Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Retro Sketches #61

A fairly simple card today, I let the paper do all the talking.  State of Mind is one of my favourite stamp sets that I simply don't use enough, so I'm happy to be pulling it out today.  I've used the great sketch from Retro Sketches:
All papers are Ambrosia, by Basic Grey; Stamp set is State of Mind, Close To My Heart; Ink is Black, CTMH; Licorice opaque pearl, CTMH; Butterfly die, Taylored Expressions.
 

Monday, April 29, 2013

February Humble Artist's Swap

This was the card that I made for the February Humble Artist's Swap.  Nancy made it a "free-for-all" other than stipulating an 8 layer minimum, and we were asked to use new CTMH spring product.  I am having a love affair with navy lately (this card may have started it all?) and I especially love it paired with pear and cotton candy as I used here.  I sponged the background with both of those, plus a little creme brulee and then cut out and popped up the dragonfly's wings:
I made four of them:
Patterned paper is Chantilly; Cardstock is Outdoor denim, Pear, Cotton Candy & White Daisy; Inks are Outdoor denim, Pear, Cotton Candy & Creme Brulee; Stamps set is Quick Cards - Dragonfly; Outdoor denim chevron ribbon; Pink glitter gem - all Close To My Heart.
 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Dynamic Duos #50 - Happy Birthday Vicki!!

We're being kind of sneaky this week over at Dynamic Duos... it is birthday week for one of our fellow Dynamos, the fabulous Vicki Burdick!  So the rest of the team decided that we would all make birthday cards in her honour using this week's colour combination of Calypso Coral & Blushing Bride.  Our lovely founder, Lesley Croghan is hosting a linky party on her blog (here!) with a whole bunch of other Vicki fans who are helping to celebrate her big day.  Now when we were planning this a few weeks back, I knew exactly what image I'd use for Vicki's card, since we're both fans of L'il Inker Designs line of stamps called "Sugar Kissed Cottage", and this birthday image works perfectly with the girly/retro colour combo that we're working with this week:
Check out what all the other Dynamos have come up with this week over at the Dynamic Duos blog, or you can see them listed on my sidebar.  We ask that you use only the two colours shown, but neutrals (skin tones, etc.) are welcome.  If you don't have the exact colours, just use something similar like me!
This is a bittersweet post for me, as it is my last official design team project for Dynamic Duos (six months flies by when you're having fun!).  I have worked with a really wonderful and inspiring group of ladies, whose work I will continue to follow on their blogs and out there in the challenge world.  A big thanks to Lesley Croghan & Anne Marie Hile for giving me the opportunity, and for running such a well organized challenge blog.  I still plan to be a player, so you'll see me posting over there regularly!  There'll be a brand new design team being announced soon on the DD blog.
 
Patterned paper is The Sweetest Thing, Tangerine by My Mind's Eye; Cardstock is Sorbet, white & kraft, CTMH; Pink is Bazzil.  Stamp set is Sugar Kissed Cottage by L'il Inker Designs; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Copic Markers; Baker's Twine & buttons, CTMH.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Monogrammed card set

I wanted to make a little something for a friend who has been very helpful with an elderly relative of ours, so I made a set of six monogrammed cards for her using the Clare papers.  Making card sets is my absolute FAVOURITE thing to do... single cards are fine, but there's something about making a coordinating set, that simply makes my brain happy?!  I used a few buttons on my project, so I'm entering this into the Heart2Heart button up challenge:
And I made a little folder that holds 3 cards and their envelopes on each side, then it folds in half and ties with a piece of organdy ribbon.
 
Patterned papers are Clare; Cardstock is Outdoor Denim, Sunset, Blush & Colonial White; Stamp sets are Perfect Fit Frames and L Monogram; Inks are Blush, Hollyhock & Outdoor Denim; Navy Chevron striped ribbon, Orange organdy ribbon, Outdoor denim buttons, Outdoor denim bigger brad; Cricut Artiste Cartridge - all Close To My Heart; Sweet Scallop die & Pennant Border die, Verve; Mini Monarch border, My Favorite Things.
 
 

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Dynamic Duos #49

It's a Black Tie week at Dynamic Duos, and we are using the colours Basic Grey and Basic Black with a dessert option of a Masculine Theme!  I went pretty literal, doing a "black tie" card based on this card by Becky Oehlers that I saw on Pinterest.  I used my Cricut Artiste cartridge to cut the cute little bow tie, and hand drew the pieces to make the jacket.  I wanted the jacket to have a little bit of dimension, so I glued the lapel pieces under the edge of the jacket and bent them back before gluing them down.

I am entering this in the monthly challenge over at One Crazy Stamper (black, white + a colour) where I just happen to be their guest designer this month -  so I have done black/white/gray.  The patterned papers that I used today are from the fabulous One Crazy Stamper store!
Patterned papers are Capsule Collection by Jesse Edwards for Papermania; Cardstock is Black & White Daisy, CTMH; Stamp set is Say it in Style, CTMH; Ink is Grey Wool, CTMH; Spellbinder's die; Cricut Artiste Cartridge, CTMH

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Inspired By #70

Laurel had a pretty floral blue/white bedroom photo as inspiration for this week's Inspired By challenge, so I pulled out some floral Jillibean Soup paper that I have, and used this week's Sketchbook Saturday sketch to put together a simple birthday card:
*Edited with a new photo after I added the leaf die cuts:

Here was our inspiration:
And our sketch:

Patterned paper is Grandma's Lima Bean Soup by Jillibean Soup; Cardstock is Pear & Colonial White, CTMH and Navy, Key Ingredients kit; Ribbon and butterfly pick, Key Ingredients kit; Prima flowers; Stamp sets are Stitched Together & Happy Birthday, CTMH; Ink is Outdoor denim; Meadow Leaf die, Memory Box.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Retro Sketches #59

I really love this week's new sketch at Retro Sketches... and went totally girly with this one:
Patterned papers are True Friends, by Carta Bella; Carstock is Heavenly Blue & White Daisy, CTMH; Rosette ribbon and pearls, CTMH.
 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Dynamic Duos #48

We have an interesting colour combo for you this week at Dynamic Duos: Bashful Blue & Pumpkin Pie!  These colours aren't the norm for me - but I loved working with them, and had several other ideas that I was wanting to try...  Anyway, I stayed with a fairly bold, graphic style (typical me!) and used one of my new fave sets from Art Impressions:
My colours are a little bolder than our assigned choices, but that's okay - if you don't have the exact shades, just use something similar, like me!  We ask that you use just our two colours, but neutrals are welcome.  Check out all of the inspiration from the design team over at the Dynamic Duos blog, or you can see them listed on my sidebar.  Hope you'll play along!

Patterned paper is Dotty For You; Cardstock is White Daisy & Indian Corn Blue - all CTMH; Stamp set is Stayin' Afloat, Art Impressions; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Copic Markers; Twine is American Crafts.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Freshly Made Sketches #81

It's been a busy week, but I've finished up swap cards and some design commitments... and finally had a chance to just play tonight :o)  I pulled out an old Key Ingredients kit, and used this week's Freshly Made Sketch:
Patterned papers are Lost & Found 'Rosy' by My Mind's Eye; Cardstock is Tulip, Cocoa & Colonial White, CTMH; Stamp set is Sweet Treats, Verve; Mini Vintage Oval dies, Verve; Ink is Champagne, CTMH; Tilda Swirl die, Memory Box; Cocoa grosgrain ribbon & mocha opaque pearls, CTMH; Flowers, One Crazy Stamper.
 

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Teenage birthday card

Making a birthday card for your son to give one of his friends who is turning 18, is about as stressful as card making gets!  He's a musical guy, who plays the guitar (guitar stamp, check!)... now to make sure that it's masculine, cool and not sappy (sigh).  I'm afraid that my style is generally bright with lots of patterned paper... so while it's bright & patterned, I managed to avoid anything floral, and no sappy sentiments.  I had this cool quote from Bob Dylan... the inside says "others just get wet."  I added wings to the guitar image, and shaded it & the wings with Copics:
Patterned paper is You Rock, Cardstock is Outdoor Denim & White Daisy; Stamp sets are Star Power & Follow Your Dreams, Inks are Outdoor denim & Indian Corn Blue; Natural hemp - all Close To My Heart; Copic Markers.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Dynamic Duos #47 - Pun Intended!

We have the prettiest colour combo for you this week at Dynamic Duos: Pool Party & Cherry Cobbler!  I really love these two colours together... so I wanted to make a little set of cards using the fun Puns of Praise stamp set.  And it just so happens that it is Pun Fun week at Heart2Heart Challenges, so I'm entering this there, as well!  I have also used the In the Background stamps to create the stripes and chevrons across the bottom:
Scroll down to see individual close ups of each of the cards!
I also made a little file folder box to hold the cards, which I'll be decorating a bit more over the weekend:
Check out the Dynamic Duos blog to see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the design team, or you can see them listed on my sidebar.  If you don't have the exact colours, just use something similar like I've done.  Neutrals are welcome!  There is also a design team call for Dynamic Duos, as the current team's term is coming to an end in the next few weeks - check it out!
 
Stamp sets are Puns of Praise and In the Background; Inks are Grey Flannel, Black and Heavenly Blue; Cardstock is Grey Wool, White Daisy, Cranberry & Heavenly Blue; Cricut Artiste Cartridge - all Close To My Heart; Pennant die, Verve; Baker's Twine, The Twinery; Copic Markers.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #181

It's been a while since I've been able to play along with the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge, so I'm very happy to have found some time last night to make up a quick card.  I loved Karen's sketch this week... I'm pretty sure I'll be pulling it out again soon.  Here's what I came up with using the Buzz & Bumble papers:
I used a little snippet of copper glitter paper for the little tab over the sentiment - it doesn't show up really well in the photo, but it's a warm coppery/brown colour, and very sparkly!  I popped up the front panel and wrapped it with a bit of twine from American Crafts.

Patterned papers are Buzz & Bumble; Cardstock is Cocoa, Sunset & Champagne; Copper glitter paper; Stamp set is A Little Everything; Ink is Cocoa - all Close To My Heart; Twine is American Crafts.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Properly Caffeinated

If you follow my blog at all... you'll know that I love a good coffee themed card!  So when I saw this Art Impressions sentiment at the One Crazy Stamper store, I kinda had to have it :o)  I've paired it with the fun "Millie" stamp, and used some pretty Bella BLVD papers.  You can see my card over on the OCS Design Team blog today, where I am their guest designer for April!  There is a month long challenge with a fabulous prize (scroll down to see my April 1st post for some challenge inspiration) so you should scoot over to the blog to check it out.  Here's Millie:
Product available at One Crazy Stamper:
Stamp sets are UMM1932 Millie and AI-G4144 Caffeinated by Art Impressions rubber stamps; Patterned papers are Kiss Me by Bella BLVD; Ink is Tuxedo Black by Memento; Copic Markers.

Here's a picture of yesterday & today's cards together... this may be the beginning of a set?  The bases of both cards are in my new favourite basic - Navy!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

More One Crazy Stamper

Here is another project that I have up on the One Crazy Stamper store blog today.  I got introduced to Art Impressions rubber stamps when I visited the OCS store last year, and instantly fell in love with the fun images and slightly sarcastic humour of their sentiments!  They do wonderful 'girlfriend' type images, so I chose the Stayin' Afloat set for today's card:
The inside sentiment says "Keep Calm and Float On"...  I coloured the image with Copic markers (Lora has a full range of Copic products, and some of the best prices you'll find for them, you can find the online store here!)  The image is fairly large (my card is 5"x 6 1/2"), and I wanted a fair bit of the pretty Bella BLVD paper to show, so I carefully trimmed the image to allow their toes to hang out of the frame.

Products from One Crazy Stamper:
Stamp set is 4239 Stayin' Afloat by Art Impressions Rubber Stamps; Patterned paper is Kiss Me by Bella BLVD;  Ink is Tuxedo Black by Memento;  Copic markers.

I'll be back tomorrow with my last OCS card :o)

Monday, April 1, 2013

One Crazy Stamper Guest Designer!

I am lucky enough to be the Guest Designer for April at One Crazy Stamper!  OCS is a fabulous online store (find it here!) as well as a bricks & mortar store in Bolton, Ontario which I'm fortunate to live close to :o)  Our April blog challenge is to use Black, White & one other colour.  I've chosen to do something a little different for my project.  Lora carries this wonderful line of intricately detailed dies from Memory Box - so I chose to use two of them, as I knew that they'd look amazing done as a black on white silhouette.  I also purchased a gorgeous pack of black & white patterned papers and their matching ribbons.  I created a circular mask to give the look of a sun/moon - and sponged some warm yellow ink over it, as my one colour.  Here's what I came up with:
The card itself is quite large, 5 1/4" x 7", so you can see how lovely & large that die is.  The little swing is a separate die (and comes with a tire swing, too!) - both cut just beautifully.  Pop on over to the OCS design team blog for some more inspiration, and there is a prize up for grabs if you want to play along!  I'll be back with a couple more cards over the next two days that will be up on the OCS blog as well.

Available at One Crazy Stamper:
Patterned paper and ribbon are the Capsule Collection by Jesse Edwards for Papermania; Set of Swings and Orchard Tree Frame dies by Memory Box.

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