love potion no. 42 (CASology, KIS, SSS)

Always late to the party... OK, now I need a belated anniversary card.  Oh, I have one!

Happy belated 42nd to Darnell and the Mister.  You want to see the beautiful bride, check out this photo.  You want to see the stud she married, check out this photo.  (Uh, did you notice, there's actually a super cool card in that post too?) You want to get a dose of the beauty that is Darnell and laugh so hard you burn "tons of" calories, read this post.  Nuff said.

Here's my card for the still-happy-couple.  Hoping the love potion keeps right on flowing...

First, the card.  Inspired by this - but too late for the challenge.   It didn't turn out like it was in my head.  Hate when that happens.  Guess I was dreaming I had Jocelyn O.'s digi stamping skills and all I really had was this free clip art and MS Word.  And then the issue of grounding - Let the bottles float in the air?  Create the illusion of a table?  Mask the bottles or not since they are see-thru?  Or just add an embossed strip and call it a day?  Ugh.  But my buddies, the alcohol inks on acetate, didn't let me down!

Joining the fun at:
CASology - Week 28 where the cue is "Drink"
Keep it Simple - #6 Dry Embossing
Simon Says Stamp - where the challenge is to Paper Piece.  I acetate-pieced.  Hope that counts.

Now for the non-card stuff.  You know MArdythSKerade, queen of stark-and-square CAS?  She rigged up a fun surprise for Darnell and the rest of us too actually.  Share an anniversary card and your own wedding photo.  So here's mine.  Come September it'll be 20 years...

Note of thanks:  Won the Got your Number stamp set from The Craft's Meow and used it for the inside message.  Thanks Lisa.

Uber belated note of thanks to Clear and Simple stamps:  Won some at Moxie Fab and pulled them out to ground this card (as well as create those wafting hearts) which will be for DH.  No, he doesn't look here.  Least I don't think so!

Glad you looked.

Supplies for No. 42:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania, acetate scraps

Stamps: clip art Clker, other Clear and Simple, inside sentiment TCM

Ink : alcohol inks

Tools: PC, embossing folder Craft Concepts

Other: 

do what it takes... (AEIU)

... to get the challenge done.  Especially when you don't own any Avery Elle stamps but the AEIU challenge requires you to use one.  And when you absolutely love the inspiration photo.

Those rubber boots.  And the thousand shades of gray on the wet pavement.  And of course the round red umbrella.  Meet my card.

Velveteen stamping with white pigment ink (check the closeup).  B/W stripes. Round and red.  Some splatters of "Spring Rain" Glimmer Mist.

Avery Elle offers a freebie digi here.  Can you find it on my card?  That's what I meant by doing what it takes to get the job done.  Some thinking outside the box.  And a little help from an older sketch over at Studio Calico.

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies for Best Wishes:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania, PP echo park, scraps

Stamps: digital stamp Avery Elle

Ink : Adirondack, Versafine

Tools: circle punch EKS, circle die MFT

Other: washi, Glimmer Mist

PTI black blog hop and MIM

Back (for the third time today) in black.  LOVE this inspiration.  Had to join in.  Notice those chalkboard tags in the upper right corner?

Meet mailable bday little somethin' for my girlfriend.  Some black tags with layered embossing.  Did you see the PTI Make it Monday video for this technique?

TIP:  Not all embossing powders are created equal.  I intended to go with red and pink flowers and some green leaves.  Um, Ranger red embossing powder kinda disappears on black (biggest bloom on top tags)!  Change of plans and a switch to Zing embossing powders, which covered, but I only have three colors.  And Stampendous white.  Which works on black too.  FYI.

I die cut the tags from white and black CS (to allow for writing a message on the white side) and thought about stitching them together but didn't want to stitch through embossing.  So I tried two different faux stitchings.  Top - rolled a Cutter Bee piercer along the edge and then went over the holes with a white gel pen.  Bottom - just drew faux stitches with white gel pen.  FYI.

Thanks for hopping by.

Supplies for black tags:

Paper: CS American Crafts, black Bringmann, vellum for packaging

Stamps: PTI Garden of Life, Botanical Silhouettes, initial/frame Hampton, sentiment Klartext

Ink : Versamark

Tools: die MFT, Cutter Bee

Other: embossing powder red (Ranger), blue/pink (Zing), white (Stampendous), seam binding

another mia bella (LIM, Pinspired, Lawnscaping)

Did you see my card inspired by a new PP from SEI shown at CHA 2013?  Well I made another cuz it was such fun.

Masking.  Distress inking.  Splattering with diluted acrylic paints.  A gorgeous sentiment.  Here, check out the yummy gold shimmer.

Entering Less is More - #103 Friends.

I chose the color combo, blues and grays for Pinspired - Challenge #2.  Notice the dots as fringe on the scarf?

And I'm linking up to the Lawnscaping Challenge - # 50 Winter Wonderland cuz those splatters could be bokeh snowflakes gently falling through a winter sky.

Happy winter weekend wherever you are.

Supplies for Friends:

Paper: CS Neenah

Stamps: sentiment Hero Arts

Ink : Distress ink, Hero Arts

Tools:  paint brush

Other: masking tape, acrylic paint, water

my mia bella (Moxie Fab, Retro, SSSS)

Have to give you the rundown on this card's birth.  Cath of Moxie Fab fame took us on a photo tour of CHA Winter 2013.   Thanks, Cath.   "Cool.  Cool.  Sweet.  Nay.  Cool... WHOA." - that was me scrolling down Day 1's Tour as I got to the third photo from the end.  The Mia Bella collection from SEI.  Go ahead and check out my link, have a gander at the drippy-inky-bokeh-ish PP in the upper right corner of Cath's photo. I'll wait...

It was love at first sight.  So my brain starts toying around with ideas... how can I create that same effect? (There I go again, trying to do a job that teams of people at these companies get paid to do!)  This is all I could come up with.

Some masking.  Distress inking.  Splotching and splattering of DI reinkers, Maya Mists and watered down white and gold acrylic paint.  And a jumbo sentiment.  I likey :)  And boy was it a blast to make.  You may recall my quest for the perfect splatter... I'm still questing.

I'm hooking up to the Moxie Fab - 75 Challenges #49 Make your own background paper cuz it's Cath's fault that I did this ;)

You may have recognized the Retro Sketch:

Because this card shows the true me - my-artsy-fartsy-give-me-a-good-technique-to-try-CAS soul, I'm playing at Simon Says Stamp and Show - What are you known for?.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies for happy belated:

Paper: CS Neenah

Stamps: sentiment The Craft's Meow

Ink : Distress ink, Maya Mist, Versacolor

Tools: eyedropper, paint brush

Other: masking tape, acrylic paint, water

10-minute craft dashing again (10 min Craft Dash, LIM)

How do you overcome a phobia?  You face your fears...  10-minute-Craft-Dash #10 here I come again.

Took an idea from a previous card, an old Retro sketch and 10:11 minutes.  Oh, and a glass of red wine at dinner before my crafting session.  This is what happened.

Did ya catch the pink liquid pearls for the lips and the "i"s?  OK, I'll 'fess up.  I had the idea to add the pink twine after a night's sleep ;)

Also playing at Less is More - Week 103 Friends.

Thanks for looking.

Supplies for It's a girl thing:

Paper: Cardbase Neenah, PP scraps

Stamps: Inkadinkado, sentiment Rubbernecker

Ink : Hero Arts

Tools: 

Other:  nail decals, liquid pearls, twine

itty bitty background that i used to know... (Moxie Fab, SSSS)

Challenges.  They motivate me.  They drive me crazy.  They have on occasion caused me sleepless nights. They regularly prove that I am a procrastinator.  And I love 'em.

I'm sure you've seen the Paper Crafts 75 Card Challenges issue out there.  Did you participate in the blog hop too - where the designers had to create a card based on a song?  I posted a comment on the PC blog about my fave song of the past, well, 12 months!  Know it?  If not, wanna listen?  Somebody that I used to know - Gotye  Indie pop?  Never even really knew what that was but I guess I'm a fan.  I LOVE this song.

Image credit

Well, after posting my comment at PC I went back and watched the video again and DUH!  Meet my itty bitty homemade background.

This was so fun.  And therapeutic.  Cut two strips of watercolor paper.  Heat embossed the haphazard lines. Then spritzed the paper and painted some of the areas with gray, brown and green watercolors.  Cut the pieces apart and adhered to 3x3" kraft cardbases.  Added a sentiment and raffia and here's a set of mini-cards.  I'm hooking them up to:
Moxie Fab World - 75 Challenges #49 Make your own Background Paper
Moxie Fab World - 75 Challenges #23 Make and itty bitty Card
Simon Says Stamp and Show - What are you known for? (my answer:  a post mixing cards and my up-close-and-personal cardmaking process... hope that qualifies)

I'm envisioning them adorning a lovely bottle of Riesling.  Like so.

Did I mention I LOVE that song.  Of course it's in my head all the time now.

Um, it just dawned on me that you may not actually like that song.  I do have a "just somebody that I used to know" in my life who chose to "treat me like a stranger and it feels so rough" which may explain my affinity for the song - but, nope, I'm not sharin' details.

Happy creating.

Supplies for tags:

Paper:watercolor paper Hero Arts, kraft ?

Stamps: red rubber strip from packaging of mounted rubber stamps , sentiment Klartext

Ink : Versamark, Versafine

Tools: 

Other: embossing powder, watercolors

Liebster blog award reloaded

I need to make a belated thank you card.  Is there such a thing?  Well here's one I've never shared before.

This goes out to the lovely Meghan M. over at Little Pink Bike, who many moons ago was so sweet to pass on a Liebster blog award to me.  You must check out this white beauty of hers- fitting to the scene outside my window at present (well, minus the sleigh!).

You probably know all about Liebster, but here's the rundown:

'Liebster' is the German word for 'dearest'. The award is a 'share-the-love' arrangement, given to inspirational bloggers who have less than 200 followers. 

Here's the to-do list of any Liebster award recipient:
1) Thank the giver and link back to her/him
2) Reveal your five blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog
3) Copy and paste the award on your blog (see above)
4) Hope that those you award forward it on to their favorite bloggers

Take a couple minutes to check out these blogs.  I promise it will be worth your while.

Meet Shelly K. of Sweet Greetings.  Or should I say  Sweet CAS Greetings?  You may know I'm still searching for perfect splatters.  Shelly rocks 'em. Check this card.  And how's this for creative genius.

Do you know Bev over at Happy Dance?  I think that is the funnest blog name.  Check out this amazing rad card she made for a Play Date Cafe challenge.

Bethany S. says in her profile "My papercrafting style is mostly clean and simple/clean and graphic."  She's 16 folks and she's already got a grip on her style!  The girl has circles and masking in her genes.  Enjoy this.  And this.

And meet Betty J. from Germany!  This beauty caught my eye - so different.  And I'm always in awe of a great shaped card.  Check out this bag she created.  Uber chic!

You probably know Joan B. of Paperlicious fame.  Well, did you know she's set up house (there's a pun in there, trust me) over at Creating White Spaces?  We're talking philosophy here, folks.  You must check out her new adventure and her 60 Day Rule.

And to tell ya the truth, there is one more blog out there that I would love to share with you, but after a half-day of googling, I can't find this wonderful woman again.  I think her name was Sara.  I know she makes cards.  On occasion.  Cuz I stumbled upon her when commenting on a card she entered into a challenge I played.  And she has an autistic son.  Who plays drums.  And she should be published - she has you laughing and crying in the space of one post.  And I can't find her!  Anyone know her?

card with a history (KIS, Moxie Fab, ATCAS)

This card had a previous life.  Remember this fiasco?  Well, left with a dry-embosssed-with-a-frame-but-with-the-focal-image-die-cut-out-of-it cardbase, and motivated by two challenges and a need to clean up more little pieces laying around on my ironing board... I created this card.

The fabric scraps from some placemats I made in a previous life were my starting point.  They just looked like a banner to me - flattering in the wind, ya know?  Which reminded me of a window.  Or a frame.  So I stamped a WMS fabric pattern onto the frame in light yellow, as well as the sentiment.  Chose kraft to fill the window (that came from the practical idea to stiffen up the card front since SO MUCH OF IT WAS MISSING!)  And of course there would be embossed fluffy clouds and birds sailing past.  Duh.

Nasty past it had.  But it turned into a cute pick-you-up card.  Stamped "just because" inside and figure it's heading to BFF's Mom who could use it.

Playing at:
Keep it Simple - #5 Frame
Moxie Fab World - Make a Card with a Window
Addicted to CAS - #4 Embossing

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies for Thinking of You:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, kraft ?

Stamps: clouds Kars, border WMS , sentiment American Crafts

Ink : Versamark, Versamagic, Distress Ink

Tools: square die Sizzix, sewing machine

Other: fabric scraps, thread, embossing powder Stampendous, veneer Maya Road

10-min-craft-dashophobia (10 min Craft Dash, PC, SSS)

I was ready to go.  I had the idea and the colors at 10 minute Craft Dash gave me my colors.  Had a plan.  Had my supplies out.  Even cheated by planning/spacing my PC-generated sentiment ahead of time.  What could go wrong?

HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7:36 later (including my through-the-house-reverberating scream) this is what I had in my hand.  A tear in my embossed-with-a-homemade-frame card front.......Too much pressure in my Big Shot sandwich.  Forgot to do a trial run as part of my planning!

A phobia for this challenge I'm tellin' ya.  But, I really, really, really would love to win some WPlus9 stamps.  I've got it bad.  I've even started a wish list over there!  So I figured I would try again.

Two tutoring sessions later when I re-entered my cave ready to face my phobia once again, el cheapo me was wondering what I was going to do with the torn card.  Ta da!

Now, I didn't even turn my stopwatch on, but I swear this took me less than two minutes.  The square dies were out and I knew I had those two washi colors - right where they belonged even!  Die cut.  Taped.  Done.

I love this card.  This is my actual card for BFF.  She's one year ahead of me so I always figure I can make snotty remarks.  Love how the snottiness is disguised in the feminine, soft style of the card.  HA!!!!!!!!!

Packaged up the card set I'm sending her is a cute glassine bag my Neat & Tangled stamps came in.  How sweet is that!  Wanna see the finished product?

Hooking up at:
10 min Craft Dash - Challenge #10
Simon Says Stamp - Use Washi (ya don't have to ask me twice)
Paper Crafts Connection - January 2013 gallery

THANKS for sticking with me!

Supplies for 20/30:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette

Stamps: We R Memory Makers, sentiment PC generated

Ink : Cat's Eyes

Tools: square die Sizzix

Other: green washi Target, pink washi Freckled Fawni

let the nonsense end ( CFC, HIMCR, TTCRD, Emergency Crafters)

Here's the card bringing up the rear in my card set for BFF.  Using one age old Inkadinkado set.  Plus Hero Arts for the sentiment cuz I got a little bubble crazy (actually using a sprinkles stamp from Stampendous) and it just seemed to fit.  The scrap punched paper.  Again.  No excuses this time.

Actually there was one thought to my madness.  With that scrap punched paper on the Eat Chocolate card... I couldn't have just one card using it since this was to be a set.  Crazy breeds crazy, eh?

This one's parking over at:
CASual Fridays - #85 Round of Applause
Hiding in my Craft Room - #80 Super Scraps Saturday
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Emergency Crafters (ha!) - New Years Resolution (to break out something older than 1 year)

Happy day to ya'll.

Supplies for sprinkled:

Paper: Cardbase Papermaniy, PP scrap 

Stamps: Inkadinkado, sentiment Hero Arts

Ink : Cat's Eye, Versafine

Tools: circle punches

Other: bling

let's hear it for the gals (Lawnscaping, CMC, Dream Valley ...)

Bet you're dying to know what this girly in the sneak peek is all about, eh?  Sorry, gonna make ya wait...

OK.  So my cards take me so long cuz I get boggled down with all the possibilities - this ink or that one?  this PP or that one?  do I have a better heart stamp?  News flash:  it is really cool to challenge yourself to use only one stamp set.  Really cool.  Try it.  I've a couple more cards to share with you from the card set I made for BFF's birthday.  Remember this and this?  Using this age old Inkadinkado set:

Start with this inspiration photo from Challenge #57 at Inspired By:

And then notice the striped coffee cup stamp nestled between the bathtub and the martini glass.  Well, please meet "We Need Girl Time".

Took a Cat's Eye stack and just used it.  Talented people get paid lots of money to develop a bunch of ink colors that go together well.  Why not just trust 'em!

Entering this card at:
Card Mania - #12 Oh so girly!
Dream Valley - #48 Anything Goes

And... did you see that Lawnscaping is celebrating their second birthday?  Going strong.  Lawn Fawn is even getting into the die business now too I see.   Well, even though I'm not using LF stamps, I am making cards for BFF's birthday so I'm joining the fun.

Please meet  "Mani & Pedi - wishing you a Happy Birthday".  (Had to borrow the HB sentiment stamp for the inside from a different set but that's allowed.  My challenge.  My rules.)

Manicures and pedicures are so-not-me.  Don't know if it's that, or the fact that BFF is a hairdresser, or that these divas have such an attitude... I LOVE THIS CARD.  Did you notice the single bling on the sentiment?  And the cucumbers on their eyes?  Get outta town!

OK, so they are actually kiwis, but I'm sure your Pavlov's-dogs-brain told you at first glance they were cukes!  Some teensy thingies I picked up at our dollar store.  Supposed to go on your fancy, schmancy fingernails.  Nope.  But my wonderful card they may adorn...

These ladies are making their way over to:
Sweet Stamps - #100 Anything Goes
Stamping Sensations - Friendship

Whew.  Long post.  It's bedtime.  Nite.

Supplies for Girl Time:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink : Cat's Eye, Versafine

Supplies for Mani Pedi:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink : Versafine

Tools: 

Other: bling, nail decals

call me (ABNH)

More Inkadinkado nonsense coming at ya.  Actually, this is a pretty cool card.  The somewhat artistic style of the stamps allows for some haphazard stamping and cutting.  So without further ado...

The new "Golden Oldie" challenge at A Blog Named Hero is PERFECT for my little ol' card set...

I alerted you that I'm creating another card set.  This one for my BFF.  She's a hairdresser.  And mailable is a requirement...  More to come.

Supplies for Call Me:

Paper: Cardbase Papermania

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink : Versacolor, Versafine

Tools: 

Other: foam adhesive

let them eat chocolate (YCU)

Sweet.  Had it on the brain.  It's turned into a set of cards.  Using one stamp set and one stamp set only.  A strange one if I might add.  So how's that for challenging?

I'm certain you're wondering what the heck that thing on the lower right corner is... well, I thought it looked like a chocolate bar with some bites missing.  Now I'm not so sure.  Oh well, it's an original!

Entering "Something Sweet".  Again.

Stay tuned for more Inkadinkado nonsense ;)

Supplies for Eat Chocolate:

Paper: Cardbase Papermaniy, PP scrap K&Co

Stamps: Inkadinkado

Ink : Amuse, Versafine

Tools: 

Other: red marker, pearl glue, Glossy Accents

home sweet home (YCU, Retro)

Just received my first Neat and Tangled stamp set "Sweet Home" and the challenge #17 at Young Crafter's Unite is "Something Sweet".  Hmm, sounds like a card to me.

Ingredients:  PP from Pebbles, debossed Neenah CS and some stickers that I remembered I had, don't know the manufacturer.  Sentiment from Neat and Tangled.

All cooked up to the current Retro Sketch #46.

What a fabulous sketch for using up scrap PP or smaller stamped images.  Which I didn't.  But I may!

Have a great day.  We are (finally) getting snow.  Yippie!

Supplies for home sweet home:

Paper: CSNeenah, PP Pebbles

Stamps: Neat & TangledI

Ink : Versafine

Tools: embossing folder CuttlebugI

Other:  foam stickers

b/w with splashes (SSS, Moxie Fab)

OK, so the call was for B/W with a splash.  At Simon Says Stamp - Black/White and a Splash of Color. Couldn't keep it simple.  While cleaning up my crafting space I found some tags I had made and decided to put them onto cards.   With splatters.  Which became splashes.  Many.

Die cut a PTI tag from a recycled gift card and spiced it up with a circle from a kleenex box, two leaves from a friend's artwork, a tissue paper flower and some beads.  Attached that to a cardbase which was splattered, washi-taped and sequined (would that be with a double "n"???).  A sentiment alongside the tag and voila.

Pretty much the same story here but I used the packaging from an embossing folder for the tag.  And I was going for the "10 Embellishments on a Card"  challenge at Moxie Fab World, so there's even a button and some twine!

Note (1):  This challenge would probably have been impossible for me were it not for sequins.  Love 'em.  So "party".  And mailable.

Note (2):  You don't want to know how many rolls of washi I own... but notice the strip in the middle.  It's homemade.  If you own a Xyron/sticker machine, tissue paper and stamps you really don't have to add washi to your stash.  Why don't I follow my own advice???

Note (3):  Splatters.  A science on its own - which makes me think maybe I should ask Debby H. about this - how to create the perfect splatter?  It probably has something to do with Cell Biology ;)  Anyhoo, I used Dylusions spray inks.  Take another gander at card #1.  Here I removed the sprayer and flicked it at my cardbase.  Little splatters.  Lots of them on my workspace.  So I flipped the card over and sopped them up.  Now you know where those funny orange ones came from - pink + yellow = orange.

For card #2 I pulled out an eyedropper.  I tried to get a tiny bit of ink into it.  Maybe it depends on the size of the dropper but I got huge drops.  Which probably would have taken three days to dry.  Which led me to blow on them.  Which led to drippy looking splatters.  WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THAT ONE PERFECT LITTLE PINK ONE SITTING ATOP MY WATERMARK HEART.  DID YA SEE IT?
Now, of course it doesn't match the others, which makes all us control freaks crazy, but alas it is possible.  I think it was the last tiny drop of ink which probably came out with a big puff of air when I squeezed the eyedropper.  More experimentation necessary.

Assuming you're still here, I'd love to know how you make splatters?

Supplies for cards:

Paper: CS Neenah, recycled artwork, packaging and tissue paper

Stamps: sentiment Klartext, BG for washi CHF

Ink : Dylusions, Versafine

Tools: eyedropper, die leaves Spellbinders, others PTI

Other: washi, sequins, button, twine

springy window (ABNH, Moxie Fab, Hero Arts, APFP)

Here are a couple more cards from my card set I posted yesterday.  Changed up the colors a wee bit and used some Hero Arts stamps.

Used my homemade fun-foam-cut-from-a-die stamp to stamp the vines again, this time only three cuz I'm playing at this month's Hero Arts challenge:

and used the colors AND tried the new technique of die cutting fun foam to stamp with.  So I'm also playing at A Blog Named Hero where the challenge is:

And I'm hooking up to A Passion for Papertrey - Thank You since the vines are from PTI.  Actually yesterday's cards used even more PTI product, but oh well.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies for cards:

Paper: CS Neenah

Stamps: Hero Arts

Ink : Cat's Eyes, gray Hero Arts, Versafine

Tools: die bloom Spellbinders, vine PTI

Other: fun foam