Cupcake Anya Card and Gift Combo

Last week was Wanda G's birthday and I sent this totally cute stamp set from My Favorite Things to her. She's a fabulous photographer and I thought this was the perfect set for her! I wanted to somehow package the stamps along with a card as a combo.

This is actually a paper CD holder I bought from Paper Source but I think this stamp set looks much cuter in it, don't you think? I couldn't leave the left side blank so I thought a cupcake topiary would look good on it since I didn't get to see Wanda on her birthday to give her a real cupcake!

I decided to make a scene inside the card folder so both sides would flow together nicely.  I used the grass border punch by Martha Stewart for the bottom part. The clouds are made with felt using the cloud dies by Papertrey Ink.

This cute digi image is called Cupcake Anya by The Greeting Farm that I colored with my Copic markers.  For the shimmery green cardstock, I used the Cuttlebug dotted swiss embossing folder to give the background some texture. I attached a long strip of ribbon around the folder so I could tie it closed. Finally, I had to spice up the large scallop circle by putting sparkly diamond bling all around it.

Have a super day!

Yummy Ice Cream Cone Thank You Card

Sometimes it's no fun at all when I want to get my craft on in the studio but I gotta get loads o' laundry done! Today happens to be that day to do it...otherwise no one will have clean socks to wear the next day!

I needed to get a quick and simple thank you card out in the mail the other day and this is what I came up with:

The weather was a bit overcast when I took my pics so you may not see all the details. I took a cream card base and randomly stamped tiny flowers all over the front. I colored the cute girl holding the tall ice cream cone separately on white cardstock, paper-pieced her dress using the cutest cherry blossom patterned cardstock ever from Paper Garden, cut the entire image out and attached it to the solid cream oval.

I used different colors of Spica Glitter pens for all the scoops of ice cream...gotta make them sparkle, ya know!

Since this card was for a crafty person, I repeatedly stamped the paint can and brushes images with two coordinating colors for the inside of the card.  I think stamping one a different color gives an added interest and draws your eye to it.

I finished the front of the card up using thin cotton yarn I found in the knitting section of the craft store.  I  tied it around the cover a few times and tied a bow. I like using this yarn sometimes because the weight of it is a little thicker than baker's twine that seems to be popular these days.

Well, I'm off to start another load of laundry...I'll be back when I fold the last shirt!

Thanks for stopping in!

Card Tin for Wanda G.

Yep, I'm still here...just been super super busy! Just wanted to pop in and share a greeting card tin I made for my crafting sistah Wanda earlier in the year.

Isn't that Elzybells image just the cutest? It's just the perfect image for a cardmaker! I colored her hair blonde like Wanda's and used American Crafts Thickers to spell out her name. The apple pattern paper is from a collection by October Afternoon if I remember correctly.

Of course I had to embellish the top with yummy ribbon and buttons to coordinate! I threaded twine through the button holes and used glue dots to attach them to the lid.

The crafty cup of supplies is by A Muse. I used my Copics to color the cup part and Spica Glitter pens for the pencils, brushes and scissors in the cup.

I hope to be back more regularly so stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

Eclipse Wolf Card

I made a pair of thank you cards for my two best girlfriends when we went out to dinner and a movie to celebrate my belated birthday. We ate dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant across from the theater (very convenient) and of course saw the third Twilight movie, Eclipse. We loved it!

I made my own background on the card by repeatedly stamping the popcorn and tiny heart stamp in rows. I stamped all those bags of popcorn for one of my girlfriends who always has to buy some for every movie she sees no matter what!  Hee hee! Then, of course I used the wolf stamp because we root for Team Jacob!

I was testing out different ways on how to color Jacob...I mean the wolf...and I got a couple of different results from it.  I called this one the hairy wolf image.

I think I used about 3-4 different shades of brown Copic markers along with the colorless blender to achieve this effect.  I first colored the whole image with really light shade of beige. Then for each layer of hair, I took that beige shade and used the marker-to-marker tip technique for each darker shade of brown. I then did grass brush strokes by flicking the brush tip of my marker. After, I took an old textured kitchen rag soaked with some colorless blender and pounced it over the entire image. I held the rag down in 2-second increments.  I then went back at the end and added a few more brush strokes of "hair".

On the second card that I call the furry wolf, rather than laying down a base color, I just used the light beige marker and did the same marker-to-marker tip method to each of the darker brown shades and colored in small circles.  To finish it off, I used the soaked rag with color blender again.  

Here's the inside of the card.  I roughed up the edges of the recipe a bit to give it a more old and rusty feel like Bella's red truck. For dessert, my friend Barbara brought a little box of different cupcakes that she snuck into the movie theater in her purse. I couldn't even tell she stashed the box in there!

I hope you enjoyed checking out my thank you card creations. I wanted to capture each element from the wonderful time I had with my two girlfriends!

P.S. This card is also for the A Muse Lounge Challenge #19. This month's challenge is "Stick to the Pattern" where we are to create a card using any A Muse stamps or paper and making a pattern on it. Head on over to the Lounge to check out all the other entries!

Supplies:

Stamps: Wolf, Popcorn, Tiny Heart, Flatware, Vintage Truck, Frosted Cupcake, Tiny Gift (A Muse), From the Kitchen of (Stampin' Up!)

Paper: Kraft, Rustic Cream (Papertrey Ink), Poison Ivory Shimmer, Classic Crest Solar White (Neenah), Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Adirondack Espresso Dye (Ranger), Fluid Chalk Warm Red and Dark Lagoon (Clearsnap), Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)

Accessories: Daffodil Delight 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!), Fashion Cord Natural Polish Dark Thin Hemp (Cousin Corp. of America from Wal-Mart), Heart and Scallop Heart Punches (Marvy Uchida), Copic Markers and Pitch Black Atyou Spica Glitter Pen (.Too Corp.), Robin's Egg Pretty Pearls (A Muse), Stampin' Dimensionals foam dots (Stampin' Up!)

One-Layer Wednesday 13: Christmas in July

Edit: I swapped out better pics so you can see the glitter on the card. This card also qualifies for the Holidays in July card challenge in the A Muse Lounge. Check that out too!


This is my first time participating in Susan Raihala's weekly card challenge she hosts on her blog, Simplicity. I've been a fan of her creations for the past few years. I was looking at card ideas on the SplitCoastStampers (SCS) website one day and stumbled upon one of Susan's cards that someone CASEd. I was so drawn to her striking clean and simple designs in her card gallery.

July is generally around the time when I start to think about what card designs I want to send for Christmas. Every year, I tell myself to start early on them but that never happens! Usually, I'll be up late cranking them out a few days before Christmas day. We'll see if I can change that this year!

For the card challenge, we are to make a one-layer card, keeping embellishments to a minimum, and a theme of either Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or winter.

Here's the card I created...it looks better in real life. The design and embellishments I used turned out so much better than I envisioned.  I LOVE when that happens!

I started off with a piece of PTI Kraft cardstock and stamped all the images directly on it using my Stamp-a-ma-jig so nothing would be crooked. This is a very key element when you create one-layered cards because your eye will look directly at the focal point. With simple cards, all you look at is the main image or embellishment so it's very important that everything is properly placed or centered.

I stamped the houses and sentiment using Adirondack Espresso ink (my go-to brown) and my Copic markers. The snow-topped roofs and smoke are colored in with a white Prismacolor pencil. For the puffy line of snow on the ground, I used a white craft pen similar to Liquid Applique, let it dry and heated it up with my heat gun. I outlined the word "cozy" with a red marker for added interest.

I then stamped one scroll on top and one on the bottom with VersaMagic Night Sky chalk ink. I finished off with a red pearl in the centers of each scroll. I also used a Clear Spica glitter pen over the scroll and on the houses for a little sparkle!

Check out Susan's blog Simplicity to see all the other creations for this challenge!

Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Houses, Cozy Christmas MA, Swirly Bracket (A Muse)
Ink: Adirondack Dye Espresso (Ranger), VersaMagic Night Sky (Tsukineko)
Paper: Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cranberry Pretty Pearls (A Muse), Red Le Pen (Marvy), Dong-A Popcorn Puffy Paint Pen (from Jet Pens), White Prismacolor Pencil (Sanford), Copic markers (.Too Corp), Clear Atyou Spica Glitter pen (.Too Corp), Heat-It Craft Tool (Ranger), Stamp-a-ma-jig (EK Success)

Taylored Expressions Blog Hop!

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to the blog hop hosted by Taylored Expressions! Our mission was to make a card using any TE stamp set released prior to May 2010. I chose to use "Sewing Cuppie" from the Crafty Cuppie set.

I started off attempting to make a card but for some reason the design wasn't coming together as I had envisioned. I'm sure that never happens to anyone else! I decided I would make a sewing notebook for myself since I'm a beginner to that craft. I thought that jotting down all the helpful tips I find on various websites would be a good reference to have in one place. I recently bought a Janome Sew Mini as my first sewing machine.  It's so cute and lightweight!  It's about the size of a 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of cardstock!

I took a piece of Kraft cardstock and made my own background by alternately stamping the sewing basket image from Crafty Expressions and Tiny Heart from A Muse. Then, I adhered it to an 8 x 10 1/2 notebook and put a strip of Enchanted Evening grosgrain ribbon from Papertrey Ink along the side. 

For the centerpiece of the notebook, I used Real Red cardstock from Stampin' Up! for the base and a piece of patterned paper from the Junebug collection by Basic Grey. Love the colors and floral designs! The Enchanted Evening polka dot satin ribbon is by Papertrey Ink.

I adhered Sewing Cuppie on Real Red cardstock to give it a double matted look against the patterned paper.  I used my Copic markers to color my image and a really light blue green Copic for the background image. There was a sheet of patterned paper from the Junebug collection that looked like a quilt design so I paper-pieced it to the fabric that Cuppie was sewing. To make the sparkly frame, I put strips of 1/8" Scor-Tape from Scor-Pal on all four sides and sprinkled TE Bronze Splendor glitter on the tape.  I love how sparkly it turned out! 

I hope you enjoyed checking out my sewing notebook and have fun seeing all the other fabulous creations!

Lovebirds Anniversary Card

I'm experiencing a very busy schedule at home base this week...not much time to be crafty!  Here's a card I made for my sister and her husband.  They recently celebrated their wedding anniversary.

I kept my card clean and simple to make the two cute lovebirds the main focal point.  Aren't they just an adorable pair?  The image is from Kim Hughes's stamp set called "The Birds and the Bees" by Cornish Heritage Farms.  The woodgrain cardstock is from A Muse and I used a Chocolate Spica glitter pen to add sparkle in between the lines. The polka dot Bermuda Bay grosgrain ribbon is retired from Stampin' Up.

I stamped and colored the birds twice with my Copics, cut out the second ones and used foam dots to pop up the image for added dimension.

I made the inside of the card a pop up one for the punched out heart and scalloped heart.  I used a strip of red cardstock and stamped the sentiment on it for a banner look.

Here's a full pic of the inside.  I love the two fish on the bottom left with the sentiment!  Both are by A Muse.

On a side note, I recently found out that Cornish Heritage Farms is going out of business so if you like any of Kim Hughes' stamp sets, now is the time to stock up!  Check out the CHF website and read the story on their blog.  CHF will eventually mark their remaining inventory down before shutting their doors but if you can't wait, Ellen Hutson is liquidating the rest of her CHF stock right now at 40% off in her online store.  I so love all of Kim Hughes' illustrations, I'm sad to see her stamps discontinued so I'm stocking up myself on sets that I've been wanting forever.  Check out her blog for great inspiration!

Well, gotta get back to my chores!  I'll add my supply list later on when I get a chance.  Thanks for looking!

Ka-Pow! Sassy Penguin Card

I wanted to make a card for Barb (one of my good crafty buddies) after we went shopping in Berkeley one weekend. Other than the big box craft stores in our area, we don't live near any good local scrapbook/stamp stores. Sadly, they've all closed down through the years. So we have to trek a little over an hour to find good craft supplies. It's always good to shop at a local scrapbook/stamp store (LSS) if you live near one you love. They need all your support!

I made a resolution this year to use the stuff I buy and not hoard it so much. I'm sure that's a familiar story for some of you!

I tend to get a little overwhelmed sometimes when I make scenic cards.  I think I over do it with stuff.  But in this case, I wanted to use my new goodies and left my comfort zone. It's good to do that every once in a while.

I found a sticker sheet of fuzzy penguins wearing pink bandanas doing martial arts moves from Paper Source (sooo love that store). I cut a strip of the Dear Lizzy 12x12 heart fabric sheet I got from Scrapbook Territory. The whole sheet is adhesive-backed and very easy to work with.  Then, Barb and I stumbled into an eclectic store called Castle in the Air. I found some really nice green floral crepe paper I punched out with my Martha Stewart grass border punch. That paper was so much nicer to work with than the streamer-types you find in the party section at the stores.

I've been making more of an effort to make the insides of my cards more decorative and this cloud paper did the trick! I absolutely love, love, love this patterned cardstock from A Muse! You can use it for so many things! The airplane skywriter is also from A Muse. The postal cancel stamp is from Paper Source and I used a mini date stamp from Office Max in the middle.   

The only thing I didn't like on the card was the butterfly trail. Next time, I think I'll use a pencil first before committing to permanent ink.  You live and learn!

Have a super day and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps: Clouds, Sun, Mini Flower, Tiny Daisy, Tiny Heart, Hello, Skywriter (A Muse), Do Something Creative (Paper Source), Mini date stamp (Office Max)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Assorted colors of Colorbox Fluid Chalk (Clearsnap), 
Paper: Dear Lizzy Morning Melody Fabric (American Crafts), Clouds, Petite Gingham Yellow (A Muse), Thunder (Bazzill), Pink Lemonade (Elzybells)
Accessories: Green Crepe Paper, Apple Green 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (Schiff), 1/2" Round-It-All (Zutter), Martha Stewart Grass Border Punch (EK Success), Butterfly Square Punch (Punch Bunch), Small and Large Oval Punches (Stampin' Up!), Olive and Pink Atyou Spica Glitter Pen, Copic Multiliner, Assorted Copic Markers (.Too Corp), Paper Cutter (Fiskars)

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #118

Every week, Taylor Van Bruggen of Taylored Expressions posts a sketch challenge for anyone that wants to take part. I am proud to post my very first sketch just in the nick of time! Hop on over to Taylor's blog and check out all the entries. Tomorrow's the last day to enter.

      

I soo love this Crafter Cuppie set...if you're a crafter, you have to get it!  It has five images of Cuppie stamping, scrapping, sewing, knitting, and painting along with sentiments.  There's also an additional coordinating set called Crafty Expressions with other images and sentiments.

I used Bazzill Dotted Swiss in Pirouette as the 5 1/2" square card base and as one of the scalloped borders.  The patterned paper is from Basic Grey's Nook and Pantry collection. The solid cardstocks are Shimmer Couture from A Muse.

I used my Copic markers to color in the main image.  Cuppie's apron is paper pieced from the BG Nook and Pantry.  For the jar of glitter, I used the Sakura Glue pen (miracle product) first to make dots inside the jar and sprinkled it with Taylor's glitter in Waterfall.  Oh so sparkly...I love how shimmery her glitters are!

The postal cancel stamp image is from Paper Source, stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate pigment ink, and embossed with clear powder over the ink to give it a raised texture. It's hard to tell in the picture but it's there.

Here's the inside of the card.  I stamped one of the sentiments from Crafty Expressions in Adirondack Espresso along with the ink pad image in Colorbox Fluid Chalk Berrylicious.

I'm really happy with how my card turned out!  Thanks for the challenge Taylor! 

Fancy Wedding Cake Card

Last month, I went to Southern California to a wedding of two good friends with my family.  We had such a great time and the weather was perfect for the event.

This is the card I made for the bride and groom.  I love how it turned out! Since the cake centerpiece was so elaborate, I didn't want to make the background too busy.  I kept the accents simple and elegant. I used white Liquid Applique for the frosting and let it dry overnight.  The next day, I used my heat gun on just the frosting parts and it poofed up like magic!  I found that if I didn't let the Liquid Applique dry completely and used the heat right after, I got more of a popcorn texture that didn't puff up as much.

Here's a side view of the cake.  It's actually three layers of the same image. I used the complete cake image on the bottom, two cake layers on top of that, and then one cake on the third layer.  Long ago, I had seen this technique demonstrated by the owner of the stamp company on a local crafting show. 

 

The inside of the card was kept simple.  Love the silhouette of the bride and groom from Kim Hughes's wedding stamp set!  I cut an easy tab out of the white cardstock layer to give it some dimension when you open the card.  I also used a very black pigment ink to stamp the image so it would be crisp and solid.

Supplies

Stamps: Wedding Cake (Stamps by Judith), Mr. & Mrs., Tiny Heart (A Muse), congratulations sentiment, bride and groom from "I Thee Wed" by Kim Hughes (Cornish Heritage Farms)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Poppy Red (Papertrey Ink), Copic markers

Paper: Apple Red & Espresso Shimmer Couture (A Muse), Swimming Pool (Bazzill), Cryogen White cardstock  

Accessories: Robin's Egg & White Pretty Pearls (A Muse), Martha Stewart Heart Confetti punch (EK Success), Circle & Scallop Circle Punches (Marvy), Big Note Top Die (Stampin' Up!), Something Old, Something New corner punch (Fiskars), White Polka Dot Sheer ribbon (A Muse), White Liquid Applique (Marvy), Heated Craft Tool (Ranger), Piercing tool