go organic (PDCC, AEIU)

When I saw the inspiration at Play Date Cafe with its organic shapes I immediately thought of the craft foam stamp I'd made for this card.  Yeah, it got used again!

And the sponsor at PDC is none other than Avery Elle.  Great stamps.  Big wish list.  So I headed over to see what their challenge is this month and lo and behold...

Um Nina, think you could have fit a few more elements on that sketch maybe?!?!?!?  Now I know tags on cards are all the rage but I had to incorporate my vines.  So this is what I did with that sketch.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies way to go:

Paper: Bringmann,

Stamps: Avery Elle

Ink: Versafine, Aladine, Clearsnap

Tools: vine die PTI, circle die Sizzix

Other: craft foam, enamel dots MME, foam adhesive

the thing with wings (PDCC, SSS)

Let it be said that all card challenges should run for at least two weeks.  OK, it's been said.

Made this one with three challenges in mind:
Fusion #5 - totally about the sketch but way too late
Play Date Cafe - #181 Steel blue, peach and apricot
Simon Says Stamp - Things with Wings

Here she is:

Take a bird die cut from distress-inked and water-splattered CS, a PC generated sentiment and a sewing machine and this is what you get.  I am a total fan of Emily Dickinson's "Hope is the thing with feathers", I just changed it up a little.

Thanks for looking.

p.s.  Great giveaway over at The Ribbon Girl - hemp twine.  Check it out.

Supplies the thing with wings:

Paper: CS Bringmann, white Neenah

Stamps: sentiment PC

Ink: Distress Inks

Tools: die Tim Holtz Sizzix, sewing machine

Other: 

i was born a chevron (Moxie Fab, PDCC, Passion for Papertrey)

It's been ages since I played at the Cafe... and I nearly missed the deadline... again.  So here are some lousy photos, but I'm in before the deadline.

Started with a chevron die from MFT and some Papermania CS in the PDC colors:

I had big plans for some graphic coolness, but suffice it to say my lack of spatial thinking abilities led to a need to re-work.  As in not-doable-with-chevrons.  So this happened.

A negative die cut with some peaks of the chevrons peeking out on the left, a lovely PTI sentiment and sequins.   And then this.

Some strips cut by trimming through the peaks and valleys of the chevrons, then aligned mismatched.  Born chevron, turned arrow.  And what goes better with arrows than a heart?  Heat embossed with a cool Casual Fridays sentiment.  A distressed mesh BG and sequins to top it off and I'm in under the wire.

Playing at:
The Play Date Cafe - #174
Moxie Fab World - Chevron Challenge
Moxie Fab World - Emphasize the Negative
Passion for Papertrey - Negative Die Cut

 Appreciate your visit.

Supplies to love and be loved:

Paper: CS Bringmann, Papermania

Stamps: sentiment PTI

Ink :Hero Arts

Tools:  heart dies Sizzix,chevron die MFT

Other: sequins, dimensional adhesive

Supplies yeah baby:

Paper: CS Bringmann, Papermania

Stamps: BG CHF, sentiment Casual Fridays

Ink :Distress Ink, Hero Arts, Versamark

Tools:  heart dies Sizzix,chevron die MFT

Other: embossing powder Zing, sequins, dimensional adhesive

color-blocked sympathy (PDCC, CFC, SSS)

I can't believe it but I need another sympathy card.  A friend's father died.  He was only 71.  Geez.  Enough already.

This was kinda a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants attempt to squeak in under the Play Date Cafe's challenge deadline.  Haven't played there for a long time.

Luckily one of my DCWV pads had the three colors I needed.  Attached the blocks of color to the base and heat embossed with my delivered-in-today's-blizzard-by-the-dear-mailman Clearly Besotted stamps.  A button and twine and that's it.

Also hooking up to:
CASual Fridays - #93 Color Blocks
Simon Says Stamp - A Bit o' Green

Thanks for looking.

Supplies With Deepest Sympathy:

Paper: CS DCWV

Stamps: Clearly Besotted

Ink : Versamark 

Tools: heat tool

Other:  white embossing powder, button, crochet thread

tag a la maile b., sorta (Ellen Hutson, Artful Delight, PDC, SSS)

If you haven't jumped on, you should.  The chalkboard bandwagon, that is.  I jumped on, thanks to some motivation from Betsy V. here.  And boy is it fun.  But I twisted it into a tag based on Maile B.'s tag for Day 10 of 12 Tags with a Feminine Twist over at Ellen Hutson's Classroom.


Now maybe not everyone gets into chalkboards.  Created by me, on a card, I'm a fan.  But let me tell you, in my stint as a teacher, chalk became my number one enemy.  First off, there's never a good sized piece at the board.  Second, some kids take pleasure in throwing it across the room.  Third, no matter how often you rubs your hands to get the chalk dust off, you always end up with chalk dust on your clothes.  And when you're fighting dry, chapped hands in the winter it's the last thing you need.  Nuff said.

May I say, however, that making a card with this technique is FUN.  Inky fingers are OK.

At first glance you might not "see" Maile's tag.

But it's there - the BG stamped with white images, the washi strip, the pink/green sentiment panel, the white ribbon.  My additions - a touch of bling and a gift card pocket on the back.  Again.

Playing at the Cafe again:

And at Artful Delight:

And at Simon Says Stamp - What's Your Favorite? cuz I love me some heat embossing.
Have a wonderful week before Christmas.

Supplies for You better not pout:

Paper: manila tag, black paper Bringmann, book page

Stamps: 7 Gypsies

Ink :  Versamark, Adirondack pigment, white pencil

Tools:

Other:  embossing powder, twine, washi, ribbon, bling

tag a la Teri A. (Ellen Hutson, CFC, PDC, Ribbon Girl)

I've really enjoyed the Feminine Twist on 12 Tags of Christmas over at Ellen Hutson's Classroom.  Here is my first take on Teri Anderson's tag for Day 6.

Heat embossed the trees and fussy cut.  Created snowy hills.  Distress Inked tag for a fun pinky sky.  Attached trees and knotted bows.  Heat embossed sentiment.  Added pearly accents to hills and the sky.  Used washi and a fun foam snowflake at the top.

Also playing at the Cafe:

And CASual Fridays:

And The Ribbon Girl - Ho Ho Ho December challenge.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies for winter wonderland:

Paper: manila tag, scraps

Stamps: tree Bella Blvd,  sentiment Prima

Ink : Distress Ink, Versamark

Tools:

Other: embossing powder Zing, twine, washi, pearl glue pen, foam sticker

so torn plum chaos (CFC, PDCC)

This one flowed.  Like Welch's grape juice.  Mixed with raspberry Kool-Aid.

Must admit I've been a bit stumped by the jeweled tone color choices over at The Play Date Cafe lately.  But put together with the CASual Fridays "so torn" challenge and this washi tape card by Christine, not to mention this PP pack which basically made my life easy (don't ya love it when that happens?), I was able to put my own twist on the jeweled tones.  Elegant, nay.  But me.

Thanks for looking.

Supplies for hb2u:

Paper: cardbase Papermania, PP Marianne Creatables

Stamps: BG CHF

Ink :Versamagic

Tools: die Memory Box

Other: sticker

let's lick this thing (SCS, PDCC)

That, friends, is a shot of my Master Tracking List for the Splitcoast Hope You Can Cling To month of challenges.  Whew.  I made it.  The last card of my HYCCT marathon was for #1225A - Let's lick this thing.  As in cancer.  And as in postage stamps.

Well two years ago in an oh-so-cool gallery of shops next to the Hard Rock Cafe in Paris, I found a shop selling old postcards and stamps.  Don't know if they were lost in the mail or cleaned out of someone's attic, but I love that there is so much personality/history to them, even if I don't know the story behind it.  I like that I can make the story live on, in a way, by using the piece.

I merely added some Glimmer Mist spritzing, a hodge podge of embellies, washi and a brad before adhering the postcard to my cardbase.

Playing with The Play Date Cafe's #156 spicy color challenge:

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day.

Supplies for Journee:

Paper: cardbase Papermania,  vintage postcard, PP Cosmo Cricket, vellum

Stamps: Viva

Ink : Versamark

Tools: flowerand label die PTI

Other: washi Freckled Fawn, brad Eyelet Outlet, chipboard Cosmo Cricket

shine on (PDC, Retro, SCS)

Just under the wire.  Again.  But I made it so enough said.  Saw this inspiration board last week over at The Play Date Cafe.

Thought, "mint - ugh".  But I love how it's combined with leather and gold. Hmmm.  Then I get this catalog in the mail with some little gold scrolls - "open all to see which prize you have won" blah, blah, blah .  Then I see the sketch over at Retro Sketches

and also know that I have a "shiny" card still to make for HYCCT #1215B.  Ta da.

So, except for the fact that I nearly missed the cutoff, and that my photo had to be taken in my basement, I'm happy.  Love the touch of glamour the gold candles and bling (like the doorknob) add.  And that brown/beige PP is actually flocked and damask.  It's a stretch to Retro, but I did get the idea there.  Don't know whether this should be a congrats or bday card so no sentiment yet.  What do you think?

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies :

Paper: cardbase Papermania, PP Basic Grey and Laura Ashley

Stamps: 

Ink :

Tools: die Sizzix

Other: bling, ribbon

more celebration (PDCC, TCM)

Quick post for my second card for Play Date Cafe's anniversary celebration and also for this month's sketch challenge at The Craft's Meow.  Turned to my beloved "Beautiful Spring" stamp set from TCM and this sketch:

Also used the hb sentiment (love how the open font matches the sketch style of the rose) from "Retro Foundations" and "Typically Teen" for that swash of paint.  Here she is.

Stamped the flutterby with off-stamped orange, pink, red and violet and fussy cut it.  Same procedure on the swash which I then layered with vellum and a border die cut from leftover distress inked CS from this card.

Appreciate your visit.

Supplies Happy Birthday:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, CS Neenah

Stamps: The Craft's meow

Ink: Distress Inks, violet Adirondack, navy Versamagic

Tools: dies MFT

Other: vellum

congrats to Play Date Cafe (PDCC, Passion for Papertrey)

Play Date Cafe.  What a great name for a challenge blog.  My kids are past the days of play dates, but the name makes me smile every time I go over there to play.  Happy Anniversary PDC!

This photo makes me absolutely swoon.  My three bridesmaids - whoa, blast from the past - wore red, fuchsia and violet raw silk dresses... so this is so me.  But when it came down to playing with the colors I had a really tough time.  You too?  

Tried to figure out why and decided that since  red, violet and blue are all so close together on the color wheel... it is the "glow" in the photo that makes it all work.  So I had to go for that.

My go to for glow, distress inks.  Don't own the PDCC named colors, but I took Spiced Marmelade, Worn Lipstick, Festive Berries, Shaded Lilac and Chipped Sapphire and this is what I got!  Inked up Neenah CS, cut it into two panels, spritzed some Perfect Pearl/water msit, die cut the words, printed the remaining text on the PC and assembled.  It actually turned out as I imagined.  Yippie.

This was a spin off of the same idea, using up the positives and some scraps of digital paper.  Notice how my printer cartridge is losing its color.  You know me, waste not want not.

Completely different look, eh?  Crazy, this craft we love.  I'm also playing over at Passion for Papertrey - yeah, they're back and worldwide now too.  Happy Monday.  I may be back.

Supplies to love and be loved:

Paper: cardbase Buttinette, CS Neenah

Stamps:

Ink: Distress Inks, Perfect Pearls

Tools: die PTI

Other: PC, bling

black & white & a splash of sugar plum fairy (PDCC, ABNH, 52)

Because that's the name of the Glimmer Mist I used for my splash of plum.  Looks more like the color of your fingers after you've taken the pits out of two pounds of plums, eh?   I'm playing over at the Play Date Cafe #152.

And cuz I'd really love to win me some Freckled Fawn washi tape I'm playing at 52 Card Pickup.  Play along and help Patrice beat her last record of 73 entries.

And I did it all on a piece of white CS.  Over at A Blog Named Hero they want you to start with a piece of white CS as your canvas.  I must admit, this is pretty standard mode of operation for me, but there are some beauties from the DT.  Check them out.

So, fresh from vacation and two piles of laundry completed, this is what I created.  Not my best ever, but fun to do.  Masked and misted a circle.  Stamped the image off the edge.  Added my new Hero Arts sentiment and heat embossed it.  Added a touch of bling and mounted to card base.

Off to do some more laundry so I have more room to craft ;)  Hope ya'll had a productive WCMD.  I was strolling the beach on France's Silver Coast which was a pretty groovy way to spend the day too.  After the first couple nights I actually slept without dreaming about card design!  Obviously it was time for vacay!  (Any of you have that "problem" too???)

Thanks for visiting.  Au revoir.

Supplies joy:

Paper: card base Buttinette, CS Neenah

Stamps: Rubbernecker,  sentiment Hero Arts

Ink: Versafine, Versamark, Glimmer Mist

Tools: die MFT

Other: embossing powder, bling

reflected sentiments (MIM, PDCC, YCU)

Another fun thing to try - reflected sentiments a la Becky V. over at Papertrey's Make it Monday.  You stamp onto a piece of acetate and then use the stamped acetate to stamp the reflection on the card.

I really like the Christmas card Betsy made.  Here is my take:

Looks kinda Christmas-y doesn't it.  Have to actually READ it to get it.  I went with some text stamps from Cosmo Cricket because they had flat bottoms and didn't look totally perfect to begin with.  I feared my reflected stamping might not come out perfectly.  And it didn't.  But it's Halloween.  That's cool.

I used the color scheme from Play Date Cafe #151 to mix things up a bit too.

Notice the faint hexagons.  Trendy, eh?  Just like the gals over at Three Cool Chicks.  Day #5 was about hexagons.  Here they are.

And since this technique was totally new to me, I'm playing along with Young Crafter's Unite Challenge #14 to Learn Something New.

Thanks for your visit.

Supplies BOO:

Paper: card base Buttinette, CS Neenah & Papermania

Stamps: PTI, sentiment Cosmo Cricket

Ink: Memento, Amuse Studio

Tools: acetate

Other: 

fun on the first day of fall (PDCC, CFC, Moxie Fab, SSS)

I love stamping.  And inky fingers.  I had so much fun today, with both.  DH was watching some marathon soccer so I disappeared to my creating space (read: laundry room!)

Fall fun.  That's this week's theme at CASual Fridays.  I have fun every time I pull out Teeny Trees from Waltzingmouse.

And I decided I could accentuate the "fun" aspect by going with The Play Date Cafe's color scheme of Flamingo, Honey and Coffee.  In translation:  Worn Lipstick, Wild Honey and Vintage Photo Distress Inks (how I LOVE playing with those inks!)

 Pretty simple.  I just love those trees.  Give 'em a two-tone look and they are so gorgeous.  Was going to add twine originally, but when I grounded them with the sentiment I couldn't bring myself to add anything else to the card except a little heat embossed birdie.  Gave it just a two-edge mat - asymmetry, ya know?  (Thanks again for the lessons on design, Moxie Fab.)

Liked it so much I turned around and made two more.  For aunts and uncles.  Shhh... don't tell 'em.

Playing at:

and Simon Says Stamp:  Emboss It!

Supplies Happy Thanksgiving:

Paper: card base Papermania, kraft

Stamps: WMS

Ink: Distress Ink

Tools: 

Other: clear embossing powder

orchid, tangerine, sea foam (PDCC, PS, YCU)

 Trends.  How long do they last?  But I did it.  Bought a chevron die.  Oh my goodness.  What fun.  What possibilities.  What a challenge (if you're good in spatial thinking -read:  I'm not - you can do awesome things with this baby).  Just check out JJ's blog.

Die cut a bunch of chevrons and then played around with them until I found a pattern I like.  Tons of possibilities.  Then, when you cut them into strips a whole nother (that's Michigan slang, BTW) world of possibilities presents itself.

I used the colors from this gorgeous photo board from The Play Date Cafe:

And this designer draft from Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge:

And am loving the trend challenges like this one at Young Crafters Unite:

Here she is.

Looks kinda wonky, but I purposely stamped the sentiment in lilac AND light gray to give it a bit more weight. It doesn't look that "fuzzy" IRL...  Notice how the twine guides your eye from the star down to the sentiment (thanks to Paper Crafts Connection  and Moxie Fab World I now know that's called "movement/flow")?

And because I actually needed a retirement card for a friend (yeah, I'm that old - actually I'm not but I have friends who are!!!) and because I had plenty of chevrons ;).  It needed to be more masculine so, more blue and vellum rather than twine.

Thanks for visiting.

Supplies cheers:

Paper: card base Buttinette, CS Papermania

Stamps: Kim Hughes CHF, sentiment Paper Smooches

Ink: Versamagic

Tools: dies MFT

Other: twine

Supplies happy happy everything:

Paper: card base Craft UK, CS Papermania, vellum

Stamps: Kim Hughes CHF, sentiment PTI

Ink: Versamagic, Versafine

Tools: dies MFT

Other: