Sakura gel pens, hemp twine

Fallin' for Karen's Doodles

I hardly need an excuse to use this cute Fall image from Karen's Doodles, but couldn't resist their current sketch challenge.

I made the charms with Shrink plastic. I stamped the original stamp on the inside of the card, so you can see the size difference.

Inspiration:
Karen's Doodles Challenge: Sketch

Stamps: Fall by Karen's Doodles, Let It Shine set by Verve Stamps
Paper: Hammermill, Core'dinations
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, Martha Stewart scissors, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, SCAL & Cricut, Marvy heat tool, Shrink plastic
Other: ZipDry & Tacky glues, StazOn ink, Michaels & Offray ribbons, Copic markers

Update 9/6/11: I won a random prize for this card at Karen's Doodles!

Happy Travels with Deconstructed Sketches and Karen's Doodles

Inspiration:

Deconstructed Sketch No. 15

Stamps: On the Road Again by Karen's Doodles, Round Sentiments I set by SP & Company, dotted frame set by Fiskars
Paper: Recollections, Hammermill, Core'dinations, stash DP
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, Martha Stewart scissors & border punch, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, Marvy heat tool, Cricut & SCAL, Crop-O-Dile, Tim Holtz paper distresser
Other: ZipDry glue, Versamark & StazOn inks, Stampendous embossing powder, Sakura gen pels, Walk in My Garden Cricut cartridge, stash eyelets & brad
Copics: R35, YG67

In the pink, with a little help from my friends

So my sister-in-law just got engaged to the most wonderful man, so we have a new niece (his sweet daughter). I made a card for her upcoming birthday, very similar to the one I made for our niece in July, but I wanted to include something for both of them (like I did last time). Let's face it, this is just an excuse for me to craft something!

I wanted to try my hand at a Flag Book, inspired by Extreme Cards & PaperCrafting. The card features digis from Tellen's Place Designs and Karen's Doodles. I also couldn't resist adding some ruby heat-embossing.

I added photos, although I'm not including them in these pictures:

Our dogs are black and white; the parents of our black dog live with the recipients of this card & are also black and white. For the white one I simply added white flocking. For the black one, I colored it with black and dark gray Copics and then went over it with the Colorless Blender to bring back the highlights.


Copics: RV11, RV23, RV02, R35, 100, C-7, 0, E000, E50, YR01, E17,E37, E35, E13, YR12, YG03, YG63, G02, B39, B18, FB2, B23, B32, B00, B0000, FRV1

Have a great day everyone!

Indian Summer dreamin', on such a summer's day

I really enjoy the challenge lists on Feline Playful; so much so, I joined their team! I'm starting on Monday, August 22, posting the Monday Winners. It's such a pleasure to be working with so many talented and inspired people. If you're not already a Feline Follower, I have it on good authority that we have some surprises coming up that you don't want to miss!

Thanks to Feline Playful, I found the new-to-me challenge blog Use It Tuesday, which focuses on projects that inspire you to use your hoarded supplies. How happy I was to see that one of the owners is everyone's favorite Scrapmaster, Sami. The current challenge theme is "Indian Summer", which they're allowing us to interpret as loosely as we want. Because I wanted to use my recently-won "Fall" image from Karen's Doodles (thanks also to Tip Top Tuesday), I chose an Autumn theme. Ah, I love Indian Summer -- it's like Spring with fancier leaves!

For the "hoarded supplies" requirement I used rub-ons and scrapbook paper that Mom gave me years ago. Like, 3 or 4. Maybe more... I really love rub-ons, and was glad to have an excuse to use the precious!

I'm also adding this card to this week's Link Party at Make It Monday, another of my favorite ways to find new projects and blogs.

Inspiration:
Use It Tuesday #13: Indian Summer
Make It Monday #50

Stamps: Fall by Karen's Doodles, Let It Shine set by Verve Stamps
Paper: Martha Stewart, Hammermill, stash
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, Martha Stewart scissors, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, Marvy heat tool, EK Success corner punch
Other: ZipDry glue, Versamark watermark ink, Recollections embossing powder, rub-ons by Gail Green for Royal & Langnickel Brush Mfg., Inc.
Copics: BG000, YG67, YG63, YG03, YR09, YR04, Y08, Y17, Y02, FY1, E11, E31, E50, RV02, E17, E13, C-1, C-5, B39, B18, FB2

Little Miracles

I'm super tickled that the "ticket corners" trick Mom & I shared at Top Tip Tuesday last week won their Top Tipper prize! We're such a great team (and we look & sound so alike). We're gonna have to figure out a way to share the prize, which is 3 digis from Karen's Doodles. I couldn't wait to hear back from Karen, though, and bought her First Taste of Snow to use for a Christmas card along with a ticket sentiment from When the Scrap Hits the Fun (Marion's blog). Her tickets helped inspire our "ticket corners" tip, so this card is sort of a celebration. It has lots of ticket corners!

Marion recently posted the loveliest Christmas-themed ticket -- please take a moment to check out her incredible shaker card -- and I totally lucked out that this week's colourQ combo includes the purple of the ticket. I was blown away by Julia's decidedly nontraditional Christmas card, and decided to use the bright colourQ combo as a cue for the Xmas in July challenge at Creative Inspirations. I'm also entering this into the Faith theme at the 2011 Christmas Card Challenge, and used the fab circle-and-rectangles sketch from Paper Cupcakes Magic Monday.

I kinda started this story at the end, because my first thought for this card came from Helen's Make your Own Backing Papers (BP) trigger for the Christmas/Holiday Card Club at Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack. I took the super-easy route of stamping & heat-embossing a snowflake to create my papers: I used white powder on the white paper, transparent yellow powder on the yellow, and clear powder on the green. The inside green piece isn't heat-embossed, just stamped with watermark ink. It's difficult to see the embossing in the photo on the right but if you click on it, it will enlarge & you can see more detail.

I had terrible fun coloring the image, and it just screamed for textural embellishment. First, I used my heat-activated Marvy Snow pen for the snowflakes. Then I used my glue pen to add some color-matched flocking: white on the snow, green on the cuffs, yellow on the collar, and purple on the ear-muff.

The boots are coated with Glossy Accents. The doily was sprayed with Tattered Angels glimmer mist, because I wouldn't bring myself to just leave it white! Everything is edged with a Copic marker (G07 / Nile Green).

Inspiration:
Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack Christmas Card Club: Make Your Own BP
Creative Inspirations Challenge #64: Xmas in July
2011 Christmas Card Challenge Week #33: Faith
Paper Cupcakes Magic Monday: Sketch
colourQ challenge #94: Tangerine Tango, Green Galore, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry + white

Stamps: First Taste of Snow by Karen's Doodles, Xmas Ticket by When the Scrap Hits the Fun, stash
Tools: Marvy heat tool, Fiskars papercutter, Tim Holtz scissors, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, awl, hole punch
Other: ZipDry glue, ZIG glue pen, Marvy snow pen, Elmer's gel pen, Versamark watermark ink, Glossy Accents, doily from stash, Tattered Angels glitter mist, bakers twine from stash, embossing powders from Stampendous & Hero Arts, flocking from Martha Stewart, Recollections, & Stampendous
Copic markers: b0000, yr01, e11, e13, rv02, e37, e17, v06, v17, bv00, y06, y17, yr04, yr09, yg03, g07