Cute as a...

There's been a few "buttons" challenges around the interwebs lately, but I've either missed the deadline or wasn't quite moved. I was, however, moved by the potential of this week's Critter Sketch challenge, because it also included the challenge of using at least three buttons. Plus, I got to use one of the button brads I just had to have months ago and have never used!
For the background fabric I used an old sock of mine that is beyond darning hope. It must be 10 years old by now... I hand-stitched the border and the three buttons. It was so much fun!
Inspiration: Critter Sketch #37 + Buttons
Digi stamp: Sleepy Angel by Therese Travis, PaperFacesDesign
Supplies: Michaels variegated craft cord & needle, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, sock from JCPenny's, Staples cardstock, ZipDry & Tacky glues, Fiskars papercutter & deckle scissors, brad from Oriental Trading Co., stash buttons, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, chalk by Pebbles Inc., Copic markers & blender

But when it comes to being happy...WE ARE!

I found a great blog with weekly challenges based on a song, and I had tons of fun throwing together this cute little card and humming "My Guy." Yes, the circle spins! Couldn't resist!

Inspiration: Scrap it with a Song Challenge week 28: "My Guy" by Mary Wells & the Supremes
Supplies: Staples gray cardstock, DCWV cardstock, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, Fiskars papercutter, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, Cricut personal cutter, SCAL2 software, Walrus Gumbo text typeface, 09 KutUps shape font by Clever Someday, JoAnns brads, StazOn ink for edging


[This card made the top 5 for the Scrap It With a Song Challenge #28. I know it was because I was so filled with love for my guy when I made it! It's true!]

A Scrappy Thank-you

I had some leftover paper from my Women mini-book, plus a cover I cut for the book before I decided to use the window effect, so I made a quick and dirty tag card using the pop-up gift card holder design from Whoopsie Daisy.

Inspiration: Aud Sentiments Challenge #14: Thanks
Supplies: vintage wallpaper, Recollections cardstock, Cricut personal cutter, SCAL software, Tim Holtz scissors, ZipDry glue, rubber stamp from Stampin' Up!, silicon stamp from g studio, Marvy LePlumeII pens, Fiskars punch, stash eyelet, Offray ribbon

A book, womanly

For the mini-book challenge on Paper Craft Planet I decided to make another piano-hinge book, so I asked my Facebook Friends for quotes on Women (because I wanted to use a particular stamp), either something they liked or something they came up with. This is so much more fun than googling for quotes! I posted my call at 9am and by 1pm I had a nice mix:

It’s tough being a woman. -my cousin, WI

It gets better as you get older – just keep smiling & doing whatever turns you on. -my aunt, WI

“It is fatal to be a man or woman pure and simple: one must be a woman manly, or a man womanly.” Virginia Woolf -submitted by a college/poet friend, MD

I love women: my wife’s one, & she’s awesome. -High School/theatre friend, CA

“I’m selfish, impatient & a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control & at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” Marilyn Monroe -submitted by a random acquaintance I've gotten to know well over Facebook, Norway
I decided to print the pages on vellum, so that they would sorta bleed into eachother. The effect is really lovely, and the book is a precious handful at 2.75x3 inches. I dyed the wooden skewers I used to bind the book with food coloring; letting them soak for 2 hours produced a deep color. I colored the stamped images on the back side of the paper, which covered up mistakes and really made the black outlines pop. I had the whole thing designed, printed and bound by midnight, and even managed to make 3 cards in the meantime. Thanks everyone, this was so much fun!
Inspiration: mini-book challenge on Paper Craft Planet (3d85)
Supplies: vintage wallpaper, Recollections vellum, Cricut personal cutter, SCAL software, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, Tim Holtz scissors, ZipDry glue, rubber stamp from Stampin' Up!, Marvy paint pens, Copic marker E33, wooden skewers, McCormick food color + vinegar & water

This book is available on Etsy.

My Cue to make Christmas gifts!

I took this week's ColourQ challenge literally: it's my cue to start making Christmas gifts! We're thinking gift cards this year, so I'm playing with different card ideas. I've been itching to try this easy yet impressive pop-up gift card holder I found on Whoopsie Daisy's blog (her tutorial is fantastic). I made a quick version in SCAL (free file at the bottom of this post), and was very please how well it came together. Just cold, fold and decorate! Oh, and spring for a gift card. The color combo is really exciting to work with, and it adds something different to a typical Christmas card.



Inspiration: ColourQ Challenge #56: rich razzleberry, pumpkin pie, certainly celery, garden green, white
Pop-up gift card holder tutorial: Whoopsie Daisy
Pop-up gift card holder cutting file for SCAL2: download file
Supplies: Staz-On ink, Core'dinations & Recollections cardstock, Cricut personal cutter, SCAL2 software, Tim Holtz scissors, ZipDry glue, Fiskars papercutter, silicon stamps from my Christmas stash

Simply Joyous

This week's colors and DT examples at the Color Throwdown Challenge blog are especially gorgeous. Happily, I had some scraps handy that matched this week's combo: mauve, vanilla, light green. I wanted try out another stash stamp, a pretty sentiment, and this was a perfect excuse. I've been doing a lot of sketch challenges recently, ranging for multi-layered to extremely simple, and I think I'm slowly getting a feeling good card design. I'm also really enjoying adding hand-stitching to the cards. In this case, I used variegated deep red embroidery thread, and the slight change in hue makes it extra interesting. This is really quite stunning in person, and I feel a bit more confident about making true "clean & simple" cards.
Inspiration: Color Throwdown Challenge #116: riding hood red, vanilla, certainly celery
Supplies: Michaels variegated craft cord, red Staz-On ink, DCWV Christmas stack paper, Via Natural #80 smooth cover & Recollections cardstock, Tim Holtz scissors, ZipDry glue, Fiskars papercutter, Martha Stewart punch, silicon stamps from my Christmas stash, rubber stamps from Metropolitan Museum of Art Hearts & Flowers collection

3 stamps, 3 challenges

I wanted to try out more stamps from my Christmas stash, and had so much fun with my first try that I decided to go all-out and try 3 Splitcoast Stampers challenges with the same 3 stamps: a child looking out a window on snow, an ornament leaf and a sentiment. I made my first tag with scraps from the first card. I liked the result of the 2nd card's color combination so much that I decided to make a matching tag for that one as well.

Tag #1: SplitCoastStampers MFT Wednesday Stamp Club challenge #MFTWSC10272010: Tag You're It! Supplies: Polar White Flowersoft & glue, Recollections cardstock, Cricut personal cutter, Walk in My Garden Cricut cartridge, Tim Holtz scissors, Fiskars papercutter & corner punch, silicon stamps from my Christmas stash, StazOn ink
Card #1: SplitCoastStampers sketch challenge #SC303 Supplies: Polar White Flowersoft & glue, Recollections cardstock, Cricut personal cutter, SCAL2 software, Tim Holtz scissors, Fiskars papercutter & corner punch, silicon stamps from my Christmas stash, StazOn ink




Tag #2: SplitCoastStampers MFT Wednesday Stamp Club challenge #MFTWSC10272010: Tag You're It!
Supplies: Polar White Flowersoft & glue, Core'dinations & Recollections cardstock, Cricut personal cutter, Walk in My Garden Cricut cartridge, Tim Holtz scissors, Fiskars papercutter, silicon stamps from my Christmas stash
Card #2: SplitCoastStampers Color Combo challenge #CC294: light pink, light aqua blue, kraft, black + Lace Supplies: Polar White Flowersoft & glue, Core'dinations & Recollections cardstock, DCWV Christmas stack paper, Cricut personal cutter, Tim Holtz scissors, Fiskars papercutter, silicon stamps from my Christmas stash, StazOn ink, chalks from Pebbles, Inc.

"Trying to find the place I just left"

Because of my numerous failed attempts at the Make it Crafty Distressing challenge last week, I was very happy to see their new sketch & Vintage theme challenge. Another opportunity! I learned a lot following their instructions on distressing, mostly that it means more than I thought it did. I had made some really pretty paper with Tim Holtz distress inks, but then I messed it all up trying to use acrylic stamps on it. Too advanced for me (thus far!) This time I knew better. I embossed watercolor paper using a texturing plate and then "distressed" it using different inks. The key here applying the ink with a wet-nap wipe. For the orange stripes I spread on ink straight from the pad, which was risky but came out well.
For whatever reason, I decided to use the cover of a book for the main image. Not just any book; a book I had the honor of designing. The whole experience was very important to me: I worked with the press's editors to design the cover and the poet is a favorite of mine. The card contains several elements that together tell the story of the cover's design: the smaller images are the two postcards I used as reference in the final design, the brads spell PB (for Passager Books, the publishing company), and the embossing plate and tool I used were gifts from the other designer, a good friend. I feel like the Crafter Me made a card for the Designer Me. She really appreciates it!

Inspiration: Make it Crafty sketch FUN challenge
Main image adapted from cover of Perris, California, poems by Norma Chapman (Passager Books, 2010)
Vintage Greetings from California postcard images: Travel version and Historic version
Supplies: brads from Around the Block, Tim Holtz Mustard Seed distress ink, ColorBox pigment ink, textured watercolor paper from PLAZA art stores, ZipDry glue, Fiskars papercutter, embossing texture plate & texturing tool
Blog title from "I'm Pedaling Backwards," Perris, Califonia, pg. 54

Merry stamping

I've been really into rubber stamping so I haven't been visiting the Crafter's Digital Art Center (CDAC) much. But I'm getting a little bit of stamp-hand, so I decided to take some time with digi stamps. Because Therese Travis introduced me to CDAC, I like to use her images for their challenges. However, they always offer yummy freebies from different artists, so I've taken to mixing & matching the images.

My attempt at this month's sketch challenge came out pretty cute considering there's a ton going on! See, I also wanted to break out my new Christmas cutting files...
I actually had a lot of hits-and-misses with this card. I wanted to make a border with the presents from Firecracker Designs, but I couldn't get it to print dark enough, so I stamped the sentiment from that file onto a piece of ribbon. All I had was satin ribbon, but I do like the concept and how the lettering retains its personality.

Digi stamps: Angel Rainie (PaperFacesDesigns); present & sentiment (Firecracker Designs by Pamela)
Digital cut files: Santa's North Pole Workshop series from SVG Cuts
Supplies: K&Company designer double-sided cardstock, Core'dinations cardstock, HP printer & ink, Tim Holtz scissors, ZipDry glue, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, Elmer's CraftBond gel pens, Sharpies, chalk by Pebbles Inc., Offray ribbon

Mid-day madness!

Even though I have at least two projects on the metaphorical burner, I just had to take a crafting break. It's Tuesday, so challenges abound! I started with the always-interesting Midnight Madness sketch challenge at the Priscillastyles blog, the idea to try my hand at some stitching, a stamp I've been itching to use, and some scrap pieces of handmade Chinese flower-pressed paper.
For an extra element, I did a Google search for haiku about women...and found instead a book review for Far Beyond the Field: Haiku by Japanese Women with a perfect haiku by Sugita Hisajo:

sewing in the lamplight
I teach spelling to my child –
autumn rain

It really is a perfect poem. Nothing can put you immediately into a place and then back it up with your own emotion like a well-written haiku. I used a rubber stamp from Stampin' Up!, plus the printing on acetate technique to stamp the haiku onto the same paper as the image. And yes, I know I'm mixing up Japanese and Chinese elements, but the final result sure is cute!

The frame pieces were trimmed from an especially leafy part of the paper, adhered with help from my Xyron sticker machine, and then hand-stitch in camp-wallet spirit. To add a little something, I cut out the image and quote with deckle scissors. And obviously I can't get enough of hand-coloring rubber stamps! I like all the whitespace, but next time I'll probably add more detail after I've stamped it.

Color me honored!

So I was halfway through this week's color challenge at Scrapmaster's Paradise when I realized that I hadn't checked who had won last week's. Imagine my surprise when I saw my card from last week! I haven't been this honored and surprised since I was tiaraed as prom princess, and this time I didn't have 50 of my closest friends watching me pull up my stockings. I especially love that this particular card won: its my favorite kind of mix of simplicity and detail, machine and hand work. Thank you so much, Samantha and all at SP! Can't wait to get my hands on those amazing stamps!

Scrapmaster's Paradise is having a week full of surprises, contests, etc., so be sure to check them out! And, of course, they're having their weekly color challenge.


I wanted to make some backing paper using a stamp and markers, but the silicon stamps I have weren't giving me a deep enough color (they work better with ink pads). The only small rubber stamp I have is a holly leaf in a frame, so decided to go for a Thanksgivingish theme using SPCC #71: pumpkin, cherry and brownish gray. I spent a nice afternoon on the couch, flanked by dogs, stamping leaves. Using the markers to color the stamp made it easy to ex- or include elements. For the call-outs I stamped the whole thing in black and then colored it with the same markers as I used for the paper. Inspiration: SPCC #71 (pumpkin pie, cherry cobbler and crumb cake) Supplies: StazOn ink, Fiskars corner punch, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, Marvy LePlumeII pens, Recollections and Core-dinations cardstock, rubber wood-block stamp by Great Impressions

Sweet and Simple

One of the owners of my mom's favorite local craft shoppe is English-American and she introduced us to Smirk scrapbooking elements, which haven't quite caught on in the States yet (but they're oh-so-cute!). The store recently cleaned out its storage closet and I ended up with some of the bounty, including Smirk glittered paper and a set of "sweet for you" plastic stamps. So I was very excited to see Fresh Brewed Challenge #20: Sweet Treats! I was so happy to be able to use all those cupcakes!
Supplies: Fiskars corner punch and deckle scissors, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, JoAnns brads, clear stamps from g studio, Smirk Naughty But Nice paper, Marvy LePlumeII pens, Core'dinations cardstock

I had so much fun with that sweet card that I decided to use my leftover paper for clean&simple sketch #113. This time, I used some freebie frame stamps as well, which look really cute but were made from old, cheap plastic that was sticky everywhere. I can't believe how good they look, considering the stamps stuck to the paper! But it was especially fun to do two-layer stamping, which is just too difficult with rubber stamps.I also broke out my chalks to color the cupcake stamps as well as give a light green tint to the backing paper.
Supplies: Fiskars corner punch, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, clear stamps from g studio, stash frame stamps, stash eyelets, chalks by Pebbles Inc., Smirk Naughty But Nice paper, Marvy LePlumeII pens, Recollections cardstock

Birthday wishes and Argyle dreams

Both of my brothers-in-law have November birthdays, and I'm sure horrible at getting them cards at any regularity. They've received many a Happy Birthday & Holidays card over the years. Now that I'm obsessed with online cardmaking challenges, I don't have any excuse. For inspiration I started at the Cards for Men challenge blog (well, duh) and they must have read my mind because the current challenge is Happy Birthday. For color inspiration I went to Splitcoaststampers and a fairly manly color combo of deep purple, dark red and olive green. It was also a perfect opportunity to modify my magic picture card for circles. Now that's manly.
I made two versions of the same card, but they're certainly one-of-a-kind. The first one I made was mainly focused on the theme challenge, with a serious nod toward the color challenge. For the paper I used a mauve/white/olive DCWV cardstock I've been eying in my stash. I designed everything in SCAL2 for my Cricut personal cutter, including the text. One of my favorite tricks is to use use Cricut markers to write and then cut the card layers. I'd never "printed" and cut transparency paper, but it worked as well as it does in the printer. The card pulls out half-way to read "and more!" like in the photo below.
Cards for Men challenge #21: Happy Birthday
Supplies: Cricut personal cutter, SCAL2 software, Recollections cardstock, 3M transparency film, DCWV cardstock, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, Cricut markers
For the second card, I took on the color challenge's dessert option: argyle. I took a piece of glitter-embossed black and gray argyle-patterned cardstock that I've been saving for the right project and colored it by hand. Definitely worth the time! And I really love the color combo.
Supplies: Cricut personal cutter, SCAL2 software, Recollections cardstock, 3M transparency film, DCWV cardstock, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, Sharpies, Marvy LePlumeII pens, Cricut markers
Splitcoaststampers CC293: Concord Cherry Olives + dessert option: Argyles

Original inspiration for magic picture cards: Naked Mole Rat magic picture card by CPeep at Extreme Cards & Papercrafting
Magic Card tutorial: SplitcoastStampers
Magic card template for SCAL2 by cg-says

Behind the Masks

The moment I saw the Halloween Mask free digi at Too Many Ideas I knew I had to make another magic picture card featuring my dogs. I have this cute photo of them as Superman and Batman (if you use your imagination), and I figured that if I used printable transparency paper the project would be a relative breeze. And it was! Relatively! So I spent extra time making frames in SCAL. Once I had put everything together, I felt like it needed something else, so I asked my husband for ideas to which he immediately replied, Crescent moons. And of course I have a moon detail from one of Therese's digis that I could easily use. I used DDCC #89 (Halloween and black, orange, purple & green) as inspiration, and Core'dinations cardstock for texture. It's difficult to see in these photos, but I colored some of the mask details with a Sakura glitter pen. The sentiment is Happy Halloween from a couple of characters! in Harrington, and you'll notice that the whole family signed it!


Dutch Dare Card Challenge #89: Halloween and black, orange, purple & green
Digi stamps: Halloween Mask and Mosaic Turtle by Therese Travis

Original inspiration for magic picture cards: Naked Mole Rat magic picture card by CPeep at Extreme Cards & Papercrafting
Magic Card tutorial: SplitcoastStampers
Magic card template for SCAL2 by cg-says

2 Challenges, 2 Birthday Cards

I recently joined Paper Craft Planet and couldn't wait to try their October sketch challenge. For a theme, I decided to make a birthday card for our niece who's birthday is during the Thanksgiving holiday. Since I was at it, I decided to try this week's Character Cafe challenge and make a "Happy Belated Birthday" card for her sister, whose birthday I can't remember. I put a lot of love and thought into these, and hope I don't chicken out and not bring them for our Thanksgiving visit! We'll put some cash in there; that always impresses a teenager.
Paper Craft Planet Sketch Challenge SK102310
Digi stamps: Pumpkin Blessings and Angel Stacie by Therese Travis / paperfacesdesign
Supplies: HP white cardstock, DCWV cardstock, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, Fiskars Deckle scissors, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, WalMart braiding thread & needle, silicon stamps from Target and Quick Cards Made Easy, StazOn ink, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, Elmer's CraftBond gel pens, Sharpies, Marvy LePlumeII pens, Copic E33, E35 & 0 (blender)

Character Cafe Feature Friday 1, 2, 3 Challenge: Orange, 1 Flower, 2 brads, 3 gems
Digi stamp: Angel Candace by Therese Travis / paperfacesdesign
Supplies: HP white cardstock, DCWV cardstock, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, Fiskars Deckle scissors, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, silicon stamps from Target and Quick Cards Made Easy, StazOn ink, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, Elmer's CraftBond gel pens, Sharpies, Copic E33, E35 & 0 (blender), stash brads, SHCP Crystal stickers

Russian Nesting Dogs

While making a card with my new favorite stamp, I learned that the manufacturer, Hero Arts, has its own crafting blog. So I decided to enter their current challenge, only partly as an excuse to use my Russian Doll stamps. Their challenges are month-long, and two-tiered for those of us who arrive late to the party. October's challenge Holiday Cardmaking and Photo Cards, and I was inspired by their tutorials.
For an extra challenge, I used the Scrapmaster's Paradise Color Combo Generator. I picked this combo because it was kinda Christmasy.

I also decided to make yet another magic picture card, because it's fun and and everybody loves magic. I hope it will inspire others to do the same! I'm offering a free SCAL2 cutting file for the card pieces at the bottom of this post. For the photo, I subjected my sweet dogs to a shoot with a nesting doll. The "mask" effect on Allen (the white one) was a pleasant surprise!


The entire family is pleased with the result!

Stamp: Hero Arts LP158 / Russian Dolls
Magic Picture card:
Original inspiration: Extreme Cards & Papercrafting
Tutorial: SplitcoastStampers
Free template for SCAL2 (copyright cg-says 2010)

Babushka'd

So my dog Walt got me up at 2am by sitting up on his back legs and grabbing at my face with his hand-paws, and once I had watched him run around the yard and drink an entire bowl of water he was exhausted and I was wide awake. So I decided to try my hand at the latest Color Throwdown Challenge: dusty durango [dark red], perfect plum [dusty lavender] and so saffron [dark yellow]. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to play with my new Babushka / Russian Nesting Dolls stamp set, a birthday gift from my Baby.

One of my favorite ways to use these stamps to to hand-color them with Marvy stamp markers. It's relatively easy and I love the result. I used this method for the pop-out dolls on the top; after stamping them, I colored over it with yellow, which gave it a deeper effect. I stamped the border with dark red marker, and detailed with it plum and yellow. For the background paper I used StazOn ink and added more detail. Because these are wooden stamps, it was no easy feat getting things to line up. Finally, I colored the background paper with plum-colored chalk.
Inspiration:
Color Throwdown #115 (dusty durango, perfect plum and so saffron)
Stamp: Hero Arts LP158 / Russian Dolls

A Sketchy Sentiment

Since I had all my stamps out anyway, I decided to try to complete two more challenges, both of which have sorta stumped me this week: Aud Sentiments #13 (Anything That Has To Do With A Baby) and Midnight Madness Sketch #76. It all finally fell together with this cute stamp, which I haven't been able to use as of yet.
I stamped the whole image onto two different purples, cut out the squares from one, and then used pop-dots (or "sticky fixers") to to create a 3D effect. I especially enjoyed how well this method worked to "button" the ribbon to the card. I used a fun balloon font for the sentiment, which I printed on a lavender cardstock. The lavender didn't show up well next to the other purples, however, so I jazzed it up by spreading lavender glitter glue on it. I had this pretty flower-print paper in my stash, and it worked as both the second layer and the card itself. It's so sparkly in person!

Inspiration: Aud Sentiments #13: "Anything That Has To Do With A Baby"; Midnight Madness Sketch #76
Supplies: Cricut personal cutter, SCAL2 software, Recollections cardstock, DCWV cardstock, ZipDry glue, Offray ribbon, Tim Holtz scissors,HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign, Party Balloons typeface by PizzaDude, Kristen Powers for Stampotique rubber stamp, StazOn ink, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, Stickles glitter glue

Stampin' Up!

Even though I already made something for SP Color Combo Challenge #70, I wanted to take a another shot at it. I liked the challenge of the color combo of black, gray and olive. I started by pulling out a Stampin' Up! panda stamp that Mom had given me, and then decided to add a bamboo cutting file element that I'd designed for an ongoing project. I used a small flower stamp to decorate a pretty olive-colored shimmer cardstock. The paper has a slick yet fabric-y texture and I like how the stamp came out on it. I cut the bamboo on gray paper and traced it with a gel pen. I used the same pen to add more flowers on the frame (made & cut in SCAL2). Since I've been making magic picture cards, I made the little guy move! I love it when it's hiding behind the bamboo...



Inspiration: SP Color Combo Challenge #70: basic black, basic gray and old olive
Supplies: Cricut personal cutter, SCAL2 software, Recollections cardstock, K&Company pre-cut card, DCWV metallic green cardstock, ZipDry glue, stash eyelet, Offray ribbon, Tim Holtz scissors, Grafix clear craft plastic, Stampin' Up! 2001 Panda rubber stamp, StazOn ink, Sakura Gelly Roll pens, clear flower stamp by Alys Paterson for Quick Cards Made Easy

Aud Candy!

With Halloween just around the corner, I can't stop thinking about candy, so I jumped on the invite to participate in the Aud Sentiments October Blogcandy challenge, which won't put any padding on my hips, but hopefully will put some copic markers from Mad for Markers in my hand (or yours!)

Mad for Markers has its own blog, so in celebration I decided to enter their Anything But a Card challenge. For me, the most difficult part of the challenge was to try to make copic markers the star of the project. Heck, I was referring to them as coptic markers until recently! Presently I own 3 copics: 2 skintones and the blender. With that as my challenge, I chose the small Flying Valentine stamp from the MMoA collection because I thought it would be fun to use the blender to change the tint of the markers. It was fun and I really like the result. Cutting out those tiny angels was less fun, both worth it.

For the "Anything But a Card" part of the challenge, I immediately wanted to make a bottle-cap book. It's the last project I haven't made at least one of from Mad for Minis by Michele Charles. I was reminded of this type of book when my wonderfully patient husband asked me the other day, "Babe, I assume there's a reason we keep all our bottle caps in the utensil drawer?" O! I replied, There's this book idea I read somewhere and... "Enough said!" he smiled, shutting the drawer, "Crafting Purposes!" So I felt that it was about time to try my hand at one.
I stamped the angels in black and then heat-embossed them with clear embossing powder, before coloring them. I printed the text "pages" with a yellow fill on cream gemstones paper, to give it some beery shimmer. I adhered the booklet to the the bottle-cap covers with pop-dots. It really was easy to design: bottle caps are 1x1 inches, and I love a round number!
Because I chose two nice Corona Extra bottle-caps, I decided to find a quote about drinking, found this saying, supposedly from Mexico: A man is defined by the beer he drinks and the company he keeps, but mostly by the beer he drinks. I must admit I got a kick of of Corona's current motto: For some moments, only a Corona will do. How true!

Inspiration: Mad for Markers Anything But a Card challenge
Bottle-cap book idea: Mad for Minis by Michele Charles (Design Originals, 2005)
Rubber Stamp: Metropolitan Museum of Art Hearts & Flowers collection: Flying Valentine detail from An Alphabet of Old Friends, Walter Crane, 1874
Supplies: Recollections cardstock, ZipDry glue, Gotham Book typeface, Adobe InDesign, MeltArt clear embossing powder, heat embossing tool, Tim Holtz scissors, StazOn ink, Copic E33, E35 & 0 (blender)

And don't forget to check out the Aud Sentiments October Blogcandy challenge!