Paper Talk

No Stamp Christmas Cards

2011-12-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm back today with a couple of quick and easy Christmas cards that I put together the other night.

I made large rosette out of some My Mind's Eye paper and sponged the edges with gold pigment ink. The pearl clusters are from Michaels and the cute Santa sticker is from K & Co.

For this card, I used the leftover piece to make a smaller rosette and added some ribbon and bells.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas paper, PTI kraft and ripe avocado cardstock, Recollections pearl clusters, K & Co stickers, blue ribbon, jingle bells, Brilliance galaxy gold ink

A Glittery Tutorial

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-06:00

Hi! I'm here today with a tutorial on how to make glittered ornaments. I apologize for the terrible pictures in advance, I didn't realize they were turning out so bad until today! :( The materials you'll need for this project are clear glass ornaments (not the iridescent type), fine glitter, and Pledge Tile and Vinyl floor cleaner, yup you read that right, lol. You'll also need something to protect your surface with and a towel to clean up spills.

Step 1: Carefully remove the top part of the ornament taking care not to crack it.
Step 2: Squirt a liberal amount of Pledge into the ornament and very lightly swirl it around making sure you coat the entire inside. Don't shake it, this will cause bubbles that will mess with the finished results.

Step 3: Pour the excess fluid back into the bottle and let it drain slightly. If there are any bubble lightly tap the ornament or pop them with a q-tip.

Step 4: Fill the ornament about 1/3 of the way with glitter and shake until all the sides are coated.

Step 5: Pour out the excess glitter, carefully replace the cap back on the ornament and admire your handy work.

That's all there is to it. Easy peasy, right? I hope you enjoy making your own glittered ornaments! If you have any questions, post them in the comments section and I'll try to answer them quickly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Time

2011-12-11T19:26:00.001-06:00

Wow, why does it always seem like Christmas just sneaks up on me? This year's no different, I'm rushing around trying to get everything done before the 25th, but this year, thanks to Pinterest, I at least had an idea of how I wanted to decorate the house.

I decided to go with bronze, chocolate, and gold this year. We also bought a new Christmas tree and we went with a slim line tree. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but it's just the right size for the front window. Since there was a huge gap of wall next to the tree, I decided to add a decorated teardrop garland to fill in the space.

For the mantle and throughout the house, I continued the same color pattern and incorporated lots of mercury glass onto the mantle decor. The mercury glass Christmas tree was my favorite find this year. I found it at Hobby Lobby and it was the only one I ever saw there. I'm so glad I picked it up!

I kept the coffee table rather simple and uncluttered since the table is at the same height as my dog's tails and they always seem to knock off whatever's on it. I used candle sticks to make the candles seem like they're different sizes and filled the tray in with leftover picks and ornaments from my other projects. It was a quick and simple centerpiece.

Today's Aldo's birthday so I'm rather busy making his birthday dinner but I've got a couple of cards and other Christmas goodies to post later on this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Courage

2011-11-03T20:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday everyone! I'm back today with a quick and easy one layer card.

I made this card using the Grunge Me and Fancy Flourishes stamp sets from Papertrey Ink. I stamped each of the images using various brown toned Distress Inks and embellished a few of the images with different colored pearls and rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty. The sentiment, stamped in Rich Cocoa ink, is from Blue Skies by Verve.

Thanks for stopping by!

Silhouette Cameo

2011-10-29T14:42:00.000-05:00

My new Silhouette Cameo came in on Thursday and I immediately put it to good use making crafty stuff for the house. The first thing I made was a vinyl "welcome" sign for my front door. So, my front door that used to look like this:

Now looks like this today:

I'm so pleased with the way the machine works and the way the sign came out. If only I could learn how to attach things in a straight line, sigh. Aldo was very quick to point out how crooked the lettering was, but it really doesn't bother me all that much, yet. :) I have a feeling I'll be using this machine a whole lot more than my Cricut. While my Cricut sat unused on a shelf, this new Cameo is sitting right on my desk within easy reach and readily attached to my computer.

I painted the front door last Saturday using some left over paint from another project. I was expecting it to be a more burgundy red, but was pleasantly surprised by the pretty, deep orange it reflects in the sun. I think it works with the brick. Now the only think left to do is paint the wood trim white and add some Thanksgiving decor to our tiny entryway.

I have a couple of cards that I made this week, I'll try to take pictures and post them later on in the week.

Have a great weekend!!

Miss You A Latte

2011-10-25T17:27:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I have a card to share with ya'll today :) I made it this weekend for MFT's weekly sketch.

I finally broke down and ordered MFT's Miss You A Latte stamp set. It's been on my wish list since it came out, but I wasn't sure I'd use it much. I broke out my new My Mind's Eye paper pads, some silk ribbon that's been on my desk for a while and dusted off my sadly neglected copics.

I'd meant to post this on Saturday but there was a pet emergency in our house. Let's just say that I didn't know that such a tiny cut on a dog's ear could bleed so much!! Every time we thought it was slowing down, Snicks would shake his head and splatter blood EVERYWHERE!! It was such a mess! We finally got his ear bandaged up and we have now determined what our next home improvement project will be: repainting the bathroom. Poor puppy, luckily, he's doing much better now. :)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies for Sale

2011-10-18T09:43:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I have updated my Sale page at the top with new stamps from MFT and Prickley Pear. Be sure to check it out!

Fall Mantle

2011-09-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one week! I'm on a roll, lol. I forgot how time consuming photo editing and blogging can be, but I'm glad to be getting in the swing again. My crafty skills are also rusty from their summer vacation, the fall banner I made today took me way longer than usual. That's okay, though, I totally enjoyed making this project. Ready to see what I made?

I was inspired by the banner that Nichole Heady made last year for her mantle. To make the individual banners, I cut a terracotta tile banner, embossed it with my Seeing Spots CB folder, sponged it with Tea Dye Distress ink and layered it over a larger banner in dark chocolate. I used MFT's large scallop die to die cut strips of summer sunrise cardstock which I embossed with my Polka Dot CB folder and sponged with Antique Linen Distress ink. The rosettes were made using Martha Stewart paper. The fall leaves were die cut with a nestie and secured with a large dimensional. The glittered letters are Thickers from American Crafts. To finish off the banner, I attached it to some orange ribbon and added brown buttons in between the banners. I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

Since our living room is decorated in oranges, browns, and reds, decorating for fall is so easy in this room! I just switched the greenery for a fall one, added a few gourds and nuts, threw in my new banner, and presto! my mantle is ready for the new season. That's my type of decorating! Thanks for stopping by!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2011-09-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

Well, hello there. It's been forever since I've posted on here. Between making over my office, taking on additional work, and preparing for our vacation, blogging and papercrafting in general fell off the wayside. But, everything seems to be returning to normal and I'm hoping I'll have more time to play in my new room (I'll post pictures soon!)

I had some time this afternoon to participate in Papertrey's monthly blog hop. Here's what I came up with:

You can visit Nichole's blog to review the details for the challenge and play along. For this card, I used two PTI sets that have been sitting unused on my desk for a while, Boy Basics: Rock On and Grunge Me. I kept the card rather simple and used repeating patterns in bright colors. The guitars were die cut using the coordinating Rock On die.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm still here!

2011-06-26T09:31:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, it's been forever since I posted on here. It's just that I really haven't done anything crafty in quite a while. But, I've cleaned off my desk and I've done a little bit of reorganizing, so I'm hoping that will help me get my mojo back. Meanwhile, here's a card I made a couple of weeks ago that I never got around to posting here.

Aldo and I are in the process of SLOWLY redecorating our room and we've gone with a corral and grey color palette. I had pulled out some of my copics to help up decide on shades and those colors were the inspiration for this card. I embossed a piece of Smoky Shadow cardstock with my Seeing Spots cuttlebug folder, stamped a piece of Berry Sorbet with my Newsprint stamp in Vintage Cream, layered some velvet ribbon and bling over the layers and added my butterflies from Blue Skies last.

Earlier this week, I visited Archiver's while I was in Austin and I found tons of inspiration for my scrapbook for the cruise we took 2 years ago. Yes, I'm that far behind. :) I purchased a kraft 8.5 x 11 binder from Hampton Arts. It's meant to be one of those everyday life journal/scrapbook type things, but I like the size and I like that the binder itself can be customized. I took plenty of pictures, bought lots of paper and embellishments, and I am now ready to start scrapbooking our trip. I already did one page, yay me! And, I'll post it on here as soon as I remember to photograph it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Maple Leaf

2011-06-12T22:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday, ya'll!! As I'm writing this post, I'm sitting here watching the Mavericks beat the Heat for the championship. Go Mavs!!!! So happy they won!!

Okay, onto the crafty stuff. I found this beautiful photo on Pinterest that inspired me to create today's card.

I pulled out my maple leaf die, my distress inks and sponges and got to work. First I die cut the largest maple leaf out of cream cardstock, stamped my image from The Craft's Meow in black, and sponged the card using Antique Linen, Barn Door, Weathered Wood, and Black Soot. I used a gold paint pen on the edges and added Pumpkin glitter on the dandelion. I finished off the card with some gold ribbon, a dark orange button, and some orange rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty.

Thanks for stopping by!

Long time no see...

2011-06-10T09:22:00.000-05:00

Is this blog still working??? It's been forever since I've been on!! Between taking on a part time job and several home improvement projects we've been working on, my scrapping time has gone down to zero :( Even my office table has been repurposed for the home improvement projects, so I'll be occupying the dining room table until I can get it back.

Well, I didn't have time to scrap yesterday, but I did have time to cook. I tried out a new recipe and we loved it. In fact, we loved it so much that I had to share it here. I made several modifications, but the original recipe can be found here: Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry. I completely forgot to take a picture of it last night, but here's the picture from the website:

Here's the recipe with the modifications I made: Coconut Chicken Curry
Ingredients
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves
1 green bell pepper, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 poblano pepper, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 can light coconut milk
1 small can tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. coconut curry powder
1 tbsp. garam masala
1 dried red pepper (if you want a bit more heat)
cilantro, for garnish

In a saucepan, lightly saute the onion, garlic, and peppers over medium-high heat. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and lightly toast the curry powder, garam masala, and salt until the spices become fragrant. Be careful not to over cook them or they will burn. Place the veggies, coconut milk, tomato paste, and spices in a food processor or blender and puree until semi-smooth. Heat a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken and sauce to medium-high heat. Lightly spray with cooking oil and brown the chicken. Pour the sauce over the chicken, add the red pepper, and turn down the heat. Allow to simmer for about 1 hour, or until chicken has cooked and sauce has thickened slightly. Serve over jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro.

Next time I make this, I think I will make the sauce ahead of time and marinate the chicken in it overnight before cooking it. This would make a wonderful make ahead recipe for busy nights.

If you try this recipe out, please let me know how you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Double Warp

2011-05-25T08:27:00.002-05:00

Howdy, folks! I'm back today with another beautiful image from Prickley Pear's new release. I absolutely LOVE all the new beautiful vintage images that were released, I've got several of them on my wish list.

For this card, I combined my focal image with lots of PTI backgrounds. There's lots of details, so I hope I remember them all...

I stamped the card base with PTI's Newsprint stamps in pink ink and then sponged the edges with distress ink to age it. I stamped a piece of kraft cardstock with the largest dots from PTI's Polka Dot Basics II using pink acrylic paint, then I swiped the edges with white and pink acrylic paint for a shabby chic feel. On a simply chartreuse Mat Stack 4 die cut, I embossed the dress form and then stamped Text Style print over it with distress ink. For my bow, I double looped crinkly ivory ribbon, added a twine bow using a piece of twine that I colored with a copic and a pink ribbon rosette topped off with a bright green epoxy brad. The two Maya Road stick pins were colored with a copic marker to coordinate with the rest of the card colors.

Whew, lots to remember! Thanks for stopping by!

Paper: white, kraft, simply chartreuse - PTI
Ink: Rosebud - Memento; Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, Crushed Olive - Distress, Versamark
Stamps: Double Warp - PPRS; Newsprint, Polka Dot Basics II, Signature Series: Dress Form, Text Style - PTI
Accessories: acrylic paint, clear embossing powder, Mat Stack 4 die - PTI; pink ribbon - Hobby Lobby, epoxy brad, hat pins - Maya Road, copic marker, twine - May Arts

Prickley Pear Rubber Release

2011-05-21T10:00:00.005-05:00

PPRS has a fun new red rubber release in store for you, packed with vintage images & images that are great for fathers day or just for him. Be sure to visit the whole PPRS design team today team for great card ideas as we all have something to show off today. Be sure to leave comments on each blog, as three random winners will be chosen to to receive awesome rubber stamps from this release party! Winners will be chosen and announced Monday the 23rd!

Ready to see what I've got for you today? Here it is!

I used the same layout from last week's CASE study card just because I love it so much! I used several new toys for this card, the doily die, the stamp, and the ribbons are all new to me and I was just itching use them on a card.

To make the raspberry rosette, I folded the ribbon in half, stitched it along the edges and pulled it tight. I then slipped the rhinestone brad in the center. I used the doily die from Dies Direct to make a doily using PTI's raspberry fizz cardstock and then I misted it with beige color mist.

Don't forget to leave a comment on all the blogs for a chance to win some rubber! Thanks for stopping by!

Paper: Bo Bunny; DCWV - Luxury Stack; PTI - raspberry fizz; Neenah - cream cardstock
Stamps: PPRS - Geranium Flower Seeds
Ink: Memento - Rosebud; Distress - Antique Linen, Tea Dye
Accessories: Dies Direct - doily die; scrunched seam binding; The Paper Studio - crochet trim, brads; Prima - paper flowers; May Arts - ribbon

Another Case Study

2011-05-18T14:21:00.001-05:00

Hi guys, I'm back with another Case Study card today. This month's featured guest is Sarah Martina Parker. I love her cards and have followed her for a while now. I made the card a few days ago and completely forgot to post it!

I chose to keep the layout and the shabby chic feeling of the card and several of the elements Sarah used in her card, but I changed the color scheme. I used some paper from Cosmo Cricket for the background and added stitching to the middle panel. I used a library card, like the CASE card. I stamped mine out using PTI's library card stamp and then rounded out the edges. The cute fairy with the dandelion is from The Craft's Meow and I absolutely love her! I stamped her in red on cream cardstock and added a touch of sponging with Antique Linen. The metal brads are from Hobby Lobby and the crochet rosette was made out of a scrap piece of trim. Lots of elements went into this card, but I like it.

Prickley Pear will be releasing new rubber stamps on May 21, be sure to stop for the release!

Paper: cardbase - Neenah cream cardstock; Cosmo Cricket - Circa 1934, Social Club
Stamps: Butterfly Kisses - The Craft's Meow; Library Card - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black - Memento; Red Barn, Antique Linen, Tea Dye - Distress
Accessories: wrinkled seam binding; pearls - Pizzazz Aplenty; brads, crochet trim - The Paper Studio; burlap string - May Arts

Blue Flowers

2011-05-08T09:12:00.002-05:00

Hi! I'm back with a card that's quickly becoming one of my favorites. I stamped some cream cardstock with black script, then stamped two flowers from Prickley Pear's hibiscus stamp set. I colored the flowers with copics and then sponged around the flowers with distress inks. I distressed the edges with my scissors, tore the bottom of the paper off, and then sponged it again with distress inks. The patterned paper underneath is from Graphic 45. I finished the card off with black saddle stitch ribbon and pearls.

Thanks for stopping by!

Butterflies

2011-05-06T09:02:00.001-05:00

As you may have noticed, I'm a bit obsessed with butterflies lately and the obsession doesn't seem to be letting up :) I decided to use the classing yellow, white and blue palette for this card. The butterflies were die cut out of vellum and stamped with blue dye ink. I let them air dry overnight before pinning them together with a Maya Road pearl pin. I tried to keep a subtle polka dot theme in the cardstock, stamping, and ribbon for a unifying look.

Thanks for stopping by!

You're A Treasure

2011-05-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

I made this card quite a while back and completely forgot to post is here. I used a Viva La Verve sketch for this card. The background was stamped using Versamark on Ripe Avocado cardstock. The library card is a stamp from Papertrey Ink. I stamped it on Simply Chartreuse cardstock using Fresh Snow ink. The metal flower is from Hobby Lobby with an epoxy brad on it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Prickley Pear Release Day 2

2011-05-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to the second day of Prickley Pear's new releases. Today we're featuring a new butterfly set that coordinates with the previously released butterfly die. This set coordinates perfectly with the first butterfly set that was released earlier last year.

For today's card I went for a softer vintagey look. The background papers are from Basic Grey's Capella line. For the library card, I created my own on the computer and printed it out on cardstock; I rounded the corners and distressed the edges for a very aged look. I stamped my butterfly onto the die cut using green distress ink and then sponged the edges with tea dye. I adhered it to the double bow using Aleene's tacky glue for a good hold. The sentiment is also from the new stamp set, you can see the all the clear sets here. I added several embellishments to the card: two pearl stick pins from Maya Road, a small pearl flourish, a metal flower brad, and a crochet flower with a brad.

Be sure to stop by the Prickley Pear blog for more details on the new sets. Thanks!

Prickley Pear Release

2011-05-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the first day of the Prickley Pear's new clear stamp and die release. We've got several sets to show you over the next several days so be sure to stop by Prickley Pear's blog to see who's featuring the new sets. Ready for some eye candy? Okay, here goes:

Today we're featuring the previously released scalloped circle die and the new coordinating stamp set. I opted to keep the card rather clean and simple this time around. I die cut the scalloped circle, stamped it with one of the coordinating borders and centers and added a few rhinestones for dimension. The sentiment is also from the same set.

Be sure to check out the other design team members' blogs for more previews. Thanks for stopping by!

Oh Baby

2011-04-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hola amigos! I've got another card to share today. I'm just in love with MFT's a la mode girls. I colored this cutie a while back and she has been waiting for me to use her in a card. I used Shabby Shutters distress ink to stamp the damask design onto Ripe Avocado paper. The tiny paper clip is from Stampin Up and it's been waiting for me to use it in a card as well.

Have a great weekend!

A Fabulous Day

2011-04-29T17:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday!! I'm so happy to finally be able to post again! Our internet has been down for weeks and it's been driving me crazy! Anyways, here's a card that's been waiting a while to be seen by the world. :)

Not much to tell about this card. The butterflies were die cut out of felt and book print using PTI's Signature Series Butterfly die. And, that's about it. Easy peasy, right.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Prickley Pear Giveaway

2011-04-18T12:18:00.000-05:00

Prickley Pear is giving away a prize package to one of their followers. All you have to do is head on over to the Prickley Pear blog and sign up to follow the blog. On Sunday one random winner will be chosen to receive a prize. How easy is that! So head on over there and sign up. :)

Pink Fairy

2011-04-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

Howdy, peeps! I'm back today with a card I made for iCopic's design team call.

Joline's wings were stamped onto vellum paper, colored with copics and lightly sprayed with glimmer mist before attaching them to the circle panel. Joline was colored with copics, fussy cut, and attached onto the circle panel for added dimension. The patterned papers are from SEI and MME. I added a few crystal swirls and individual gems to add some shine.

Thanks for stopping by!

Flowers on Vellum

2011-04-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, I'm back today with a Prickley Pear card for you.

To make this card, I stamped the image with Staz On ink on vellum and colored the image from behind with copics. Be sure to use darker colors to get a more vibrant look. This card came together very quickly since I used a premade card base and used some paper from my scrap pile. A few rhinestones, some twine, and a button finish off this card.

Don't forget to sign up for Prickley Pear's Round up. Every week we search your blogs and galleries and highlight a few cards. Each month one random winner with get some Prickley Pear goodies. So what are you waitin for...

Hello Friend

2011-04-09T12:44:00.000-05:00

Howdy, I'm back again with a card for this week's MFT sketch challenge.

This card was super easy to make, I kept the same color scheme from the CASE Study card I and just pulled paper from my scrap pile. I happened to have this cute a la mode girl colored and waiting for me so it was just a matter of cutting and embellishing. Yay for simple cards!! The sentiment is from PTI's Embellishments stamp set.

Two posts in one day, not bad, huh.

Case Study

2011-04-09T12:25:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, long time no blog, huh. I'm back today with a card for this week's Case Study challenge. This week's inspiration card kept running through my mind when I sat down to craft yesterday and I happened to have some butterflies colored in the inspiration colors so I just went with it.

I tried to keep as true to the card as possible without directly copying the sketch. The orange paper is from pink paislee. For the bottom scalloped panel, cut a piece of Hawaiian Shores cardstock, stamped my sentiment in brown ink and added two score lines on either side of the sentiment before punching the border with a Martha Stewart punch. Some felt ric rac, an orange button, and brown twine completed this panel. The white panel is stamped in brown with PTI's Fancy Flourishes. I stamped the largest butterfly from Blue Skies, colored them with copics, cut them out and attached them with glue dots. Some brown bling on the butterflies and on the bottom scallop finished off the card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Show Us Your Prickley Pear

2011-03-27T16:08:00.000-05:00

The folks at Prickley Pear are gearing up for some fun new events on the company blog. Our design team is gearing up and getting ready to show off a bunch of fun new ideas, challenges, and inspiration. But first, we want to see how YOU use your Prickley Pear stamps. Leave us a link to your blog or gallery in the comment section of this post and each week, we will highlight a few of the items we find. At the end of the month, we will randomly choose a winner from the highlights to win some rubbery goodness. So, leave us your link and get creative with your stamps, you never know when the PPRS fairy will stop by your blog.

Time to Celebrate

2011-03-20T09:39:00.002-05:00

Hey guys, I'm back with a card I made just for the fun of it. I colored several a la mode girls while I was watching a movie with the hubby and this one was just calling to me, lol. I believe the sketch is a Mojo Monday one, but I can't remember now... The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket.

Thanks for stopping by~!

Happy Birthday Gabby

2011-03-18T09:24:00.002-05:00

We celebrated my friend Gabby's birthday last weekend and this was the card I gave her with her gift. Since the colors were so strong, I tried to keep the layout simple. I took inspiration from several PTI designers in making this card. First I stamped some Hawaiian Shores cardstock with images from Delightful Doilies in white ink and Versamark, I rounded the top corners and sponged the edges with more white ink. Then, I die cut the number from Smokey Shadow cardstock and embossed them with my Seeing Spots embossing folder. I stamped the sentiment from Big Birthday Wishes onto vellum and embossed two lines on the vellum before attaching it to the card. To attach it, I hid the adhesive under the sentiment. A few strategically placed gemstones finished off the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Playing Catch Up

2011-03-16T09:13:00.002-05:00

Hi guys, I've got another card that I made a while ago and didn't get a chance to post here.

I made this card using MFT's weekly sketch, I believe this one is sketch #9. I started out with Simply Chartreuse and Kraft cardstock and layered it with some beautiful medallion patterned paper from SEI that I've been hoarding for quite a while. :) I embossed a strip of Ripe Avocado with my Seeing Spots embossing folder and added a Kraft Open Scallop border strip. To layer my image, I used a Tag Sale 4 die cut. I wanted to make my sentiment pop up in the middle, so I layered two of Jody's AMAZING dimensionals. Some green twine and a few buttons finished off my card. Oops, I almost forgot, the image is from My Favorite Things. I colored her with copics, of course.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Birchbox Rocks

2011-03-14T18:14:00.002-05:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog reading to rave about how AWESOME Birchbox is!! What is Birchbox, you say? Well, let me tell you about it. Birchbox is a monthly subscription that sends you 4-5 deluxe high end beauty samples based on your personalized profile. I was first introduced to this wonderful service when I read Hannah Craner's blog post, here. I immediately went to their website and signed up. Yes, I am that easily convinced, lol. I love their attention to detail! Everything is nicely wrapped up in pink tissue and tucked into the cute little box above. That box is then wrapped up in a hot pink box and shipped to you every month.

Wanna see what I got in this month's box?

I recieved an 8oz (EIGHT!!) sample of bath salts, a full size organic lip balm (which I already tried and LOVE!!), a sample of Cargo's Lash Activator mascara, two packets of intense foot cream, and a sample of an Italian toothpaste. Not bad, huh. The lip balm alone is worth $12, not to mention all the other goodies. It's a super economic way to try out great stuff without the commitment.

Birchbox day will now be known as Happy Day in my household. Lol. Even if you don't subscribe, check out their website for lots of great tips and how-to's.

We now return to our regular blog posts. Have a nice day!! :)

Viva La Verve!

2011-03-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

I made this card a few weeks ago and then forgot all about it! It took forever to make, so you would think that I would be eager to post it here, lol. It features several different elements so let's see if I can remember them all. I started out using some Graphic 45 paper for the background, then I added the Ripe Avocado accent strip stamped with a flourish from Fancy Flourishes. I added a crystal swirl that I colored with a copic marker for a more muted feel. I took some white satin ribbon, sprayed it with my Glimmer Mist, crumpled it up and let it dry before adding it to the card. Then, I die cut a Tag Sale 4 die out of Dark Chocolate cardstock and sponged the edges with white ink, layered it with the medium Delightful Doilies die cut stamped with one of the images from the Delightful Doilies stamp set, then I layered that with a Dark Chocolate scalloped circle stamped with same image but with white ink instead. On top of all those layers, I added a designer grommet that I aged a bit with some metallic acrylic paint. To make my butterfly, I die cut several layers of book print, crumpled them up, then lightly coated them with a few coats of Tattered Angels Glam and let them dry. I die cut another butterfly out of Ripe Avocado cardstock, brushed it with brown metallic aryclic paint and then wiped some of it off with a moist paper towel while still wet. This gave it a wonderful distressed look! I layered them all together and added a crystal strip to the middle.

Whew, that was quite a mouthful! I hope it makes sense. :)

Hey Chickie

2011-03-12T08:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday, ya'll!! I'm back today with a little somethin' from Prickley Pear. Their latest release has some great images for Spring and Easter.

This little candy bar wrapper came together so quickly! I stamped some yellow paper with the large and small nest flowers from this set. Then I went back and filled in the gaps with the tiny nest from this set. I stamped my chickies on some more yellow cardstock and shaded them in with my copics. To keep the wrapper closed I added some velcro dots to the inside of the flap. And that's it, easy peasy!

These little wrappers can be easily made assembly line style and you'll have them done in no time. :) Thanks for stopping by!!

Resurrection Joy

2011-03-04T14:21:00.004-06:00

Whew, where has the time gone? It feels like forever since I've blogged and even longer since I've played in my scrap room. I finally got a card done by taking a few minutes here and there and I have to admit, it's taken me a while to get my creative mojo flowing lately. Well, hopefully that's behind me and I can get down to papercrafting again. So, ready to see my card?

I made this card using some new Prickley Pear stamps that came in the mail last week. To begin with, I attempted to make a subtle background on harvest gold card stock with versamark ink, but it ended up being too subtle :\ I decided to use some more of my Webster's Pages stash since it coordinated so well with my yellow and blue color scheme. The oval frame and the sentiment are from Prickley Pear's new stamp release. I framed the sentiment and frame with more harvest gold cardstock and matted it onto an enchanted evening Mat Stack 4 die cut. A crystal flourish and a pearl swirl finish out the card.

Quick tip: To make sure your patterned paper completely spans your card, cut your piece wider than your card. Attach it to your card front, flip it over and trim the excess with a sharp craft knife.

One more picture before I go:

This silly one is lounging here with me while I attempt to get my room back in order. At least he's taking a nap instead of trying to root through my trashcan. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing You

2011-02-21T09:25:00.000-06:00

Good morning! I'm so thankful for this three day weekend, I sure could use it. I was feeling under the weather since earlier last week and this weekend has really helped. Last night I was the first time since early in the week that I was able to sit down and create something, so I pulled out the final VLV sketch and got to work.

This turned out so different from how I envisioned it, but I'm pretty pleased with it. I started off with hot fudge and ripe avocado cardstock for the base and used Pink Paislee patterned paper, ripping and distressing the green one so the cream paper peeked through. Then I went to town with my glimmer mists, adding them to both the paper and the stripped ribbon. For the middle square I used sheet music from an old hymnal. I crumpled up and tattered the edges then heavily distressed it with tea dye ink. Another ticket from ideaology was stapled to the egde. I layered a crystal flourish and added a bookplate from ideaology with the sweet sentiment from PTI's Signature Series: Butterfly stamp set. I finished it off with some green crinkly ribbon and a vintage key.

Happy President's Day!!

Little Star

2011-02-20T14:19:00.001-06:00

I really enjoy participating with the weekly Viva La Verve sketches!! I decided to go with a baby boy theme for this card so I could use one of my favorite Pain Janes. I stamped a very subtle musical background on aqua mist using white canvas ink. The musical background stamp is from Papertrey Ink. I used my new circle scallop die from Prickley Pear to mat my sentiment on. I finished off the card with a few crystal swirls and some distressed tickets. Despite the sewing, this card came together quite quickly.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Happy Birthday VLV

2011-02-16T07:13:00.000-06:00

Hi all, I'm back today with another Viva La Verve card. I created this card to add to my stash for the next boy birthday we need to attend. I always seem to have a distinct shortage of masculine cards.

The blue Bo Bunny paper was punched on both edges with my MS star border punch and matted onto PTI aqua mist cardstock. The two panels are from Imaginisce's Birthday Bash line. My star was die cut, sponged, stamped and then I added three chocolate pearls from Pizazz Aplenty. Three more chocolate pearls on the right hand side finish it off.

What type of cards do you find yourself running short on?

Happy {Belated} Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T19:12:00.000-06:00

Hi! I meant to post this yesterday and completely forgot! I made this card using Prickley Pear's new released Valentine's Day stamps. I stamped the heart onto PTI's berry sorbet cardstock using white Palette ink. To soften the edges a bit, I swiped them with more white palette ink. The designer paper is from My Mind's Eye Lost & Found collection.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps/Supplies for Sale

2011-02-14T13:50:00.002-06:00

I have added an additional page to my blog listing the items I have for sale. Feel free to take a looksie! Thanks.

Live, Laugh, Love, Dream

2011-02-08T06:16:00.000-06:00

I made another card using the first VLV sketch for this month. This time, I went for a more feminine but still an all occasion card. The paper for this card is from Graphic 45. The die cut and stamps are from Papertrey Ink's Embellishments line, it's one of my favorite stamp sets due to it's versatility.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rawr

2011-02-06T06:06:00.001-06:00

I made another dinosaur card, this time for my little cousin who's been in love with dinosaurs since he was a year old. The dinosaur was paper pieced with blue polka dot paper, die cut and matted on hawaiian shores cardstock. I embossed the kraft panel with a cuttlebug folder for added texture.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fairy Girl

2011-02-04T10:30:00.000-06:00

Hi guys, we're still experiencing some crazy weather down here in Texas so I've been home most of the week. Not that I'm complaining, since I had more time to stamp and play.

I made this card using MFT's weekly sketch. Since my cosmo cricket pad is STILL on my desk, I decided to use more of its paper and I combined it with Basic Grey's Nook & Pantry paper. The cute fairy was colored with copics and cut out leaving a small border all the way around. Her wings are covered with stardust and gently curved to make them stand out more. I attached her to the blue panel using pop dots for added dimension.

Thanks for stopping by!

For Baby

2011-02-04T05:52:00.000-06:00

A friend from work asked me for a card for her sister in law who just had a little boy. Whiff of Joy's Willow is just perfect for that! The image is colored with copics and sponged with blue chalk ink after it was die cut with a nestie. I used several patterned papers from Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1934 paper pad and used a blue button to finish off the bow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Elegant Butterfly

2011-02-02T05:32:00.000-06:00

Well, we've had some cold weather lately in the DFW area and they gave us the day off due to the ice on the roads. Yippee!! More papercrafting time for me! :) I'm back today to show you a card I made using Viva La Verve's sketch for this week.

I was trying to go for a more masculine/all occasion card, but I couldn't resist adding a butterfly. The designer paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1934 paper pad. To make the center panel, I die cut the white panel using a nestie and sponged it with blue chalk ink. I then, die cut a smaller panel out black cardstock and three patterned papers. I folded the ribbon in half and tied it into a knot. The butterfly was die cut out of book print and edged with a black copic marker. I attached it to the ribbon using a pin and folded the wings on the butterfly upwards for additional dimension. I was so tempted to add some bling, but tried to keep it as masculine as possible. :)

Prickley Pear Blog Hop Day 4

2011-02-01T18:08:00.000-06:00

Today is the final day of our blog hop. I hope you have enjoyed the samples so far.

We are playing a new game this time around. Each DT member will be featuring a letter in their post. Visit their blogs, find their letter - put the word together and e-mail us the word at service@prickleypear.com. A winner will be chosen for each day of the blog hop.

Start with Nicole, then take a look and see what beautiful cards we have in store. You will want to visit these fabulous ladies in order, Dawn, Amy, Michelle, Angelica, Tracy, Leslie - (that's me!), Tesa, Jennifer. Good luck and have fun!

Are you ready to see what I made?

Ohmigosh, I absolutely love this stamp!! This adorable Girl With Basket, was so much fun to color. I colored my image with copics and added the glitter dots to her dress using my quickie glue pen. The die cut panel was heavily sponged with chalk ink. Since the image panel was so large, I decided to keep my embellishments to a minimum using a bit of blue ribbon just behind the panel.

If you didn't find my secret letter, maybe this will help you...:) Okay, so hop on over to Tesa's blog, I guarantee you she's got some lovely stuff for you to look at.

Thank you for blog hopping with us!

Prickley Pear Blog Hop Day 3

2011-01-31T18:00:00.000-06:00

Whoooo Hooo! Day 3 is here. We are so excited to be releasing these new clear sets of stamps with matching dies and of course, our beautiful release of vintage valentine red rubber images! We have some real treasures in store for you. Our design team has been working hard to bring you samples that will surely inspire you.

Join us each day as we will have a different set we are featuring. We are playing a new game this time around. Each DT member will be featuring a letter in their post. Visit their blogs, find their letter - put the word together and e-mail us the word at service@prickleypear.com. A winner will be chosen for each day of the blog hop.

I used the scalloped circle die again on this card, to create a layer between my rosette and the stamped image. The flower wreath is from the new stamp set, Beautiful Flowers. The sentiment is from the new stamp set, The Four Seasons.

Did you find my letter? Okay, so hop on over to Tesa's blog, I guarantee you she's got some lovely stuff for you to look at.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for more Prickley Pear fun!

Prickley Pear Blog Hop Day 2

2011-01-30T18:00:00.000-06:00

Whoooo Hooo! Day 2 is here. We are so excited to be releasing these new clear sets of stamps with matching dies and of course, our beautiful release of vintage valentine red rubber images! We have some real treasures in store for you. Our design team has been working hard to bring you samples that will surely inspire you.

This cute tag actually features several of the newly released stamp sets. To create this tag, I die cut the largest Label 14 nestie. Then I stamped the musical background using a stamp from the new Flower's stamp set. Then I sponged the edges with the same brown ink and lightly glimmer misted the tag with Tattered Angels Leather. I die cut the doily out of lighter blue paper, isn't this doily die amazing!! It's so darn cute! It's the perfect size for layering. The beautiful birdcage image is from The Four Season's stamp set. I stamped the sentiment onto a scrap piece of beige paper and distressed the edges with brown ink. The sentiment is a previously released rubber stamp from Prickley Pear.

Did you find my letter? Okay, so hop on over to Tesa's blog, I guarantee you she's got some lovely stuff for you to look at.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for more Prickley Pear fun!

Prickley Pear Blog Hop Day 1

2011-01-29T18:00:00.000-06:00

Blog hop release party
Whoooo Hooo! Day 1 is here. We are so excited to be releasing these new clear sets of stamps with matching dies and of course, our beautiful release of vintage valentine red rubber images! We have some real treasures in store for you. Our design team has been working hard to bring you samples that will surely inspire you.

Join us each day as we will have a different set we are featuring. We are playing a new game this time around. Each DT member will be featuring a letter in their post. Visit their blogs, find their letter - put the word together and e-mail us the word at service@prickleypear.com. A winner will be chosen for each day of the blog hop.

Start with Nicole, then take a look and see what beautiful cards we have in store. You will want to visit these fabulous ladies in order, Dawn, Amy, Michelle, Angelica, Leslie - (that's me!), Tesa, Jennifer. Good luck and have fun!

All right, ready to see a card? Here's what I have for you today:

This card features our new clear stamp set, The Four Seasons. This set very versatile and is perfect for background images or focal images. Here, I stamped the fence repeatedly using New Canvase Palette Ink, then I stamped the tree in white too. The hot air balloon was stamped in dark brown ink for contrast and is from a previous PPRS release. It's so easy to combine PPRS stamp sets since they're all so versatile! It's one of my favorite things of Nicole's designs, their versatility. And, of course, the gorgeous images, lol.

Did you find my letter? Hint, hint: it's highlighted red in the first two paragraphs. Okay, so hop on over to Tesa's blog, I guarantee you she's got some lovely stuff for you to look at.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for more Prickley Pear fun!

Viva La Verve Week 4

2011-01-25T19:30:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm back with the fourth week of Viva La Verve's card.

Even though I didn't use pink on this card, it's still a Valentine's Day card. I made this card for my nephew and I thought he would prefer green and blue to pink and red. :)

My cute Little Loveasaurus was colored with copics, then I went back and pressed in some "scales" using my colorless blender. After that was done, I coated his costume with Shimmerz paint in ultramarine and added stardust pen to his spines.

After die-cutting the focal image, I curved the "RAWR" sentiment to fit along the edge of the circle. The inside of the card is finished out with the sentiment "means I love you" but I couldn't get a good picture of the inside.

Here's a closeup of all the shimmer on this adorable dinosaurs costume. I love the way it reflect the light!

That's all I've got today. Be sure to stop by this Saturday for Prickley Pear's 4 day blog hop! There will be plenty of eye candy and prize winning opportunities.

Thanks for stopping by!

Viva La Verve Week 3

2011-01-22T07:05:00.000-06:00

Hi guys, I'm back with week 3's sketch for Viva La Verve. I've got to admit out of the three card I've made so far, this one's my favorite.

I went for the pink and craft combination again, it seems to be a favorite of mine right now. The paper is from MME's Lost and Found collection and I've incorporated it into all three cards. The tag pulls out to reveal a sweet message, lol.

I went for a polka dot theme again both on the background paper and the tag. The pocket was made using impressed kraft cardstock. After scoring the pocket, I die cut the front opening using PTI's mat stack 4 die. The left over piece was flipped and attached to the top of the card. The tag was also cut using the same die using more raspberry fizz cardstock and stamped with more polka dots. The top of the tag was made by die cutting a piece of scored and folded kraft cardstock. The swirls on the kraft piece were stamped using the hearts on fire scrolled heart from Verve. I stamped the sentiment from Verve and added three pink rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty for some added sparkle. The start was stamped using hot pink dye ink, cut out, and attached with foam dimensional adhesive.

Did I mention this was my favorite card? Lol. Don't forget to stop by on Jan. 29 for the first day of Prickley Pear's 4 day blog hop.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Viva la Verve Week 2

2011-01-20T05:37:00.000-06:00

Hi guys, I'm back with week 2's sketch card. Once again, it's a Valentine's Day card using two shades of pink and craft cardstock.

The card base was made using raspberry fizz cardstock. The background layer was letter pressed using craft cardstock, white hybrid ink, and PTI's giga guidelines impression plate. On top of that, I layered another piece of raspberry fizz stamped with polka dot basics II using white hybrid ink. The scrolled heart was stamped onto vellum, die cut, and embellished with fuschia pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty. A shiny, satiny ribbon finishes off this card.

That's all I've got today. Thanks for stopping by!!

Viva La Verve Week 1

2011-01-18T05:25:00.000-06:00

I finally got a chance to play along with Verve's weekly challenge. I'd wanted to play along last year, but somehow never got around to it. Each week a new sketch is uploaded onto their Splitcoast Stamper's forum. Here's the thread for week one. And, here's what I came up with:

The background is made with several different grey and pink patterned papers edged with tea dye distress ink. A brown ribbon loop behind my stamped image helps the image to pop a bit more. Since Valentine's Day is around the corner, I decided to challenge myself to create Valentine's themed cards along with the sketches.

Stop by tomorrow for the next challenge card! See ya later alligators!

Gettin Sketchy

2011-01-17T17:15:00.000-06:00

Hi, I'm back with a second post today! I know, I'm surprised too. :) My Favorite Things has changed their weekly challenge to a weekly sketch challenge. I had some extra time to stamp this weekend and I decided to play along. Here's what I came up with:

The dancing girl is from MFT's Dancing the Night Away stamp set. I colored her with copic markers, brushed her skirt with candlelight Shimmers paint and added a rhinestone belt to her dress. Once my image was die cut, I sponged it with Aquatic Splash chalk ink and added just a touch of distress ink to the edges. I sponged a scrap piece of paper doily with distress inks and finished off the card with three silver pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty.

Since I'm off from work until Thursday, I plan on playing along with Verve's Viva La Verve weekly challenge, too! :) Look for those later this week.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Square Cards

2011-01-17T12:00:00.000-06:00

Hi guys!! I'm back with a couple of card that I created with inspiration from this lovely card by Dawn McVey. I love her clean yet colorful cards!!

For this first card, I stamped a strip of polka dots from PTI's polka dots basics II stamp set in Shabby Shutters distress ink. Slightly above it, I attached a glimmer misted paper doily and added some satin ribbon right in between the dots and the doily. I stamped a piece of simply chartreuse cardstock with PTI's library card in Fresh Snow ink and then die cut it using a nestie. I die cut several layers of book print using PTI's Signature Series Butterfly die and then hand sewed them onto the card using embroidery floss. A simple sentiment on the right hand corner finishes off this card.

For this card, I stamped a strip of text style II in peeled paint, used the other half of the glimmer misted doily, and swapped out the thicker ribbon for a brighter green ribbon and added a button to the bow for added detail. This library card was printed onto craft cardstock, stamped with a flourish from the Embellishments stamp set and then glimmer misted. I love how the glimmer mist made the distress ink run slightly to give it an aged look. The dress form was die cut and stamped using PTI's Signature Series dress form.

I think these cards will make a great note card set for a quick hostess gift. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Love is in the Air

2011-01-15T12:49:00.000-06:00

Hi guys!! I'm back with a new card to show today. When Nicole sent me my first batch of stamps, she included this beauty with it. I've been wanting to create a card with it since then, and I've only now gotten around to creating one.

I decided to keep the layout rather simple since the image is so large. In order to accommodate the image, I decided to use a square base for my card.

Prickley Pear will be hosting a 4 day blog hop starting January 29th. Along the way, there will also be a chance to win new stamp sets each day. Be sure to stop by and play along!

Thanks for stopping by.

Coming Soon

2011-01-11T15:14:00.000-06:00

Hi peeps!! I know I've been very quiet around here lately, but that's just because I'm gearing up for Prickly Pear's upcoming release. Please stay tuned, these new stamps will knock your socks off!! ;)

Moments

2010-12-22T09:25:00.000-06:00

Hi guys, as you're reading this I'll be on my way to El Paso for the holidays. I have to admit, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love all the cheesy Christmas songs on the radio and I love to wrap gifts! So, right now, I'm probably wrapping gifts while singing some cheesy song, lol. Okay, so here's today's card:

This card has lots of my favorite elements: embossed metal, a die cut flower, a pearl pin, velvet, and jumbo scallops. I cut a piece of my favorite Ten Seconds metal and embossed it with a Tim Holtz embossing folder. My flower was made using Tim's tattered florals die and aida cloth, with a pearl brad to finish it off. My hat pin was made using extra pearls and spacers from my bead box. The scallops were made from Graphic 45 paper using MFT's jumbo scallop border die. Can you see how I lined up the pearls so they look continuous from one layer to another? I love that!

If I don't make it back here before Christmas, I wish you all a safe and wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas!!

Warm Chocolate

2010-12-20T09:18:00.000-06:00

We had a bit of a cold spell last week and it really made me crave some hot chocolate by the fireplace. So, when I was stamping, I naturally gravitated towards this image. It's my favorite from Whiff of Joy.

I used Mercy's sketch from last week to make the card. I must've had another card in mind when I colored this image because it was already sponged in blue. I decided that it didn't bother me enough to stamp a new image and decided to add a bit of red to the edges to make it coordinate a bit more with the patterned paper. I used some crinkly ribbon to make my ruffles and aged the doily with a bit of distress ink.

That's all I've got for today. Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate for me :)

Holiday Cookin'

2010-12-18T09:08:00.000-06:00

Good morning sunshines!! I've got a cute card to share today that reminds me of all the holiday cooking I will NOT be doing this year!! Lol!

As you can tell, I'm still totally in love with my new a la mode stamps from MFT. I stamped this card a while back but forgot to edit it until earlier this week. The picture doesn't show it well, but I added crystal glaze to the bowl with a brush to give it a glazed ceramic look that's wonderful in person.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Christmas SFYTT

2010-12-16T09:04:00.002-06:00

Howdy bloggers, how's the holiday season treating you? Surprisingly, I'm more than halfway done with my Christmas list and I already know what I'm getting for the rest of the people on my list. Yay, me!! So with a little bit of extra time on my hands, I decided to participate in this week's SFYTT. Luckily, this week's challenge was to use one of their older sketches so I was able to pick the one that suits my pre-stamped image.

This cute little bear is from The Cat's Pajamas and he's colored with my copics. I added stardust to both bows and crystal glaze to his honey jar and this candy cane. I stamped my background with red barn distress ink on kraft paper using PTI's Polka Dots background stamp. I die cut the snowflakes using an MFT die out of red cardstock and vellum.

Here's to a wonderful season with plenty of elves to help you complete your Christmas shopping! Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-14T20:42:00.000-06:00

Most of my cards I've made these past few weeks are quite festive and today's card is no exception.

I made this card using last week's Mojo Monday sketch. I made it last Monday but due the earlier sunsets I couldn't photograph it until Saturday morning. I was surprised once I finished the card to realize it has no stamping on it. I also finished it in about 10 minutes. I used several long neglected stickers, some new crinkly ribbon, a pearl strip, and bells to create this card. Easy peasy. How do you create 10 minute cards?

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-06T10:36:00.000-06:00

Ack!! Christmas is just around the corner and, as usual, I've left holiday shopping until the last minute. It's time to start getting organized and making my To Do lists. So to help me out, I decided to make a little notepad holder.

I made the cover just a smidge longer and wider than the notepad so the edges won't get yucky on the notepad. I also added a small pocket to the inside for tucking in receipts, cards, etc.

I used my new Graphic 45 and Pink Paislee Christmas papers for my front panel. My snowflakes were made with MFT's Let It Snowflake die-namic using red felt and white cardstock. A pair of tiny bells finished out my bow. The girl's boots and earmuffs are covered in chocolate flock and I added liquid applique to her hat.

Now I'm ready to do some Christmas shopping! Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Girl

2010-12-04T10:35:00.000-06:00

Hi guys!! Did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday? We had a great time celebrating with my family! A few weeks before going home, my aunt celebrated her birthday. So I made a card for her, but I didn't post it here because I know she likes to stop by every once in a while.

I made this card CASEing THIS gorgeous card by Melody Rupple. She has the most amazing, romantic style ever! I love her use of layers, lace, and sponging. These cute a la mode girls are currently some of my favorite stamps!

Thanks for stopping by!

What's Cookin'

2010-11-25T10:43:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I decided to post this card in honor of today's cooking and eating frenzy! Lol. Although I won't be cooking up a storm today, since we'll be driving into El Paso, I WILL be indulging in the eating frenzy part of it. :)

I made this cute card using MFT's a la mode girl, called What's Cooking. Aren't these a la mode girls just the cutest!! I've been stamping and coloring up a storm with them, so you can expect to see lots of a la modes for a while.

I pulled out my long neglected Prismacolors and OMS to color her in. Her apron is paper pieced using some patterned paper from my new Circa 1934 paper pad. I added some liquid applique to her ruffle and used Paula's glitter technique for her bowl. I added a few cream pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty to the patterned paper for some interest. The vanilla and red stripped ribbon in from Stampin Up and the hat pins are from Maya Road.

I hope everyone has a wonderfully blessed day! Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Bird

2010-11-22T10:54:00.000-06:00

When I first posted about this beautiful stamp from Prickley Pear, I mentioned that with the right colored bling, you could transform this card to fit any season. This one is my interpretation of fall.

I used some beautiful Webster's patterned paper for my background and added some burlap in the form of an accent strip and flower for a more rustic feel. I stamped my image onto cream cardstock using brown ink and blinged it up with several goodies from Pizzazz Aplenty. I pulled out some peridot rhinestones, orange frosted pearls, and pearls in peridot, brown, and orange.

Pizzazz Aplenty sells a gel stick that is perfect for picking up these small embellishments and helping you position them right where you want them. To get them to stick, I squeeze out a dab of crystal effects onto some scrap paper and add the glue got the back of my rhinestones with a toothpick. Just a tiny dab provides the right amount of hold for my rhinestones and pearls.

Thanks for stopping by!

SFYTT Birthday Card

2010-11-20T10:37:00.001-06:00

Good morning sunshines!! It's a beautiful Saturday morning here in North Texas. I've got plans to do some Christmas shopping and then hang out with Aldo's cousins in the evening, I'm looking forward to a great day! Last night I stayed up until 2 in the morning playing in my scrappy room and then suddenly remembered Jen's SFYTT and decided to use it to make my dad's birthday card. Here's this week's sketch:

And here's what I came up with:

As you can tell, I changed it a bit, but that's the beauty of a sketch, it's just a guideline for your imagination! I rotated the sketch onto it's side, changed the layering and the shape of the rectangle to a circle and changed the square into a rectangle. I pulled out some Graphic 45 and MME paper that I've been hoarding and gladly cut into it. Originally, I had envisioned the card with a bluer motif, but I'm really happy with the results. I stamped my image using vintage photo distress ink and die cut it with a nestie.

That's all I've got today, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

2010-11-09T00:09:00.000-06:00

Hi there, it's me again. I've got a Prickley Pear card to share with you today. I've had this stamp in my stash since the summer just waiting for the perfect chance to use it.

Since the image is so large, I decided to keep the card simple and let the image be the main focus. The snowflake in the corner was made using the new MFT snowflake dies. Each layer was die cut and then brushed with Tattered Angels Glam for the perfect amount of shimmer.

Thanks for stopping by!

Two Sketch Cards

2010-11-06T11:18:00.000-05:00

Howdy, ya'll! I'm enjoying a wonderful lazy day at home this beautiful Saturday. It feels great after the nonstop action of the last few weeks! :) I have a couple of cards to show you today. I had meant to post them sooner and then forgot. :)

This first cards is for Jen's Sketch for you To Try. I actually made it last Saturday and forgot all about it! The image is from Whiff of Joy. I colored her with copics and added some sparkle to her pot and the steam using my stardust pen. Can you believe that the yellow ribbon is the only yellow ribbon I have!?! Note to self: buy more yellow ribbon!

This card is for Mojo Monday's sketch. I stamped my background using Fresh Snow ink on Pure Poppy cardstock and the snowflakes from Technique Tuesdays Flurry stamp set, the sentiment is from the same set. I colored this girl from SCACD using copics and added some sparkle to the gift and her patch with Tattered Angel's Glam in hay ride using a small brush, I really like the chunkiness of the glitter and the shiny finish the glam adds. I also brushed cotton candy stickles to her hat with a paint brush. I embellished the bow with a black felt and red snowflake I die cut with my MFT die-namic.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend!

A Vintage Card

2010-11-03T06:17:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm back today with a card for Embellish Magazine's current challenge.

I must admit, I was rather surprised when I finished my card and discovered that I hadn't used a single stamped image! Now, that's something that doesn't happen often! I love the color combination that was chosen for this challenge. It's so perfect for the fall.

To make my card, I started with Webster's Pages paper and I distressed it with Tea Dye Distress ink. Next, I cut two rows of burlap scallops using MFT's Jumbo Scallop die and adhered them in two layers. I took a small paper doily and aged it with Vintage Photo Distress ink and then sprayed it with Tattered Angels Apple glimmer mist. While wet, I slightly crumpled it and flattened it out again and let it dry before attaching it to the card. I used some rust ribbon that I purchased from Stamp Simply and finished it out with a crystal swirl.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supply and Demand...

2010-11-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

That's the theme of this month's MFT Guest Designer challenge. We were challenged to base our project around a office/school supply theme. Here's what I came up with:

I stocked up on several pencil cases during back to school time earlier this year. I plan on using them to make gift holders for the holiday season. I thought this pink one would be perfect for my project! I cut a piece of black cardstock, punched the edges with my MS star border punch and layered some Bazzill swiss dot paper. I tied a large bow with some wide stripped ribbon. I added some doodles to my Maya Road library card pocket with my white gel pen. It still seemed a bit plain so I added some pink stamped stars around the library card. My main image is from MFT's I{heart} books stamp set and her book is paper pieced with some of my favorite SEI paper. I die cut my image and ran a copic around the edge to add some dimension. Our little bookworm's glasses were glossed with a Sakura glaze pen and her headband was blinged out with the help of a stardust pen. A couple of paperclips and a library clip finish out my project.

I love using pencil cases as gift holders, they're the right size to hold small items such a mittens, a tie, candy, beauty supplies, or you can fill the case with some tissue paper and nestle a gift card in there. And, the container can be used again and again by the recipient. They're perfect for those last minute small gifts for teachers, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

Thanks for stopping by!

Organize It: Unmounting Rubber Stamps

2010-10-31T00:00:00.001-05:00

As my rubber stamp collection grew, I made the decision to unmount my wooden stamps in order to save space. Splitcoast Stampers’ forums were especially helpful with this. There are several ways to proceed when unmounting rubber stamps: ez-mount, tack and peel, aileen’s tack it over and over, etc and each option having it’s pros and cons. I’ll review each of them briefly in this post.

When I first unmounted my stamps, I chose to use EZ mount as my method for adding cling to the back of my stamps. EZ mount comes in two options, regular and thin, with each 8 ½ x 11 sheet costing anywhere from 3-6 dollars. The benefits of EZ mount is that it’s permanent, there’s no sticky residue to contend with, and it works very well with acrylic blocks. However, if you have a large collection of stamps, the cost can add up quickly. In addition to this, the best way to cut the foam mount is with a hot knife, which can cost around 10-20 dollars and has quite a limited use in the scrapbooking hobby. The entire process of mounting on EZ mount can also be time consuming depending on the amount of stamps you have.

Tack and Peel is a clear sheet that you add to your acrylic block that allows you to attach bare rubber stamps. Each package of Tack and Peel by Tsukineko averages $8-10 and contains one 4” x 6 ½” sheet. I have personally not used this method so I cannot attest to its pros and cons.

Aleene’s Tack It Over and Over is a flexible adhesive that creates a temporary bond. A thin coat of the liquid glue is brushed onto the back of bare rubber stamps and allowed to dry. Once dry, the glue becomes tacky and the stamps can then be adhered to the acrylic block. TIO&O can be readily found at local hobby stores; averages 3-6 dollars for a 4 oz bottle and one bottle can last forever as a little goes a long way. This has become my method of choice for my rubber stamps since it’s easy to use, easy to find, and very economical. However, I have noticed that on certain types of rubbers, the glue will peel off. Also, if there’s any residue on your stamps can cause the glue to not adhere properly. So it’s important to apply to very clean stamps.

Links to products discussed on this post:

EZ Mount

Hot Knife

Tack and Peel

Aleene’s Tack It Over and Over

Links to tutorials on each method:

EZ Mount using scissors

EZ Mount using hot knife

Tack and Peel

Aleene’s Tack It Over and Over

Thanks for stopping by!

A Dandelion SFYTT

2010-10-24T18:50:00.000-05:00

Although I love Jen's Sketch For You To Try sketches, I rarely ever play along with that week's sketch. Usually I find myself using her sketches several weeks later. This time, however, I actually created a card for this week's sketch! Lol. Here's this week's sketch:

And, here's my very literal interpretation:

I stamped the large dandelion from Prickley Pear onto kraft cardstock using Fresh Snow ink. I die cut the image using my circle nestabilities and matted it on a scalloped circle cut from hot fudge cardstock. I attached the circle to a ripe avocado scalloped square using dimensionals. The four corners of the square are embellished with gold nailheads from Pizzazz Aplenty. The bottom layer is strips of hot fudge cardstock punched with my Martha Stewart double loop punch. I used some green satin ribbon from Stamp Simply for my bow. I layered all this onto designer paper from Webster's Pages matted on some more craft cardstock.

The sketch was so pretty as is that I found myself creating my card using a very true to the sketch interpretation. I just love when a card comes together so effortlessly! Thanks for stopping by!

Organize It: Stamps

2010-10-24T17:54:00.000-05:00

One of the aspects I’ve struggled with the most throughout my paper crafting foray has been how to organize my ever expanding collection of paper, stamps, and tools. When I first started scrapbooking several years ago, my collection fit in a tiny handheld crop bag. Overtime, my storage and organization has evolved as my collection has grown. So, I thought I would share my storage and organization methods in a weekly blog post over the next few months. Perhaps I can help someone else get their collection neatly stored and organized.

Now, before I start, I want to make the following disclaimer: the majority of the storage and organization solutions that I’ve implemented have been based on ideas found on Splitcoast Stampers forum and tips fellow bloggers have posted on their blogs. One such blogger, Patter, has been particularly instrumental in my organizing experience. As I post each week’s different blog, I will try my best to include links to products and other sites that can perhaps help you along. That being said, here we go!

This week I’ve decided to cover stamps! Out of all my supplies, my stamp collection was the hardest to tame. Since I started, I’ve used several storage methods before I found the one I was happiest with. Right now, I’m currently storing both my rubber and acrylic stamps in enclosed mini binders from Univenture.

All of my stamp sets are organized by brand. If a particular stamp collection spans several binders, then the name of the stamp lines are also on the binder spine.

On the front of each binder is a table of contents with the names of the stamp sets that it holds. Under the name of each stamp set is a line list of all the saying that can be found within that stamp set. This helps me find a particular saying at a glance.

On the back of each binder is a picture of each of the stamp sets found inside. This helps me search for any given image by scanning the back of the cover.

To create the panels that hold my stamps, I have taken several Scraponizer file folders and cut them down to fit inside the binders. Each pack of file folders will yield 8 panels. I like how the sturdiness of these file folders allow me to store stamps on both sides.

The reason I’m so happy with these binders is that I can store both my acrylic and rubber stamps using one method so I can keep my storage uniform. Also, this method is quite cost and space effective compared to other storage solutions.

Links to products used in this post:

Univenture mini binders

Scraponizer file folders

Links to other storage solutions:

Carousel storage method

Envelope storage method

Thanks for staying with me through this long post! J If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section and I will try to answer them. Have a great day!

Case Study

2010-10-19T21:55:00.000-05:00

This week's CASE Study is a gorgeous card by Bar. When I saw this card in her blog a while back, I was smitten with the color palette, teal and black create a wonderful, striking combination.

Bar's card inspired me in several ways: the color palette, of course, the use of Graphic 45 paper, the carnival theme, and the minimal embellishments for an elegant yet vintage look. The top teal panel on my card is an embossed metal sheet from Ten Seconds Studios, I embossed the peacock metal sheet with my Tim Holtz damask folder and lightly sanded the embossed image to add contrast. The bottom left panel is from Graphic 45's A Proper Gentleman collection. The right hand panel is from Webster's HollyVogue collection. The main image is from Prickley Pear's Collage ATC transparency collection. I cut the transparency to size, ran it through my Zyron machine and added teal, blue, and chocolate glitters to the back of the transparency. The ribbon on my card is satin instead of grosgrain and I really like the sheen it adds to the card. The pretty turquoise rhinestones are from Pizzazz Aplenty. Psst, if you haven't checked out Judy's bling, you are SOO missing out!! ;)

I apologize for the dark, blurry picture, it was taken at night time. :( A new CASE card will be posted on Thursday, I hope you can play along too!

Thanks for stopping by!

More Christmas Tags

2010-10-14T22:58:00.003-05:00

I am in love with Prickley Pear's new Christmas images and I just couldn't resist making a few more tags with them.

For this tag, I stamped out the snowflake with veramark ink and embossed it with clear detail powder. Then I sprayed it with my glimmer mist and gently buffed away the excess from the embossed flakes. I added a bit of sponging around the edges with pine needles distress ink, once it all dried I added a gold ribbon bow and attached the joy panel with dimensional stickers. I stamped the Joy image with the same pine needle distress ink and added red pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty to the wreath.

To make this tag, I sponged black soot distress ink on the edges of the tag after sponging red ink all over it. Of course, I couldn't resist adding silver glimmer mist to it as well. :) I stamped my image from the Beautiful Cardinal set on black cardstock with versamark and embossed with silver embossing powder. A bit of baker's twine and some silver pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty finished it off. Easy peasy.

Thank you for hanging out with me today! Have a great weekend!

New Toys

2010-10-14T22:42:00.000-05:00

Hi guys, I'm back with a card made from some new toys that came in the mail earlier this week! I just couldn't resist MFT's new a la mode's Candy Cane Kisses girl and their new snowflake die.

I decided to play along with this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I colored this cutie with my copics and added plenty of texture with red flock on her boots and ear muffs, liquid applique on her hat, and clear glaze on the candy cane. Do you see the three frosted pearls at the top of the card? They're new from Pizzazz Aplenty and they are so cute, I'm definitely going to have to order more of these gems!

Even though I hate the cold weather, I LOVE the holidays and I've already embraced them in my crafting. So expect more Christmasy stuff in the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by!

Embellish Felt Challenge

2010-10-12T23:25:00.000-05:00

Embellish Magazine has a new challenge up on their blog and this time it involves felt. I have a confession to make: several months ago I went out and purchased several sheets of felt to use on my cards. Well, that felt has sat at the bottom of my paper cart ever since. This challenge was the perfect excuse to break it out and start using it.

I used last week's Mojo Monday sketch for my layout. The sentiment is a Plain Jane stamp from Verve and the border stamp is from SEI's Juliette line. To make my felt flower, I die cut 5 scalloped circles. I folded four of them into quarters and sewed them onto my fifth circle. I used a large pearl to cover the where I stitched in the center. Easy peasy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hey Chica

2010-10-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

This week's MFT Wednesday challenge is a wonderful sketch challenge hosted by Cindy and Frances. And, since fall colors happen to be my favorite colors, I just couldn't resist using my Basic Grey indian summer paper pad.

I colored Chica with my copics, die cut the image with my new nestie labels and added some yellow and cream sponging. The ribbon is from Stamp Simply, she's got THE most beautiful ribbons for a great price and Sharon's such a sweet person! Stop by the MFT forum on Splitcoast Stampers and play along!

Thanks for stopping by!

PPRS Hot Air Balloon Revisited

2010-10-05T22:49:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about Prickley Pear's stamps and dies is their versatility. The majority of their stamps can be used for many themes and are only limited by your creativity. For instance, the hibiscus stamp and die can also be used to make embellishments as seen here and here.

Upon further inspection of my Hot Air Balloon die and stamp set, I realized that it could easily be used as a Christmas ornament simply by turning it upside down! After playing around with it for a bit, here's what I came up with:

I decided to skip the stamping part completely and just use the die to cut patterned paper for my ornaments. I simply colored the tops gold and added some thin ribbon as hanging string. However, stamping and embossing the patterned paper in gold or silver would add a wonderful detail to the ornaments. There are so many possibilities!

Have you used your Prickley Pear stamps in an unusual way? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

Thanks for stopping by!

And Then I Said

2010-10-03T21:13:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've used my MFT stamps and I still have several stamp sets that are unused. :( So, I decided that this week's MFT Guest Designer challenge was the perfect excuse to pull out a new stamp set and get it inky. And then I said, is on sale in the bubble bin at MFT, once it's gone, they will not be restocking it!

Susan and Jen decided to make this month's challenge a color challenge: raspberry, aqua, and lime! Definitely bright! The colors actually blended together a lot better than I thought they would. Be sure to stop by the MFT forum on Splitcoast Stampers, they will be having their monthly release party this Thursday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: paper - SEI Bissette; cardstock - PTI simply chartreuse, hawaiian shores, kraft; Bazzill swiss dot; ribbon - PTI raspberry fizz saddle stitch; ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaMagic - Aquatic Splash; copics; Nestabilities; EK Success - notebook edge punch; MFT - And Then I Said stamp set, jumbo scallop die-namic

Knowledge is Power

2010-10-02T07:29:00.001-05:00

When I experimented with my PTI impression plates and letterpressing, I had a few panels left that I knew I couldn't let go to waste, so I put them to good use in a card.

I had intended on making this card rather masculine, but somehow a quite girlie flower managed to sneak onto the card! Lol. The bottom panel was impressed one side of the PTI book print impression plate that was inked up with blue Encore ink. The subtle shimmer in the ink make the impression pop beautifully. I made the library card on my computer, printed it out on kraft cardstock and embellished it with a flourish from the PTI embellishments stamp set. The tiny card pocket was made by die cutting another piece of impressed cardstock with the mat stack 4 die, folding it in half and securing it with some scor tape. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday to You!

2010-09-30T07:24:00.000-05:00

Hello bloggers! I've got a bright and fun card for you today.

This cute Henry Mouse stamp by Whiff of Joy was colored with my copics, attached to a swiss dot scalloped circle mat and popped up on dimensionals. Since I chose such a bright color scheme, I decided to keep the embellishments to a minimum, using only a large star brad to add some interest to the card.

It seems like I just can't keep enough birthday cards in my stash. This card can be given to either a boy or girl with makes it perfect to keep on hand. Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Bird

2010-09-29T07:38:00.002-05:00

Prickley Pear's new Christmas stamps include a beautiful bird perched on a tree. I love the versatility of this stamp set, traditional colors with render a lovely holiday card, soft pastels will yield a perfect spring card, earthy tones will make it perfect for fall.

I chose to go with traditional gold and red to make a festive card since the holiday season will be here before you know it and I'll need a head start making Christmas cards.

I stamped the image on white cardstock using rich cocoa ink from Memento. I colored my bird in with copics, added some stardust pen and swirled the sparkles around using an aquapainter filled with alcohol (a technique I learned from Jen Del Muro), and added half back pearls in red and white from Pizzazz Aplenty. The image was die cut using my new nestie labels set, I love the new sets that were recently released, they have an elegant feel to them! I edged the panel with gold ink to finish it off. The background panel is from Jillibean soup and I added a few more pearls to the side to add some interest. The sparkly stripped panel is from DCWV and I just couldn't resist adding a soft bow to my card.

Prickley Pear has several holiday images that can help you make wonderful, homemade cards this season. Thanks for stopping by!

New Stamps

2010-09-28T07:15:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered this stamp set from Taylored Expressions and I instantly fell in love with it! I love the beautiful, elegant images in this set. And, I was pleasantly surprised to with TE's packaging. My new set came premounted on ez-mount and attached to it's own storage panel. A perfect fit with my storage system!

I stamped this beautiful butterfly with green Enore ink and colored it in with my copics. I added some sparkle with my stardust pen and embellished it with white half back pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty. Once I sponged around the image, I attached it to a scalloped mat and added liquid pearls around the edges. The bottom panel is another stamp from the same set stamped in Brilliance coffee bean ink.

I can't wait to experiment some more with this stamp set! Thanks for stopping by!

Case Study

2010-09-27T21:10:00.002-05:00

Last week, a fellow design team member, Tesa, posted about a fairly new blog called CASE Study. The blog features a guest designer each month that will inspire you with the beautiful cards. I decided to play along and create a card of my own.

I kept the general layout and color scheme of the card but changed a few of the details. I used my text style stamp from PTI to stamp my background. Instead of using copics on my butterfly, I stamped it out on acetate and colored it with PK Glitz glitters and added a crystal flourish trail. Instead of a scalloped, pear trimmed border, I opted for a double loop border punch from Martha Stewart. The sentiment is from Prickley Pear.

I just love inspiration challenges, they provide a great starting point! Thanks for stopping by!

Embellish Color Challenge

2010-09-27T20:59:00.000-05:00

Ever since I discovered Ashley Newell's blog, I've been admiring the gorgeous work her and her design team colleagues produce for their color challenges on the Embellish blog. Although I love their work, the color combos are not colors I would normally combine. This time, even though I was unsure of the palette, I decided to jump in and play along.

When I showed the card to Aldo, he surprised me by telling me that he loved the color palette I had chosen. Hmm, maybe I've been playing it a bit too safe with my color combos! Part of the challenge was to use your stamps to create a background so I used my new Juliette stamp set from SEI to stamp the medallion print on yellow cardstock using grey ink. The die cut flourish is from PTI's embellishment stamp set. I added black 3mm rhinestones from Pizzaz Aplenty to the center of each medallion. A black rhinestone flourish and velvet ribbon complete the card.

Christmas Tags

2010-09-26T19:15:00.000-05:00

Last week I attended the Creating Keepsakes Convention in San Marcos and I had a blast!! One of the make and takes being offered was hosted by Tattered Angels. I got the opportunity to play with several of their products and I walked away from their booth with a few goodies I just couldn't resist! I have a feeling that there will be plenty of shimmer in my future projects :)
When I got home, I was also greeted by some wonderful happy mail from Prickley Pear! Their new Christmas images are being released tomorrow and, trust me, they are wonderful, as usual! I decided to make a couple of tags using my new glimmer mists and stamps.

I sprayed a large manilla tag with jazz blue and apple glimmer mists, added some homemade gold shimmer spray and distressed the edges with vintage photo ink. The Distress inks blend so well over the shimmer mists! I added some ivory crochet lace, a crystal flourish, and a snowflake to the tag. I stamped out the holiday frame on white cardstock using Encore copper ink and very lightly sponged it with vintage photo ink. I added my sentiment and some beautiful peridot rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty.

I loved this tag so much, I decided to make another one.

This time, I stamped snowflakes on the tag using versamark ink and embossed them with clear detail power. Once I added the glimmer mist and let it dry, I gently buffed the snowflakes to remove the excess mist and ended up with a beautiful emboss resist background. Some ribbon, topaz rhinestones from Pizzazz Aplenty, a sentiment from Technique Tuesday, and a large brad finish off the tag.

I wish you could see the beautiful shimmer on the tags, but I just can't figure out how to capture it with my camera... Pizzazz Aplenty features a different offer every week, be sure to stop by and check out this week's offer. Thanks for stopping by!

Little Loveasaurus

2010-09-14T12:12:00.000-05:00

Hello! I've got a new card to share with you today. This card features the oh so adorable Little Loveasaurus from My Favorite Things.

I paperpieced this cutie using my favorite green polka dot paper from October Afternoon's Fly a Kite collection. His scales were colored in using copic markers and I added some Sakura stardust pen on top for some shimmer. I used a Spellbinders impressabilities plate and sponged vintage photo distress ink on top of it to create the circle patter on my craft panel. Strips of green ribbon and some white flat back pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty complete the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Reading Is Fun

2010-09-13T11:57:00.000-05:00

Hi all, I'm back today with some cute bookmarks I put together. Lately I've been making it a point to pull out all the items that I've had for a while but never used and this project features so many of them! :)

The bookmarks were die cut using my new PTI mat stack 4 die. In order to make them double sided, I covered the back side of the polka dot paper with 1/2" double sided tape prior to die cutting the paper. I letterpressed the brown cardstock using my PTI book print impression plate inked up with vintage cream ink. The little boy, the bookworm, and the sentiments are from MFT's I {heart} books stamp set, a set I've had for about a year, but never used. Oops. :) The glasses on the little boy and the worm were glazed using my clear sakura glaze pen.

These cute little bookmarks came together so quickly and make the perfect little gift to pair with a giftcard from a bookstore.

Scrapbooking Again

2010-09-12T11:37:00.001-05:00

Well, wouldn't you know it, I made two more scrapbook pages! Weird right? Well, these two pages are due to finding the GORGEOUS new line of MME paper, Lost & Found. Swoon! They are absolutely beautiful and are just perfect for scrapbooking.

While I was browsing through the paper at Scrapper's Boutique, I came across this paper and it immediately reminded me of the time my mom tried to show Jessica (my sister) how to sew. The looks on my sister's face were so funny, I pulled out my camera to record them. So, I pulled out the pictures, purchased a few embellishments and here's what I came up with:

I made one for my mom and one for Jess so they could always remember their mother-daughter time together. I apologize for the glare, but I didn't remember to photograph them until they were in their shadowboxes. There's lots of different elements on these pages, so this might be a long post. :)

The glittery titles were made using Making Memories alphabet stickers and crystal swirls by Prima Marketing were added to both pages. The small spools at the bottom right were made using small wooden spools from Hobby Lobby painted with white acrylic paint and spooled with ivory and pink embroidery thread. Both pages have clear acrylic brackets that were painted with alcohol inks and pearl hat pins attached to the ribbon ruffle. Tiny scissor and thimble charms finished off the pages.

I plan on giving them to my mom when we meet in San Marcos, I really hope they like them!

Mojo Monday Cards

2010-09-11T11:35:00.000-05:00

I'm back today with a couple of cards I made earlier in the week using the current Mojo Monday sketch.

This first card uses some designer paper from Tim Holtz' Lost and Found paperstack. My scalloped circle is embellished with some flat back black pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty. You have got to check out their selection and prices on flatback pearls and rhinestones! They have great selection, reasonable prices, and wonderful customer service! My focal image was stamped with PTI's text style background stamp in tea dye distress ink. I then layered the beautiful Ferris Wheel stamp from PPRS. Some pure poppy saddlestitch ribbon and a ticket tag from Tim Holtz finishes off this card.

My next card is a bit more elegant and soft:

This card's focal image is a Plain Jane by Verve and my scalloped circle is embellished with liquid pearls. The top background was made using my new PTI Embellishments stamp set with pink ink to create a tone on tone effect. The pink flourish on the bottom was made using the same stamp set and coordinating die. I am totally in love with this set, it has so many possibilities! I added some ivory pearls from Pizzazz Aplenty to add a bit more bling.

Thanks for stopping by!

Card Sketch Challenge

2010-09-11T10:25:00.001-05:00

Happy Saturday!! Prickley Pear is sponsoring this weeks sketch challenge over at Card Patterns. They asked a couple of us from the design team to play along with them this week. Here's this week's sketch:

And here's what I came up with:

A coworker asked me for a girlie horse theme card for a friend of hers and I'd been wanting to use this beautiful flourished horse stamp for a while now. I stamped my horse with Brilliance ink and embossed it clear embossing powder. I then sponged it with my pink Memento ink to give a soft pink glow. I stamped my stars using Fresh Snow ink on some pink PTI cardstock, embossed them with clear detail power, cut them out, and lightly sponged them with tea dye distress ink to give them a bit of depth. I edged some more pink cardstock with my MS star border punch and layered some pink cowgirl themed paper I picked up a while back at my LSS. Some rhinestone swirls and a loop of twine complete the card.

I'll be heading over to the CKC Convention in San Marcos next weekend with my mom and my aunt. I'm so excited, I can't wait!! Is anyone else out in blogland going?

Know Life

2010-09-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Howdy folks! I'm back today with another look at the new Prickley Pear clear stamp and die set released earlier this week. Along with several cardinal stamps, this set also includes a beautiful dandelion and music sheet stamp. The second I saw this stamp, I knew how I wanted to use it

This stamp just calls out for a monochromatic, elegant layout. Using my new GCD paper pad, full of yummy black and cream paper and embellished with flocking, I created a simple layout. The ATC sized panel was stamped on cream paper and heavily distressed with ink and a distresser. A smaller notebook panel, black velvet ribbon, and a cute sentiment complete the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Prickley Pear Blog Hop

2010-09-06T08:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp Blog Hop! We have 4 beautiful new Fall and Holiday sets we are so pleased to announce.
Our Cardinal, Pumpkins, Ornaments and Trees sets!

Visit the Design Team’s daily releases and our blog over the
next 4 days to have chances to win one of these beautiful sets.

Today's Prize Package includes the Cardinal set and Matching die.

Each day you have more than one chance to win. Start at the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp Blog. Simply post our logo onto your website, become a follower and leave a comment on the Prickley Pear Blog for one chance to win. Then hop on over to the day’s release blogs and make comments there for more chances to win. Sounds easy enough. And the bonus is that you’ll see some fabulous paper projects featuring the new sets.

Today, you will need to visit Tracy and my site and leave comments!

For each release, you’ll have 2 days to participate…you’ll have until midnight the night AFTER the release day to enter comments. Please just one comment per blog.

I took a small hinged tin and altered it to make a gift tag holder. I covered the lid with Pure Poppy cardstock and Indian Summer paper by Basic Grey. I stamped the cardinal onto clear cardstock with black Staz On ink and used diamond glaze and glitter to make this cute bird sparkle. A small paper flower embellishment complete the outside.

Inside, I added a divider using more Pure Poppy cardstock and filled one compartment with twine and tiny clothespins. The second compartment contains Christmas tags for this years presents.

Thanks for stopping by!

Prickley Pear Design Team Call

2010-08-31T08:42:00.000-05:00

Prickley Pear is holding their semi annual design team call! You can read all about it here. If you're interested, please apply. Trust me, they are AWESOME to work with! And their stamps sets are AMAZING!! So head on over there and apply today.

2010-08-31T08:00:00.002-05:00

Prickley Pear recently came out with some beautiful seasonal stamps that are available right now. Ever since this beautiful dandelion stamp arrived in the mail, I've been itching to use it.

I stamped my image on kraft cardstock using versamark ink and embossed the image with clear embossing powder. Using tea dye distress ink, I stamped a text background over the image and then rubbed away the excess ink from the embossed area. This kept my work from getting smudged and also gave my flowers a subtle halo. I ripped a piece out of an old book, crumpled it up, aged it and matted it onto chocolate cardstock. To jazz up my card, I used glittered cardstock for both the background panel and the small horizontal panel. Some crochet trim finished off my card.

Prickley Pear is gearing up to release some more seasonal stamps in a few days! Be sure to stop by the PPRS blog for information on how to enter to win a free set.

Rusty Hips

2010-08-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

MFT is having their monthly guest designers challenge and this month's theme is sentiments.

The sentiment I used is from Amanda Baird's Dance the Night Away, which happens to be on sale right now! :) Although fall is still a few weeks away, I'm finding myself drawn to the fall color schemes already. This one uses tones of chocolate, warm greens, and deep blues. I opted for ivory for my panels versus white to keep it from being too stark against the warm color palette.

Thanks for stopping by!

Feel Better Soon

2010-08-28T12:24:00.000-05:00

Happy Saturday! I'm back today with a project to show you featuring Sick Henry from Whiff of Joy. I just love Henry from the Whiff of Joy line!

I made the box using this template from Splitcoast Stampers. I modified it to make it into a square box by changing the score points to 2.5", 5", 7.5", and 10". To decorate it, I cut a strip of pure poppy cardstock and punched both edges with my apron lace punch and centered a strip of BoBunny swiss dot paper in navy. Henry was colored with copics and cut out using a nestie. The edge of the flap was also trimmed with a nestie to add a decorative edge.

Be sure to stop by on September 5th, we will be featuring a blog hop for the upcoming release from Prickley Pear. You won't want to miss out, these stamps are definite must haves!

Scrapooking

2010-08-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

I actually made a scrapbook page!! Everyone who knows me knows that scrapbooking intimidates me, so I usually stick to mini albums or cards. But, I've had this acrylic page tucked away since last year and I've been wanting to create an album from last year's vacation so I thought I would experiment with one page first.

I apologize for the glare in the picture, I was impossible to take a picture without getting some glare. This was the best one. :(

I kept the layout simple using nice bright colors and white for accent. I am actually quite proud of this page, lol! It took me almost an entire day to create it. I used stazon ink to stamp some travel images on the back side of the acrylic plate and to ink the edges. I used a Martha Stewart border punch on the orange paper, an edge distresser on the the blue and white paper, and added a crystal flourish for some bling.

At the rate I scrapbook, I might have an album together in 20 years! Thanks for stopping by!