Rocker Card

Hi everyone.  Today I'm sharing my first attempt at a Rocker Card.  This is the challenge at Just Us Girls #640 this week.

I have never made one of these cards before, but after seeing the adorable cards made by the JUGS Design Team, I had to give it a try.  When I saw the cards, I thought the shape looked like a watermelon slice ... I went with that.  I die cut a circle, folded in half and then sponged (masking as I went).  Used Mowed Lawn and Rustic Wilderness distress inks for the rind, and Picked Raspberry and Festive Berries for the center.  Used a black marker to draw the seeds.

 

I then looked through my stamps to find an image that would be hanging over the edge and this sweet dog (retired from Impression Obsession) was perfect (sponged him with distress inks).  I originally constructed the background panel with the dog image and sentiment combined.  Attached to my watermelon slice and the darn thing was too top heavy. :)  I have to admit that I didn't watch the video on how to make these cards ... I just winged it.  So I removed the dog from the panel, cut down the sentiment and attached it behind the dog with a thin piece of card stock.  Better, but still not centered so I had to add a few pieces to the back to weight it until it sat straight. :)  Trial and error.  Should have watched the video! :)

Close-up ...

Thanks to Carol Mc of JUGS for the fun challenge!

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Stamps:  Dog - retired (Impression Obsession); Sweetest (sentiment - Avery Elle)

Paper:   White card stock (Neenah 110 lb.); Mixed Media paper (Strathmore 140 lb.)
Ink:   Black (Memento); Distress inks:  Mowed Lawn, Rustic Wilderness, Brushed Corduroy, Gathered Twigs (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:  Clear embossing powder, sponges, black marker (Sharpie), white marker (Posca) 

Challenges:

Just Us Girls #640 - Rocker Card

Happy Birthday Cooper

Hi everyone.  My grandson, Cooper, turned 5 on Dec. 18th.  Wanted to share the card I made for him.  Isn't this fun??!!  I bought a template (click HERE for link) and then set to work cutting out all the little pieces.  It turned out so well.  Perfect card to give to him along with a wooden fire truck building set.

We will be seeing the grandsons later today when Evan brings them over to celebrate a belated birthday for Cooper, as well as Christmas.  We don't get to see the grandsons very often, so we are excited to have the time together.  Jer, Alex and Violeta will be here too.  It's great to have us all together.

Here's a close-up ...

Card Purse

Hi everyone.  Today I've made something different.  My dear friend Karen (Snippets) made a card totebag about a week ago.

I give several of my (non-cardmaking) friends packages of cards for their birthdays and I think this is such a great way to "wrap" the cards ... presenting them to my friends in this card holder purse.

It's also a great way to use some of my stacks of 12" x 12" patterned papers. :) Win/win.  I hope to make a lot more of these.

I struggled a little with the handles, but think maybe next time I'll soften the card stock with my bone folder before scoring and gluing and hopefully that will give a smoother curve.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Cooper's 1st Birthday

Hi everyone.  Yesterday was Cooper's birthday party and I made him my first pop-up box card.  I had so much fun making this! :)

I bought the pattern from Silhouette America and cut it with my Cameo.  I used a checkerboard stencil to make the sides and back of the card (stencil was cut with my Cameo too!).  I just love the racing car design.  There are several videos on youtube on how to make these box cards without a cutting machine.  I could see myself making many of these with different themes. :)

Nikki and Evan went to a lot of work making decorations for the party ... the theme was "Dumbo and Under the Big Top".  Everything they made was so perfect ... from the pennants that welcomed you at the door, to the large marquee with Cooper's name in lights, to the boxes of popcorn and yummy "Big Top" fondant covered cake ... it was so fun! :)

I've included a few pictures below of the birthday boy ... having a sweet treat for the very first time.  He didn't like the icing, but LOVED the cake :)

Spring is here in the garden

Hi everyone.  Here is my Design Team card for the latest challenge at Addicted to Stamps & More #42 - Make Your Mark.  Any style of card is welcome for this challenge as long as you use markers (any kind) on your creations.  Today I made a step card ... something I haven't done for a long time.  And I added lots of die-cuts to create a spring garden scene.  I again used an image from this month's sponsor, Heather Ellis.  I love all the Pure Innocence images and had a lot of fun creating cards with them over the past four weeks.

Here's the info on the challenge:

This challenge's sponsor is

Prize:  Two digis from Heather Ellis Collection

(please follow rules of challenge to be eligible for prize)

Stamps:  PI-017 (Heather Ellis), Spring is Here sentiment (Penny Black)

Paper:  White, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Pink Pirouette (SU!)

Ink:  Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Marina Mist, Sahara Sand (SU!); Copics:  E000, E00, E01, Y21, E44, E49

Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Picket Fence die (Memory Box), Grass Border (large profile from Cheery Lynn); C.C. Designs dies:  Grass Border (small profile), Flower Border, Leafy Branches, sponges, red chalk, glue, adhesives, and dimensionals


I made a step card ... it's a bit hard to capture the essence of the card in photographs, so I am including a few below that will (hopefully) give you an idea of how it looks.  Instructions for the step card base are included under the Tutorial tab of this blog.

Once I had the base cut, I cut two more panels ... one to fit over the left side and one for the right side.  This gave me panels to work on, rather than trying to sponge and glue down elements on the base.  Once I had put everything in place, I adhered the panels to the base and it made the card sturdier as well ... a bonus!

I sponged the sky using a hand-cut, randomly sized scallop template that I made.  I used a very light touch and Bashful Blue ink to create a very soft, cloudy sky.  Next I attached a piece of picket fence to each panel, just at the bottom so that the top of the fence is loose ... that made it easy to glue trees behind both (leafy branch dies).  I glued a large grass border, followed by the flower border.  The flower border is two layers, green for the leaves, with pink card stock for each flower glued on top, with the edges sponged to add more interest and yellow centers colored with my Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write marker.

I cut another layer from the bottom card front (1" x 5 1/2"), sponged around the border with Certainly Celery Ink and stamped the sentiment in Wild Wasabi ink.  It was adhered to the card front, just covering the bottom edges of the grass and flower borders to hold them in place.

Pure Innocence is a digital stamp that I printed onto Whisper White card stock and colored with my markers (along with her watering can).  I fussy cut the two images and popped them on top of the card front.

Here's another photo of the step card ...

... and here's a close-up of Pure Innocence ...

I hope I have inspired you to join us for this fun challenge.  Check out the other fabulous creations by the Design Team at ATS&M!

____________________

A warm welcome to two new members, Lisa S and Susan ... thanks for joining us!!

White Picket Fence

Today I made a card for the SCS Color Challenge (CC373 - wild wasabi, pumpkin pie, bashful blue).  I had a lot of fun with these colors!  I created an outdoor scene with a tree swing, picket fence, grass and flowers, using a step card so that I could have lots of depth between layers.  My jumping off point was the picket fence die that I just got from Poppy Stamps - love their dies!!  This card was not hard to make, but it was a little time consuming making all the flowers.

I have been following Pam Sparks' blog "Expressions with Heart" for a little while now and just love her style and how she creates fun scenes.  I'm learning a lot from her and she inspired me to make today's card - thanks Pam!!  Hope you like.

"White Picket Fence"

Stamps:  Tree Swing (Stampendous); Happy Moments - sentiment (SU!)

Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake (SU!)

Ink:  StazOn Black, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue, Soft Suede, Basic Black (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot, Picket Fence and Wildflower Patch dies (Poppy Stamps), Grass die (Cheery Lynn), Hydrangea punch (Martha Stewart), medium oval punch, blender pen, sponges, mat pack, stylus, paper piercing tool, Forest Branches embossing folder (Cuttlebug), mini half-pearls, Tombow glue, and adhesives

I made a step card base with Wild Wasabi cardstock (4 1/4" square with the folds at the front being 1" deep) - start with a piece of 4 1/4" x 10 1/2" cardstock.

I stamped the tree and swing in StazOn black onto Whisper White cardstock.  I made a randomly scalloped border (hand-cut) and used it to sponge clouds in the sky with Bashful Blue ink.

I used my blender pen to color in the tree trunk with Soft Suede ink and the leaves and grassy hill with Wild Wasabi ink.  I cut the main panel to a 4 1/4" square and then glued a strip of Wild Wasabi grass along the bottom.  I mounted the main panel onto the card base.

I cut a strip of Whisper White cardstock 4 1/4" x 2" and sponged it with Wild Wasabi ink and then scored a line down the center and creased it.  I placed that over top of the step at the front of the card and glued it down with Tombow glue.

I cut out the picket fence with Whisper White cardstock using my Big Shot.  I glued two strips of Wild Wasabi grass (cut out with the big shot) to the front of the picket fence, attaching them at the bottom only.

I cut out a set of Wildflowers dies with Wild Wasabi cardstock and then trimmed down the "heads" of the flowers, leaving just a small circle to attached my Pumpkin Pie flower heads to.  I punched out the Pumpkin Pie flower heads using the hydrangea punch and shaping them using my mat pack and stylus.  I placed a mini half-pearl in the center of each flower.  I made eight flowers and then attached them to the picket fence, gluing them just at the bottom.

I cut out another set of Wildflowers dies using Bashful Blue cardstock.  This time I cut off the stems, just keeping the small flower heads.  I shaped each flower with my mat pack and stylus and then glued the small blue flowers all along the bottom of the fence.

I had a piece of Crumb Cake embossed with the Forest Branches lying in my scrap pile, so used it for the sentiment.  I stamped "happy birthday" in Basic Black ink, punched out a medium oval and then sponged Soft Suede ink on top to highlight the embossing.  I added a dot of Early Espresso at each end of the oval to represent "nail heads" and then secured the sign to the picket fence.

Lastly, I glued the picket fence on top of my card base at the very front.

For the inside, I used a Whisper White card panel, sponging Wild Wasabi at the bottom.  I mounted a picket fence die-cut on top and added a grass die-cut on top of the fence, at the very bottom.

Here's a couple of more pictures taken from a different angle so (hopefully) you can see the layers.



Butterfly Easel

Today I'm having the crafty girls over to make a Father's Day card.

 

After making Cranberry & Orange Scones for my hubby for breakfast (yum!!), I headed to the art studio.  The girls weren't coming for a couple of hours, so I thought I'd make a card that I had seen on Splitcoaststampers website that I just love.  Here's the card I CASE'd this morning ... 

 

 

It's a tiny card (approx. 3 1/8" x 2 1/4") and would make the perfect gift card ... or I'm thinking I could make a set of cards in a butterfly shaped box and give it as a gift.  It only took me about 15 minutes to make too!  Hope you like.

 

"Butterfly Easel"

 

 

Stamps:  Because I care (sentiment) (SU!)

Paper:  Pink Pirouette (SU!)

Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Bigz Beautiful Butterflies die-cut, Big Shot, Cuttlebug "Birds & Swirls" embossing folder, Large pearl brad, paper piercing tool or small hole punch, sponge, sticky strips

 

* * * * *

 

Using the die-cut, cut out the medium-sized butterfly, positioning the fold just below the tip of the wings (approx. 1/4").  Cut out the same butterfly as a single and also the small butterfly.

On the butterfly base card, with fold at the top, open the card and score a line between the wings of the top butterfly and then crease the fold backwards.  This creates the easel part of the card.

Run the single two butterflies through the Big Shot with the embossing folder.  Lightly sponge Pink Pirouette ink in a circular motion on the butterflies, highlighting the embossing.  Also sponge the edges of all pieces with the Pink Pirouette ink.  Stamp the sentiment with Pretty in Pink ink inside the card.

Attach the small embossed butterfly on top of the large embossed butterfly and punch a hole in the middle.  Thread the pearl brad through the hole and secure at the back.  Attach the two butterflies onto the card base using sticky strips.  Curl the wings of the two butterflies to add depth.  Also slightly curl up the lower wings on the bottom butterfly - this acts as a stand for the tips of the top butterfly to stand in. 
 
 

____________________

 

Picture of cards made at our class today ...
 
 

 
Kelly stayed for a few extra minutes at the end to make a butterfly easel card.  It only took 10 minutes!!  Nice job Kel !!
 
 

Happy Graduation Card

I had a request from Melissa on Splitcoaststampers asking for instructions on how to make the below Graduation card.  I made this card last October when my son received his degree in Visual Arts from SFU.  I CASE'd this card from Jackie Topa.  Hope you like.

 

"Happy Graduation Card"

 

 

Stamps:  None (computer-generated sentiment)

Paper:  Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White (SU!)

Ink:  Whisper White (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  5/8" Basic Black satin ribbon (approx. 8"), small brad, gold thread, hole punch, sticky strips, adhesives and dimensionals

 

* * * * *

 

First I made the "shirt" ... using one the two pieces of 4" x 2" Whisper White (laying vertically), I scored a line from the 1" over from the top right to 1" down from the top right (diagonal line) and then creased the fold (see below picture for visual).  I repeated this with the second 4" x 2" piece but on the left hand side.
 
 

 
I then layered the left hand piece over top of the right, just overlapping slightly at center (about 1/8") and adhered them together.  I then cut a "V" shape with my shirt from the top left corner to the middle of the bottom and from the top right corner to the middle of the bottom (see below picture for visual).
 
 

 
I punched a hole in the middle, just under the collar of the shirt (or you could cut a slit with an Exacto knife).  I took the black satin ribbon and tied a loose 1/2 knot and fed one end through the hole and glued it to the back of the white cardstock.  I used a couple of glue dots to hold the "tie" onto the shirt.
 
I then used the Real Red 5/8" strips of paper to add a design on top by gluing them along the edge of the "V" and overlapping the strips at the bottom and then trimming any excess.  The thin strips of Pacific Point were placed on top of the red, overlapping at the bottom and then trimmed to created the "V".  Then the whole panel was adhered using sticky strips to the card base, lining it up with the top edge.

I framed the sentiment (that I printed on my computer) on Real Red cardstock and adhered to the bottom right side of the card front.

The "hat" was next.  I took the 2 1/2" piece of Pacific Point and scored a line 1/4" in on all four sides and folded the creases to the back and glued them down ... this give the illusion of depth of the hat, but you can certainly just use a 2" piece of cardstock instead.  I sponged the edges with Whisper White ink to give more definition to the hat since it would be sitting on the blue cardstock.  I punched a small hole in the middle, made a tassel out of gold thread and threaded it through the hole and glued it to the back and then added a small brad through the same hole.  The hat was attached to the card and popped up with dimensionals to give it even more depth.

I framed the inside white panel with Real Red cardstock and adhered to the inside of the card.

Baby Buggy

Today I'm sharing how I made a "Baby Buggy" card.  It's so adorable and you will definitely be the only one giving a special card like this!  Hope you like.

 

"Baby Buggy"

Stamps:  Short & Sweet (sentiment) (SU!)

Paper:  Pacific Point Blue, So Saffron, Whisper White

Ink:  Pacific Point Blue

Accessories & Tools:  Big Shot (or cutting machine), large scalloped circle die-cut, Swirls Scribbles Sizzlits die-cut, Sizzix buttons die-cut, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop trim border punch, small oval punch, medium oval punch, scalloped circle punch, two yellow buttons, 6" yellow 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, polka-dot embossing folder

* * * * *

I ran the folded card base through my Big Shot with the scalloped circle die-cut, making sure the fold was inside the circle on the left hand side by about 1/2".  I then ran the card base through the Big Shot again with the polka-dot embossing folder.

I used the 5" x 2" So Saffron cardstock to punch out the scalloped border, trimmed it to size and adhered it to the middle of the buggy and along the front edge of the "bonnet" part of the buggy.  Using the 8" x 2" So Saffron cardstock, I punched out four 1 3/8" circle for the wheels and attached two at the front and two at the back of the card.  It's important to have wheels on the back of the card in order to balance the card so it will sit straight.  Two Pacific Point flower buttons are centered on the wheels on the front of the card.  Two yellow buttons are centered on the flower buttons.

The sentiment was stamped using only half of the "welcome baby" stamp and then framed as per the picture above (popped up with dimensionals).  The Swirls Scribbles die-cut was used for the handle and a yellow bow finished off the card.

Lovely as a Tree Watercolour

What a fun day!!  I spent a few hours in the art studio this morning making a masculine card (see below) ... and then went shopping with Jer.  I picked up a pair of yoga pants (soooo comfy!!) and then we headed for the $1 Store.  You have to sift through some junkie stuff, but I always manage to find some really nice things there.  Today I picked up some hand-made paper in both green and rust - just beautiful!  Can't wait to try making something with them.  Of course, it's the best place to pick up adhesives for card making.  I go through A LOT of adhesives and it's nice to save some $$!  I also found some crepe paper that I thought might work well for making roses.  I'm going to try that out later today ...

On to the card for today.  I'm loving working with the watercolor paper.  Jer is an artist and he had a stack of watercolor paper just sitting there and so he told me to help myself.  Awesome!  I used the Watercolor Spritz technique to add the tree stamp to my paper and then took my AquaPainter and added more water and it really looks like I'm a watercolor artist!  I sponged the bottom of the card and added water (again with the AquaPainter) until it blended.  I'm really happy with how it turned out.  Hope you like.  If you need instructions on how to construct an easel card, click on this link to the Splitcoaststampers tutorial.

"Lovely as a Tree Watercolor"

 

 

 

Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree, Just Believe (sentiment) (SU!)

Paper:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede Designer Series paper (SU!), watercolor paper

Ink:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive; Stampin' Write Markers:  Early Espresso, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, So Saffron

Accessories & Tools:  Sponges (I used Colorbox Stylus), AquaPainter, mister, hemp twine, wooden button, sticky strips, glue dots, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

Before I inked the oak tree stamp from Lovely as a Tree set, I had to decide where my light source was coming from (upper left).  I inked the stamp using Stampin' Write markers (early espresso, always artichoke, old olive, so saffron), using the darker green on the right hand side of the tree (with a little lighter green in random spots), and using the lighter green with more yellow on the left hand side of the tree.  I used my AquaPainter to add more water on the paper in order to blend the inks.  I sponged the "hill" starting at the top with Kiwi Kiss and added Old Olive to the bottom.  Again, with the AquaPainter, I added more water to the paper to blend the inks on the hill.  I then added a small about of Early Espresso at the bottom of the tree trunk and blended with more water.  I used my So Saffron Stampin' Write marker and random added lines of ink around the background of the tree (did the same on the sentiment paper) and then added lots of water to create a "wash".  I sponged the edges of the watercolor paper with Early Espresso to give it an "aged" look.

I also sponged on the Soft Suede Designer Series paper, random areas in Sahara Sand, Soft Suede and Early Espresso and then sponged the edges of both pieces in Early Espresso.  I used my Early Espresso Stampin' Writer to add stitching around both pieces as well.

I mounted all the pieces as per the picture above, adding two strands of hemp twine knotted on the corner of the main image and also two strands through the wooden button and across the corner of the sentiment (which is popped up with dimensionals)
 

Musical Notes Easel Card

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  Here's an Irish blessing for you ...

"May the sun shine all day long,

everything go right and nothing go wrong.

May those you love bring love back to you,

and may all the wishes you wish come true!"

What a beautiful day on the Westcoast.  There's a slight drizzle hanging around, but the sun was out for a long time today and I even managed to find time to get out to the greenhouse!

I did find LOTS of time for the art studio (always a priority!).

Can't get enough of the easel cards, so I made another one today.  I have had the Musical Notes wheel for several weeks now and I just had this card in my head and had to make it!  My first ribbon rose too!  Watched a couple of videos that I recommend if you want to learn how to make these ...

Donna's Ribbon Rose - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NriXH3qMuqk

Jackie Topa's ribbon rose - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvb94mOSHsY

"Musical Notes" Easel Card

 

 

Stamps:  Musical Notes wheel (SU!)

Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red (SU!)

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede

Accessories & Tools:  Wheel guide (optional), 5/8" Real Red Satin ribbon (approx. 10"), 5/8" Old Olive Satin ribbon (approx. 4"), Crocheted Lace (approx. 12"), Kaiser Pearl Brad), Flourish embossing plate, eight small red half-pearls, heart punch, stickles, small hole punch, sticky strips, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

I inked the Musical Notes wheel with Chocolate Chip ink and ran it across the square piece of Whisper White twice, using a wheel guide to help me keep my lines straight.  I sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink.  I mounted the stamped image onto the square piece of Real Red cardstock and punched a small hole in the top right-hand corner (about 1" down and 1" from the right).  I made a bow  with the crocheted lace, wrapped the brad around it, placed it through the punched hole and secured it at the back.  I ran the square piece and the 4 1/4" x 2" piece of Basic Black cardstock through my Big Shot with the Flourish embossing folder.  I then mounted the main image onto the square piece of embossed black cardstock and adhered it to the base of the easel card.

I printed the sentiment off on my computer and cut it to size (3 1/4" x 1"), sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink and mounted it onto the Real Red cardstock.  I mounted the framed sentiment onto the embossed 4 1/4" x 2" piece of Basic Black cardstock and adhered it to the card base, using dimensionals to pop it up.

To finish, I glued a small heart onto the sentiment and used stickles for some bling.  I cut out two "leaf" shapes from the Old Olive satin ribbon and pinched the stem end to give them some dimension.  I mounted them on the bottom left-hand side of the main image and added a Real Red satin ribbon rose.  Eight red half-pearls where added to the four corners of both pieces of Real Red cardstock.