Goodness this weekend just got away from me! I wanted to participate in Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-Faire event but only got one project done!
I started by cutting tags from my Tags Galore file. I stamped them with Papertrey Ink's Fancy Flourishes stamp set. (Haven't used this stamp in a long time..forgot how wonderful it is!). Then embossed with white embossing powder.
I just loved Betsy's video on staining using Kool-aide. I bought a value pack of generic Kool Aide that had 4 flavors included and the colors I got were just plain horrible! I ended up with two reds that worked okay but the yellow didn't dye at all and the grape was more grey in color. I was deeply disappointed! I love Betsy's colors so I think I will buy what she did and try again in the future. So....
I had some tea and got that out to tea stain the tags. This worked quite well. The watercolor paper I cut the tags out of didn't warp at all. It's hard to tell in the photo but I also stained some tulle. I layered this with my flowers (QK die). If you click on the photo you might be able to see the tulle better.
I stamped the white card base with a script stamp from Hero Arts. I think if I duplicate this card I will tea stain the base or use a less stark white. I really love the tea stain color with a touch of soft pink as an accent color. So I used PTI's sweet blush cardstock to cut my flowers and border. The border is from my Card Base 1 file. A little bit of gold accented fiber finished the card.
If you would like to purchase any of the files I used please click on the previews below. Hurry as my files are 70% off until Aug 31st. Gotta love great quality files at rock bottom prices!
My creative design team has been having lots of fun with my cupcake card file. I can't wait to show you what fab creations they have made.
First up we have a wonderful card by CDT member Johanne.
Here is what Johanne had to say about her cupacke:
Info:
This card
was made from Shelly's Art Cupcake Card file. I made it larger than the file. I
applied distress ink - shabby shutters- on every section. The paper for the
icing was Hepburn from Memory Keepers. I embossed it with the Cuttlebug and
covered those embossed parts with Stickles Frosted Lace. I added silver
brads to imitate dragees. The cherry was embossed with red embossing powder. I
duplicated the icing and the cherry, mirroring it and applying it on the other
side. It gave me a fully decorated cupcake and I could add more
sentiment. I cut the base and printed my message afterward using the cut &
print technique.
Translation:
A cupcake made from the best: health, happiness, magic moments & a
bit of crazy time. Happy Birthday dear Granddaughter.
I love all the details Johanne added to this card. I especially like the embossing then added stickles on top. This makes her paper look as if she bought it at a specialty shop. I will definitely be casing this technique in the future. I never think to emboss patterned papers but adore the look! How creative of Johanne to make the card double sided too. You could add a gift card to one side and sentiment to the other.
Next up we have an equally creative card by CDT member Kelly.
Here is what Kelly had to say about her card:
This card features 3 files from Shelly's Art
(Cupcake Card, Pennant Border Set (coming soon to my store) & Tags Galore). For the background, I
used my Scallops & Lines embossing folder from Sizzix. I inked over the
raised image with a French Blue inkpad. The two blue cupcakes are embossed with
the D'vine Swirls folder and I used the French Blue ink on them as well. The
brown cupcake is embossed with the Mesh folder and inked with Vintage Photo
Distress Ink. I added a blue rhinestone to the tag. There is also lots of pen
stitching added to the card. The Make a Wish sentiment is cut from vinyl. The
rest of the sentiments are from K Andrew's Food for Thought stamp set.
I love how she reduced the size of the cupcakes to allow them to be the focal feature on the front of a standard sized card. Kelly is great at embossing and this card really shows her skill! The pen detailing is great as is that tiny rhinestone on the tag!
Now if you'd like to play with my cupcakes too please click on the photo below to purchase the file at 30% off the whole month of August 2011.
Adoree had been sleeping in Tyler's crib which turned into a sleigh bed. It was starting to sag so we decided Adoree needed a bed of her own. The only problem was that her room is really small and we couldn't possibly fit a dresser and bed in the room. So we searched and came across this loft bed and it seemed like the perfect solution. So we ordered it from Amazon here. It arrived in three boxes on July 11th. However, the one box was badly damaged. So I contacted the company (South Shore Furniture) and posted a complaint. I informed them that the boxes are about 75lbs and long and bulky so they need more protection when they are packaged. They sent replacement pieces free of charge and these were encased in several layers of cushioned cardboard and bubblewrap. So they were perfect! Adoree was soo excited to finally have her bed put together.
The area where the curtain is open in case you want to put another dresser under there. However, we thought it would make a great play area.
Look I actually sewed! Hubby found a fabric place that had fabric matching her quilt and I sewed the curtain. I am not a sewer in the least and it took me a long time and I even sewed the rod opening shut at one point. I learned a needle tool for paper piercing is a good seam ripper! LOL! So the curtain isn't perfect but Adoree loved it anyway. We were a little concerned about how high up the bed is but she seems to be doing just fine in it. Plus her room looks soo much bigger now! Tyler is loving her curtain area too they play all sorts of games in there.
Once again it is lunch time so I must say good bye! I hope to participate in Papertrey Ink's latest make it Monday challenge so be on the lookout for that post soon. Thanks for stopping by! Have a good weekend!
I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. Our Summer has been anything but lazy. I have been suffering for about 5 possibly 6 months now with foot pain. I have an abnormally large bone in my foot. Ordinarily this isn't a problem but I did something to irritate the tendon and now it's rubbing against the bone causing a lot of pain. The foot doc tried various things but nothing really helped. So the last resort was physical therapy. Thankfully it has made me feel sooo much better. Since Tyler got out of school..he and Adoree have accompanied me to physical therapy sessions 3 times a week. I also need to do exercises twice a day. It's all worth it though my foot feels 10x better than when I started therapy about a month ago. Bless those therapist! I had taken for granted before being able to walk without pain and never really realized how a strong foot is important. I couldn't believe how weak my foot was before starting the exercises. One of the hardest things for me to get used to is wearing shoes in the house...I need the arch support so I must wear them. It might be easier in the Winter but now that it's warm I'm just can not get used to wearing shoes all the time! I was thrilled though as we found sandals with built in arch supports in them at an Amish store for really cheap! I love these sandals and my feet thank me for wearing them! LOL!
After the 4th of July we decided to remodel our porch. At first it was just going to be a paint job but after taking a good look at the condition of the porch we decided to tear down the awning, replace floor boards, posts and put vinyl railing and soffit up. We have a rather large porch and not much DIY skills so this is a big deal for us! Even with all those renovations it still left a lot of wood that had peeling and crackled paint on it. So it is my job to get the wood ready for painting (hubby is going to help!) . We tried scraping and sanding but the crackled paint wouldn't budge. So we are now using a stripping gel. It is working somewhat but takes off thin layers at a time so that means tons of scraping and reapplying the stripping until we get a paintable surface. As I was telling hubby this is a very hard job..especially with my wimpy arms! I repaired the horsehair plaster walls, sanded, cleaned, primed and painted the entire room mostly myself for my craft room and that was nothing compared to all this scraping! I wish the temps would cool a little as this stripping gel is supposed to be used in temps ranging from 65-85 degrees and we have been hitting the 90s. I think I'll get out there tomorrow morning before it gets too hot and then take a break and not go back out until after supper. The gel is supposed to stay active for 24 hours so that should work out well. Any suggestions on paint colors? We have a white house and the posts along with the railing will be white but I want the porch and steps to be a different color. I'm leaning towards a light olive green but I just can't visualize it. Most of the porches I've seen are the hunter green and for some reason I'm not fond of that color. I love the brick red but I think that looks better with a beige house and hubby already informed me we are not painting the house! LOL!
While working on the porch I managed to take some breaks and finish up the PTI's Make it Monday challenge..however...I didn't managed to get it posted on my blog by the deadline! DRAT! I love PTI stamps and really wanted to enter that challenge to win some. Oh well I do love how my card turned out so I figured I'd share it with you anyway!
It really is a great technique. You make your own stamp pad using reinkers so you can color one stamp with multiple colors. I used distress ink reinkers to color the butterfly and leaves as that is one stamp. I had to mix yellow and blue to get green since I didn't have any green but I love how that gave a lot of shading to the leaves. I had plenty of ink left on my custom stamp pad to make several of these. I wish I would of had the hindsite to stamp more of these for future cards. Someone did mention you could possibly store your handmade stamp pad in a sealed bag for later use but I didn't think of that either. :(
Before I tell you a little more about my card...I'd like to share with you the video describing this technique. Remember this challenge is no longer active but they do have a new challenge up for this Monday here. I only have one PTI die that I used on the card above so I'll have to see if I can get creative with that die!
I started with my Card Base 4 file then added PTI stamps for the focal point. The butterfly circle came from the Round and Round Anniversary Set (not available for sale anymore) and the frame came from the Mat Stack 2 collection and a Nestabilities Scalloped circle was added behind that for a pop of color. The background paper was stamped with a french script stamp. The patterned paper was made with the following PTI stamps: Turning a New Leaf (love...love..love..this set!) and the separate butterfly the the Round and Round anniversary set. This is my first time stamping my own background paper and I thought for sure I would screw it up but I think it turned out pretty well! It is impossible to tell in the photo but I sprayed the yellow scallop circle, border and butterfly patterned paper with pearl glimmer mist. I love the shimmer it added! The tag is from my tags galore file. The sentiment is from PTI's Round and Round anniversary set. I added a few clear dew drops colored with a purple Copic marker and also some rhinestones to the sentiment. Oh and see that baker's twine....guess..what....I made that myself! Yep...all it took was my Dremel tool, a cup hook, crochet thread and embroidery floss. (If you want to see a demo of how I did this let me know and maybe after the porch is done I can get one made up). I do think I will use this color combo in the future. I'm not a big fan of the color yellow for some reason but I love it paired with the purple and green.
My CDT member Johanne also had fun with my Card Base 4 file.
I just love this color combo and the papers she used. The stickles add just the right amount of pizazz to this great card! It would be a great card not only for Valentine's Day but any time you want to let you loved ones know you are thinking of them. Here is what Johanne had to say about her lovely card:
I Love you from Barb Wire Designs (from the KNK complementary files CD)
Fancy Hearts(Free_Feb_007) a freebie from one of the group
Paper: Together Ruby from
Chatter Box
Stickles
Tim Holtz Distress Ink brushed
corduroy
So do you any of you want to come to my house and put a bed together? LOL! Adoree has been sleeping in Tyler's "crib". It is one that converts into a day bed but she is a rather active child and the springs have started to sag plus she is getting really tall. So we decided it's time to get her a big girl bed. Her room is very small so we wanted a bed that had storage in it that way we wouldn't have to try to squeeze a twin bed and dresser into her room. We found a great loft bed on Amazon. It came in three boxes and now needs put together! It is funny even the instructions say it's best to ask a friend to help! Hmm I wonder if hubby and I can do this without too much frustration! Wish us luck! Adoree is such a girlie girl! Tyler has always been perfectly happy with plain sheets. However, Adoree just begged to have the Princess and Fairy sheets. It's a good thing they were on sale at Kmart! Okay now that your eyes hurt from reading this long post...I will bid you goodnight!
Thanks for stopping by and come back again. If I get a chance I'll come back with some porch before and afters! At this rate though the after might not be until the end of the month!
Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas! Well it will soon be time for Santa to arrive. Are you ready? If you need a few last minute gifts I do have a sale going on in my store. You can save money and create an awesome handmade gift in minutes! Just remember the glue does have to dry! LOL! Click on the preview to purchase files in AI, GSD, KNK, SVG, and WPC formats. If there is a file not available in SVG in my store please purchase it in any format and e-mail me the proof of purchase. I will then e-mail you the SVG file ASAP! I also have a few digital scrapbooking kits and a few commercial use items in my store. Thanks for stopping by! Close the door on your way out! LOL!
I have been very busy getting ready for Santa. Actually, I still have Christmas cards to make. So when the Scal-hints yahoo group shared this video for making a woven ribbon wreath I just had to try it. I absolutely love it! Thanks guys and En-May! It looks more complicated then it really is. After you get the hang of it..it goes very quickly!
Below is the card I made with a wreath I made on my first try! I was in a hurry once again as this was a teacher's card. My son's last day was Tuesday and we were invited to the party so I was running out the door with this card. Thank goodness I didn't need any envy!
I used iridescent jewels on the wreath and bow but they don't show up very well in the photo. The holly leaves is an actual metal charm. However, I tried to mimic the look of the metal charm in the Peace charm. I cut it out of paper then used my turning paper into metal tut from previous technique Tuesdays posts. You can find it here if you missed it. I used my Christmas Word Charms file. Click on the preview below if you still have Christmas cards to make too! LOL! It's a steal at the special price of $1.15! Oh I almost forgot for the background paper I also used my tut for making colored core cardstock found here.
As I mentioned I still have quite a few cards to make! So I made another card using this technique. This card is based on a great sketch by Mojo Mondays....week 115.
Look closely. Can you tell this ribbon was the same ivory ribbon I used in my first card example? I bet you can't! Want to know how I magically made this green ribbon. See photo below.
You can use your Copic markers (and possibly Sharpies or Bic) to color white or ivory ribbon. Use the broad tip of the marker and color slowly. The ink will absorb into the ribbon and saturate completely even coloring the other side. It may look a little splotchy at first but it will soak in and even out your color in a few minutes. (Hmm I think I'll be stocking up on white or ivory ribbon the next time I go to the store!) The Dew Drops started out clear too and I colored them to be ruby red jems with the Copics. I just love these markers but I love them even more when I can find other uses for them!
I used the tag from my Tags Galore file. You can click on the preview in case you need to add it to your stash! It's a steal at 50% off!
The scallop circle came from my cookie time file. Click preview below to purchase it at 50% off.
The bow on the green wreath was made using Michelle Hessler's wonderful bow templates. You can see the video tut on how to make templates and how to use them here.
Since we are taking about ribbon. I wanted to share with you a wonderful card my fabulously creative design team member Lisa made for me! I just love how the ribbon makes the tree! You can add the trunk and star from my previous "ribbon tree freebie" to make your own ribbon tree. Add some brads for ornaments and you are done! Super quick but looks great!
I have one more item to share with you then I'll get to your freebie. Elizabeth a talented member of my creative design team made my airplane box for her son. He loves anything military related! She plans on giving this to him filled with some sweet treats at the airport. What a wonderful tasty surprise! If you'd like to make your own airplane box you can only get it through my membership club. You can purchase it by clicking on the photo below. If you'd like to see what files will have been entered into the membership so far see the pink camera slideshow to the right.
Whew! I bet you thought I'd never stop jabbering! Now on to the important stuff..your freebie! This an old file I dug up and revamped a little. I hope you enjoy it! The zip file contains AI, GSD, KNK, SVG and WPC formats. I will leave this file up at least until the 26th so if you are busy celebrating you can still get it. I do ask that you please do not share this file but instead direct them to my blog to download it themselves. Even though this file is free my TOU still applies. Click on the preview to download the file. You also get a plain mat without the ornament hook (not pictured).
