My very own Shabby Hermès Jigé Clasp

I love printable papercrafts, and although I seldom get around to actually making them I've been trying to save them to my Must Make board on Pinterest for easy access. Almost two months ago I ran across Coquette's post on this free DIY paper Hermès Jigé Clasp. It's available in several designs, including a "decorate your own" white with black stitching version. I used the latter, but scaled down the files to fit onto on U.S. Letter-size sheet.

The Shabby Tea Room

My design was inspired by the current Photo Inspiration (right) challenge at The Shabby Tea Room.

I printed the template onto a DP by Graphic 45, but the detail didn't come out so well, so I added machine stitching to the bigger pieces and faux hand-stitching to the logo & strap. I can't believe I was able to keep such a tight border on my machine, especially on the little side pieces (left), but it all came together really easily.

The design of this is really fabulous... the strap actually goes through a slit behind the "H".

I bought pink tissue paper flowers on our last trip to Mexico, and wrapped them in some lace seam binding Mom sent me. The little hydrangea flowers were cut from vellum using a Sizzix die. I colored the flowers with three colors of Memento chalk inks, and added a Liquid Pearls center.

For the inside, I printed the purse again on a very thin white cardstock, and colored it with Tea Dye & Vintage Photo TH distress inks (I also distressed the edges of the whole purse), and stamped a pattern with a hydrangea stamp from an SU! set.

Inspiration/Challenges:

The Shabby Tea Room Week #125: 'Sweet Summertime' Photo Inspiration (above right)
Come and Get It Challenges: Anything BUT a Card

Poodles Parlour: Anything Goes

This was so much fun to make! If you want to try it for yourself, you can download the files at Coquette's blog; she also has a link to a DIY paper Hermès Kelly bag that I'm gonna have to try! Thank you for visiting,

Digitally Funky with OSAAT

This week's challenge at One Stitch at a Time is a favorite -- Use a Digi! I used Funky Floral VI by Floppy Latte Designs to make this 3D card:

I love fine papercutting, but I get terrible hand camps if I do too much repetitive, fine work, so I don't get to do this kind of card very often ... which is too bad, because I just love the result! 

Hope you'll join us at One Stitch at a Time for our "Use a Digi" challenge. For entries using a StitchyBear Store product (be sure to add a # after your name when entering), you could win a this month's SBDS Artist Collab set (right). You're welcome to enter the challenge using different products, but will instead be entered into the draw to win a $3 coupon to StitchyBear. Can't wait to see your projects!

I'm entering this into the following fab challenges:

ATCs & Cards With Attitude: Anything Goes

Card Crafter's Circle Challenge #33: CAS

Crafts and Me Challenge #94: Anything goes

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #196: Bright and Cheerful

Stamp n Plus Challenge #2: Anything Goes

Update: I gave this to our yard man and his wife in May 2013. I knew I wanted to give it to someone really special, and by the fact that he's mentioned it to me and my husband I think they like it! Isn't that what crafting is all about; I'd rather have the honor of being on their mantle than a big prize win any day! 

Thank you for visiting,

Babies and Butterflies

I won this adorable Babies and Butterflies digi by Redonkulous Designs from Charisma Cardz's Recycle Challenge, and I just had to use it immediately with Mom's Circle Flip-its Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die. 

What did I do before my BigShot die cutting machine?! For this card, I also used Spellbinders frame dies, Stampin' Up!'s Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die, and the Butterfly & Dragonfly die from Sizzix. I also "debossed" the ribbon with a Cuttlebug border texture folder. I added some detail with copper Liquid Accents.

Inspiration/Challenges:

Just Us Girls #146: Color Challenge (oops, missed the deadline!)

Platypus Creek Digitals Challenge 11: Things With Wings

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Hope this gives you a smile! Thank you for visiting,

Scaredy Cat

I was so inspired by the projects (both DT & participant) for the current CAS-ual Fridays and Less is More challenges that I just had to make a card. I know, I know, it's only marginally CAS but I'm getting better at it ha ha!

I started by stamping the long web strands with a stamp from SP Stamps' Stitchery Doo set; I made the margin with blue painter's tape. I "empty-stitched" the border on my machine. I drew the smaller webs with pencil, marked the stitching with my awl, erased the pencil, and hand-stitched it with metallic thread.

The "Scaredy Cat" was cut with the Tim Holtz Alterations die and covered with black Sparkly Fluff from OCL. I did this by running the diecut face-down through my sticker machine ... if you follow this blog, you know how much I love this technique!

The sentiment on the inside is heat-embossed in black, and I added some webs to the corners with my Copic multiliner.

Inspiration/Challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #62: Clean And Simple card using a black card base

Less is More Week 77: Sewing

Thank you for visiting,

Ice Cream Time with My Sheri & Jellypark ... and MORE!

I've been so lucky these past few weeks to have won some prizes with my challenge cards. For example, I won this fabulous Ice Cream Truck digi from Jellypark via Fetch-a-Sketch Challenge 25:

This was so much fun to color! My husband surprised me on Saturday with a mini shopping spree at Michaels! ... Happily, they had restocked their Copics so we chose some fun new colors, including W1, my first from their "Warm Gray" series. Wow, it's awesome! Later in the day, he went over to his buddy's house to play Civilization (a computer game) and I stayed home and made this card. While I was coloring the image, I sent him a few photos of its progress; I am so glad he married me ha ha!

I cut the ice cream cone out with the Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge, added some shading with Copics, and sprayed it with Iridescent Gold glimmer mist from Tattered Angels.

The Sentiment is from the Sweet Treat stamp collection by Beth Gunnell for Quick Cards Made Easy. The daisy background is from Outlines Rubber Stamps, and I heat-embossed it in Kaleidoscope. The "snowball" wired ribbon is from Michaels; I used Copics to make them little balls of ice cream!

You might be wondering why I chose green for my main ice cream color; well, it's because it represent 3 of my most favorite flavors: Mint, Pistachio, and Daiquiri Ice!

Simon Says Stamp

Inspiration/Challenges:

Great Impressions: "Show us your best stay in the lines coloring"
The Hybrid Chick Card Caravan: Ice Cream

My Sheri Crafts Challenge #90: Nat'l Ice Cream Month

Pause, Dream, Enjoy Challenge #29: Your Favorite Summer Treat

Simon Says Stamp: Dawny's Sketch (right)
*Tuesday Alchemy Challenge #25: Ice Cream Social (Corrine from their DT invited me to link up here as well...thanks Corrinne!)

Update: This card won an Ooo-La-La Award for My Sheri Crafts Challenge #90!

Thank you for visiting,

Lettuce Celebrate!

I haven't used my Beatrix Potter / The Tale of Peter Rabbit stamp set from Crafter's Companion in quite awhile, so I pulled this cute stamp & sentiment to make a fun little card. 

The "cabbage" looks a lot better IRL, but whatever the result, I had so much fun making it! The leaves were cut from a shiny Core'dinations cardstock with an oval Spellbinders die, then embossed with the "lace" Fiskars texture plate in my BigShot. I sanded & distressed them with my new favorite tool, Ingvild Bolme's Comfort-Craft Tools Distressing Tool from Prima.

I colored the image with Copics, and added Polar White FlowerSoft to the tail and Glossy Accents to the watering can. I really like how the Recollections gemstones align so well to the Spellbinders diecut.

The sentiment piece was stamped with brown Memento ink, then cut out with the banner die from a•muse studio's Cupcake Toppers set and sprayed it with Meadow Green Tattered Angels glimmer mist.The background papers are shiny papers from Recollections (Michaels), and it's all topped off with that gorgeous brown "silk crush" May Arts ribbon.

Inspiration/Challenges:

Crafters Companion USA: Anything goes w/ Crafter's Companion stamp

Fetch-a-Sketch Challenge 28: Sketch (Oops, I missed the deadline!)

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #173: To DIE For!

Thank you for visiting,

Ice Skating Tag

The theme this week at Pile It On is "Tags", so I used the Skating Boy and Let It Snow Tag digi stamp set by Jellypark to make this penny-slider tag:

It's practically impossible to see in this photo, but the non-embossed half of the tag is covered in Glossy Accents so that he's really "ice" skating!

Inspiration/Challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge - N is for Not A Card

Aud Sentiments Challenge #59 - TAG IT!

Cardmadfairy's Digi Days - Christmas

Crafty Creations Challenge #179 - Tags
The Crafty Pad Challenge #180: Interactive

The Crazy Challenge - Christmas

Hooked on Crafts - Christmas

Jellypark Challenges - Christmas

Lollipop Crafts - Christmas

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #117 - Christmas

There She Goes - Christmas

Totally Stampalicious - Christmas

Update: This made the Top 5 for The Crafty Pad Challenge #180!

Thank you for visiting,

Celebrating the Olympics with OSAAT

This week at One Stitch at Time, we're celebrating all things athletic, whether your project is inspired by a sports in general, an Olympic event, or even the Logo / Photo Inspiration (below right). 

I used Knight 3 by IKEsART to make a Belated Birthday card ... I do plan on watching the opening ceremony in London on July 27th (well, watching it on TV!), and I wonder if there will be much medieval decoration? Jousting isn't an Olympic sport, but it is the Official State Sport of Maryland! I'm hoping that Umbrella Jousting will gain popularity, because it's hilarious! 

This is only my second attempt at quilling; it sure is fun, but not as easy as it looks! I adhered the quilled pieces with Diamond Glaze -- many thanks to Helen for the tip!

Hope you'll join us at One Stitch at a Time for our "Sports / Olympics" challenge. For entries using a StitchyBear Store product (be sure to add a # after your name when entering), you could win a £10 voucher to Crafts from Joanna Sheen. You're welcome to enter the challenge using different products, but will instead be entered into the draw to win a $3 coupon to StitchyBear. Can't wait to see your projects!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Craft Punked Week 29 - Olympic Games
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Anything goes
Divas by Design - Anything goes
Dude Time Doodles - Anything goes for a Dude
Raise The Bar - Red, White & Blue
Secret Crafter - Olympic or Sporty

Thank you for visiting,

Wingin' it with Card Cupids - Week 2

It's the second week of Card Cupids' "Wings" Challenge, sponsored by Wings and Willows, and I just had to use their adorable Rainy Day digi stamp again. This time, I colored it with watercolor crayons.

The background & sentiment were made with the Let It Shine set from Verve Stamps. This is such a great set to use for backgrounds; in this case, I heat-embossed the suns in white. I stamped the sentiment in blue and then heat-embossed the sun in transparent yellow on top.

Inspiration/Challenges:

Alphabet Challenge: L … Lace

Craftymess: Sun or Moon

Digistamps 4 Joy: Weather

House That Stamps Built: Outdoors/wildlife

Man, I've been feeling like that duck these past few days ... especially yesterday, when it poured all darn day! I'm not really complaining, though, because it did bring some lovely, cool weather. And after the huge storms a few weeks ago, it was practically a drizzle! 

Update: This card won the random prize draw for the Weather Challenge at Digistamps 4 Joy. Thank you!

Wishing you sunny days,

Cascading through America

As soon as I saw Chris's stunning Retail Therapy Cascading Card at Calla Lily Studio, I knew I just had to make one! But I didn't get around to it ... until this week, when I saw the Cascading Card Challenge at Technique Tuesday. The instructions are fantastic, and I was able to make the base very quickly and then spend lots of fun time decorating it!

It's funny how a concept comes together; people often ask me where my ideas come from, and all I can really say is everywhere. One idea leads to another, and this type of card is perfect for complicated ideas! In this case, the concept for this card started with the paper I chose for the base card; from there, I pulled out these lovely Bark Map Prima Flowers and epoxy brads from Studio G. At this point, I wasn't sure what I was making this card for ... so I decided to make something for my folks, commemorating the trip they are currently on. Every summer, they take their trailer out onto the vast U.S. highways for a couple of months of visiting friends, family, and the country in general.

Thanks to the magic of cell phones, I still get to talk to Mom almost every day; I called her early yesterday morning to find out what States they were going to be going through this trip, and she & dad happily obliged, despite the fact that I wouldn't tell them why I needed to know ... They understand creativity! And, thanks to the magic of the Internet, they will be able to see this card long before I'll be able to get it into their hands.

So, Mom and Dad, here's why I needed to know!

I pulled the Flag images of the requisite States off of Wikipedia, printed them, and wrapped them around colored toothpicks. I also raided my box of Wood Veneer States from Studio Calico's Abroad Collection for four of those States, which I then decorated with a Polka Dot stamp & heat-embossing (I used the emboss-resist technique for the white-on-black).

The tags were totally inspired by my conversation with Mom ... after talking about the States, we started chatting & she asked if I'd been playing with my awesome Cricut Imagine, and it occurred to me that it would be useful for this project. So I used the Imagine More Art Cartridge to print & cut some layered tags as well as the "journey" sentiment.

The sentiment on the back, I used stamp markers to ink this stamp from a Postage Laugh set by C.C. Designs.

As I was hand-printing the States on the tiny tag, it occurred to me how my years of summer camping with my folks (we always traveled in the summers) really gave me a perspective on beauty and creativity ... for every fabulous Museum we visited, we spent equal time in wandering the streets of small and large towns, and just hanging out in the nature of the campgrounds. Thanks Dad & Mom, you're awesome!

Inspiration/Challenges:

• Technique Tuesday Challenge: Cascading Card
• My Mojo Monthly July Challenge: Your Style (describe)
• I often wonder what exactly "my style" is, as I like so many different styles, but whatever it is, I definitely think this card portrays it! I really like clean lines, but I like a certain amount of chaos within it too.
• Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge: No Rules! (Vintage/Shabby Chic)
• Dream Valley Challenges: Anything but Square
• Here Come the Boys: Tag on a Card

Update: This card was showcased for the Cascading Card Challenge at Technique Tuesday. Quite an honor! All the submitted projects were amazing. 

Thank you for visiting,

Green Graffiti

I was totally blown away by Agnieszka's gorgeous Monogram card using green sprinkles. It reminded me of the cool Moss Graffiti that people have been doing (what did we do before Pinterest‽) Both are on my "Must Make" Pinterest board, and this is first project inspired by both.

I cut the letters out on my Cricut using the Cursive cartridge, ran them face-down through my sticker machine, and covered them with green Sparkly Fluff from Our Craft Lounge.

For the fence, I embossed kraft paper using the Woodgrain Impression Plate from a•muse studio. I bought it via a•muse consultant Chris Franco and she's been so wonderful about answering my questions! Like when I used this Impression Plate for the first time last night, and didn't make my stack right and ended up bending the plate way too much! I freaked out and emailed her...she got right back to me and helped me out, and happily the plates are made quite well and mine has bent back into a more usable angle!

I cut the embossed piece into 1/2 inch strips, notched them, added dimension with TH Vintage Photo distress ink, and added some "nail holes" with a ball-tip embossing tool.

I was inspired by the Strips of Color/Pattern challenge at CAS-ual Fridays. This is about as CAS as I get, I guess! I'm also entering this into the Sparkle & Shine challenge at Dilly Beans.

Do look up Moss Graffiti ... the recipe is basically sugar, dairy culture & moss, and folks are doing really beautiful things with it. Next time I find moss in the yard, I just might have to try it myself!

Thank you for visiting,

Triple Word Score!

You may remember, way back in April, how I claimed that I was going to make one CAS card a week...well, here's my second one-layer CAS card, ha!

Mom called me some time back and asked if I could use a bag a old Scrabble pieces. Why yes, I replied. I don't know what I'll do with them, but I'm sure I'll think of something! Well, here is...something!

I was inspired by the One Layer / 3 of something Challenge at Less is More, as well as the Clean & Simple / Wordsmith Challenge at The Paper Players. I used Clean & Simple Sketch #199.

I was concerned that the tiles would count as extra layers...but I looked through Less Is More's One-Layer cards from the past, and it looks like embellishments are used... I know it's not a perfect one-layer card, but I sure had fun!

I used masking and TH Vintage Photo distress ink to create the border. The sentiment is from a Unity stamp set; I just inked the "Missing" part of the full "Missing You" stamp, and then heat-embossed it in brown.

This was super-simple, but I do really like the result. Thanks for the inspiration!