Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #2

The second challenge for Craft Hoarders Anonymous  is a color challenge with a twist. 

For this challenge, we needed to pick a product we save hoard and create a project using the color scheme above. I do tend to hoard save extra sheets of my favorite papers. I must have all Graphic 45! However, I save some of my other favorites, too. 

For this card I used my last scraps of  a piece of Frosty Morning, along with snowflakes from Peek-a Boo, from the Bo Bunny Woodland Winter collection. My last scraps! From my favorite latest release of Bo Bunny!

I had a leftover piece of the trees just big enough to be matted on kraft card and blue Core'dinations paper. I matted the deer fox piece from the Wonderland Winter Noteworthy package to kraft card and popped it up on the base. A cascade of fussy cut snowflakes are also popped up onto the base. The sentiment was stamped onto kraft card, cut into banners and tucked behind the deer piece.

I'll be linking this up to the challenge. I hope everyone likes what I made from these last few scraps from my hoard saved bits of this gorgeous Bo Bunny paper. (Anyone know where I can find some more?) 

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

CAS feminine happy birthday

Today is the last day of winter break. How does the time on break fly by so quickly? I just know it will crawl to get to April break.
I took advantage of my last free day to make a bunch of cards. Today's share is a stepped up version of yesterday's masculine CAS happy birthday here, once again using Memory Box's Grand Happy Birthday die. I switched my card stock colors to a Memory Box orange and an A Muse orange pinstripe.

A floral cluster was added to the upper right hand corner using some I Am Roses flowers and tulle. I also added some die-cut leaves from Cheery Lynn's Flourish Leaf Strip die and some Jillibean Soup Sugar Picks.

I have to admit I was undecided about the color of the card stock until I added the flowers. Now I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

This card will be part of a display of cards I have designed showcasing the new Memory Box dies that have arrived at Creativ You & Co.

I'll also be adding this card to the Splitcoaststampers Simon Says Stamp Love Fest Challenge.

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

CAS happy birthday

Hi, everyone. Today I made a quick and easy card using Grand Happy Birthday, a new Memory Box die. I cut the die from black card, and adhered it to A Muse black diagonal pinstripe card stock. Three Tim Holtz mini gears were added to the bottom right corner, and done! Very easy & quick!

I really like the way this CAS masculine card turned out. I never seem to have enough of them. 

I'm entering this in the current Less is More Challenge 160 - Metal and Splitcoaststampers Simon Says Love Fest Challenge.

Thanks for visiting today and happy crafting!

Playing with Stencils Again

I just love winter break. There's so much more time to play when you don't have to go to work, isn't there? LOL. I've been playing with my stencils again, designing cards for a card class at Creativ You & Co. The Stenciled Online Card Class was fabulous, and I'm using some of the techniques I learned in class.

I love this technique. After adding Versamark through my stencil, I clear embossed it. Then I blended three shades of Distress Inks over the embossed image, lightest in the middle, darkest on the edges. Love the results.

With this technique you just spray through your stencils with mists or sprays. I really like the results from spraying only part of the panel. The blue is Heidi Swapp Color Shine Teal and the yellow is Dylusions Lemon Zest.

On this example, I used two stencils from Heidi Swapp. The pattern was placed over the butterfly and then I used the gold Color Shine.

Tim's Splatter stencil was used on this. First the sentiment was white embossed creating an ink resist. After stamping inside the stencil, distress inks were used over parts of the stencil. Love it!

This is the "tracing" technique. You actually draw lines inside the stencil and look at the great texture this creates. Again I used Tim's stencils, the heart and harlequin.

I loved the Stenciled Online Class, and highly recommend any of their future classes. I know I'll be taking them. 

When I finish my cards, I'll be back to share. Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

Playing with Distress Paints

Today I had some time to play with Distress Paints. I used some of the new colors we just got in at Creativ You & Co.- Squeezed Lemonade, Tumbled Glass and Dried Marigold. When used together, these colors made some very pretty backgrounds.

The colors remind me of Spring (hurry up and get here!) and Easter, so I made some Easter eggs with the distress painted papers. I used the Cheery Lynn Lace Egg Five die (also new in the shoppe) to cut some gold and black card to layer on the marble painted eggs. The die cut beautifully. All of the little pieces just fell out as I removed it from my Big Shot. Yay, no need for the pokey tool! 

After adhering my lace eggs to the painted eggs, I tried using different mists on them to add some shine.

The shimmer doesn't show up very well in my photo, but the A Muse Stardust Finishing Spray and the Dazzling Diamonds Glitter Mist are very shiny. The Perfect Pearls Mist has a more subtle shimmer.

I'll be using these on an Easter card for a class at Creativ You & Co. for next month. I'll be sure to share what I make with them here.

Take some time and just allow yourself to play. You'll be happy you did.

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

Amazing Birthday

I cased a card that Vicky from Clips-n-Cuts shared the other day. I have the same stamp set from Simon Says Stamp, but not the die she used, so I used a Balzer Designs mini punchinella stencil from Crafter's Workshop.

Using a q-tip, I applied my inks on the stencil. The popped up stars are made from punches and colored with the same inks. I also used those inks on the sentiment. My panel is matted on purple card stock, and then adhered to my card base. 

This card is for my great-niece who is turning 13 this week. The inside sentiment says Happy 13th Birthday, and was made with the Take a Number stamp set from Fresh Squeezed Stamps. It's a great set.

I hope my great-niece likes her card and has an amazing birthday.

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

Happy Valentine's Day

I just wanted to share a Valentine's Day Prima doll tag I made a couple of weeks ago. If you are local and would like to see it, it's on display at CreativYou & Co.  It's no secret that I love these doll stamps designed by Julie Nutting. (No, we aren't related.) I have quite a few of her stamps, and I have so much fun creating tags with them. (Of course, I had to pre-order some of Julie's new Prima dolls, too. Can't wait to get them!)

This tag was made with the original Doll #2 stamp. I fussy cut her dress and crown from pattern paper, added a few tickets, and button hearts. The flower is from Jolee Boutique. I added gesso to the Tim Holtz ornate plate and placed it over a Tim Holtz adage ticket. After covering my tag with a Prima paper, I added lace from my stash to the bottom. A word band was adhered with twine. The doll is popped up with foam squares. Dyed seam binding and a few charms finish off my tag. Love how she turned out. 

I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day.

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #1

The first challenge is: What's Your Style?

In case you don't already know, the fabulous Gloria Stengel of Scraps of Life, has started a new challenge blog, Craft Hoarders Anonymous. I have to wonder why Gloria chose that name. Crafters, hoarders? Really? Oh, my goodness, not us! Well, maybe a bit. 

I love making shabby, vintage cards with Graphic 45 paper. I chose an image from the Place in Time collection for this card. The edges of the image are distressed with an edge distresser and distress ink, and then layered on black card stock. The striped piece is also distressed and layered on black. My seam binding is colored with Fired Brick Distress Stain. I crinkled the seam binding, and made a double bow. A small tag made from a border piece on the paper is tied with twine to my bow. I added strips of the border piece to the top and bottom of my card. I love the stamps that G45 includes in their collections. I cut one with my postage scissors and popped it up on the panel. The panel is also popped up from the red card base.

Graphic 45 paper, distressing, seam binding, double bows, twine and dimension = my style!

What do I hoard? Graphic 45 paper, of course! I especially am hanging onto (hoarding?) my Place in Time papers, because they are being discontinued. (Oh, no!)  In fact, I had to cut into my last (gasp!) piece of the February Cut-Aparts to make this card. I just love that image of the hearts raining down. 

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

The newest Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is Have a Heart.  After seeing this tutorial on Splitcoaststampers, I've become obsessed with making these darling pop-up box cards. I've made a few for Valentine's Day so far, and can't wait to find some time to make some for other occasions. They are so fun!

Aren't they adorable? I just love them!

I'm entering these into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blue Challenge

I love CAS-ual Fridays Stamps! I recently received an order from their new Valentine Release. The Love Notes stamp set was sold out when I placed my order, so I emailed the wonderful owner, Michelle, and she let me know as soon as it was back in stock. Thanks, Michelle!

Due to a winter storm, today was a snow day, and I had lots of time to play. A new challenge just began at CAS-ual Fridays, so I used my new Love Notes set to make some cards. This challenge is to use the color blue, which I normally do not use for Valentine cards, but I'm so glad I did. 

I made several cards, but this is my favorite. Using Versamark black and Salty Ocean distress ink, I stamped  the images onto white card stock. I also splattered a blue Smooch spray onto the panel before adding it to a top folding Memory Box card base. The bottom corners of both the panel and card base were rounded with my 1/2" Corner Chomper. I used my clear Wink of Stella brush to add some shine to the blue notes. There is a matching Heart Note Fri-Die that I also bought. I'll probably make this card again using the note die cut in place of the note stamp. I love the way this turned out, and I think the music teacher in my building will like it as well. 

Hopefully, it will stop snowing soon. I think we've had about 8" so far today. If not, another snow day tomorrow would make me happy.

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting! 

CASE Study Challenge #176

Today I decided to play along with CASE Study Challenge #176. This is my very first attempt at a challenge. This week was the final week to case the fabulous Donna Mikasa of three umbrellas, and her card is stunning. I loved her combination of bright pink ink, gold embossing on vellum and gold sequins.

Here's my version of Donna's card using the same combination.

I stamped an older Stampin Up heart doily stamp with Picked Raspberry distress ink. A sentiment from the Handwritten Greetings set from Simon Says Stamp was embossed with gold embossing powder onto vellum and added to the stamped panel. I used foam dimensionals to pop the panel up from the card base. A cascade of gold sequins finishes off my card. 

I hope you like my first CASE Study challenge card. It was fun playing along.

I am also entering this card into theSimon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!