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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!