Thinking of You - FMS #28 Challenge

This weekend I had the opportunity to make a card for a good friend and boss who suffered a great loss.  These cards are always difficult for me to make, I always want to put my personal sympathy into the card to let them know I care... So without further ado, here is my card:

 Of course I had to use my cricut to help decorate, and one of the techniques was using a "fake" embossing look.  I used the Paper Lace cricut cartridge to cut the same cream shapes to match the background of the card, so it was a subtle look. What do you think?

Supplies Used:
Patterned paper (K & Company); Card stock (Recollections); Die cuts (Cricut cartridges: Paper Lace; Elegant Edges, Damask Decor); adhesive gems (Recollections); Stamps & Ink (Studio G).

Happy Birthday - The Play Date Cafe #122

Happy Wednesday!   I was going to post this yesterday for the challenge deadline, but it just did not work out. This week has been long, and I think it is the hour time change for Day Light Savings. It gets me every time. Who would have thought one hour was so essential to us?  Well, here is my card, which once I  completed I was very pleased with the way it turned out!

The Play Date Cafe had challenge #122 to use the colors, charcoal, ash, and butter together to make a card. I normally would not pair these together, but seeing their inspiration cards and this picture below inspired me.  I decided to craft a birthday card for our project manager with this color combo.  What do you think?

Supplies used:

Card & envelope (Recollections); colored card stock and glitter paper (DCWV); Die cuts (Paper Lace and Paper Lace 2 cricut cartridges); Glitter pen (Gel Writers); Ribbon (Offray); Ink (Studio G)

Flower Card

Often times I only get around to posting the challenges I submit to anymore... where has all the time in the day gone... oh yeah... to creating :)

When I am not elbow deep into one of my projects or submitting to a challenge, I love cruising around blogs or reading old craft magazines for inspiration to try something.  This last weekend I decided to try my hand at a card without a sentiment, with stamped images. This picture does no justice to how absolutely beautiful it is in person. Even my husband who normally doesn't oh and aw thought it was pretty spectacular!

The technique I tried on this card was stamping the image twice. Once on the craft which I colored with watercolor pencils for a soft look, and once again on white card stock which I colored with glitter pens and then cut with scissors and layered on top of the kraft images. It really made the flowers pop! I then layered it over a kraft card with a gold stamped texture background. What do you think?

Supplies:

Kraft (Recollections); Stamps (vintage - unknown); Ink (Studio G); Watercolor pencils (Artists Loft); Gel pens (Gel Writers); Die Cut (Cricut - Paper Lace 2); Twine (Baker's Twine); Adhesive pearls (Recollections).

Make A Wish - PDCC#120

Getting back into the swing of things, I started exploring more with my Cricut.  Here I tested out their Flower Shoppe Project cartridge, and I won't lie, it took my awhile to get to where the flowers looked like flowers!  I watched a great tutorial on how to use the machine and assemble the flowers that made it seem quite simple, but it still took quite a bit of practice!  The tutorial did help and gave me lots of cool tricks, but whew!  So here is my shot with the flowers:  

 I made this card for the Play Date Cafe Challenge #120, using light blue, orangsicle, and basil colors together.  What do you think of the flower arrangement? I used an assortment, I was seeing how many I could make once I got the hang of it.

Supplies used:
Flowers (Flower Shoppe - Project - Cricut Cartridge); cardstock (Recollections; Colorbok); patterned paper (Colorbok); stamp & ink (Studio G); adhesive pearls (Recollections);



Delight in the Small Things - FMS#23

So despite having a fun, amazing new die cutting machine, I have been so swamped with the many other things in life, I really have not had too much of a chance to play!  This weekend I spent a couple of days playing around, and seeing what I could do for a couple of challenges, and this is one of my new creations! I created it for the  Freshly Made Sketches challenge #23. What do you think?

The sentiment is a stamp from Studio G - Delight in the Little Things!  It reminds me of my six year old daughter who has been losing her teeth - she is on her fourth lost tooth!  Nothing is cuter than seeing one pop out and her sweet little face as she holds it up in delight. It really is just the little things!

Supplies used:
Kraft paper (Recollections); brown and red patterned paper (Colorbok); other patterned paper (DCWV); border punch (Fiskars), flower punch (Martha Stewart Crafts); die cuts (Paper Lace 2 Cricut Cartridge), adhesive gem (Recollection); stamp & ink (Studio G).

My First Cricut Card!!!

So my wonderful husband finally convinced me to get a Cricut machine.  What I mean by that, since it has came out, it has been too much for me to afford or justify.  I convinced myself that I did not need it and can scrapbook without it.  I refused to even look at them. He tried convincing me a couple of times to get one, and I would not even entertain the idea. I just was dead set on not having one.

Then my favorite scrapbooking accomplice - one of my best friends and cousin - Becky get the Cricut Create for Christmas (we fondly named him Jimminy).  In need of help for a project, I spent the day at her house, and oohed and awwed, and decided I would scrimp and save to buy one.  That I no longer could scrapbook without one and that I might need to live at her house just to use hers all the time.

I told my husband about all the cool things it could do, and then tried to play it down that I didn't need one.  I didn't want him so worried that he cut up my debit card....    Well, he surprised me and gave me and used his Christmas money to get me the original Cricut machine, on sale at Michaels.  I think he has had to pry me every night out of my craft room and back to reality.  I love it so much!  I only have two cartridges right now, so my next step is saving for new ones. 

Well, to make a very long story slightly shorter, I had to tackle two challenges with using the amazing-ness of my new machine! 

This card combines the The Play Date Cafe #113 challenge to use Juniper, Mint, and Vanilla colors, with the CARDS Magazine Create: Blog challenge of using three flowers, two butterflies, and one bird.  What do you think?

Supplies used:

Bird, Birdcage, Butterflies, and Flower die-cuts (Cricut; Bloom Cartridge); Patterned paper (DCWV); Card stock paper (Recollections); Stamp & Ink (Studio G); Adhesive gems (Recollections); Adhesive (Elmer's).

Christmas Card - Non Traditional Colors

Card Magazine's blog - CREATE: Blog was hosting a challenge this week that was to design a Christmas/Holiday card using non-traditional colors.  Inspired by the colors of one of my closest friends (and cousin!) Becky, I decided to give it a shot with Black and Pink (her faves) and Silver (one of my faves).

Here is my take on it.  The card itself was pretty easy to put together, it was just getting the papers to coordinate! Once I had that, it all just fell into place.  The funny thing?  The papers on this card are all scraps I had in my large scrap bin! I was just going through them and set aside ones that caught my eye.  I love using scraps like this, it is like finding a lost treasure!

Hello Darling Card

I made this bright card for my wonderful cousin as a surprise when she visits our house.  She is in our small dinky town a couple of days a week attending school at the college and we gave her a house key so she can have a place to land and of course come visit our dogs!  My daughter Lizzie loves to leave her pictures and candy and little surprises, so I thought I would join in as well with a nice card!

I love the stamp, but rarely have a chance to use it, and it went perfectly with the papers and color scheme, pink of course for her!

Supplies to make it:

Stamp & Ink (Studio G); Glitter Paper (DCWV); Patterned Paper (Recollections All Season); Kraft Cardstock (Recollections); Adhesive Gems (Recollections); Border Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts); Adhesive (Elmer's Non Wrinkle Glue).

PDC Challenge #106

Another challenge card for the Play Date Cafe - #106...  Except I made a tag instead.  The idea to this challenge was to incorporate gray, yellow, and pink.  What do you think?

On this tag I used a baking theme, and stamped the image on pink cardstock which I cut down and rounded the corners and punched a pretty border.  I layered this over yellow punched squares of different patterns and also gray textured cardstock for the base.  Lastly I embellished with some adhesive gems.  Simple, yet quite fun.

Supplies:

Corner punch (Making Memories); Border Punch (Martha Stewart Crafts); Stamps & Ink (Studio G); pink cardstock (Recollections); Yellow Papers (DCWV); Grey Cardstock (DCWV); Yellow Eyelet (Making Memories); Eyelet Punch/Setter (Making Memories); Yellow Ribbon (Offray); Adhesive Rhinestones (Recollections); Adhesive (Elmer's)

Handmade By - Buttons, Brads, & Bow

Recently I have started to branch out a little from my traditional card making, and started making gift tags. I incorporated some buttons, brads, and bows in order to submit to the Wee Memories Challenge.  Here is my attempt at one, and I swear the color looks much more vibrant in person!

For this one, I used a green card stock base that had tiny white polka dots on it. I then adhered patterned paper along the bottom, using a small strip of glitter card stock to frame the bottom.  After that, I stamped the sentiment and adhered to the card stock base, lastly embellishing with a ribbon bow and brad, and tiny brad buttons.  It is such a quaint little look.  What do you think?

Supplies:
Patterned cardstock (DCWV); Glitter card stock (Colorbok); Stamp & Ink (Studio G); Ribbon (Offray); Brads (Making Memories); Adhesive (Elmer's).